Children's home run by Priory Education Services Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 1245982 1 Registered provider: Priory Education Services Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is registered for six children and young people. It is part of a large independent provider and is contracted to accommodate only children and young people from the local authority in which it is situated.

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Information about this children’s home

The home’s statement of purpose says that it is, ‘A living and learning environment that is warm, safe, caring and capable of celebrating achievement in all aspects of life. Staff focus is on the core values of being non-judgmental whilst providing care and empathy and accepting each young person as a unique individual.’

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since February 2018. She has over 20 years’ experience in children’s social care and is qualified to degree level in sociology and psychology. She has a leadership and management qualification and has recently started the level 5 leadership and management qualification for residential care of young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1245982 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/10/2017 Full Good 20/06/2017 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: 1245982 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (2))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, complaint records should be comprehensive and securely stored and referenced. This is to ensure that all documentation is there, and that all necessary steps to address a complaint are taken in a timely, effective way, and to a complete conclusion. 13/08/2018

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Recommendations

 Many children placed in homes may undergo a difficult transition and what should be simple aspects of their care take on a substantial significance in this context. Staff should seek to meet the child’s basic needs in the way that a good parent would, recognising that many children in residential care have experienced environments where these needs have not been consistently met – doing so is an important aspect of demonstrating that the staff care for the child and value them as an individual. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7) This is with respect to prompt, sensitive help for all children and young people to unpack, personalise their bedrooms and start to collect memories of their time here.  In some instances, a child may express wishes that are not always in their best interests or which may conflict with the views of other children in the home. In

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Recommendations

such circumstances, the responsible adults will have to balance the wishes of the child against what they judge to be in the best interests of the child and reach a reasonable view about the best way forward in the interests of all. The reasons for reaching any decision will need to be carefully explained to and understood by the child or children concerned. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.9) This is with respect to explaining and recording openly and simply why decisions Inspection report children’s home: 1245982 4 are made about restrictions on internet access and free time, so that children and young people properly understand and know what they must do before the boundaries can be changed.  Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns

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Recommendations

for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day to day basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5) This is with respect to making risk assessments simpler and shorter, with clearer practice guidance for staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Five children and young people, ranging from eight to 15 years of age, presently live here. Staff are kind, insightful and well organised. Staff make a positive difference to children and young people’s progress and experience. The home’s monthly independent visitor describes staff as ‘in tune’ with children and young people and able to offer ‘outstanding care and support’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, the five children and young people living here are making good progress in education and enjoy a wide range of in-house and community experiences provided by staff. The paddling pool and barbeque are popular garden activities in the hot weather.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff show genuine warmth and affection to each child and young person. They manage the wide age range between children and young people with well-planned care, good skill, and a family atmosphere. Children and young people quickly gain a sense of belonging. However, staff have not been quick to ensure that every new child and young person admitted to the home has help to sort out all their belongings, personalise their bedroom and start to collect memorabilia of their time here.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people’s health and emotional, social and psychological well-being are developing well, thanks to staff’s attention, nurture, help and advice. Children and young people are growing in self-confidence and are receiving extremely good quality support from staff. They therefore make and understand friendships and relationships more maturely. For example, children and young people are adjusting to loss and are developing empathy for others.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and managers have a very good understanding of children and young people’s views, wishes and feelings. They advocate effectively with other professionals and make clear contributions to children and young people’s care plans. Staff are particularly successful in securing school placements and enabling children and young people to see friends and family who are important to them. Inspection report children’s home: 1245982 5 Three young people have moved to independent living since the last inspection. Staff provided good support to help these young people access relevant ongoing education opportunities and gain independence skills and emotional resilience.

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

Staff are knowledgeable, sensible, proportionate and interested in helping children and young people with their risk-taking behaviour. Staff understand children and young people’s vulnerabilities because they are very sensitive to the influence of underlying trauma on behaviour.

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

Staff show tolerance, insight and a determination to provide a family atmosphere where children and young people feel supported and well cared for. Staff are alert to children and young people’s responses and feelings, and are skilled at defusing situations. This minimises incidents of unsafe behaviour. Staff communicate well between each other, and plan shifts and handovers so that all staff are well informed. However, children and young people’s behaviour management plans and risk assessments do not tell staff clearly what the current strategies are for managing each individual child or young person.

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

Staff’s response to children and young people who go missing from the home is good. Staff work with police, social workers, family and friends to find children and young people quickly and address the reasons why they have gone missing. Staff will amend plans and regularly refer children and young people to professional helpers for specific additional support.

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

Staff are alert to risks of bullying, exploitation and radicalisation. Their boundaries around internet use and communications are tight. Staff know that restrictions are for safeguarding reasons, but they do not always make clear to children and young people why the boundaries are there, or what must happen for a boundary to be relaxed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and the deputy work together effectively. They show warmth and kindness to each child and young person as well as high expectations of what each one of them can achieve. They are the first to praise children and young people for their achievements. They are central to the positive relationships and good outcomes that children and young people have.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and deputy know the local authority area well. They know numerous providers of help, support and community events. They source specific training for staff on children and young people’s areas of specific need, and include social workers in this too. They make sure that children and young people benefit from participation in relevant events, from fund-raising ‘Messathons’ to careers fairs and awards ceremonies.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and deputy ensure that staff are well briefed and are enthused Inspection report children’s home: 1245982 6 about their work. They provide additional support and training to upskill new, long- standing, and agency staff, as necessary. This means that the staff team members are almost all well motivated, and staff retention is good. The deputy manager said in staff supervision sessions, ‘We work to our optimum performance at all times regardless of whether Ofsted are due or not. Providing the best loving care to the [home’s name] family is, and should always be, our main focus at all times.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager undertakes monitoring and consultation with skill and efficiency. She knows what the children, young people, staff, relatives and stakeholders think about the home. She is quick to learn from mistakes and implement advice. However, she had not identified that complaints recording is not robust enough.

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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: 1245982 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Priory Education Services Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Rachel Britten, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1245982 8 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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