Children's home run by PJL Healthcare Limited in Wealden

Inspection report children’s home: SC068559 1 SC068559 Registered provider: PJL Healthcare Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and is registered to provide care for up to 16 children with learning disabilities. It provides long-term and short-break care.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since July 2020.

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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 10 February 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about this children’s home

The short-breaks provision is currently closed to manage the risk of COVID-19.

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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: 19 November 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC068559 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/11/2019 Full Outstanding 04/12/2018 Full Outstanding 30/01/2018 Full Good 06/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC068559 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress. They join in activities with other children from a starting point of avoidance. They develop their independence skills, such as being able to cut up their dinner. They develop their physical abilities, such as being able to use their weaker hand or walk unaided.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children, including those with severe communication difficulties, have a voice. Staff observe behaviour and listen to what the children are communicating. Staff ensure that children have access to an advocate who is skilled in using communication tools. This resulted in a child being able to move to a different house on the same site. In one case, the local authority’s record of a child’s statutory review did not include the views of a child with severe communication difficulties.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children in their education. They consider the whole education experience from the perspective of the child, including the travel to and from school. The registered manager challenges others when the standards fall below his expectations. This has meant a much more comfortable journey to school for one child, so they are ready to learn. The registered manager advocates for children without a school place.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The events coordinator does a splendid job arranging meaningful and structured activities for children. Children enjoy a range of activities on site, such as ‘pin the tail on the Easter Bunny’, swimming and cycling. Children also access the wider community, such as going to theme parks, an activity once thought unlikely to achieve. A professional said: ‘ I love that they seek a wide range of experiences and activities and therapeutic support for the children. They are keen to create the best environments for them, enriching these where appropriate, especially from a sensorial perspective.’ A placing social worker said: ‘ The children are given opportunities to go out and access community activities which are unparalleled among the other homes with which I work.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children can see and communicate with those who are important to them, such as their family and friends. Staff support any arrangements in place, as agreed with the placing social worker, to make the experience positive for all. A parent said: ‘My child loves being in the home. He is settled and I speak to him every day.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff treat children with a dignified and sensitive approach, for example when supporting the children’s personal care or helping them to dress. This means that children feel clean and comfortable. The registered manager successfully challenged an external activity centre whose staff did not treat a child with the same level of care. This resulted in the child doing their chosen activity while being treated with dignity and respect. Inspection report children’s home: SC068559 4 Children are in good health. They develop confidence to attend routine health appointments and let health professionals assess their needs. Staff have arrangements in place for medication such as a good parent would make, but with additional safeguards. In some cases, these additional measures are not applied in practice. The opportunities to minimise the risk of a medication error are therefore not always fully taken.

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

Safeguarding practice is good. Safeguarding leads act on any issues or concerns in conjunction with external safeguarding agencies. They keep detailed records of the actions taken, and ensure that issues are concluded with staff and children alike. This practice reduces the risk of harm. Children trust the adults around them to keep them safe.

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

Staff demonstrate a thorough knowledge of their safeguarding responsibilities. They are diligent in their approach, confident to challenge the practice of their peers, if necessary. For example, one staff member appropriately questioned the accuracy of an incident report and followed due process to ensure that children were kept safe.

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

The staff’s approach to behaviour management is good. Staff who are trained in the home’s chosen behaviour management programme apply it in practice. They keep good records that clearly evidence the de-escalation that has been attempted before any physical intervention. Senior leaders ensure that there is a debrief to assess incidents and prevent recurrence.

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

Staff are not risk-averse and are determined that children have the same opportunities as their peers. For example, children can access the internet and play online games while staff use appropriate safeguards.

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

The registered manager is meticulous in managing child protection issues. He understands the necessity of sharing important information with other professionals and seeking advice. He demonstrates a good approach in holding staff to account and helping staff rebuild relationships with children if necessary.

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

Senior leaders have commissioned independent professionals to advise on fire safety and legionella management. Although leaders have some plans in place, they have not ensured that the professional advice has been carried out within the recommended time frame. Internal professionals have advised on some other aspects of health and safety. Senior leaders have not acted on their recommendations. Consequently, some avoidable hazards remain.

