Children's Home run by Prestige Adolescent Care and Education Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC420876 1 SC420876 Registered provider: Prestige Adolescent Care And Education Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A small private provider operates this four-bedded children’s home. Ofsted has registered it for children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 21 to 22 September 2017

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is outstanding because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 This service is outstanding because highly competent staff quickly establish and Inspection report children’s home: SC420876 2 sustain meaningful relationships with young people.  The manager is highly motivated. She helps her team to succeed. Staff are highly motivated.  The company applies clear boundaries around young people’s behaviour and activities. Staff successfully help young people come to terms with what is on offer. Most young people experience stable placements here for a significant amount of time.  The whole company is child-centred and invests in an attractive property, sufficient staff, high-quality training, and wide-ranging activities.  The service benefits from a dedicated psychotherapist. She is key to young people’s marked emotional progress.  Young people attend education full time. This provides structure and helps them all experience educational success. Staff resolve difficulties quickly and

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Key findings from this inspection

effectively.  In the majority of cases, young people return to their own families. This reflects substantial expert work by staff with families and other professionals.  Serious incidents are rare, young people seldom go missing, and levels of safety are particularly high. Staff understand how to identify, manage and reduce risks.  Young people enjoy being here. They have fun and engage in positive activities that benefit their self-awareness and improve their skills.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 05/10/2016 Full Good 30/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/01/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC420876 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people experience an exceptionally well-presented house in a secluded position. It has woods and fields around it and no nearby neighbours. The young people recently helped staff improve the garden. Indoors, fresh flowers and numerous photographs of young people and their activities are on display. However, it is within a few minutes’ drive of local amenities. Young people have ample private space and a choice of communal areas, which meet their individual needs. They make their bedrooms their own. For example, one young man has high-quality furnishings and colourful posters reflecting his favourite football team. One young person said, ‘It’s a nice house... you can have what you want.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff engage new young people extremely well. The company understands the critical importance of establishing meaningful relationships with each resident and resources the home accordingly. Overall, the young people appreciate the one-to-one staffing. One joked, ‘They don’t deserve to be shut down!’ An important effect is that new young people settle in relatively quickly. This indicates that staff have matched them as well as possible with the existing group. One young person said, ‘The other young people are alright. Sometimes they’re a bit annoying [that’s all].’ A social worker said, ‘Staff encouraged [my young person] and built up their relationships. Staff always take the positives. They’ve brought him on in leaps and bounds! He’s a different boy.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff’s excellent focus on attending education has self-perpetuating benefits. This means that all young people attend formal education all the time. New young people buy into this regime and benefit substantially. Not only do young people improve their attendance rates exponentially but their engagement improves too. As a result, a young person who had rarely attended school before chose to attend a work experience placement during the summer holidays. When young people need another education placement, staff seek the most appropriate alternative with help from professionals, such as the headteacher of the relevant virtual school. Consequently, one young person gained admission to a school that Ofsted has judged to be outstanding and, he says, loves attending. In contrast to his previous negative experience of schools, he now regularly achieves student of the week awards. This has markedly improved his perception of learning and

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

his behaviour has improved dramatically. Another consequence of this sort of progress is that staff increase the free time for young people. This improves their self-confidence and social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff supplement young people’s formal education exceptionally well. They address young people’s individual needs arising from their backgrounds, even when these seem minor. This helps young people feel settled and that staff listen. Young people’s views are central to the service. They have impact on everyday issues such as the menus and activities. However, staff arrange regular World Food days, too. These provoke stimulating conversations in which staff teach young people about another nation’s food and customs, sometimes using their personal experiences. This contributes to young people’s understanding and experience of inclusion and their rights. The vast majority of Inspection report children’s home: SC420876 4 young people are from this local authority or ones that are nearby.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

