Children's Home run by Pilgrims Corner Limited in Kent

Inspection report children’s home: SC390156 1 SC390156 Registered provider: Pilgrims Corner 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

The home provides care for up to three children. The provider states in its statement of purpose that it provides care for children who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. The manager has been in post since November 2019 and is applying for registration with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 10 to 11 December 2019

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC390156 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/08/2018 Full Good 31/07/2017 Full Good 15/03/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 08/11/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC390156 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 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 requires the registered person to understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to improving mechanisms for capturing impact and progress for children, with reference to the entirety of each child’s placement plan objectives. 31/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development; 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)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to providing records of the frequency of supervision for staff and evidence that this meets the organisation’s own targets, as set out in the workforce development plan. 31/03/2020

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the children’s guide is age appropriate and provided in an accessible format. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.21)  For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic Inspection report children’s home: SC390156 4 environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) In particular, bring the communal areas of the home in line with the high standards of decor in the children’s bedrooms.  The principle of listening to the child and taking their views, wishes and feelings

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Recommendations

into account when planning and undertaking their care applies to all children, including children with disabilities, special educational needs or other complex needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 21, paragraph 4.5) In particular, involve children in the creation of placement plans, behaviour management strategies and risk assessments.  Records of restraint must be kept and should enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59) In particular, record all restrictive interventions in all cases, even when no force is used.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress. Staff and professionals readily identify that children develop emotional resilience, self-confidence and a belief in their ability to achieve. External professionals praise the quality of care and support provided to children. One child has been supported to increase his engagement in physical activities, and improve his diet and lifestyle. He is now happier and healthier. He is also engaging positively in education after years of difficulties at school. Staff have also helped him to learn greater emotional regulation, which in turn has led to increased levels of empathy and positive relationships with family and friends. One child has made huge improvements in keeping herself safe. Her social worker said that, prior to coming to the home, there were very real fears for her future, and that staff have managed to undo years of emotional neglect. The child is thriving. Staff have

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

given her access to a positive sense of her self-worth. This in turn has led to her making progress in education and taking a renewed interest in activities outside the home. The child has also been able to rebuild positive relationships with her family. Children are able to talk about the direct impact the home as had on their well-being. One social worker said that the home could not have done more for the child she supports. She praised the reflective and open communication of staff. She was particularly impressed that the home worked hard to nurture the social worker’s own relationship with the child. They supported her well and created a positive atmosphere that enables her to carry out her role effectively. Children have loving, warm relationships with staff and the atmosphere in the home is good. Staff and children share lots of humour. Staff are very attentive and empathic, and Inspection report children’s home: SC390156 5

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

they talk about children with great affection. Staff encourage the positive use of arts and creativity to enable children to express themselves. They have used these to explore issues around positive relationships, family and identity. Staff are strong advocates for children. They encouraged one child to successfully appeal a proposed change of social worker, which led to the child feeling empowered. The home is nicely decorated and well maintained. Children’s rooms are beautiful, calm and highly personalised spaces. Children and staff agreed that more could be done to give the communal spaces a homelier feel, and plans are already in place to achieve this. Staff evidence some great examples of careful planning and partnership practice around future transitions for children. They are currently working very closely with one child’s placing authority in preparation for her return to her family home. Staff are liaising with

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

her social worker to ensure that this is safely managed.

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

Both children currently living at the home have made excellent progress in relation to their personal safety. A social worker described her fears for her child’s future before coming to the home. The child was described as very high risk. In every area of risk, the home has provided her with a safe place to get off the dangerous pathway she was on. This safety net has given her a chance to rediscover herself and make huge progress in her capacity to value herself and understand how to keep herself safe. One child spoke about his very troubled placement history. He described this home as being like a ‘new world’ for him, where he has been able to grow. He has reduced risky behaviours, including frequent absence and aggressive conduct. The staff promote the safety of children well and there have been no incidents of children going missing or physical restraints, and no children are currently at risk of

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

criminal or sexual exploitation. The organisation provides good support for staff to understand the specific risks faced by children at the home. Staff also demonstrate a well-developed capacity for managing incidents of significant challenging behaviour. Children who have displayed behaviour of this type in previous placements have significantly improved their behaviours since coming to the home. Staff have created an atmosphere of trust. This allows children to talk about very difficult experiences in their early years. Staff have, as a result, been able to secure specialist support to help children to work through these issues in a safe space. This helps children to make sense of their journey into care. One incident recorded that a staff member had used a physical intervention to manage a child’s behaviour. This was not recorded as a restraint despite the child raising a complaint about the way the intervention was managed by staff. However, the complaint

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

was handled well, and the child was satisfied with the outcome.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership team at the home has high aspirations for children. Leaders are working to provide staff with the skills and expertise they need to provide the best possible outcomes for children. Staff share a common drive to continually improve practice. They Inspection report children’s home: SC390156 6 are open and willing to make the necessary changes to achieve this. Staff complete progress reviews for children but they do not evidence progress against all objectives in a child’s placement plan. The leadership team agrees that there is room for improvement in the way that the home captures progress, and is exploring options to improve practice in this area. Staff describe feeling well supported by senior staff. However, supervision records do not evidence that the organisation is meeting the targets laid out in its own workforce plan. There has been significant progress in the quality of training and an improved focus on

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

continuous professional development. Staff are enjoying this increased investment in their skills and expertise. Leaders have worked hard with staff to embed the therapeutic ethos of the home. This results in a reflective staff team with a deeper understanding of the needs of children in their care. The leadership team has also improved practice around internal audits and monitoring processes. Strengths and weaknesses have been identified well. Leaders acknowledge that this work is still in its early stages. Leaders ensure that the needs of children are at the centre of practice. All recent measures that leaders have implemented are focused on improving the life experiences of children. The whole team demonstrates a desire to be creative and innovative with a view to achieving a nurturing environment. Children feel valued and respected. They are keen to voice their opinions and took an active role in this inspection. Children’s views are not so well reflected in records that

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

relate to care planning, risk management and behaviour support. Leaders have created a children’s guide, but it is not child-friendly and not in an accessible format.

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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: SC390156 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pilgrims Corner Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite 5, The Links, HERNE BAY, Kent, CT6 7GQ

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Inspector

Peter Jackson, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC390156 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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