Children's Home run by Pure Grace Homes Limited in Bexley

Inspection report for children’s home: 2612013 1 Registered provider: Pure Grace Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This private children’s home provides care for up to four children aged eight to 17 years with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post has been vacant since June 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were living at the home.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2612013 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have good relationships with staff. Staff know the children well and ensure that the children’s overall health and well-being are promoted effectively. Key-work sessions focus on supporting children to achieve their identified goals and explore new opportunities and interests for the children to experience.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children do well at school. One child has achieved 100% attendance and is top of their sets. Another child, who did not attend school regularly before moving to the home, is now preparing for their mock GCSEs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Positive behaviour is promoted effectively with the use of rewards and incentives. However, behaviour support plans do not provide information about the triggers that cause children distress, which sometimes lead to unwanted behaviour. As a result, staff are not fully equipped to swiftly intervene when children are showing signs of distress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have opportunities to engage in a range of social and leisure activities. They go bowling and shopping and enjoy visits to the cinema with staff, family and friends. Staff invest time in children to learn about their interests. One child has an interest in history and staff have been encouraging them to visit a museum.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has a talent for art and examples of their artwork are on display throughout the home. The child told staff that seeing their artwork on the walls made them feel ‘part of the home’. A child’s independent reviewing officer said, ‘The home has made significant progress with this child and I would not want another move for them.’

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

Children develop trusting relationships with staff. Children communicate their concerns and worries and managers and staff listen. When children raise concerns about issues outside the home, staff act to minimise harm to the child. For example, a child told staff that they did not feel safe travelling to school on public transport, so staff travelled with them to school.

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

Staff follow the correct procedures for reporting children when they go missing from home. However, leaders and managers do not consistently evaluate missing-from- home incident records to ensure that they have strong oversight of these incidents and the staff’s response.

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

Managers and staff work hard to protect children from risk, for example, children’s online activity is monitored appropriately. Time restrictions during school days and parental controls are in place. On one occasion, leaders and managers failed to Inspection report for children’s home: 2612013 3 assess a known risk that was identified on a child’s referral information. This weakened the child’s risk assessment.

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

Children are helped to understand the risks to their personal health and safety. Key- work sessions with children address subjects such as sexual health, vaping and smoking, and online gaming. As a result of these discussions, children are making healthier and safer choices.

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good

The responsible individual and manager currently share the day-to-day management of the home. The manager’s application to register with Ofsted is progressing. The absence of a permanent and experienced registered manager has negatively impacted on the leadership and management of the home.

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good

Leaders and managers’ monitoring and evaluation of the care provided to children requires improvement. There is a lack of management oversight of incidents and records. As a result, leaders and managers are not identifying shortfalls in staff practice or learning from incidents and continuously improving practice.

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good

Many of the children’s records are not dated or signed by the author as required. Additionally, updated care plans and review meeting records are missing from children’s files.

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good

The children’s guide contains some stigmatising language. Leaders and managers acknowledge this and they are going to review and update this guide.

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good

Leaders and managers support children who want to keep a small pet at the home. Currently, the home has a hamster and two fish tanks. This is helping children to settle in the home.

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good

Leaders and managers are working hard to establish a stable and skilled staff team. Staff feel supported by managers and report that they enjoy working at the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2612013 4

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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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children. (Regulation 11 (1)(b) (2)(a)(ii)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that staff are working to specific behaviour support plans for children. These plans should accurately identify the triggers to children’s behaviour and strategies for managing behaviour. 21 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—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)) 21 November Inspection report for children’s home: 2612013 5 In particular, staff should read and understand the risks for children as recorded in their referral information and care plans and use this information to inform the home’s plans and risk assessments.

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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

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; 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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, managers should ensure that they have effective systems in place to monitor the day-to-day care of children and provide clear management oversight of the care provided to children. 21 November

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if— 30 November Inspection report for children’s home: 2612013 6 there is no registered manager in respect of the home. (Regulation 27 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to ensuring that current local authority plans for children are available on children’s files. In addition, managers should ensure that case records for children are signed and dated by the author. 21 November

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home’s children’s guide is reviewed regularly, is in an accessible format and is explained to each child to make sure they understand it. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.21)  The registered person should ensure that clear records are kept of incidents of children going missing from home and that evaluation takes place to inform practice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.31)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children 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: 2612013 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pure Grace Homes Limited

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Inspectors

Colin Bent, Social Care Inspector Zara Salim, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2612013 8 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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