Children's home run by Pelican Care Group Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2510737 1 Registered provider: Pelican Care Group Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This private home cares for up to two young people between the ages of seven to 17. The home is intended to care for young people who have emotional and behavioural needs. The registered manager has been registered with Ofsted since the home opened in May 2019. This is the home’s first inspection since its registration.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 13 to 14 November 2019

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

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

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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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.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: first inspection

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2510737 2

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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. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that young people’s risk-taking behaviours are thoroughly assessed. Risk management documents should provide a detailed explanation of the assessed risk and the strategies in place to protect the young people from harm. 13/12/2019

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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—

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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;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(2)(a)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that staff undertake the training that is identified in the home’s statement of purpose and that the manager monitors and evaluates all serious incidents and 13/12/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 2510737 3 measures of control.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that the staff team is suitably equipped with the knowledge, skills and expertise to meet the young people’s needs. 13/12/2019

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Recommendations

 When commissioning a placement in a children’s home the placing authority must establish how the home will support the child’s educational needs. In accordance with Regulation 5 (engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met), homes must have proactive relationships with appropriate schools and educational support services. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 27, paragraph 5.7) Specifically, identify suitable education provision from the start of young people’s placements and work with the placing authority’s virtual school headteacher to arrange and secure appropriate education provision.  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 and the above principles as set out in 9.35 are respected. (‘Guide to the children’s

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Recommendations

homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36) Specifically, the staff should record all measures of discipline and control, such as restrictions on young people’s finances and room searches, to enable the manager to evaluate the measures of control used by the staff team.  The registered person is responsible for ensuring that all their staff have been adequately trained in the principles of restraint and any restraint techniques appropriate to the needs of the children the home is set up to care for as defined in the home’s Statement of Purpose. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.57) Inspection report children’s home: 2510737 4

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improvement to be good

Three young people have lived at the home since it opened in May 2019. For two young people, progress has been hindered by their risk-taking behaviour, for example going missing from home and involvement with gangs and criminal exploitation. Both of these young people have moved from the home in an unplanned and unsafe way. The managers acknowledge that the staff team is not equipped with the knowledge, skills and expertise to care for extremely vulnerable young people who present with such high risk.

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improvement to be good

The managers and staff understand the barriers to education, such as young people’s low self-esteem and being out of education for a long time. The staff invest time in getting to know the young people’s interests and engage them in activities that will develop their confidence and improve their self-worth. However, partnership working with the placing authority’s virtual school headteacher could improve to ensure that suitable education provision is identified and secured from the start of young people’s placements.

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improvement to be good

The managers and staff are child-centred and they are skilled at nurturing trusting relationships with young people. Warm and affectionate interactions between the staff and a young person were observed during the inspection. The managers and staff work diligently to make young people feel welcome and respected, which helps them to settle and respect the staff team.

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improvement to be good

Young people benefit from having access to a range of fun activities. The managers and staff have good knowledge of the local area and successfully encourage the young people to pursue their hobbies and interests, for example fishing, boxing and recording music. These activities are important to help young people to discover new talents and develop greater confidence.

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improvement to be good

The staff support young people to keep in touch with their families. Parents and relatives are invited to visit the home, to meet staff and to enjoy family time in a welcoming and safe environment.

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improvement to be good

The home is maintained to a very high standard. As a result, the young people benefit from living in a welcoming and homely environment that makes them feel safe and valued.

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improvement to be good

The assessment of risk is an area for improvement. In particular, impact risk assessments have not always fully considered all the risks for young people and whether the staff can meet their needs. As a result, some young people have been inappropriately placed in Inspection report children’s home: 2510737 5 the home.

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improvement to be good

Additionally, written risk assessments are too generic and omit detail on all strategies required to manage risk and reduce harm. These documents are central to ensuring consistent practice across the staff team.

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improvement to be good

Staff employ a positive approach to behaviour management. Their ethos is to encourage positive behaviour through constant praise, rewards and kindness. However, not all measures of control, such as restrictions placed on young people’s finances and room searches, are recorded appropriately. The recording and monitoring of the effectiveness and suitability of behaviour management strategies require improvement.

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improvement to be good

Some records of serious incidents that take place at the home are incomplete and lack significant information, for example the time and outcomes of a young person’s arrest. This recording shortfall potentially compromises the monitoring of young people’s risk- taking behaviour.

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improvement to be good

The staff are successful at de-escalating challenging situations. However, not all staff have received training in restraint to ensure that they are equipped to safely intervene should a situation arise where a restraint is required.

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improvement to be good

Despite these shortfalls, a key strength is the managers’ and staff’s ability to develop trusting relationships with young people, which in turn enables them to positively influence young people’s behaviour, for example discouraging them from going missing from the home. This is a significant achievement and reflects the staff’s commitment to keeping young people safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager is a qualified social worker with extensive experience in children’s social care, which includes holding a senior role in a local authority’s children in care service. Although she has achieved some management qualifications, she has yet to obtain the relevant management qualification for children’s residential care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

An experienced and suitably qualified deputy manager supports the day-to-day running of the home. Additionally, the responsible individual is very hands on and provides the staff team and young people with invaluable support. The managers of this home are extremely child-centred and strong advocates for the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Although the registered manager ensures that the home’s statement of purpose is regularly reviewed and updated, all aspects of this document are not being adhered to, in particular staff training. As a result, the home’s statement of purpose does not provide an accurate overview of the staff team’s skill set.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Only one staff member holds the relevant qualification required for children’s residential care. Other staff members are highly qualified and/or experienced in other professions, such as nursing, youth work and supporting adults with autism. Therefore, they have Inspection report children’s home: 2510737 6 many relevant skills and experience to bring to their roles. The registered manager is aware of the requirement to ensure that all staff are suitably qualified. She is currently exploring all options for this to be achieved within the required timeframe. Furthermore, an ongoing recruitment drive is focusing on employing additional qualified staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager’s oversight of serious incidents and staff’s recordings lacks rigour. Consequently, staff’s weak practice is not always being identified and appropriately addressed. Shortfalls in the manager’s monitoring systems potentially hinder the home’s improvement journey.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Notifications to Ofsted are not always provided following serious safeguarding incidents. This prevents the home’s inspector and regulator from assessing and evaluating the managers’ and team’s response to serious safeguarding concerns.

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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: 2510737 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pelican Care Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: V12 Suite H, Merlin Park, Ringtail Road, Burscough, Lancashire L40 8JY

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Inspector

Marina Tully: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2510737 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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