Children's Home run by Priory Education Services Limited in Hampshire

Inspection report children’s home: 2585129 1 Registered provider: Priory Education Services 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 home. It provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties, where associated moderate learning difficulties and low- risk mental health concerns may be contributors.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted on 6 May 2020. The home has been without a registered manager since 5 February 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

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.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 15 December 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 2585129 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report children’s home: 2585129 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress. This is achieved through their strong relationships with staff, some of whom have worked with the children prior to them moving into the home. The approach to care is consistent, and children generally know what they can expect from staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are fully engaged in education through the organisation’s school and further education centre. There are good links between the staff at the home and education professionals. This leads to consistency across the settings and ensures that any barriers to learning are understood and overcome. Those children who are approaching school leaving age have plans to continue their learning and have increased in confidence to attend mainstream college. Children enjoy a wide range of activities, making use of the local area, such as the New Forest and local beaches.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say they feel listened to. The children do not always get what they want, but staff explain to them why. The recent addition to the home of Trixie, the kitten, has been exciting for the children, who had been requesting a pet for some time. Children are learning how to care for Trixie. They say that having Trixie in the home is helping them to think about how they respond when excited or upset, to make sure they do not scare her.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are aspirational for their futures and staff support them in learning skills for independence, such as seeking employment and accommodation and how to spend time alone. The creative use of mobile phone apps for budgeting, among other skills, helps children to engage in and enjoy learning new skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from individual time with staff, exploring a variety of topics. Some of these sessions are planned and others are reactive to how the child is feeling or responding at that time. Key areas covered include culture, identity and sexuality, and this helps children to understand who they are, as well as their family’s heritage and what this means to the child. However, one child’s plan states conflicting information about their family history, which hampers the child’s understanding of their cultural heritage and personal identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Healthy lifestyles are promoted. Staff promote a balanced diet and encourage children to take part in emotionally and physically stimulating activities. The strong links with the emotional well-being teams at the school and in the community ensure that children receive any help they need. Medication is stored securely, and sound processes ensure safety when administering medication to children.

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

Staff provide safe care to children and children feel safe in their home. They are confident in their surroundings and say they have staff they can go to if they are Inspection report children’s home: 2585129 4 worried or upset. Staff are aware of each child’s specific vulnerabilities. They know how to respond if they are worried for a child’s safety or welfare, including escalating concerns outside the organisation. Responses to safeguarding concerns are swift and comprehensive, including good joint working with partner agencies.

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

The home’s manager has used a safeguarding workshop for staff to explore how children can and need to take risks linked to their age, abilities and histories as part of a healthy development. Children benefit as a result, as staff help children take risks and learn independence.

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

One child’s risk assessment records that the child has made allegations previously, which were unfounded. Although the risk assessment states that this child will be listened to if they make an allegation, this statement comes much later in the risk assessment. This does not give staff a clear direction to follow regarding the response to any allegations the child may make in the future, to ensure that the child is heard and responded to appropriately.

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

Children are encouraged to express how they are feeling, and most staff recognise that behaviour is communicating an emotion. Staff support children to develop new strategies to manage their emotions and behaviour when they are feeling anxious and overwhelmed. Physical intervention has not been used for several months. Children who have previously gone missing have not done so since living at this home. Plans are clear on how to support children if they are struggling to manage their emotions and behaviour. These plans focus on de-escalation and acknowledging how the child feels at this time.

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

Healthy relationships, including age-appropriate sexual relationships, are openly discussed, including consent, coercion and safe sex. Children are supported with their sexual and gender identity and in understanding other people’s relationships. Children are considered in discussing these areas with staff, who provide a consistent response.

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

Children are protected from avoidable risk through robust pre-employment checks on potential new staff and safer recruitment. There are regular checks of health and safety inside the home, including fire safety equipment.

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good

The home has been without a registered manager since February 2021. The acting manager has been in post since March 2021. She is in the process of applying to be registered with Ofsted.

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good

The statement of purpose has been updated with the new manager’s details but has not been forwarded to Ofsted in line with regulatory requirements. Some of the detail in the document is misworded; however, it is clear on the ethos of how the home should be operating. Inspection report children’s home: 2585129 5 During the inspection, the home’s outdoor space was found to be poorly maintained and was not safe. The grass was over knee-height in most places. Some weeds present were sharp. A trampoline was broken and had a sharp, sheared-off pole, which posed a risk to children. The organisation took immediate action, and these matters were resolved during the inspection. However, the garden area had been in this state for some time. Overall, these shortfalls impacted negatively on children as they could not access the outdoor space, restricting them to stay inside their home.

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good

The language used in records and plans to describe children is, at times, not child focussed and not helpful to children’s development or understanding. There are gaps in some staff’s skills and knowledge. While it is recognised that in-depth training has not been readily available during the COVID-19 pandemic, staff have not been provided with key knowledge about children’s specific diagnoses. In addition, a member of staff who provides supervision to others has not had formal training in this area.

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good

Staff say they feel well supported by the home’s manager and that they can go to her with any concerns or ideas. The recently appointed deputy manager strengthens the leadership team. Supervision of staff is regular and challenging. It provides a space for staff to reflect and to develop their skills and practice. The staff team is adapting to the new style and approach under the new manager. Staff are yet to present as a confident and cohesive team, which was noticed particularly when the manager was away from the home. In her presence, staff show greater confidence, including in planning shifts and activities for children.

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good

The manager is aspirational and child-centred in her approach to developing the home. However, shortfalls exist in relation to the management oversight of the standard of practice in the home. Specifically, these shortfalls relate to the maintenance and safety of the garden area, and the quality and clarity of children’s records, plans and risk assessments. Inspection report children’s home: 2585129 6

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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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

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)) 9 July 2021

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 9 July 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)) 9 July 2021

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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) Inspection report children’s home: 2585129 7 Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: 2585129 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Priory Education Services Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Jennie Christopher, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2585129 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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