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

Inspection report children’s home: SC457639 1 SC457639 Registered provider: Parkview Care (Broadstairs) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned children’s home that provides care for children who may have experienced exploitation, loss and trauma or who may self-harm. The manager was registered by Ofsted in November 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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC457639 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/07/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/08/2017 Full Good 23/11/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 06/07/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC457639 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 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 the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(d)) 29/02/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard). (Regulation 46 (1))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to ensuring that the review contains all known potential hazards in the local area. 29/02/2020

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Recommendations

No recommendations were made from this inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in good health and staff ensure that all health appointments are attended. When children take medication, there are good systems in place, including double signatures for all medication, to ensure that the potential for errors is vastly reduced. Regular checks from senior staff further enhance this. Children benefit from regular, and detailed, individual sessions with their key worker. This helps children to form a trusting bond with staff and enables children to feel that they are listened to and that their views are respected.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children are in education. In some cases, there has been exceptional progress made. Inspection report children’s home: SC457639 4 Children with poor attendance at school prior to living at the home are now attending for 100% of the time. Staff encourage both attendance and achievement. This has led to all children making measurable progress in relation to their starting points. A teacher commented that some children had previously ‘had a disaffected education and have a negative view to learning. With the support of the staff, they have attended school regularly and have made good progress.’ Similarly, children make good progress outside of school, for example joining local sports clubs and other community-based activities. This not only gives children more interests but allows them to develop their social skills and to form friendship groups outside of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s needs are carefully assessed prior to any child moving into the home. Where children have left the home since the last inspection, they have done so in a planned way. All children have moved on to appropriate placements. Some children have moved back home to their families and others have moved to placements which better meet their developing needs. For example, when children have struggled with the bigger group of children, the manager has identified smaller placements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff recognise that children want to stay in close contact with their families. When appropriate to do so, staff facilitate visits to family and ensure that children can stay in touch. This supports children to strengthen their family links and enhances their sense of self-identity. Regular and purposeful meetings between all children and staff also give children an increased sense of belonging and security. All children are supported to make their views known and staff ensure that all children have a voice in the home. For example, children helped to shape the plans for Christmas and have helped to identify some changes to food shopping and meal choices. This involvement in the day-to-day running of the home means that the children feel involved, that they have a place in the home and that their views can influence change.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between staff and children are good. The home environment is, overall, very well presented. Children are encouraged and supported to personalise their bedrooms. There is ample communal space and activities to keep children occupied in the home. However, an outside drain has been problematic and has left food debris spilled on to the garden. This debris has not yet been cleaned up. The front door to the home, which is visible from the roadside, has a large no smoking sign prominently displayed. These areas detract from an otherwise welcoming and homely environment.

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

Children’s risks are managed by the competent and alert staff team. A new computerised recording system means that updates are quickly shared and managers can monitor records and audit changes. Children’s risk assessments are kept under constant review. However, the review of the home’s location and suitability does not include a potential local hazard. This relates specifically to an area close to the coast.

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

The manager has led staff away from punitive sanctions and towards more restorative actions. This has reduced some flashpoints in the home. Children have responded well to this more empathetic approach and relationships have improved in the home. For Inspection report children’s home: SC457639 5 example, children are now quick to apologise to each other and consider the effect of their actions on others.

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

Incidents of children going missing are reducing. Staff actively follow and try to disrupt children’s going missing behaviour by pursuing children and reasoning with them. This active approach reduces the reliance on local services, such as the police, to find children. This also makes it clear to children that staff want what is best for them. In turn, this has developed a culture in the home where the children feel listened to and recognise the efforts made by the staff. Children told the inspector that ‘the staff are really, really friendly and really try to help me’ and ‘it’s made a massive difference to me [being at the home]’.

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

Restraint is used only when necessary and the manager keeps all incidents under close review. This has led to action being taken in some cases, ranging from direct supervision of practice to more formal measures being applied. Liaison with statutory agencies ensures that the manager shares all relevant information. Clear systems are in place for staff to refer concerns to safeguarding services, both internally using whistleblowing procedures and externally. Similarly, children know how to raise concerns and do so. Each complaint from a child is swiftly and appropriately investigated and responded to.

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

The provider ensures that any staff starting employment only do so following safe and effective recruitment processes. This ensures that the required checks are made on all adults prior to them starting work in the home. New staff told the inspector that they felt supported, valued and encouraged to share their ideas. All staff are up to date with their safeguarding training and know how to respond to safeguarding or child protection concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A monitoring visit took place in May 2019. Several requirements and one recommendation were made as a result of that inspection. The provider has taken appropriate action to meet all the requirements and the one recommendation. For example, medication processes have been revised and all children now have their own keys for their bedrooms. Restraint recording has been improved through a new recording system and where paper records are kept they are now securely stored. The children’s complaints policy and the staff whistleblowing policy have been amended and now contain all required information.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last monitoring visit, there have also been improvements to staff training. The management team has undertaken training in the home’s chosen therapeutic model of care and all staff are now undertaking this training. This new approach has led to changes in how care is provided to children and has been a contributory factor in creating a calmer home environment. Staff are up to date with their mandatory training and the organisation provides opportunities for staff to request and attend further training as necessary. This ensures that staff are current in their practice and are keen to develop their skills. Inspection report children’s home: SC457639 6 The manager was registered by Ofsted in November 2019 and has been working in the home since May 2019. The manager is highly visible, experienced and is committed to further improving the home. Staff feel supported, empowered and listened to by the

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

manager and the wider management team. Regular supervision focuses on developing practice, the needs of children and how best to improve children’s safety. This inclusive, learning and child-focused approach is firmly supported by the organisation and the responsible individual. This work to drive improvement has resulted in some staff changes in the home, with some new staff joining.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff ensure that relevant information is shared when necessary in the interests of securing services for children or advocating on their behalf. A social worker told the inspector that they have ‘nothing but praise for the staff and how they are working with [child]’ and a headteacher commented that ‘partnership working with the home is strong and communication is clear. Regular reports and handovers play a big part and home staff have good relationships with all school staff.’ This positive approach to building and maintaining relationships with other professionals is encouraged by the management team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monthly visits to the home by an independent person have identified improvement areas. These have been actively addressed by the management team and, over time, there has been a clear improvement arc. Since the manager has been in place, the home is more settled and incidents have reduced. The management team is not complacent and is aware of further improvement areas. However, the manager speaks proudly of what has been achieved so far and of the achievements of both the children and of her staff team.

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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: SC457639 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Parkview Care (Broadstairs) Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Pete Hylton: regulatory inspection manager Inspection report children’s home: SC457639 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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