Children's home run by Penn Inspires Ltd

Inspection report for children's home: 2569705 1 Registered provider: Penn Inspires 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 three children with social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in place since October 2021 and is suitably qualified.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2569705 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/06/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2569705 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children currently live at the home. Children make progress in most aspects of their lives. Staff actively support children’s education and encourage their learning. Children’s attendance at school is good and they are making progress. Managers and staff communicate well with education providers to ensure that children receive the support they require when they struggle at school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health and emotional well-being are well supported. Staff promote healthy eating and activities to keep children occupied. The staff team ensures that children have positive things to look forward to, and this prevents children from becoming bored and frustrated.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive relationships with staff. Children enjoy spending time with the staff, and they feel valued and cared for. One child told the inspector that he prefers living here to his previous foster placement. Another child described the home as amazing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy living in a well-maintained, comfortable and homely environment. Children’s rooms are personalised, clean and tidy. Staff work hard to create an atmosphere that is full of warmth, respect and laughter.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager has put in place detailed placement plans that provide staff with essential information. Staff use these documents to review children’s progress. However, staff are not supporting children to read and contribute to these plans. This shortfall can prevent children from meaningfully engaging in their own care.

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

Children are safe and feel safe in the home. Children generally get along with one another, and there is no bullying in the home.

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

Staff are knowledgeable about the children and understand their needs. Risk assessments are in place and up to date, and they provide staff with effective strategies to keep children safe. Children are invested in their placements and, as a result, they do not go missing from the home.

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

Staff are good at giving children verbal praise and rewards for acts of kindness and for positive behaviour. Consequently, the home has a calm atmosphere and physical interventions are rarely used.

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

Staff have used physical intervention on one occasion to safeguard a child. There was no oversight of this incident by the registered manager. This shortfall had no impact on the child as the intervention was appropriate and proportionate. Inspection report for children's home: 2569705 4 Staff set up clear routines and boundaries. This means that children understand what is expected of them. When children display challenging behaviours, the staff respond with understanding and, as a result, there are very few incidents.

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

Staff use sanctions to help children to try and understand their negative behaviour. However, the manager does not undertake a timely review of the effectiveness of the sanctions. In some instances, sanctions put in place do not deter repeated behaviours and occasionally staff put in place sanctions that are not related to the behaviour.

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

The selection of new staff coming into the home is carefully considered. However, managers have not verbally verified the reason why two members of staff left a previous post working with vulnerable adults. This has not compromised the safety of children as all other checks have been completed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is highly respected by the staff team. He understands each child’s presenting needs and how to achieve the best outcomes. The registered manager has good oversight and monitoring of most aspects of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and staff team have developed strong relationships with all relevant professionals, including social workers and school staff. As a result, there is good communication between them, which promotes children’s welfare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported by the registered manager. Regular supervision and team meetings ensure that staff remain skilled and supported in their roles. These meetings consider the children’s needs as well as the needs of the staff. During the inspection, staff at the home said they feel supported by the managers. This demonstrates positive relationships between managers and staff, which supports their development and understanding of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has developed comprehensive plans for children, which focus on their needs. They speak of children in a warm and positive manner and are driven to support children to achieve positive outcomes. This caring and motivated approach is also present in the staff team. As a result, the culture of the home places children at the centre of what they do.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a comprehensive range of training opportunities, including essential courses such as safeguarding and first aid. In addition, staff are trained in specialist areas such as self-harm and attachment. However, the registered manager’s record of staff training is not updated. This impedes his oversight of staff training needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has not ensured that there is an accurate roster in place that records the planned and actual hours worked by all staff. As a result, these Inspection report for children's home: 2569705 5 documents cannot be relied on to identify when staff have been at work. Despite this oversight, children have been cared for by a consistent and dedicated staff team. The registered manager has undertaken a review of the homes’ location risk assessment. The assessment does not make clear how consultation with relevant individuals has informed this review. Inspection report for children's home: 2569705 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

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, 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)(a)(vii) (b)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered provider ensuring that sanctions are restorative in nature and the effectiveness of any sanction is reviewed within the required time frames.

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Requirement Due date

Furthermore, ensure that there is management oversight of the use of any physical interventions. 31 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). 31 August 2022 Inspection report for children's home: 2569705 7 The requirements are that—

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that verification of reasons for leaving all previous employment where a staff member has worked with children or vulnerable adults previously is sought as part of recruitment checks.

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that the staff rota shows planned and actual hours worked by all staff. 31 August 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered provider should ensure that staff encourage children to view and contribute to their records in a way that reflects their voice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 58 paragraph 11.19)  The registered provider should ensure that, as part of the review of the premises, they should consult with any relevant professionals to inform the review. (‘Guide Inspection report for children's home: 2569705 8 to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63 paragraph 15.1)  The registered provider should ensure that there is a full and accurate record of all staff training. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52 paragraph 10.8)

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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: 2569705 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Penn Inspires Limited

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Inspector

Debbie Holder, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2569705 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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