Children's home run by Priory Education Services Limited

Interim inspection report children’s home: 1245979 1 Registered provider: Priory Education Services Limited 06244880 Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is part of a private organisation and is registered to accommodate up to five young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Date of last inspection: 19 September 2017

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

One of the four recommendations from the last inspection is met. The registered manager now provides a written response to the requests made by young people in their fortnightly house meetings. Young people’s requests about the availability and choice of food and snacks have been addressed. The registered manager is also arranging for a more effective internet connection in response to what young people have said about this.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager and staff have made efforts to improve the quality of recording. While some progress is being made and further training is planned, shortfalls in recording remain. For example, staff are yet to fully capture and record the views and wishes of young people in preparation for their review meetings. Key-working records are descriptive about staff action and input. There is little evidence of the dialogue between the young person and their key worker, the young person’s views, or an evaluation of their progress. Some key-working records focus on the negative aspects of Interim inspection report children’s home: 1245979 2 young people’s behaviours. This process does not fully reflect the positive experiences that young people have and their journey of being looked after at the home.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

All young people continue to make progress. They experience a strong sense of stability and continuity because of the well-established relationships that they have with staff. Young people’s behaviour improves. Furthermore, young people are more able to talk about their experiences and emotions. Young people grow in confidence and have good self-esteem because staff support them to achieve and try new opportunities.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

All young people have school and college placements and continue to make good educational progress. One young person is looking forward to a new college placement after making significant progress at school. She has a clear understanding of her learning disabilities and now looks forward to taking two GCSE exams. This young person beams with confidence as she talks about her achievements, which include an imminent presentation of her work to the mayor at the town hall.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Two older young people continue to attend college. One young person is now considering an apprenticeship after his first year of studying mechanics at college. The second young person shows artistic flair, including web design, and is undertaking a course in art and design.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff provide essential support to the younger young people so that they can maintain good attendance and manage their behaviours appropriately in school. Transporting young people to and from school ensures good punctuality, valuable talking time for young people and staff, and daily opportunities for information sharing between staff and teachers.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Close partnership working between staff and link teachers makes a crucial contribution to managing young people’s behaviour and supporting their attendance at school. The registered manager works closely with education services and social workers in order to find the most suitable education provision for young people. Quickly finding a new education placement and assessment period for one young person, after exclusion, is an excellent example of such effective partnership working.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager and staff are skilled in identifying and supporting young people’s skills and qualities. For example, one young person is about to embark on a project to build his own computer as part of an after-school activity. One young person continues to develop his footballing skills as staff support him to attend team training and weekly matches. Another young person has enjoyed making new friends as she has been encouraged to join a scouts’ group.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people’s safety is a high priority for staff. Effective partnership working with social workers and safeguarding agencies helps to protect young people from harm. Young people experience a strong sense of safety and stability due to bespoke risk assessments, behaviour management and missing-from-care protocols. Information sharing ensures that the police are fully informed about each young person’s needs and vulnerabilities and safeguarding plans are agreed accordingly. Staff are ever-vigilant and Interim inspection report children’s home: 1245979 3 provide effective levels of supervision to keep young people safe.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

There are no concerns about young people going missing or exposure to child sexual exploitation. One young person now enjoys very positive relationships with staff and fully appreciates the unquestionable support she received to reduce her missing from home episodes. In turn, her high level of vulnerability to child sexual exploitation also reduced significantly. Relationship building has been crucial to lending emotional support to all young people. Staff have good insight into the needs of young people due to close partnership working with parents, social workers and safeguarding agencies.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people’s concerns and complaints are managed effectively as the registered manager takes time to listen to young people’s views. Young people are confident that they can talk about their worries and they appreciate the how registered manager works quickly to resolve their concerns.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has a clear understanding of his monitoring responsibilities. The management team responds well to the independent visitor’s monitoring reports, which are positive and show ongoing improvements in the operation of the home. Three recommendations from the last inspection, requiring a more child-focused approach to recording, are repeated.

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff are familiar with the care planning process for looked-after children and assist children to prepare for meetings in relation to this. Staff should play an important role in these meetings, including supporting the child and enabling a clear understanding to be reached about the child’s views, wishes, feelings, and expectations for their future. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’ page 23, paragraph 4.14)  Ensure that staff encourage young people to see the home’s records as ‘living documents’ supporting them to view and contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.19) This is with particular regard to the quality of key-working records.  Ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and

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Recommendations

understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information Interim inspection report children’s home: 1245979 4 about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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’.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Priory Education Services Limited 06244880

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Priory Group, 80 Hammersmith Road, London W14 8UD

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Inspector

Elaine Cray, social care inspector Interim inspection report children’s home: 1245979 5 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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