Children's Home run by Paramount Children Care LTD in Leicester

Inspection report for children’s home: 2627088 1 Registered provider: Paramount Children Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately run and provides care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager recently left the service. A new manager has been appointed.

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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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2627088 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/08/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/01/2022 Interim Declined in effectiveness 15/09/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2627088 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have made good progress from their starting points in several areas of their lives. Children are happy and they enjoy spending time with the staff. Staff form positive and nurturing relationships with the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There have been some staff changes, including the registered manager leaving. The commitment of the remaining staff has ensured that these changes have not had an impact on the children’s care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

An independent reviewing officer said, ‘Staff have worked well with [name of child]. They have made progress since being here in their education, emotional health, and well-being.’ Children are settled and safe. One child said, ‘I would give the home 10 out of 10. The staff here listen and help. They pick up on our emotions.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who have moved out of the home have done so in a planned way. Staff support children through their transition to ensure that they remain central to all decisions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote independence. Children are supported and encouraged to develop their independence skills in readiness for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to access healthcare so that their health needs are met. When outstanding assessments are required, managers do not always ensure that delays are escalated.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to maintain relationships with people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Although children attend school, some children sometimes struggle engage in their learning. As a result, their educational progress is not always sustained. Staff do not always embrace and celebrate children’s achievements.

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

Children say they feel safe. Professionals say that the staff support children to reduce risks. For some children, this has led to a reduction in incidents of them going missing from care. Staff help children to understand risks and how to stay safe. However, when children go missing from the home, they are not always provided with the opportunity to receive a return home interview on their return.

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

Staff understand their safeguarding roles and responsibilities and work well with other agencies. Safeguarding concerns are regularly discussed in team meetings, staff supervision sessions and children’s meetings. Inspection report for children’s home: 2627088 4 When necessary, managers ensure that any serious matters are escalated to prevent future risks. There was one incident when additional contact with police was not made. This could have helped to reassure the children and staff.

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

Physical interventions are used as a last resort. When these are necessary, there is good managerial oversight of records.

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

When children raise concerns, managers ensure that there is an appropriate response in line with multi-agency safeguarding policies and procedures.

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

Managers ensure that only suitable adults work with the children. There are careful selection and vetting procedures in place that help to ensure that unsuitable people do not get the opportunity to work with children.

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good

The registered manager has recently left the home. Senior managers have acted quickly to appoint a new manager. There has also been a change in the responsible individual.

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good

The management recording systems do not support the managers to have good oversight of the home. This leaves them without all the necessary information to fully assess the children’s quality of care.

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good

The staff training matrix is not up to date. This means that managers are unclear about what training staff have received. As a result, managers are not informed of any potential gaps in staff’s training needs.

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good

Staff speak warmly about children and are empathetic towards a child who has recently moved out of the home. Staff enjoy their work and feel well supported. They receive regular supervision and have trust and confidence in the managers.

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good

Staff work well with other agencies and there are good lines of communication with key professionals, which supports improved care planning for children.

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good

The manager’s supervision records demonstrate an improved focus on safeguarding and performance management.

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good

The recommendation raised at the last inspection has been met. Inspection report for children’s home: 2627088 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, The 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, escalate when there is a delay in outstanding assessments being completed for children. 2 January 2024

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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 the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(iii)) 2 January 2024

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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

promotes their welfare. 2 January 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2627088 6 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

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

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)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that management systems and processes are in place that are effective in supporting the management oversight of the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development. (Regulation 33 (4)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff receive appropriate training to support professional development which enables them to perform the functions of the statement and purpose of the home. 2 January 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they involve the local authority and other relevant persons whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. They are also required by regulation 40 to notify placing authorities, Ofsted and other relevant persons about serious events. This specifically relates to liaising with police when there are ongoing potential risk factors and requesting a police marker to help reduce risks. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.4)  The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Information provided by such interviews should be considered when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to

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Recommendations

protect each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30) Inspection report for children’s home: 2627088 7

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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: 2627088 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Paramount Children Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: West Midlands House, Gipsy Lane WV13 2HA

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Latasha Mayes-Preston

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Inspector

Bev Allison, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2627088 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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