Children's home run by Pelican Care Group Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2592781 1 Registered provider: Pelican Care Group Ltd 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 run. It provides care for up to two children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and children who may have been diagnosed with a learning difficulty.

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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 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: 1 and 2 June 2021

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A monitoring visit took place on 8 July 2021. This visit was to monitor the action taken by the provider in relation to the two compliance notices that were served following the full inspection on 1 and 2 June 2021. The notices served were in relation to regulation 12, the protection of children standard, and regulation 13, the leadership and management standard. Ofsted was satisfied that steps had been taken to meet the compliance notices. Inspection report children’s home: 2592781 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/06/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: 2592781 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is one child currently living at the home. Since his admission, the child has made immediate progress across a spectrum of measures. The sensitive care that he receives has a positive impact on his progress and is underpinned by the positive relationships that staff have forged.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff take a patient and calm approach in the care they offer. In turn, this has enabled the child to overcome his long-standing anxiety about attending school. The child and adolescent mental health services psychologist described this achievement as ‘amazing and incredible progress’. Staff have worked hard to ensure that the child has positive and engaging educational input. This is tailored to his future ambitions, while ensuring he continues to receive academic tuition.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child enjoys a high number of activities, which staff provide with enthusiasm. These positive experiences enable him to build on his relationships with staff and regulate his emotions. Since his admission, the child has not felt the need to express his feelings in a self-injurious way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff treat the child with respect and warmth. He feels valued, listened to and understood. He is offered consistent boundaries that he responds to positively, and he feels that the rules are ‘fair.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff offer care that is responsive to the child’s identity and family history. They ensure that contact with his family is promoted and relationships are maintained. The child benefits from staff’s flexible approach to meeting his need to see his family. For example, staff assure the child they will be available to take him to see his parents when he asks. As a result, he no longer feels the need to go missing from home in order to see his family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff successfully support the child to manage his emotions in situations he may have previously found difficult to resolve positively. For example, they enabled him to keep an appointment with a professional when the professional was delayed and therefore late.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Professionals and parents consider the care given to the child as ‘exemplary’, ‘responsive’ and ‘exceeding expectations’. The child feels that it is ‘the best home’ he has ever lived in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Documents relating to the child’s plans and goals do not include the child’s views or how children are to be consulted. A requirement is made to address this shortfall. Inspection report children’s home: 2592781 4

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

Staff are clear in their understanding of the risks that certain behaviours or situations may pose to the child’s safety and welfare. In addition, they understand how to support the child and work with him in such a way to avoid potential risks manifesting themselves.

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

Professionals feel that previous risks that may have compromised the child’s physical and emotional safety are significantly reduced. The child says that he feels safe at the home and with the staff who care for him.

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

As a result of the care he receives, the child has not felt the need to harm himself. He has been subject to only one sanction/consequence and there have not been any incidents that have required physical restraint.

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

There have only been two incidents of the child going missing from home. In response to these incidents, staff spent time with the child exploring his reasons for leaving the home. After listening to him, staff responded flexibly to his needs to see his family. As a result, he has not been missing from home since those discussions.

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

The documents that offer staff advice on actions that they should take when incidents of missing from home occur are not clear in their priorities. In addition, records do not always clearly show the time that children have been reported to the police. Two recommendations are made to improve guidance given to staff and ensure recordings are accurate.

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

It is not clear from the home’s fire risk assessment how managers have responded or intend to respond to the recommendations contained in this assessment. A recommendation has been made to this effect.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has been registered to manage the home since June 2020. She leads an enthusiastic and committed staff team. The manager knows the child well and has established good working relationships with his placing local authority and his parents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff work as a team and share responsibility in their care of the child. The team approach ensures that the child receives consistent responses and that boundaries are clear. This contributes significantly towards his feelings of safety and well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, all but one of the requirements made have been met. The unmet requirement relates to the quality-of-care review by the manager. Timescales set by regulations for the completion of this review have not yet expired. This requirement is therefore reinstated and will be reviewed at a subsequent inspection. All recommendations made at the last inspection have been met. Inspection report children’s home: 2592781 5 The manager demonstrates commitment to improving case recordings by staff. Further improvements are planned by the manager following a recently introduced quality assurance process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Areas that require improvement are the clarity of written records, identifying actions to be taken by staff if anticipated progress for a child is not made or falters; children’s plans being cross referenced to stand alone documents; and child contact plans being clearer in their format in detailing how contact will be organised, by whom and at what level.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision that is clearly recorded and considers the needs of the child. They demonstrate a good level of motivation and their morale is high. The home is well-maintained and welcoming and offers a positive and warm ambience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have access to a range of training that supports their roles. They have also carried out additional training to ensure that the needs of the child in placement are met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s statement of purpose requires updating and submitting to Ofsted. A requirement is made in respect of this. Inspection report children’s home: 2592781 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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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.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)) 31 December 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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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 (1) (3)(a)(b)) 15 November 2021

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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

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. (Regulation 7 (1)(c)) 15 November 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2592781 7 This specifically relates to children’s views about their plans and goals being ascertained and recorded in the home’s plans.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that plans detail what actions or consideration will be made when children do not respond to the strategies and approaches used by staff to support the child to make progress. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that plans are cross referenced to stand alone documents, particularly in relation to placement plans and risk assessments pertaining to self-injurious behaviour. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that contact plans are clear with regards to how contact is to be organised, by whom and the frequency, referring appropriately to local authority plans for contact. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff records are clear with regards to the time children are reported to the police as being missing from home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that protocols offering staff direction on when to report a child missing from home are clear. In particular that protocols prioritise the procedures staff must follow. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that a record is made in response to fire assessment recommendations. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2592781 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pelican Care Group Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: V12 Suite, Merlin Park, Ringtail Road, Burscough, Lancashire L40 8JY

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Inspectors

Pauline Yates, Social Care Inspector Michelle Bacon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2592781 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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