A highlight of the service is the centrality of activities. Young people have a lot of fun from events in the house and most are busy in the community. Staff arrange celebrations for seasonal, personal and cultural events. These are enjoyable and educative and form part of the structure of the service that raise young people’s expectations. Young people pursue individual interests, too. One is keen on sports and now coaches other youngsters in football; he is also in a local darts team. His pride in himself has improved accordingly. Another young person found that going to the gym several times a week helped her moods and self-esteem. This was the culmination of excellent direct work by high-calibre staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The company’s psychotherapist addresses young people’s emotional health exceptionally well. Her contributions are a substantial benefit to young people and to the coordination and training of staff. Young people quickly accept her help. As a result, they learn to manage their anxieties. Those that have self-harmed in the past have ceased. This progress allows them to benefit from the rest of the service and feel positive about their lives. Their emotional journeys are visible in the records that they see. Such attention to detail means that the team anticipates and prevents difficulties arising. Failing this, they quickly organise suitable alternative strategies. This has happened when young people needed mental health services or changes to their medication.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The emotional health of young people is helped further by the work that staff undertake with their families. Most young people arrived with fractured relationships with their families. Meaningful work by staff has helped two young people move home successfully recently. One needed particular help. Staff adapted the transition plan several times to fit her engagement and wishes. The manager reported that, ‘We had several re-starts on the weak areas.’ Young people say that staff always help them with independence skills. As one young person pointed out, ‘I am 17 now and can do things for myself.’

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: outstanding

The effect on young people of an excellent level of help and protection is that they are rarely involved in negative incidents. Nevertheless, staff keep up to date on topics that are not currently of concern. For example, some recently attended a new training course on how to avoid criminalising young people.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: outstanding

Staff skilfully pursue a proportionate approach to risks with the full participation of other professionals, such as the police and the in-house psychotherapist. Written assessments of the risks that each young person faces are of a particularly high quality. This facilitates accurate decision-making. Summaries of young people’s progress help them and the professionals who support them. A social worker said, ‘Staff are very professional and keep [my young person] safe.’ Because the company allows young people to try new things, difficulties do occasionally arise. Staff review incidents with young people in detail to help them understand what to do differently in future. For example, recently young people have learned to use free time constructively, how to deal with setbacks, and how to identify unhealthy relationships. After reacting Inspection report children’s home: SC420876 5 emotionally to difficulties in the past, which put her at risk, one young person

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: outstanding

successfully started using a more practical approach. This major change in her life directly contributed to much greater safety and a successful move away from the home.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: outstanding

The police officer who visits regularly said, ‘It’s excellent. It’s the best of the best homes we have [in this area]. Staff are welcoming and caring and young people are happy.’ He knows the staff and residents well. This means that he makes an informed contribution to safety strategies, such as places that young people should avoid. The police are impressed with the very low frequency with which young people go missing. This compares extremely favourably with the rates at which some previously went missing. Several young people had experienced sexual exploitation prior to admission but experienced no incidents while living at the home. This substantially improved their self- images and safety.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: outstanding

Young people feel safe in the home and the area. The community is safe and has very few incidents of anti-social behaviour. Young people are confident enough in their relationships with staff to tell them if they are worried about anything. This means that they allow staff to address sensitive issues. Staff use specialist resources when talking about issues such as sexual health. This means that young people receive accurate information in ways they find acceptable. Young people can understand their records.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: outstanding

Staff are alert to the risks that young people face online and carefully manage their access to the internet. Staff train young people to protect themselves, for example from those who have illicit motives. This has greater impact because it fits with the conversations about current affairs.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: outstanding

A key part of the behaviour management strategy is that young people earn or maintain privileges. For example, staff may withdraw the use of mobile telephones if they are misused. As a fundamental rule, staff focus on praising young people and celebrating their successes. Young people always contribute to their own behaviour management strategies. This is critical to their understanding and excellent progress. The psychotherapist helps staff compile individualised ways of helping each young person. For example, one benefited from the use of pictures to describe her mood. This avoided the need for damaging conversations at critical moments. A social worker reported on her young person’s emotional progress, ‘[My young person] has definitely improved. He’s [learned to] reflect on his behaviour. He can revisit incidents with me [without getting] upset about it and apologises when he’s rude.’ This skill helps the young person in many

