Children's home run by Partnerships in Care 1 Limited

Information about this children’s home

The home is dual registered with the Care Quality Commission.

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Information about this children’s home

The home can provide for up to eight children and young people. It provides care to children and young people who have mental health difficulties and who self-harm.

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Information about this children’s home

This specialist service is part of a large, national, private organisation. The organisation has its own clinical team.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since January 2019.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection date: 28 October 2019

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection judgement: Requires improvement to be good

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Information about this visit

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), Ofsted suspended all routine inspections in March 2020. As part of a phased return to routine inspection, we are undertaking assurance visits to children’s social care services that are inspected under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF).

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Information about this visit

At these visits, inspectors evaluate the extent to which:  children are well cared for  children are safe  leaders and managers are exercising strong leadership.

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Information about this visit

This visit was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000, following the published guidance for assurance visits.

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Information about this visit

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is leading Ofsted’s work into how England’s social care system has delivered child-centred practice and care within the context of the restrictions placed on society during the COVID-19 pandemic. Assurance visit report: 1247390 2

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Findings from the visit

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit.

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The care of children

Young people benefit from a staff team that clearly understands their needs. The strength of relationships gives young people confidence to engage with the therapy and emotional support available. Restrictions due to COVID-19 have enhanced relationships further as young people have spent more time together in the home, cooking, growing vegetables, creating artwork and playing board games.

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The care of children

Young people keep in touch with the people who are important to them. Throughout the lockdown period, technology ensured that young people could see and talk with their families. As restrictions have eased, parents have spent time in the garden and enjoyed the meals that their child has cooked for them.

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The care of children

Staff travel long distances to support young people in seeing their family and attending education. Parents report positively about the care and support their child is receiving. Parents are included in their child’s care and describe good working relationships, with regular communication.

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The care of children

The views and wishes of young people are regularly sought and they have named the group sessions ‘Ketchup catch-up’. In these meetings, as well as suggestions for improvements to the home, updates on the COVID-19 pandemic and the changing rules within the community are discussed. Together, young people and staff watched the Prime Minister’s briefings to make sense of what was happening throughout the UK and the world.

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The care of children

Young people are supported to access and attend education. However, for most, their education is for a minimal number of hours in recognition of their emotional and mental health needs. A designated member of staff liaises well with education providers and virtual schools.

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The care of children

The home has improved through being redesigned and redecorated. Young people have painted some walls and are involved in the selection of new items for the home. The home provides good choices of social space for young people to use.

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The safety of children

Young people are cared for by a team whose members know them well and understand their individual risks. This practice is not fully reflected in documents such as risk assessments as some do not always capture the known risks and how to mitigate them.

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The safety of children

A high number of incidents do occur in this specialist service due to the level of self- harm. Overall, risk is managed well as young people are given choices and Assurance visit report: 1247390 3 strategies to reduce their self-injurious behaviour. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, young people were aware of the risks of attending hospital, and their need for medical intervention reduced for a short period. There are setbacks in recovery for some young people, resulting in the need for in-patient care.

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The safety of children

Staff are suitably trained and have clear plans and protocols to follow if young people are at risk of harm and/or going missing from home. All incidents of physical intervention are appropriately in response to self-harm.

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The safety of children

Parents and professionals report that young people are safe.

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Leaders and managers

The manager has worked towards leading practice that focuses on the safeguarding of young people, their care needs and emotional well-being. This leadership has been successful in moving away from the previous clinical model.

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Leaders and managers

Management arrangements in response to COVID-19 are strong. The staff team is committed to reducing unnecessary external contact where possible. The staff team is almost at full complement with only two vacancies. During the initial stages of the pandemic where staff left or were absent through sickness or self-isolating, there was some use of agency staff.

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Leaders and managers

Several agency staff have transferred to permanent contracts. This strengthens the team with staff members who have some experience of working at this home and who are already known to the young people.

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Leaders and managers

Parents and professionals report on the effective leadership of this home. Staff are positive in their attitude. They are supported well through supervision, training and a strong sense of teamwork.

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Leaders and managers

The manager has improved the quality of monitoring care practices, resulting in her having good oversight of the running of the home. In April 2020, a report was produced after a reflective review of the quality of care during the preceding six months. The provider failed to submit this report to Ofsted within the required timescale. The independent visitor continued to monitor the progress and well-being of young people through virtual arrangements and has recently resumed visits to the home.

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Leaders and managers

All requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection are met.

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Leaders and managers

Two requirements and one recommendation are made following this visit.

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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—

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Requirement Due date

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)) 30/09/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months. In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— 31/10/2020 Assurance visit report: 1247390 5 supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(3) and (4)(a))

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Recommendations

 Children should be in full-time education while they are of compulsory school age, unless their personal education plan contained within the care plan or other relevant plan states otherwise. The home must aim to support full-time attendance at school unless the child’s relevant plan indicates that this is not in their best interests. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.14)

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Partnerships In Care 1 Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Fifth Floor, 80 Hammersmith Road, London W14 8UD

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Inspector

Clare Davies, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: 1247390 6 to 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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