Children's home run by Progressive Care Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2663883 1 Registered provider: Progressive Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private provider. It registered with Ofsted in July 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

The home currently has two experienced registered managers. One manager is full time, and the other manager works on a part-time basis. The full-time manager registered with Ofsted in December 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children.

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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: 6 December 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2663883 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/12/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2663883 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are provided with care from a stable and nurturing staff team. Staff work hard to build positive and trusting relationships with children. They understand that this is a key factor in children feeling valued and safe, and helps to promote their progress. One child said that ‘the home is a nice place to live’ and that the staff are ‘nice and friendly’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand children’s individual needs, behaviours and styles of communication. This enables them to quickly identify when children may be struggling with their emotional well-being and put in place appropriate support for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff are proactive in supporting children to maintain relationships with their family members in a safe and positive way. Close liaison with family members and local authority social workers has led to children being able to spend time with their families, in line with their wishes and feelings. In the case of one child, this enabled them to safely return to the care of their parent. This means that children can continue to develop relationships with those adults who are important to them. It also provides children with the opportunity to have a support network outside of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children struggle to attend full-time education, staff support educational activity during the day. They maintain close working relationships with education providers and the local authority, and advocate for a return to full-time education as soon as possible. One professional said that the staff are ‘doing everything they can’ to encourage the child back into education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to be healthy. Staff understand and address any health needs that children have. They are supported by staff to access local health services when they need them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff align their direct work with children to focus on relevant areas for each child. This helps children to improve their understanding of topics such as alcohol and substance misuse, online safety, missing from care, and healthy relationships. It allows children to be more informed of the potential impact on their life and how these issues can affect their well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are treated with dignity and respect. Staff provide them with care that is sensitive to their identity and family history. Children’s achievements are celebrated by the staff and managers. This quality of care will help children to build a positive view of themselves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s progress is monitored through their individual storyboards. These map the child’s progress towards their expressed goals and ambitions. This allows children to Inspection report for children’s home: 2663883 4 celebrate their success and work towards new goals. The storyboards also contribute to the child’s life story.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is modern, comfortable and welcoming. The manager and staff take immense pride in the home. Children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms, and have input into decisions relating to the décor of the interior of the home and the garden. This will promote a sense of belonging for children. However, one child commented that the lounge could be more child friendly.

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

Children can identify a trusted adult who they can talk to if they have any worries or concerns. One child said that they can talk to staff when they do not feel safe.

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

There is a strong safeguarding culture within the home. Risks associated with children are understood by staff and they know what to do when they have concerns about a child’s safety and welfare. Managers have good oversight of safeguarding incidents. Staff and children are given the opportunity to have a debrief. This promotes learning and helps to reduce the risk of harm.

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

Staff have a good working knowledge of the missing-from-care protocol, and this enables them to take quick and decisive action when children go missing from the home. Staff are proactive in looking for the child and they work closely with the child’s support network and the police to locate them to make sure that they return home safely. One professional described the home as ‘one of the best’ in the area due to the quality of care provided and the steps that the staff take to keep children safe.

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

Staff consistently promote positive behaviour within the home. They understand each child’s individual needs and triggers, and respond with appropriate boundaries about what is safe and appropriate. Conflict management is effective and restorative. This means that relationships are strengthened and children’s sense of personal responsibility is increased. It has also significantly reduced the need for physical intervention.

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

When children make allegations in respect of staff, prompt action is taken to safeguard the children in the home. Staff appropriately escalate concerns to managers, who then liaise quickly and effectively with local authority social workers and the local authority designated officer. Children are given feedback on the outcome of any allegations made. This will promote children’s sense of safety and feeling listened to.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership team is cohesive and ambitious for children. The home development plan sets high standards and expectations in relation to the quality of care that staff provide. Children’s safety and progress are at the core of this plan. One member of staff said that the ‘values of the home are clear from the start’. Inspection report for children’s home: 2663883 5 Leaders and managers are visible. This enables them to develop trusting relationships within the home. Staff and children have confidence that they will act on any concerns or issues that they raise with them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported and valued by managers, and staff morale is good. The staff team works collaboratively to provide consistency and stability for the children living in the home. There is a sense of shared ownership in respect of the models of practice and a clear focus on providing care that enables children to feel valued. One professional said that the message that staff give to the children is ‘care and love’ and that ‘more homes like this are needed’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a strong culture of learning and development in the home. Staff have access to regular, practice-based supervision that is reflective. Team meetings take place regularly and provide a space for staff to discuss the individual needs of the children, the progress they are making, the quality of care provided, and what needs to happen to improve on this. Staff also have access to training that supports their development and ability to meet the specific needs of the children living in the home. Staff report that they value the opportunities they are given to learn and develop.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers make child-centred decisions about children moving into the home and ensure that staff have the skills to meet their needs. They consider the needs of the children already living in the home. When children are struggling to settle into the home, managers act swiftly to liaise with professionals so that plans can be reviewed and next steps agreed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Case records are kept up to date and reflect the progress and achievements of the children. While they are written with care and in a sensitive manner, the style of recording is inconsistent and may impact negatively on the understanding that children have in relation to their experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are effective working relationships between managers, staff and professionals to ensure that the individual needs of children are understood and met on an ongoing basis. This promotes collaborative working and supports children to make progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

While the manager does review the statement of purpose, they have not submitted the most up-to-date version to Ofsted following changes made. This does not allow the regulator to be informed of any changes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is proactive in notifying relevant professionals and parents of significant events that relate to the children’s safety and welfare. However, they have failed to notify the regulator of some significant incidents. This prevents the regulator from having oversight of and being able to evaluate the safety and welfare of the children living in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2663883 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 notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

is instigated; or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 14 August 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home’s records on each child represent a significant contribution to their life history. They must be written in a way that is sensitive and non-judgemental and enables the child to understand their time at the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home’s statement of purpose is kept under review and includes the details of the new staff working in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.5)  The registered person should ensure that children are consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Children should be able to see the results of their views Inspection report for children’s home: 2663883 7 being listened to and acted on. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)

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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: 2663883 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Progressive Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 51 Attercliffe Common, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S9 2AE

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Deborah Newton Beverley Dobson

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Inspector

Shirin Khan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2663883 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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