Children's Home run by Pilgrims Corner Limited in Kent

Inspection report for children's home: SC473877 1 SC473877 Registered provider: Pilgrims Corner Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for two children. It is one of four homes operated by a privately owned organisation. The home shares a manager with a similar sized home which is situated nearby. The company also owns a separately registered school, which children living in the homes may attend.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post has been vacant since November 2019.

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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 carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 13 and 14 October 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on our 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 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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC473877 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/11/2019 Full Good 24/07/2019 Full Inadequate 23/10/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/11/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC473877 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for by staff who know them well and who are successful in meeting their needs. Staff provide individualised care to children. They receive training in areas that are specific to the needs of children, such as epilepsy awareness and sign language, and as a result, children make good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have good relationships with parents and the professional networks involved with the children. This means that the needs of the children are at the centre of care planning and that children can access the help that they need. A professional and a parent were complimentary about the staff and expressed confidence in the care that is provided. They reported that they are promptly informed and updated by staff about any issues relating to the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work effectively to ensure that children’s health needs are met. Healthy meals are encouraged, and children are involved in cooking meals of their choice. House meetings provide an opportunity for children to choose and plan activities that are fun and that keep them fit and healthy, such as swimming, ice-skating and tobogganing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote the importance of education. They identified a school for a child who had been out of education for many months and supported them to re-engage with education. Staff supported another child with educational activities that promoted the child’s learning and development while they were waiting for a school placement. Staff’s commitment to education helps the children to recognise the value and importance of learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is an open culture where children feel safe to share their views and to raise concerns. Staff understand the views of the children, which are gathered in several ways. Regular house meetings and one-to-one sessions provide opportunities for children to give their views and make suggestions about plans for the home. Children know how to make a complaint and understand that it is important for them to express their concerns.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understands the importance of maintaining family relationships for children. They go to great lengths to ensure that children spend time with their families and those who are important to them. This emphasis on keeping family ties is especially important for children who live far from their home area.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have been effective in managing children’s moves into and from the home. Moves into the home are well planned and children are well matched to ensure that their needs are compatible. Staff are committed to children moving in a planned way. These moves are managed sensitively and, where possible, children are involved at every stage. Inspection report for children's home: SC473877 4

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

Staff demonstrate good safeguarding practice and, as a result, children receive the best possible care in a safe way. Clear safeguarding procedures are in place, and staff know them well. Staff understand areas of risk in relation to the children and have clear safety plans in place to promote children’s safety and well-being. Individual written risk assessments are clear, relevant and updated when necessary.

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

Clear strategies are in place to support children in the event that they go missing from the home. The procedure assists staff to ensure children’s safe return by employing a range of effective strategies to safeguard them. There are good relationships with local agencies, including the police. They work together to educate children who go missing from home about the dangers of their actions.

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

Strong positive behaviour strategies mean that staff know how to work with the children in the home. Staff receive specialised training to work with a range of behaviours. Boundaries are consistent, and this helps children to understand what is expected of them. This contributes to a feeling of well-being and security for the children.

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

Staff know what to do when there are safeguarding concerns and how to report them. All statutory procedures are followed, and this includes keeping the regulator informed of safeguarding incidents and their progress. Staff receive training in a range of safeguarding issues and this training is kept up to date. This ensures that children are cared for by staff who are knowledgeable and confident in providing safe care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has high expectations for the children that they care for, and staff have the same expectations. The staff team is committed to supporting the children to make progress in all areas of their lives. For example, the manager and staff work closely together to press for school places for all the children in the home. When one child had no school place, they offered alternatives to keep him occupied and linked into the local community.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers ensure that processes are in place to check the progress of children. Staff follow the systems closely, which means that leaders and managers know what progress each child is making. Detailed sharing of information at shift changes, monitoring of the regular one-to-one sessions and liaison with a range of professionals help the managers to understand the difference that they are making to children’s experiences and progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers provide good support to staff. They provide an environment that is relaxed and where staff development is important. Staff feedback is positive, and they place value on the support and supervision that they receive from managers. Staff can access diverse training opportunities that meet their development needs. A detailed induction plan is in place that includes shadowing, Inspection report for children's home: SC473877 5 familiarising with policies and mandatory training. This helps new staff settle into their role and develop the skills and knowledge that they need to provide good care to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are inclusive in the way that they lead and manage the home. They promote service development through the regular team meetings where staff contribute their ideas to improve care practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have good relationships with external professionals. They are in regular contact with each other. As a result, external professionals are kept informed of the progress that children are making and what changes need to be made. Good planning means that all professionals know what should be happening for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers actively promote equality and diversity. Staff receive training to maintain a continued awareness of differences and the impact of discrimination. Leaders and managers have created an environment where children can be themselves. Consequently, children feel safe to speak openly about their lives and their identities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managerial monitoring is effective. However, the regular reviews of the quality of care do not consider the opinions of children, their parents or placing authorities. This is a missed opportunity to involve them in the continued planning and development of the home. Inspection report for children's home: SC473877 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 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.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report").

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5)) 30 April 2022 Inspection report for children's home: SC473877 7 This particularly refers to referencing the views and opinions of children, parents, placing authorities and staff and showing clearly how their views contribute to making improvements in the quality of care.

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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’.

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Information about this inspection

No children were living at the home at the time of this inspection. However, two children had left very recently, and information was gathered about their experiences. Inspection report for children's home: SC473877 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pilgrims Corner Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 185 Sea Street, Herne Bay, Kent CT6 8JY

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Inspector

Vevene Muhammad, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC473877 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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