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: outstanding

Staff physically intervene to protect young people in very limited circumstances. In practice, none has occurred for over seven months. The directors monitor the extremely detailed review documents of all restraints. They confirm that the interventions were necessary and find out how to avoid a repetition. Lessons are integrated into practice. For example, staff no longer use certain sorts of holds and their paperwork is clearer than previously. The senior personnel are keen to improve the service. Staff rarely use sanctions and those they do apply are to pay for damage. Such consequences and boundaries are clear. Once young people understand the process they engage well, Inspection report children’s home: SC420876 6 although older ones naturally feel some are a burden. Staff design the rewards to motivate young people. For example, one young person receives tickets to watch professional football matches, both home and away games. This investment maintains

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: outstanding

part of his identity and the highly effective process educates him to act responsibly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leadership of the service is outstanding. The collaboration between the directors, manager, psychotherapist and headteacher is a potent catalyst for child-centred care. Staff thrive in this environment and show pride in it. They feel supported and motivated, which they reflect in their care of the young people. It is also reflected in the extremely low levels of staff turnover and sickness.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Ofsted registered the manager for this home in 2016. She has experience of achieving high standards in other homes. She has nearly completed the required management qualification. One young person described her as ‘a strict manager who sticks to her word’. The manager knows her team well and is insightful about her service. She motivates staff to take on new projects, exceed expectations, and learn new skills ready for promotion. The supervision of staff is thorough and the manager routinely tests team members’ knowledge. This means that staff reflect on their own work and plan ahead.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The operations manager said that the company promotes a culture of ambition. It reflects this in a robust staff training programme. Staff rarely miss the training opportunities. This positive attitude shows in the way they address difficult situations. The lack of slippage in attending training events shows that the service is particularly well organised. Mandatory courses cover the needs of the young people and refresher courses occur regularly, for example regarding behaviour management. In addition, the psychotherapist contributes training at team meetings. She helps staff apply theoretical models and research in ways that have meaning for young people. Staff learn about issues such as radicalisation and female genital mutilation and have conversations with young people. A majority of staff have a suitable qualification and the others are on target to complete within statutory timescales.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home’s written statement of purpose clearly describes the models that form the therapeutic backbone of the service. Staff aim to provide a safe, warm and nurturing environment in which they treat each young person as an individual. Social workers feel they achieve this at a high standard. A relative said, ‘The kind-hearted staff have our child’s interest at heart. I can’t fault them.’ One young person said, ‘It’s not home but it’s nice here.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff encourage young people to be ambitious and strongly promote their interests. Young people’s key workers engage other professionals confidently and press them to do their best for the young people. For example, one is currently seeking additional background information about a young person, arranging an advocate, as well as obtaining certain documents. Another has challenged a social worker about the reasoning behind the planned move of a young person. One young person said, ‘My key worker talks to me about my plans, I attend my reviews, and I receive the reports, so I Inspection report children’s home: SC420876 7 understand what’s going on.’ Young people’s records provide them with high-quality plans and accounts of events.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager maintains a variety of records that summarise young people’s progress in readily accessible ways. She seeks to keep improving the service and uses the monitoring systems extremely well. Regular small adjustments sustain the service at a high level and prevent shortfalls occurring. For example, in light of the repeated delays in receipt of meeting minutes, she recently created a simple template for staff to fill in at meetings. This means that the team implements decisions promptly. Feedback from other people mirrors young people’s progress. By altering the feedback document recently, the manager successfully increased the number of comments. These are resoundingly positive. Comments refer to the ‘high standard of care’, how well staff work with other professionals, and the excellent standard of reports produced by staff. Young people and professionals very rarely have complaints about the service.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and young people and their families. In addition, the inspectors have tried to understand what the children’s home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: SC420876 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Prestige Adolescent Care And Education Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Genesis Centre, SO8, Unit 18 North Staffs Enterprise Centre, Innovation Way, Stoke on Trent ST6 4BF

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Inspector

David Morgan, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC420876 9 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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