Children's home run by Prestige Adolescent Care and Education Limited in Stoke-on-Trent

Inspection report children’s home: SC463188 1 SC463188 Registered provider: Prestige Adolescent Care and Education 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 privately run children’s home offers care and accommodation for up to four children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since March 2013

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 14 November 2018

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC463188 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/11/2018 Full Outstanding 23/01/2018 Full Outstanding 21/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 22/09/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC463188 3

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Recommendations

 A record of supervision should be kept for staff, including the manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation 33(4)(b). (Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3)  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4). Specifically, this refers to the need for hand-written records to be legible.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people receive excellent care, which is based on a clear assessment and understanding of their individual needs. As a result, young people make exceptional progress in all areas of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people are nurtured and cared for in a structured environment. Young people experience support and constructive challenge from the adults who care for them. This gives young people an opportunity to address past trauma in a safe environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

All young people receive specialist therapeutic input. Most young people access this from the organisation’s own psychotherapist. Young people welcome this additional support. This contributes to the excellent level of care young people receive in the home. This regular therapeutic intervention makes a significant contribution to young people’s progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

All young people are in full-time education. Young people attend school daily. They are all making significant progress from their starting points. Staff support young people in school when this is needed. It is testament to the progress and abilities of young people that the need for this support has reduced dramatically.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

It was a recommendation at the last inspection that one young person moved to a school closer to the home. This recommendation has been met. All young people are educated locally in schools which meet their needs. As a result of this, young people’s Inspection report children’s home: SC463188 4 education achievements are promoted. They are able to build positive friendships locally and be part of the school community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people’s health needs are well promoted. Staff are proactive in managing young people’s long-term health conditions. Staff challenge health professionals if young people are not receiving services they need. The registered manager, in particular, is tenacious in her endeavours to identify the right support for a range of health needs. As a result, one young person has had a change to their medication which has brought about significant improvements in their emotional health and well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

It was a recommendation at the last inspection that the recording of use of non- prescription medication was amended. This recommendation has been met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people are very well supported to build and maintain relationships with family members. One young person who is placed a distance from home receives help to spend time with his family. His parents told the inspector that communication with the home is excellent. They said, ‘We never worry about him being cared for in this home. They have really helped him turn things around.’

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

Young people are safeguarded in the home. The manager and staff team understand their responsibilities in respect of information sharing. They understand the risks to young people and can keep them safe. Assessment of risk is extremely good. Risk assessments are reviewed regularly and shared across the staff team. As a result, all staff are well informed and are able to respond to the needs of each young person.

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

Young people have positive relationships with staff. They are able to talk to staff about their concerns. The relationships between young people and their key workers are strong. This relationship is not exclusive, and young people feel that they can talk to any member of staff. One young person told the inspector, ‘I used to be all over the place. Staff really support me. I feel listened to .’

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

Restraint has been used on a regular basis with two young people. Staff have good insight into the potential emotional and physical impact on young people. Young people and staff have opportunities to reflect after each incident of restraint. The use of restraint has dramatically decreased over recent months, as young people have demonstrated an increased ability to regulate their emotions. Incidents of restraint are generally well documented. Some hand-written records are hard to read. This is a barrier to young people understanding their records. A recommendation is made in respect of this issue.

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

The manager has undertaken an excellent piece of analysis of the use of restraint. A detailed report has been produced, which evaluates the use of physical intervention. This has been used by the staff team and senior managers in the organisation to reflect on actions. This is a piece of exemplary practice. Inspection report children’s home: SC463188 5 Young people do not go missing from the home. Young people with negative experiences of previous care placements, as well as those who are experiencing residential care for the first time, quickly settle into the home. The excellent care and support they receive help them to gain a sense of belonging and increased stability in their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is well established in her role. She has been responsible for the management of the home for a number of years. The registered manager provides strong and inspirational leadership to the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is supported by experienced and skilled deputy managers. This strength of the management team means that all staff are supported in their roles. Staff receive regular, well-structured supervision. This supports them to reflect on their practice and on the progress of young people. The quality of supervision records is inconsistent, and staff do not always receive a clear written record of supervision discussions. A recommendation is made in regard to the recording of supervision. This has not had a direct impact on the quality of care afforded to young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Decisions in relation to admissions of new young people to the home are child focused. Thorough assessments are undertaken of the impact of the admission of new young people on those already living in the home. The progress and experiences of young people already in placement are given priority. The home worked for a prolonged period of time with three young people in placement until the right match of new young person was identified. This promotes the current stability and progress of these young people and makes them feel valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Young people’s case records are comprehensive. They reflect the plans for each young person and evidence their daily lived experience. As a result, staff are clear about their role in meeting the plans for permanence for young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has an excellent understanding of the progress of young people and the quality of care they experience. Quarterly quality of care reports are completed by the manager. This means that strengths and risks are regularly reviewed. As a result of these reviews, good practice is promoted, and areas of development are identified and addressed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The physical environment of the home is maintained to a high standard. Young people are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms. Staff ensure that young people feel they have a space they can spend time alone in and feel secure. As a consequence, one young person has a small ball pool in his room. This supports his emotional health and well-being. Communal areas of the home include photographs of young people previously resident at the home. This promotes a sense of belonging for all young people. Inspection report children’s home: SC463188 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: SC463188 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Prestige Adolescent Care and Education Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 90 King Street, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire ST5 1JB

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Inspector

Dawn Parton, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC463188 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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