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

Inspection report children’s home: 1256913 1 Registered provider: Parkview Care (Broadstairs) Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children. Its statement of purpose states that the home provides high-quality care for children who, due to the circumstances of their young lives, require residential accommodation and the support of a trained staff team that can support them through any damage that has been caused by abuse.

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Information about this children’s home

There is no registered manager at this home. The post has been vacant since 9 June 2018.

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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 children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: one compliance notice, relating to the leadership and management of the home, was issued on 20 June 2018. The actions specified in this compliance notice were deemed to have been met on 11 July 2018. A Inspection report children’s home: 1256913 2 restriction of accommodation notice was issued on 25 June 2018, and is in force until 17 September 2018.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/06/2018 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: 1256913 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— 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; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12(2)(a)(i)(vi))*

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that the registered provider must ensure that all children’s known vulnerabilities are risk assessed, that risk assessments are kept updated and that action is taken when a child is known to be at risk of harm. 15/10/2018

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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 their full potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(2)(d)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that there are sufficient numbers of staff employed at the home before two children are accommodated and that the monitoring and review systems identify any weaknesses in the provision of service in a timely way. 15/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— 15/10/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1256913 4 receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 14(1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that children’s placement plans identify how each child’s needs will be met, and provide staff with clear guidance and strategies for caring for the child.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— the privacy of children is appropriately protected. (Regulation 21(a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, before accommodating two children, the registered provider must ensure that children cannot be overheard in their bedrooms and staff cannot be overheard when working in the office. 06/12/2018

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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— medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child; and a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23(1)(2)(b)(c))*

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that children are administered medication as prescribed and that accurate records are kept of when a child takes medication, declines medication and when medication is received onto the premises. 15/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

A responsible individual must— have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26(7)(b))* 15/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if— there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and the registered provider— is an organisation or a partnership. (Regulation 27(1)(a)(b)(i)) 15/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. (Regulation 32(1)) 15/10/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1256913 5 Specifically, keep detailed notes of recruitment interviews.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33(4)(b)) 15/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36) Specifically, ensure that all sanctions imposed on children are evaluated for their effectiveness.

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Specifically, ensure that a written record is kept of all significant events and of consultations that take place with other professionals involved in the care of children. Inspection report children’s home: 1256913 6

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

At the last inspection in June 2018, the home was judged to be inadequate. A compliance notice and a restriction of accommodation notice were subsequently issued. The steps in the compliance notice were deemed to be met following a monitoring visit to the home on 11 July 2018. The restriction of accommodation notice is due to expire on 17 September 2018. At this inspection, widespread shortfalls were identified, particularly in relation to safeguarding practice and the effectiveness of leaders and managers. These failures are so serious that three compliance notices and a new restriction of accommodation notice will be issued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

At the time of this inspection, there was one young person, who was admitted in May 2018, living at the home. Despite the poor standard of practice in the home, the young person has made steady progress. The frequency of her going missing from the home has reduced significantly, and she has secured a college placement that is due to begin later in September 2018. This progress can largely be attributed to external factors, although she has also benefited from developing positive relationships with staff, who are committed to meeting her needs, despite the weak support they receive from leaders and managers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The standard of care planning remains poor. The home’s care plan for the young person makes no reference to the support that she will require when starting her college course, or how she will be advised and supported to build positive relationships with her peers. These are likely to be significant challenges for the young person. The care plan does not address how the young person will be supported to become more independent as she approaches the time when she will leave care. Insufficient priority is given to meeting the young person’s health needs. There are no strategies for ensuring that the young person has access to specialist support services to address the effect of past negative experiences. Consultations with health professionals have not always been recorded and there has been a delay in obtaining written confirmation regarding a medical condition.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Serious errors were identified in the recording and administration of prescribed medication. This includes controlled medication. Records also indicate that on one occasion the source of controlled medication received into the home was not recorded. Staff do not consistently make arrangements for the young person to receive prescribed medication when she is staying away from the home, despite staff knowing the young person’s whereabouts. Medication records are poorly organised, and often do not give a clear reason why the medication was not administered as prescribed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Temporary arrangements have been made that ensure that the privacy of the young person is not compromised when she is in her bedroom, or that the privacy of staff is not compromised when they are working in the office. However, the bedroom that would be occupied if two children or young people were living at the home is adjacent to the Inspection report children’s home: 1256913 7 office and has not yet been soundproofed. Assurances were given that this work will be completed prior to another child or young person being admitted.

