Children's home run by Parkview Care (Broadstairs) Limited

Inspection report children's home: 1256912 1 Registered provider: Parkview Care (Broadstairs) Limited 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 operated by a private company which operates several similar homes. It is registered to accommodate up to three children who require care away from their families. The company also has a school that children may attend. The home‟s registered manager left in March 2018. There are interim management arrangements in place.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean that children and young people are not protected, and their welfare is not promoted.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 1256912 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/03/2018 Full Good Inspection report children's home: 1256912 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that staff— assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child‟s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; help each child to understand how to keep safe; have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child‟s welfare; and are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home‟s child protection policies. (Regulation 12(1), (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)) 17/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

* The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‟s home that— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes set out in the home‟s statement of purpose; ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 17/09/2018 Inspection report children's home: 1256912 4 ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; ensure that the home‟s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b), (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f))

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— meet each child‟s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child‟s relevant plans; help each child to develop socially aware behaviour; encourage each child to take responsibility for the child‟s behaviour, in accordance with the child‟s age and understanding; help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone; communicate to each child expectations about the child‟s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child‟s age and understanding; help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child‟s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful; strive to gain each child‟s respect and trust; de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or

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Requirement Due date

potentially violent behaviour by children; understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them. (Regulation 11(1)(a)(b)(c), (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(viii)(x)(xi) (xii)(xiii)) 17/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children‟s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers 17/09/2018 Inspection report children's home: 1256912 5 the matters listed in Schedule 1. (Regulation 16(1))

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected; children can access all appropriate areas of the children‟s home‟s premises; and any limitation placed on a child‟s privacy or access to any area of the home‟s premises— is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home; is necessary and proportionate; is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21(a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iv)) 17/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children‟s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23(1), (2)(c)) 17/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children‟s safety. The registered person may only—

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children‟s home; or if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that— the individual is of integrity and good character; the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(1), (2)(a)(b), (3)(a)(b)(c)(d)) In particular, obtain full and reliable information about the reasons why the individual may have been dismissed from previous employment. 17/09/2018 Inspection report children's home: 1256912 6 The registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction; ensure that each permanent appointment of an employee is subject to the satisfactory completion of a period of probation; and the registered person must operate a disciplinary procedure which, in particular— provides for the suspension from work of an employee if necessary in the interests of the safety or welfare of children; (Regulation 33(1)(a)(b) (2)(a)) 17/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must establish a procedure for considering complaints made by or on behalf of children.

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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(1) (3)) 17/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report children's home: 1256912 7

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The needs, risks and vulnerabilities of the young people are not adequately understood by a staff team that is not currently working cohesively to provide them with a safe, predictable and secure home environment. The team fails to set clear and consistent boundaries for young people, and the structure and routine of the home are unpredictable.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

In general, the young people and staff are not engaged in relationships characterised by mutual trust and respect. The young people are witness to differences between members of staff and have been inappropriately exposed to aspects of the personal lives of members of staff. Boundaries between staff and young people are not consistent and clear. For example, some staff have social media links to children which are carried on without the awareness of the management of the home. These factors undermine the young people‟s sense of security and feeling cared for.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The young people are missing opportunities to learn from their mistakes and are not being adequately supported to understand and develop acceptable behaviours. Meanwhile, behaviours that are likely to bring them into conflict with others are not being adequately addressed. Complaints made by the young people are not being properly considered or resolved. Bullying is not being recognised or effectively addressed by staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The response of staff to the regular use of cannabis and cigarette smoking by the young people lacks rigour and direction. This is affecting the well-being and healthy development of the young people, as well as their daily engagement in positive activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff‟s aspirations for the young people are low. For example, the activities that are undertaken provide limited stimulation and interest and do not expand the young people‟s life experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The decoration, maintenance and cleaning of the home have failed to provide the young people with sense of belonging and being valued. Some young people express indifference about the poor levels of cleanliness of the home and the neglected state of their bedrooms.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Living areas of the home are locked at night, detracting greatly from the normal home environment expected of a children‟s home. The reasons for this are not documented and have not been reviewed during this inspection period.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The young people are not being properly protected and are not making the progress of which they are capable. Inspection report children's home: 1256912 8

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

The risks associated with the young people are poorly understood by staff and in several areas, such as risk of exploitation and suggestions of involvement in unlawful activities, are unrecognised. Identified risks are poorly described and plans to address these do not include strategies to help the young people to become safer. The responses to actual dangers that have arisen in the home, such as fire-setting and aerosol inhalation, have lacked the necessary urgency and rigour. The staff are lacking in focus and cohesion in their approach to safeguarding practice. All these factors combine to leave the young people at increasing risk of significant harm.

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

The staff are unable to maintain consistent, clear and appropriate boundaries and structure in the home, and do not respond consistently to the young people‟s challenging behaviours. This leaves the young people feeling insecure and unsafe, and does not provide them with regular opportunities to reflect upon their experiences, gain insight and modify their unwanted behaviours.

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

Behaviours by young people that are likely to bring them into conflict with others, such as verbal abuse, bullying and racist and homophobic comments, are not being meaningfully addressed. This does not help the young people to understand the likely consequences of their behaviour and leaves them at increasing risk of retribution.

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

Leaders and managers have not sustained due diligence in identifying staff suitable and safe to provide care for the young people. In one instance, reliable information was not obtained for a subsequently appointed support worker about the reasons for their dismissal from a previous place of employment. This has left the young people at possible risk of harm.

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

The persistent failure to maintain the home and to attend promptly to fittings and furnishings requiring replacement or repair has led to a neglected home environment, avoidable hazards and a lack of good hygiene.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The wider leadership of the organisation has failed to ensure the proper appointment of a person suitably experienced and qualified to manage the home. As a consequence, staff have not been enabled, led or inspired to deliver a decent standard of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There has been a failure by the manager to actively and regularly monitor the quality of care being provided to the young people by the staff team. The effects of poor team working and inconsistency in maintaining boundaries for the young people have not been considered or addressed. Ongoing dissent between staff, together with a blurring of boundaries between staff and young people, has been left unchecked. The effects of this on the progress and experience of the young people have not been considered or addressed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Programmes for staff induction are inconsistent and poorly recorded. There is no clear Inspection report children's home: 1256912 9 system that shows that staff have undertaken a satisfactory period of probation. The effectiveness of the (mostly) online staff training is reported by staff to be poor. The time used to understand and internalise important and relevant information is insufficient, in many instances, and the consolidation of staff learning is not reliably tested.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The records of staff supervision are sparse and do not show that staff supervision is regular, child focused or reflective. Issues raised in supervision, important to the quality care being provided, have not been addressed, and significant staff performance issues have been ignored. The identified failures and shortfalls in the running of the home did not emerge during the manager‟s supervision sessions. This includes the significant safeguarding issues in the home at the time.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff complain about the high turnover of staff, the many changes in the team, understaffing and the sometimes very late issue of new rotas. The acting manager, currently covering the annual leave of the appointed manager, reports being unable to attend to pressing management activities as she has been required to cover shifts.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home‟s statement of purpose does not meet requirements and does not, for example, set out the range of needs of the children for whom the home is intended.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Some members of staff who are committed and motivated to safeguard and deliver a good quality of care to the young people are being undermined by an otherwise largely dysfunctional and poorly-led staff team. Inspection report children's home: 1256912 10

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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 difference 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: 1256912 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Parkview Care (Broadstairs) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite 56, The Brentano Suite, Solar House, 915 High Road, London N12 8QJ

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Inspectors

John Pledger, social care inspector Teri Peck, social care inspector manager Inspection report children's home: 1256912 12 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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