Children's Home run by PCT Care Services Limited in Norfolk

Inspection report children’s home: SC471856 1 SC471856 Registered provider: PCT Care 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 home is run by a private organisation. It provides accommodation for up to six children, aged between eight and 17, who may have experienced difficulties that relate to their emotional, behavioural and/or learning needs. The home has been without a registered manager since August 2018. A new manager was appointed, and Ofsted received an application for registration. However, the manager withdrew his application on 5 June 2019. A new manager has been appointed and is in the process of completing his application for registration.

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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: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC471856 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/03/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 22/05/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 31/01/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 06/06/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: SC471856 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

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained— the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (‘the Level 3 Diploma’); or a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma. The relevant date is— in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual— does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period; or works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part-time basis. (Regulation 32(4)(a)(b)(5)(a)(b)(6)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33(4)(b)(c)) 14/07/2019

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Recommendations

 The behaviour management strategy should be understood and applied at all times by staff, and must be kept under review and revised when appropriate. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page Inspection report children’s home: SC471856 4 46, paragraph 9.34)  Regulations 35–39 detail the records that must be kept in children’s homes. Case records must be kept up to date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children form good relationships with the staff, who provide individualised care. Children have a good rapport with the staff and benefit from the activities that they do with them. During the inspection, one child was going to the golf range and another child went fishing with members of staff. One child is now attending external counselling and making clear but small progress in dealing with their difficulties. Staff enable children to engage in education and to make progress. The manager has developed positive relationships with virtual school headteachers and education providers to ensure that children can access education that meets their needs. The manager and staff acknowledge the challenges that they face in helping children to engage with their individual educational placement. The manager and staff escalate concerns or barriers to learning appropriately. One child, who had been out of education

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

for a long period of time, now attends school on a full-time basis and is receiving very positive reports. Another child has a school placement that starts after the summer holidays. This is a significant improvement since the last inspection. Children benefit from education that meets their needs. Children have freedom and can make choices about their day-to-day care arrangements. They make decisions about their clothes, the food that they eat and how they spend their spare time. Children said that one member of staff is an amazing cook and spoke enthusiastically about the home-cooked meals that the staff member makes. The manager and staff empower children to express themselves as individuals. The manager and staff consider fully the individual needs of the children who live a long way from their family home and help them to maintain important links with their family and to see them regularly. There have been significant improvements to the decor and homeliness of the home,

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

including a new kitchen, since the last inspection. Children are actively involved in updating the soft furnishings and furniture. They help to paint their bedrooms and erect new furniture. The home is set in a scenic location with views of and access to the beach and sea. Plenty of beach games and outdoor activities take place and children are involved with local football teams.

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

A child spoken to at the inspection said that staff work really hard to keep him and the other children safe. Inspection report children’s home: SC471856 5 The staff know how to manage children’s behaviours. The staff and children fully appreciate the impact of physical interventions. The staff spend time working through incidents with the children through timely debriefing and during key-work sessions. This approach has been successful in some instances and has resulted in a reduction in the frequency of incidents. However, some reports and one behaviour management plan have not been signed by the previous manager to confirm managerial review. The high level of supervision of each child means incidents of children going missing from the home are few, with just three since the last inspection. Sanctions are minimal and proportionate to the behaviour. Staff often use a restorative approach. This helps

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

the children to understand the impact of their behaviour and often results in them learning positive behaviour strategies. Managers investigate, record and resolve safeguarding issues promptly. All members of the staff team have safeguarding training and demonstrated during the inspection that they know what to do if they have a concern about a child’s well-being. Children understand their right to complain, their right to an advocate and their right to be looked after well. Managers have embedded good practice around safeguarding matters.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is in the process of registering with Ofsted. He holds a level 5 diploma in leadership and management. He has good insight into the challenges of his current role, having been a deputy manager in the organisation for a number of years. He understands how to develop an effective team and enable children to progress well from their starting points. The staff reported good levels of training and management support. The manager has a good relationship with the staff team and the children. Case files are now ordered and more accessible to the staff. Files show good levels of management oversight and a drive to ensure consistency across all aspects of the management of the home. Professionals were complimentary about the good level of care and effective communication with the home. Professionals reported that the staff and the manager call them regularly with updates and that the manager is focused on good outcomes for

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

the children. Not all staff have received regular supervision or an appraisal in line with the organisation’s policy. One member of staff has not completed a relevant level 3 qualification in the required timescale. Monitoring visits by independent visitors are of a good standard. The visit reports include suggestions to improve the quality of care. The manager’s development plan identifies actions to improve the service. The manager has met the two requirements raised at the last inspection to good effect. One recommendation in relation to staff supervision has not been met and is therefore raised as a requirement at this inspection. Inspection report children’s home: SC471856 6

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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: SC471856 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: PCT Care Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Old Hall Farm, Silfield Road, Silfield, Wymondham, Norfolk NR18 9NH

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Inspector

Cathy Russell, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC471856 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 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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