Children's Home run by Pilgrims Corner Limited in Kent

Inspection report children’s home: SC473877 1 SC473877 Registered provider: Pilgrims Corner Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The is a privately owned home, providing care and accommodation for up to two children who may experience social, emotional and mental health needs. There were two children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has recently resigned. An interim manager is currently overseeing day-to-day management of the home.

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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

Date of last inspection: 8 February 2023

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC473877 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/02/2023 Full Good 08/02/2022 Full Good 19/11/2019 Full Good 24/07/2019 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: SC473877 3

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improvement to be good

Children’s moves into the home are not planned effectively. Four children have moved in since the last inspection, and three children have moved out. Planning assessments have not fully considered how children will be supported while living at the home and if their care needs can be met. As a result, two children who moved in only stayed for short periods and made limited progress. Senior leaders have plans to review previous admission processes to make improvements.

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improvement to be good

There have been mixed outcomes for children’s educational progress. Access to education is not prioritised during admission planning. Consequently, some children have not attended or engaged in formal education while living at the home. However, some children have made progress with home tutoring arrangements. Current managers are advocating for children to ensure that their educational needs are met.

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improvement to be good

The home is spacious and well furnished. There is a large kitchen and dining area, allowing children and staff to cook and eat together. Children’s bedrooms are personalised but require minor improvements, such as redecoration and appropriate curtains in one child’s room to ensure privacy.

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improvement to be good

Staff hold regular discussions with children, encouraging them to share their views, wishes and feelings. Staff display compassion to children who discuss past experiences and trauma, enabling a safe space for reflection. Furthermore, children are supported to develop awareness and knowledge in key areas and learn new independent living skills. Regular children’s meetings are held, providing further opportunity for children to provide feedback on the home.

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improvement to be good

Children are encouraged to look after their health and well-being. Staff support children to attend routine health appointments and access specialist support services, where this may benefit them. Staff sensitively help children to learn how to manage their personal hygiene needs, offering guidance as necessary. One child has developed their skills in this area.

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improvement to be good

Children spend time with their families and those who are important to them. Staff ensure that children safely access planned family time, in line with agreed plans. Staff maintain regular communication with children’s families, sharing information and updates on their child where appropriate. One family member shared that staff are supportive and understand their child’s needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC473877 4

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improvement to be good

Some incidents where children have been harmed or at risk of harm have been preventable. For example, one child accessed hazardous items and made comments that they would harm themselves. On another occasion, a child was able to access an item and used this to harm themself, unknown to staff. Actions taken to investigate this incident were unclear. Senior leaders have plans to revisit this incident and take any necessary action.

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improvement to be good

Strategies to support children with their behaviour are inconsistent. In some cases, the response from staff has escalated children’s behaviour. Furthermore, necessary records have not been completed for several consequences given to children. This prevents staff from reflecting on the appropriateness of consequences and their effectiveness in supporting children with their behaviour.

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improvement to be good

Staff rarely use physical intervention with children, which is generally used as a last resort following de-escalation strategies. However, on one occasion, physical intervention was not used proportionately, as staff felt it was necessary to prevent a child going missing from home. Furthermore, records were not always available to demonstrate that the children and staff were spoken to following some incidents. This is a missed opportunity to seek the views of the children and staff to determine if any follow-on action is required.

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improvement to be good

Staff respond promptly when children go missing from home. Safety plans are followed, and staff attempt to locate and contact children. Relevant parties are informed, including the police and social workers. However, risks for children who may go missing from home are not fully explored before they move to the home. For example, consideration had not been given to the home’s proximity to a train station as a risk factor for children who may go missing from home.

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improvement to be good

Regular health and safety checks are undertaken, and equipment is serviced. A responsive maintenance team is available to resolve any identified health and safety issues. However, the home’s fire risk assessment has not been completed by a competent person. Therefore, potential risks identified during the inspection could not be further explored. These include all external doors being fitted with key locks, which are locked overnight for security. Senior leaders are taking urgent action to address this.

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good

The registered manager has recently resigned and was not present during the inspection. The deputy manager is currently overseeing the day-to-day management of the home and is being supported by senior leaders. A new manager has been appointed and is due to commence employment shortly. Inspection report for children’s home: SC473877 5 The previous registered manager has responded poorly in taking appropriate action to safeguard children. For example, an allegation of harm from a child was not reported to the local authority designated officer or notified to Ofsted. Furthermore, no formal investigation was completed, and records demonstrate that discussions with the child following the allegation did not follow basic safeguarding practice. Action was taken by senior leaders during the inspection to explore this incident.

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good

Current managers are demonstrating improvements in safeguarding practice. For example, a recent allegation from a child was thoroughly investigated and referred to the local authority designated officer and notified to Ofsted.

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good

Managers and senior leaders have not maintained sufficient oversight of the home and monitoring systems have been ineffective. Some children’s records did not demonstrate that local authority care plans had been obtained. Senior leaders have reviewed current arrangements and oversight and have begun to make changes to monitoring systems, including changes to the independent person.

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good

The home’s statement of purpose does not contain all information required under regulations. Details of the qualifications and experience of staff are not included, and the statement of purpose does not state the range of needs of children the home can care for. Therefore, the statement of purpose does not inform the admission process or consideration of needs of children moving into the home.

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good

Staff engage in regular, reflective supervision in their roles. One member of staff spoken to demonstrated excellent safeguarding knowledge, including how to escalate concerns if required and who to report to. Team meetings are held regularly, enabling wider information-sharing and reflection.

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good

Staff receive ongoing training and development to support them in their roles. Specific training relevant to the needs of children living at the home is prioritised. This ensures that children receive care and support from a skilled and knowledgeable team of staff.

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good

Current managers work effectively with wider professionals. Information and reports are shared appropriately. One professional shared that communication is excellent and shared an example of a manager advocating for children. Staff are creative in enabling opportunities for children to provide their views in meetings that they choose not to directly attend. This ensures that the child’s voice is heard within their wider support network. Inspection report for children’s home: SC473877 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, 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

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; 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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 3 May 2024

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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 3 May 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC473877 7 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 (a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

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

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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)) 3 May 2024

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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;

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(a)(c)) 3 May 2024

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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

the name of the child; 3 May 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC473877 8 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

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Requirement Due date

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

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(1) applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home.

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Requirement Due date

In this regulation, "the fire and rescue authority" means the fire and rescue authority under the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004(2) for the area in which the home is located. 3 May 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC473877 9 (Regulation 25 (2)(a)(b) (3)) The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b)) 3 May 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should support and enable children to resume full-time education as soon as possible. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)

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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: SC473877 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pilgrims Corner Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Gathering Space, Highland Court Farm, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent CT4 5HW

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Inspectors

Chris Warren, Social Care Inspector Sara Stoker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC473877 11 regulates and inspects 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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