Children's home run by Park Blue Homes Limited

Inspection report children's home: 2509892 1 Registered provider: Park Blue Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to three children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is owned and managed by a private provider.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in July 2020. Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020. The home has not previously had a judgment inspection. We last visited this setting on 2 February 2021 to carry out an off-site monitoring visit. The report is published on our website

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager in post since 13 November 2020. The current manager started in November 2020 and has made an application to register with Ofsted.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Not applicable

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: Not applicable Inspection report children's home: 2509892 2

p.1

improvement to be good

Children’s experiences of living in this home are mixed. Prior to children’s admission to the home, the manager completes admission risk assessments. These take into consideration each child, the potential risk they may pose to one another and how staff should mitigate these risks. This helps the children to settle and have positive experiences of living in the home.

p.2

improvement to be good

The home is warm, welcoming and very well maintained. There are photographs of the children enjoying a wide range of activities with staff. Children’s bedrooms are personalised to reflect their likes and interests. This helps children to develop attachments and a sense of belonging.

p.2

improvement to be good

Detailed support plans are in place for children who require help with personal care. There is guidance for staff to follow so that they understand how to meet children’s personal care needs. Children receive support from staff who have completed training in delivering their personal care. A care plan for one child includes a specific item that is required in relation to personal care but it has not been provided. This has not caused the child serious harm, but demonstrates a lack of preparation when admitting and responding to children’s individual needs.

p.2

improvement to be good

Care planning records do not always include targets for children. This limits the opportunity to track the progress that children make.

p.2

improvement to be good

Children receive support from staff to stay in contact with people who are important to them. Each child has a family plan. However, plans do not have the details of the frequency and expectations of family time. Records of family time are vague, with no clear guidance for staff to follow. This means that there is scope for errors to occur. Additionally, the manager cannot evaluate the quality of children’s family time to ensure it meets the needs of children.

p.2

improvement to be good

Children have good relationships with staff. The manager and staff team consult with children regularly. Children with communication difficulties can share their views with the support of Widget communication. This enables children to have a say about their care and planning. A parent commented, ‘[Name] cannot say much, but is happy there. He is always smiling, and he loves the staff. My child has come on leaps and bounds there.’ Inspection report children's home: 2509892 3 Children receive support from a range of professionals and specialist services. Staff have good relationships with a range of professionals, including social workers, education, health and occupational therapists. Staff share information with other agencies, which helps children to access the support that they require. This helps children to make progress from their starting point.

p.2

improvement to be good

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there are fewer activities available for the children to enjoy in the community. Staff support children to join in activities at home, for example messy play, arts and crafts. Children have also enjoyed visits outdoors. This has helped children follow their interests and hobbies.

p.3

improvement to be good

There are serious shortfalls in relation to the administering of medication and associated record-keeping. A medication record for one child is not clear. It shows that staff may have potentially, on one occasion, given an additional dose of prescribed medication. The manager had not identified this or other recording issues. However, the manager responded promptly when inspectors highlighted these. She has put measures in place to prevent a reoccurrence of this practice. However, these shortfalls expose children to a potential risk of serious harm.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children who require support during the night are allocated a member of staff through the night. A monitoring device is fixed in a specific area of the home to alert staff should the child require help during the night. However, unless staff are in the vicinity of the device, they may not be aware of the need to respond to the child. This poses the risk that the child’s needs may go unattended for a period of time.

p.3

improvement to be good

Impact risk assessments consider specific adaptions required to the premises to make them suitable and safe for the children considered for admission. Some adaptations are in place prior to children moving in. However, this is not always the case. There is a fire escape that is not suitable for one child’s mobility needs. There is guidance for staff to follow in case of a fire, and there is an action plan to address this issue. However, this demonstrates that the full range of children’s needs are not always prioritised during the admission procedure.

p.3

improvement to be good

Some restraint records do not contain all the necessary information to meet the regulation. For example, some records do not clearly record the measure used, debriefs and whether medical attention was needed or sourced. This means that the manager does not have sufficient oversight of staff practice to ensure that steps taken were necessary.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children benefit from key-work sessions with staff. These sessions relate to children’s care plans and risk assessments. Key-work sessions help children to see how they will be helped and protected by staff. Children do make progress as a result of the work completed. Inspection report children's home: 2509892 4

p.3

good

The manager is suitably qualified and has been in post since November 2020. She has made an application to register with Ofsted. She values feedback from her independent visitor and inspectors to help drive improvements forward. This means children are likely to receive better care and support as a result.

p.4

good

The manager has processes in place to monitor the care that children receive. However, these systems have failed to identify some of the shortfalls raised. This means that there are no effective processes in place to identify or address areas that require improvement, which impacts on the quality of care that children receive.

p.4

good

Leaders have failed to ensure that the home operates within the agreed categories of registration by admitting children outside of these categories. The provider submitted a request to vary their registration during the inspection. However, this shows poor leadership oversight in ensuring that the registration regulations are complied with.

p.4

good

Staff receive regular supervision. This provides staff with opportunities to reflect on their practice and to discuss their learning and development. This helps to improve staff practice, which supports children’s daily lived experiences.

p.4

good

Mandatory training for staff is up to date. Staff complete training to help them understand children’s specific medical diagnosis prior to their admission. This demonstrates that the manager prioritises training in relation to children’s medical needs. This helps to promote consistent care and support. Inspection report children's home: 2509892 5

p.4

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, the 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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff— provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(iv)) 28 May 2021

p.5

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm; (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b)) This specifically relates to the provider ensuring that there is a suitable risk assessment and strategy in place, particularly for those children who require monitoring during the night. 28 April 2021

p.5

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 28 May 2021 Inspection report children's home: 2509892 6 promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

p.5

Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. Nothing in paragraph (5) or regulation 46 (review of premises) requires or authorises the registered person to contravene or not comply with— any other provision of these Regulations; or any conditions in relation to the registration of the registered person under Part 2 of the Care Standards Act 2000. (Regulation 16 (1) (5) (6)) 28 May 2021

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. In particular the registered person must ensure that— medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child; and a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(b)(c)) 28 April 2021

p.6

Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must— take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home; provide adequate means of escape from the home in the event of fire (Regulation 25 (1)(a)(b)) 28 May 2021 Inspection report children's home: 2509892 7 The registered person must ensure that— within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes — a description of the measure and its duration; details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered

p.6

Requirement Due date

person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")— has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(a)(iv)(v)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 28 May 2021

p.7

Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: 2509892 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Park Blue Homes Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Fairfield Lodge, Evenwood Gate, Bishop Auckland DL14 9NH

p.8

Inspector(s)

Jacqueline Tate, Social Care Inspector Paula Kelly, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2509892 9 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.

p.8

Inspector(s)

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector(s)

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector(s)

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector(s)

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9