Children's home run by Progress Care and Education Limited in Hammersmith and Fulham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC044224 1 SC044224 Registered provider: Progress Care and Education Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private organisation and provides care for up to four children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

There is no registered manager in post. A new manager has been appointed to the role, who has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC044224 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/05/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/03/2022 Full Inadequate 26/06/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/10/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC044224 3

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improvement to be good

At the time of the inspection, only one young person was living at the home, who had recently turned 18 years old.

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improvement to be good

Children leaving the home have transition plans that take account of their individual needs. However, for those transitioning to adult provisions, planning does not start early enough for them to move on before they are 18 years old. When children have remained at the home as adults, it has not been because a decision has been reached that it is in their best interest to do so.

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improvement to be good

Children have good relationships with staff. Staff encourage children to take part in activities at home and in the local community. Staff celebrate children’s progress, and children receive certificates for their achievements.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand children’s communication preferences and have developed methods to enable children to make choices about their daily life. Children have communication passports which outline how adults should talk to children and support their understanding of individual children’s verbal and non-verbal responses.

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improvement to be good

When children are not attending school, they have activity planners which detail opportunities for learning. However, personal education plans are not used to formulate individual education planners.

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improvement to be good

Children’s care plans give clear and succinct information about their care. These are linked to local authority plans, and staff are aware of their contents. The manager has set review dates for plans. However, it is not clear if these reviews take place, and the outcomes of reviews are unclear.

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improvement to be good

Children’s time with family is promoted and staff support children to visit their family homes. Parents are also welcomed when they visit children at the home. This means that children have a continued sense of identity. Staff at the home send monthly videos of children to their parents. These include photos of children spending time with their family and enjoying activities with staff.

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improvement to be good

Children in the home need continued supervision and support. The level of staffing ensures that children receive care in line with their risk assessments. Risk assessments contain clear steps for staff to follow to support children. Staff are aware of what steps to take should children show signs of distress. One professional said, ‘[Name of child]’s dysregulated behaviours have reduced in the home.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC044224 4 The home’s physical environment is adapted so that it is safe for children. Risk assessments include clear guidance and strategies for staff to follow. Behaviour management plans include detailed information which provides guidance for staff to follow to de-escalate situations for children. Children’s positive behaviours are encouraged through verbal praise.

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improvement to be good

Incidents of holding children have taken place as a last resort and only if staff perceive a risk of harm to the child or others. However, records of incidents do not always give a full account of what has taken place during the incident. It is not clear if staff inform parents about incidents when they happen. Debriefs with children who have limited or no verbal communication take place via observation. Debriefs with staff do not consistently include details of who was involved and do not identify any learning or reflection.

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improvement to be good

Staff working in the home are recruited safely. Therefore, those caring for children are suitable for employment and do not pose a risk to children.

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good

The management team knows the children well. The manager is currently managing two homes and shares her time between them both. There is an assistant manager and a deputy manager who have a daily presence in the home. The manager has introduced a system to monitor practice. Through this system, the manager has identified areas for improvement. However, tasks delegated to the management team have not yet been completed.

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good

External professionals and parents speak highly of managers and staff at the home. They say that communication is good and the care they observe in the home indicates that the staff know the children well.

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good

Supervision is variable. There is repetition in supervision sessions and no evidence of reflection from staff working with children on a day-to-day basis. When discussing practice, there is little reference to children and their progress. Appraisals do not take account of feedback from others. They are focused on plans for the year ahead and are not bespoke to meet individual needs. The manager does not use team meetings to share learning or reflect on practice in the home.

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good

Managers have developed monitoring systems which enable them to fully consider quantitative data. They are starting to use this to understand trends, but it is not being used to inform practice and identify learning for the staff team.

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good

The manager responds to complaints swiftly and thoroughly. When there are concerns about staff practice, managers use performance and disciplinary procedures to address them. Inspection report for children’s home: SC044224 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

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

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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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

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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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; and 31 October 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC044224 6 within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii) (c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that records for behaviour management include all required documentation and the names of all those involved in any incidents and debriefs. All incidents must be evaluated to identify any learning, which should then be delivered to all members of staff.

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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)) 31 October 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC044224 7 In particular, the registered person must ensure that there are systems in place to analyse and evaluate significant events, helping to identify and deliver learning outcomes that can be used to support the development of the staff team.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that staff have the appropriate qualification by the relevant date.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that monitoring and review processes are consistently applied across all areas of the home. This includes audits of case files and streamlining of paper records.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that supervision provides staff with an opportunity to reflect on their practice and identify training and development needs.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that planning for children’s transition out of the home at the age of 18 commences at the earliest opportunity. This is to prevent adults living in the home where this is not detailed in their plans.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that children’s plans are updated in line with the home’s procedures. 31 October 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC044224 8 Ensure that all local authority documentation, including personal education plans, is received and included in children’s files in the home.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should implement a system where staff appraisals consider, where reasonable and practical, the views of children and other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)

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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: SC044224 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Progress Care and Education Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Forge, Church Street West, Woking, Surrey GU21 6HT

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Inspector

Sarah Jackson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC044224 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted Inspection report for children’s home: SC044224 11

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