Children's Home run by Positive Steps Specialist Care Services Limited in Peterborough

Inspection report for children’s home: 2632330 1 Registered provider: Positive Steps Specialist Care Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to four children with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and/or sensory impairments.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was acquired by a new organisation and re-registered in April 2021. The existing registered manager re-registered with Ofsted at that time. There were no changes to the day-to-day operation of the home. The children who were living at the home before the change of owner continued to live there when it re-registered.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2632330 2

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2632330 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children were living at the home at the time of the inspection. The children have lived at the home for a long time. The manager and staff know the children well and identify the children’s strengths. As a result, children’s achievements are recognised and celebrated.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress from their starting points. Professionals and family members are pleased with the care that staff are providing. They said that communication is good and that staff are warm and welcoming. Children live at the home long term, which gives them a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make considerable development with their independence skills. Staff help children to develop these skills with techniques such as role modelling and verbal prompts. The children are encouraged to help staff to clear away after meals, tidy their bedrooms and put their laundry in the washing machine. One child has grown and harvested a small crop of potatoes in the garden this year. Each child has worked towards their individualised goals, developing a sense of achievement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy regular attendance at school. Two children have almost 100% school attendance this year. Communication between the home and children’s school is good. The staff accessed home-based learning schemes when the children have been unable to go to school. One child benefited from home tutoring for three months while a more suitable education setting was found. A new placement was found and staff supported the child at the new school for three weeks to help them settle in. As a result, the child’s transition has been successful and they are making progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff seek children’s views and respond to these. Staff ensure that children access the activities that they enjoy. Staff were intending to take children to pantomimes and there were plans in place for an enjoyable Christmas. Children enjoy football, music, outside activities and arts and crafts. One child supports a local football team. Staff have taken the child to matches and have booked the child on a football course during the school holidays. Staff celebrate large and small achievements with children and talk about the children with pride. This helps to improve children’s self- esteem and confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is generally well maintained. However, is damage in two of the children’s bedrooms. There are some restrictive practices at the home. These include locking toilet doors to restrict children’s access at times. One child had a lock on his bedroom door that could be locked from the outside. Due to the design of the lock, the child had to use a coin from the inside to unlock it. The lock was removed during the visit. These restrictive measures have not been risk assessed as necessary or proportionate for each child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2632330 4

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

The manager and staff advocate for children. One child’s prescribed medication had no noticeable benefit for the child. The manager and staff kept detailed records on the side effects and presented them to health professionals. As a result, the child was not prescribed potentially unnecessary controlled medication.

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

Risk assessments are detailed and contain presenting risks. These assessments are regularly reviewed and updated following any changes. Changes are discussed during staff meetings. This helps staff to feel confident and to be consistent in their responses to the children.

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

Staff attend safeguarding training and are familiar with the home’s whistle-blowing policy. The staff’s understanding of safeguarding is regularly discussed in team meetings and in supervision. There have been no incidents of children going missing from the home and no physical interventions. There has been a marked reduction in the number of incidents. Staff use sanctions to address unacceptable behaviour. However, for one child there has not been sufficient objective oversight of all sanctions to ensure the appropriateness and establish their effectiveness.

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

The garden is well maintained by a gardener. There is play equipment, a seating area and small vegetable plot. Children enjoy spending time in the garden. One child is interested in nature and insects, especially spiders. However, there was a hazard for children due to the considerable number of discarded cigarettes by the back entrance of the home, which is not the designated smoking area. This is a breach of the home’s smoking policy and a poor example for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good working relationships with other professionals. Concerns for children are successfully escalated when a multi-agency response is needed. One child has benefited from a change in education setting because of the manager’s advocacy. The child is now making progress at school.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager recognised shortfalls in independent monitoring visits. She raised her concerns with her line manager about the lack of views from parents and other professionals. As a result, the independent person’s reports have since improved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has established a stable and committed staff team. The staff enjoy working at the home. Children benefit from care from consistent and familiar staff each day. This helps children to feel safe and secure.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Safe recruitment processes are comprehensively carried out to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. The staff receive a thorough induction, which includes a range of training and shadow shifts with experienced staff. Good induction, support and training help staff to meet children’s needs and provide continuity of care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2632330 5 Staff said that they feel well supported by the manager. The staff said that they receive regular supervision and appraisals. However, it is not standard practice for the staff to receive a copy of their supervision notes. For one member of staff, appraisal and supervision records were not available. Therefore, the manager could not show that supervisions are being delivered in line with regulations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is aware of staff’s strengths and the areas in which they need support to develop. Staff attend training that enables them to meet children’s individual needs. However, not all staff have achieved a relevant level 3 diploma within two years of starting a care role. Inspection report for children’s home: 2632330 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 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—

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Requirement Due date

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))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that staff adhere to the home’s smoking policy and smoke only in the designated areas. 10 January 2022

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, risk assess the use of door locks and restrictive measures to establish whether they are necessary and proportionate for each child. 26 January 2022

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate 26 January 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2632330 7 qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly relates to ensuring staff have an appropriate qualification within two years of working in a care role.

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly relates to the objective oversight of all sanctions to ensure their appropriateness and establish their effectiveness. 10 January 2022

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Recommendation

 The registered person should maintain a record of supervision for staff, including the manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation 33 (4)(b). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3) Inspection report for children’s home: 2632330 8

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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 for children’s home: 2632330 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Positive Steps Specialist Care Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 Trust Court, Vision Park, Chivers Way, Histon, Cambridgeshire CB24 9PW

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Inspectors

Lianne Bradford, Social Care Inspector Rachel Watkinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2632330 10 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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