Children's home run by Physis Quantum Limited

Information about this children’s home

A privately owned limited company runs the home. It offers care for up to four young people. The home specialises in caring for young people who have been, or are, at high risk of child sexual exploitation.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been registered with Ofsted since 9 July 2020. A registered manager is in day-to-day charge of the home and she is working towards her level 5 management qualification.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection date: Not previously inspected

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection judgement: Not previously inspected

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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:

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Information about this visit

 children are well cared for  children are safe  leaders and managers are exercising strong leadership. 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: 2585407 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 enjoy trusting relationships with key staff. Staff understand the needs of each young person and display a nurturing approach. Young people say that they feel comfortable to approach staff and can raise concerns. The positive relationships between staff and young people promote young people’s welfare.

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The care of children

Staff help young people to keep in touch with their families. Staff ensure that young people can maintain contact with family members in line with COVID-19 restrictions. For example, for one young person’s birthday, staff arranged for family to visit over separate days so that celebrations could be had with all family members while supporting the ‘rule of six’ imposed by the government. This enabled the young person to have positive experiences with her family at a time that was important to her.

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The care of children

Some young people make good progress with their learning. Not all young people attend education in line with their current plans. Despite encouragement from staff, one young person’s attendance at school has declined. As a result, this young person is not making measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential.

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The care of children

Staff recognise and understand young people’s complex needs. Staff monitor each young person’s mental health and seek professional advice when necessary. Young people have access to on-site therapeutic support on a weekly basis. Staff are also provided with the tools to support the young people through clinical supervision. This multi-team approach ensures that the young people’s health needs are promoted.

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The care of children

When staff carry out direct work with the young people, this does not always link to the young people’s care plans and it lacks clear outcomes. This makes it difficult to understand the impact that this work has on the young people’s progress and experiences. One young person has had a pathway plan in place for three months. However, this has not been shared with her, and staff have also failed to capture her views of the plans for her care.

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The care of children

Young people are offered weekly meetings with staff. However, their engagement is sporadic. When young people engage in these meetings, they voice their opinions for improvement in the home. Actions from the meetings are not always provided to the young people by managers and staff. This is a missed opportunity that would allow the young people to have their views listened to and valued. Assurance visit report: 2585407 3

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The safety of children

Staff ensure that young people are safeguarded effectively. Risk assessments are clear and up to date, and managers include previous incidents when reviewing plans. This ensures that staff have up-to-date information and understand the safeguarding risks that young people face, and are clear about how they need to respond to these. However, staff and managers do not consult the young people when reviewing these plans. For example, the plans set out each young person’s expected behaviours. However, these expectations are not discussed with the young people. This means that young people are unaware of this information and what is expected of them to keep them safe.

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The safety of children

Inventive staff create enjoyable indoor activities for young people to participate in. These include pamper nights, bingo, and art and craft evenings. This creative thinking helps to keep young people engaged and occupied during times of lockdown and isolation. This contributes to missing-from-home incidents remaining low.

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The safety of children

Staff undertake a variety of training courses to further their knowledge and skills. Training includes safeguarding children and understanding child sexual exploitation. This enables staff to develop the required skills and knowledge to meet the needs of the young people and understand how to keep them safe.

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The safety of children

Managers provide good information to staff about safeguarding young people. Sharing relevant information and discussing this in supervisions and meetings enables staff to understand what child abuse is, the impact of abuse and neglect and how to respond to potential safeguarding concerns.

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Leaders and managers

Overall, COVID-19 has not had a significant impact on the quality of care provided to young people. Managers have taken appropriate action to ensure that the young people feel supported during this period. For example, young people receive regular updates about restrictions and are encouraged to call their families on a weekly basis.

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Leaders and managers

Staff benefit from effective and structured supervision. As well as supervision from managers, staff receive therapeutic supervision from the clinical lead. However, not all staff, including new starters, receive supervision at the frequency outlined in the organisation’s policies. This means that staff do not always receive the support and guidance required to support them in their role.

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Leaders and managers

The matching of the new young people to the home is weak. Managers do not fully consider the needs of new young people against the needs of young people already living in the home. Subsequently, following an increase in incidents of challenging behaviour, two young people had to leave the home after a short time. This was not a positive outcome for these young people. Assurance visit report: 2585407 4 Feedback from professionals is largely positive. Professionals say that ‘communication is good’ and ‘the staff are lovely’. However, all professionals spoken to highlight the potential impact of poor matching on the young people. Staff and managers have established collaborative relationships with partner agencies, such as the missing-from-care coordinator. These relationships help the staff to understand how to support the young people effectively.

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Leaders and managers

The independent visitor continues to monitor the progress and well-being of young people. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, the independent visits are carried out virtually, using video technology. The independent visitor has failed to consult or receive feedback from the young people, parents or professionals for a period of five months. This limits the effectiveness of the independent scrutiny of the quality of care at the home.

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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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings; 22 January 2021 Assurance visit report: 2585407 5 help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

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—

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Requirement Due date

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)(a)(b) (2)(a)) 22 January 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)) 22 January 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice regularly in line with organisational policies and procedures. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure that young people are supported to achieve their education targets in line with relevant education plans. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including quality standards’, page 26, paragraph 5.3) Assurance visit report: 2585407 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Physis Quantum Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: DPC, 55 Stone House Road Business Park, Stone Road, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire ST4 6SR

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Laurence O’Dwyer

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Inspector

Kev Brammer, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: 2585407 7 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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