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

Inspection report children’s home: 1256912 1 Registered provider: Parkview Care (Broadstairs) Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

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 three children. The statement of purpose says the home will ‘find ways to understand the individual issues faced by children placed with us, and thereby work with placing local authorities and local agencies to establish coherent plans for each individual child leading to the provision of quality services at the right time’.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since 12 March 2018.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 21 to 22 November 2018

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

p.1

Enforcement action since last inspection:

Following the last inspection, two compliance notices (regulations 12 and 13) and a notice to restrict accommodation were issued. These had completion dates of 17 September 2018 and 2 November 2018, respectively. Inspection report children’s home: 1256912 2 A monitoring visit was conducted on 20 September 2018 and the compliance notice in terms of regulation 12 was deemed to have been met. The notice in terms of regulation 13 was not met and a new notice was issued with a completion date of 21 November 2018, focusing on the areas still requiring attention.

p.1

Enforcement action since last inspection:

The restriction on accommodation notice was reviewed and allowed to continue, as the overall improvement was insufficient to ensure safe admissions to the home.

p.2

Enforcement action since last inspection:

A further monitoring visit was conducted on 29 October 2018 and it was again found that safe admissions to the home could not be ensured. The notice restricting accommodation was re-issued with a completion date of 1 February 2019.

p.2

Enforcement action since last inspection:

Following this inspection, the compliance notice in terms of regulation 13 was found not to be met.

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/08/2018 Full Inadequate 12/03/2018 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1256912 3

p.2

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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

Requirement Due date

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;

p.3

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.3

Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

p.3

Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

Requirement Due date

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))

p.3

Requirement Due date

This is with specific reference to ensuring that managers and staff are competent to safeguard the welfare of children and prevent them from coming to harm, particularly in relation to taking appropriate action when children make allegations against members of staff. 28 February 2019

p.3

Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered 28 February 2019 Inspection report children’s home: 1256912 4 person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

p.3

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

p.4

Requirement Due date

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

p.4

Requirement Due date

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;

p.4

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

p.4

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

p.4

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

p.4

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

p.4

Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

p.4

Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received;

p.4

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. *(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

p.4

Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

p.4

Requirement Due date

provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response. (Regulation 34(2)(d))

p.4

Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that when a child makes an allegation against a member of staff, records are kept of all the conversations held with safeguarding professionals, the decisions made and the actions taken. 28 February 2019

p.4

Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must establish a 28 February 2019 Inspection report children’s home: 1256912 5 procedure for considering complaints made by or on behalf of children.

p.4

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))

p.5

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the following items, which may be kept in electronic form, are kept in an accessible manner—

p.5

Requirement Due date

the policy for safeguarding children (see regulation 34);

p.5

Requirement Due date

the policy for preventing bullying (see regulation 34);

p.5

Requirement Due date

the missing child policy (see regulation 34);

p.5

Requirement Due date

the behaviour management policy (see regulation 35). (Regulation 38 (d)(e)(f)(g)) 28 February 2019

p.5

Requirement Due date

* This requirement is subject to a compliance notice.

p.5

improvement to be good

Following the inspection on 21 and 22 November 2018, Ofsted took the decision to re- visit the home on 6 December 2018 to gather additional evidence.

p.5

improvement to be good

The staff are not consistently providing the standard of care which would enhance the potential for the young person currently living at the home to build secure and trusting relationships with those caring for him. A poor response to a complaint made by the young person has not helped to improve relationships in the short term.

p.5

improvement to be good

Despite this shortfall, there are indications that the home is building a more stable and consistent staff team. As a result, there are signs that the current young person is beginning to develop a sense of belonging. However, this has not yet resulted in the staff being able to engage the young person in meaningful activities that would assist in building his self-confidence and self-esteem.

