Children's Home run by PCT Care Services Limited in Norfolk

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC471856 1 SC471856

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Registered provider: PCT Care Services Limited

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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 six children aged between eight and 18 who may have experienced trauma or neglect.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC471856 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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The care of children

This inspection was undertaken to address concerns received by Ofsted. There are two children living at the home. One child is in the process of moving to a different home to be closer to his family.

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The care of children

The staff have planned the child’s move from the home well. He has visited his new home and can have an overnight stay in preparation. This will help him to build positive relationships with staff and other children before he moves there.

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The care of children

The staff have a good understanding of the children’s needs. One child has significant difficulties settling at night and this affects his morning routine. The staff have supported the child to attend a health appointment to resolve this issue. As a result, the child’s routines are improving.

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The care of children

The staff focus on meeting the children’s physical and emotional well-being needs. The staff advocate for children to access therapeutic support from external services. When children decline to attend mental health appointments, staff continue to support children to attend future appointments.

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The care of children

The house requires maintenance. Damage to the living room ceiling and curtain poles has not been repaired promptly. The bathrooms are not decorated to a good standard. This does not provide the children with a home that they can be proud of.

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The care of children

Individual plans for children are used consistently by staff. However, during one incident, strategies to help one child were used inconsistently, and led to a child experiencing confusion and frustration. This resulted in the child presenting with unwanted behaviours.

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The safety of children

Risk assessments and behaviour management plans are detailed. When children use verbally abusive language, staff use suitable strategies to help children understand how this language can be harmful.

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The safety of children

The staff rarely use physical interventions, as these not always effective in helping children to make positive choices and can damage the relationships between children and staff. The staff use suitable de-escalation strategies to help children to make positive choices. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC471856 3 Staff listen to children’s complaints, which then are addressed by the manager. The manager is empathetic in his response to children’s complaints. This helps children to feel listened to and valued.

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The safety of children

A recent allegation made by a child against a member of staff was reported to the local authority designated officer and the child’s social worker. However, the manager failed to notify Ofsted of this allegation. This prevents Ofsted from monitoring the home and fully understanding the children’s experiences.

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The safety of children

Staff respond to self-harm incidents well. The staff speak with children to help them understand their feelings and offer different coping strategies to prevent future incidents. The staff offer first aid and, when necessary, take children to the hospital for medical intervention.

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The safety of children

The staff understand the dangers of children accessing the internet and social media sites. The children are regularly spoken to about how to keep safe online. The staff responded to concerning content on a child’s phone by implementing a plan with him and monitoring his phone. However, when phone checks are undertaken, the findings are not recorded on the child’s file.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered manager is visible and available. He is supported by a deputy manager who is currently undertaking a course in trauma-informed practice. Resources and information from this course are shared with the staff team to enhance staff’s understanding of trauma-informed care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The deputy manager has completed his reflective-supervision training. This will ensure that staff supervisions are effective and valuable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The manager has developed monitoring systems to track incidents between the children. As a result, the manager can identify patterns of behaviour and devise plans to support children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Some staff have completed a range of training courses, including working with families effectively, understanding sexually harmful behaviours, professional curiosity and challenge, and an introduction to restorative approaches. These courses will help staff to understand how children’s previous experiences are presented through their behaviours. However, the training is not fully effective as some staff have not undertaken this training. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC471856 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/05/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/12/2021 Full Good 24/10/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/06/2019 Full Good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC471856 5

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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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated. 9 July 2023

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

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; 9 May 2023 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC471856 6 are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same. (Regulation 11 (1)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ix)(x))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation (40) (4)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must notify the local area designated officer of any allegation made by a child against a person working in the home. 10 March 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the behaviour management strategy is understood and applied at all times by staff, and must be kept under review and revised where appropriate. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home’s Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.34)  The registered person should ensure that staff record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. In particular, ensure that records of the children’s mobile

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Recommendations

phones are monitored and recorded on the child’s file. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC471856 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: PCT Care Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Old Hall Farm, Silfield Road, Silfield, Wymondham Norfolk NR18 9NH

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Inspector

Laraine Edmondson, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC471856 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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