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

The registered manager agreed a protocol with other external safeguarding professionals for a child who has a history of making allegations about staff. However, he has not formally documented this agreement. This omission presents a risk that others may not understand their role in following the strategy in the absence of the registered manager. Inspection report children’s home: SC068559 5 The registered manager understands safer recruitment practice, but in one case, he has not fully checked the reasons for a staff member leaving employment that involved working with children. This weakens the process of protecting children from potentially unsafe adults.

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good

More than half of the staff team holds the required care qualification. For the remaining staff, senior leaders provided conflicting information about how many of these staff are completing this. They do not keep track of the progress that staff are making towards completing their course. Not all staff have up-to-date training in the specific needs of each child, with no clear plans for refresher courses. The registered manager lists the experience and qualifications of managers in the statement of purpose. He does not include details of staff. It is unclear when children will be cared for by a staff team with the required qualification and all the necessary up-to- date training.

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good

At the monitoring visit in February 2021, Ofsted recommended that records of restraint are reviewed to identify effective practice and to respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. Action has been taken in response to this recommendation, currently for two children identified as the most in need of closer monitoring, and work has commenced with a behaviour therapist. This new process is not yet established and embedded for all of the children. In addition, body maps for one child who regularly self-harms confuse new injuries with old marks. Despite the considerable efforts of leaders to consult with other agencies and to gain additional support for the child, the absence of an effective method to monitor the child’s self-injurious behaviour limits the possibility to review trends and make improvements.

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good

Staff refer to individual placement plans to guide them on how to look after each child. In some cases, it is unclear how external assessments have informed the plans and if staff are following any updates. In one case, the registered manager has not followed the recommended strategies. He has not discussed this with the assessor or held the review meeting as agreed. He has not made some significant documents readily available to staff. In this example, the child’s care is not effectively planned.

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good

The independent visitor provides high-quality reports, identifying the pertinent issues and providing professional challenge. The registered manager welcomes this monitoring to drive forward continuous improvement. Equally, the registered manager submits the required six-monthly monitoring reports to Ofsted, ensuring that he identifies the action points for the forthcoming period. This is a senior leadership team that welcomes constructive criticism as it seeks to build further on its strengths and to address any weaknesses.

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good

The registered manager has a comprehensive referral and assessment process to gain all the relevant information prior to each child coming to live in the home. He Inspection report children’s home: SC068559 6 ensures that staff have time to read each plan. He puts the child at the centre of practice, producing social stories to help children understand that they are coming to live in the home. Children already living there exchange letters and learn about common interests prior to children moving in. The approach is successful. Children benefit from a smooth move into the home. One parent said that her child is in the right place with the right support. She commented that she could not fault the staff as her child has made such good progress in the short time living in the home.

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good

Senior leaders were determined to minimise disruption during the pandemic. Staff recognised the confusion and additional stress on children whose routines had been disrupted. They demonstrate an emotional intelligence to minimise the impact on children, keeping as much structure for them as possible in the difficult circumstances caused by COVID-19.

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good

The home is characterised by supportive managers who have a clear strategy to achieve the best for the children in their care. A staff member said that senior leaders provide opportunities for the children to excel and develop. Overall, staff work together to deliver good care, so that children make good progress. Inspection report children’s home: SC068559 7

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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 promotes their welfare.

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; and

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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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(h)) 30 November

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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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; and

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Requirement Due date

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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v)(d)) 30 November

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. 30 November Inspection report children’s home: SC068559 8 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed.

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicines kept in the home are stored in a secure place so as to prevent any child from having unsupervised access to them; and

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child.

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Recommendations

 The responsible person should develop and keep under review a ‘statement of purpose’ (regulation 16 and schedule 1). In particular, include the details of the experience and qualifications of staff. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, paragraph 3.5, page 14)  The responsible person should ensure that staff adopt the principle of listening to the child and taking their views, wishes and feelings into account when planning and undertaking their care, including disabled children, special educational needs or other complex needs. This applies especially to the voice of all children at their statutory reviews. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, paragraph 4.5, page 21)  The registered person should (as set out in regulations 31–33), adopt and maintain good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and

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Recommendations

minimises potential risks to them. In particular, if a person has previously worked in a position involving work with children or vulnerable adults, verify so far as reasonably practicable the reason why the employment or position ended. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, paragraph 13.1, page 61) Inspection report children’s home: SC068559 9

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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) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: SC068559 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: PJL Healthcare Limited

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Inspectors

Keith Riley, Social Care Inspector Sara Stoker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC068559 11 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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