p.5

improvement to be good

The collective knowledge and skills of the staff team are not sufficiently well developed to effectively support the young person manage his emotions. As a result, the staff have not been able to intervene in ways that would assist the young person in reducing negative behaviours. Inspection report children’s home: 1256912 6 Although the staff support the young person’s family contact, they have not always taken steps to ensure that the contact meetings are well planned. The risks associated with contact meetings are not adequately assessed and managed, and there has been a failure to agree contact arrangements with the placing authority.

p.5

improvement to be good

The general condition of the home and standards of maintenance have been improved and young people are able to enjoy a homelier atmosphere and increased sense of being valued.

p.6

improvement to be good

The assessment and management of the risks associated with the current young person’s vulnerabilities and behaviours is underdeveloped. Individual risk assessments do not include clear strategies for the staff to follow in order to minimise the potential for the young person to come to harm. Serious incidents are not effectively reviewed and evaluated, and, consequently, the opportunity to develop practice is often missed.

p.6

improvement to be good

There has not always been an effective response to allegations made against staff. On one occasion, the designated officer was not provided with full information relating to the allegations made against two members of staff. Consequently, the full extent of the young person’s concerns was not investigated. The records pertaining to this incident are disorganised and incomplete, and senior managers have not conducted an internal investigation.

p.6

improvement to be good

There has been an improvement in the ability of staff to define expectations of behaviour and implement appropriate boundaries. They are also becoming more skilled at de-escalating confrontational situations. However, the staff do not yet demonstrate sufficient understanding of the underlying issues that can result in the current young person’s behaviour becoming challenging.

p.6

improvement to be good

The staff have a good understanding of the procedures to be followed when young people goes missing. These procedures are implemented in practice and this reduces the potential for the current young person to come to harm when he is away from the home without permission.

p.6

improvement to be good

Safeguarding policies and procedures, currently under review and re-organisation, are not readily accessible to staff, and hinder their development and understanding of good safeguarding practice.

p.6

improvement to be good

Improvements have been made to the staff recruitment process. This has reduced the potential for unsuitable adults to become employed in the home. There have also been improvements in the monitoring of health and safety matters. As a result of this and greater attention being paid to the maintenance of the building, young people now benefit from living in a safer physical environment. Inspection report children’s home: 1256912 7

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Although there has been some improvement in the standard of care being provided, managers have consistently failed to take effective action to meet the steps specified in the compliance notice relating to the effectiveness of leaders and managers, reissued on 2 October 2018. Following this inspection, it was judged that none of the steps in the compliance notice have been met.

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

A new responsible individual and manager for the home have been appointed. At the time of this inspection, it was of some concern that these new members of the organisation’s management team had not read the compliance notice that was reissued on 2 October 2018. However, they were familiar with the steps specified in the notice.

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are not yet effective systems in place to adequately monitor and evaluate the quality of care being provided. Consequently, there is no analysis of how the care being provided is impacting on the current young person. Leaders and managers cannot yet demonstrate a clear understanding of the underlying causes for the poor standards of care.

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

As a result of the failure to meet the steps in the compliance notice, leaders and managers have not yet established the competency level of each member of staff. The strengths and weaknesses of each staff member and the overall effectiveness of the staff team are not known. There are weaknesses in the system for appraising staff performance and writing personal development plans.

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There have been improvements in the managerial support provided to staff. The quality of staff supervision has increased and team meetings are now well structured. The induction process for new staff is also more effective. These improvements have resulted in the staff team working more collaboratively.

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Although some improvements in the quality of the service were identified at this inspection, there is not yet sufficient evidence to guarantee that continuous improvement will be sustained. There are still significant weaknesses in the leadership and management of the home. Until these are resolved, it would not be appropriate to admit new children and young people.

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The compliance notice made under the effectiveness of leaders and managers standard will be reissued with an amended date for the steps to be completed. Inspection report children’s home: 1256912 8

p.7

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.

p.8

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 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Parkview Care (Broadstairs) Limited

p.9

Children’s home details

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

p.9

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Christopher Holland

p.9

Inspector:

John Pledger, social care inspector Stephen Collett, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1256912 10 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.

p.9

Inspector:

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspector:

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspector:

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.10