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

At the full inspection in June 2018, the assessment and management of risk were found to be poor. Practice has not significantly improved in the intervening months. Risk assessments pertaining to the care of the young person are not routinely completed. There is no risk assessment relating to the young person having overnight stays away from the home. Key aspects of behaviour, such as aggression and damaging property, are not risk assessed. The quality of risk assessments remains poor. For example, the potential for the young person to be groomed online has not been recognised. There has been a failure to update risk assessments when serious events occur, or when significant information comes to light. As a result, the risk assessments do not reflect recent concerns for the young person. Some staff spoken to during this inspection were not fully aware of this increased risk level, partly as a result of the risk assessments not

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

Serious shortfalls were identified regarding the actions taken when the young person’s actions placed her at risk of harm, or when staff expressed concerns for her welfare. Formal child protection referrals were not made when it would have been appropriate to do so, and key information was not shared with relevant professionals, including the police. Clear audit trails of the discussions and actions taken when a child protection matter has become apparent have not been kept.

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

Although positive behaviour is encouraged and rewarded, there is insufficient scrutiny of the measures taken to discourage negative behaviours. When sanctions are applied, the young person’s views are not recorded. No analysis of the effectiveness of sanctions takes place, and therefore managers and staff cannot demonstrate that the sanction is having a positive effect and helping the young person to make changes.

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

Records do not demonstrate that the recruitment process is fully focused on keeping young people safe. No record was kept of the interview questions and responses given by an applicant who was offered the manager’s post. Therefore, there is no record of the applicant’s strengths and weaknesses regarding safeguarding practice. It cannot be demonstrated how the organisation satisfied itself that the applicant had the skills, knowledge and experience to create a safeguarding culture in the home, where the safety and well-being of children and young people would be prioritised.

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

Poor management oversight of the home has meant that although some of the safeguarding concerns identified in June 2018 have been addressed, there has been no overall improvement to the standard of practice. Leaders and managers do not immediately recognise poor practice or ensure that sufficient steps are taken to promote the welfare of the young person and protect her from harm. Inspection report children’s home: 1256913 8

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leadership and management of the home have been inconsistent since it was registered in March 2018. The registered manager left the home in June 2018, and a deputy manager from another of the organisation’s homes was subsequently appointed as manager. This member of staff did not have a proven track record in managing a children’s home effectively. This arrangement ended on 31 August 2018. A new manager was appointed and was due to commence working with the organisation on 10 September 2018, but subsequently decided not to take up the post.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The responsible individual has not been effective in ensuring that the home is managed efficiently. Managers have been appointed, but none of these arrangements have proven successful. There are two deputy managers at the home, but they are inexperienced and delegation of tasks has not been made clear. The home has sufficient numbers of staff to care for the young person currently living at the home, but would require four more staff if a second child or young person were to be admitted. No staff hold the level 3 diploma for residential childcare, although two members of staff are qualified social workers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The systems for monitoring the quality of care being provided are weak. A quality assurance and development manager commenced her role on 1 August 2018, and is familiarising herself with the practice issues that need to be addressed. However, this has not ensured that child protection failures have been identified and addressed. The monitoring systems that are in place are not always effective. For example, audits of medication records have not resulted in errors being identified and shortfalls being rectified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There is not a stable staff team in place, and this has the potential to compromise the consistency of care provided to the young person. Two members of staff have left the home since June 2018. Both members of staff partly attributed their decision to the lack of effectiveness of senior managers within the organisation. Staff have not consistently received regular supervision, despite the majority of staff being new to residential childcare. During this inspection, some staff expressed disappointment that their careers were not developing in the way they had hoped.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There has been a lack of effective planning, at senior management level, to address the widespread shortfalls in practice. Senior managers have not ensured that there are strong transitional arrangements for managing the home in the absence of a registered manager. As a result of this, the safety and welfare of the young person are not being prioritised and staff are not acquiring the knowledge and skills to perform their roles effectively. Inspection report children’s home: 1256913 9

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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: 1256913 10

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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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Inspector

Stephen Collett, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1256913 11 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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