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

Inspection report for children's home: 2627088 1 Registered provider: Paramount Children Care Ltd

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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 home has been without a registered manager. A new suitably qualified manager was appointed in March 2024. He has submitted his registration application to Ofsted. The manager has experience of being a registered manager for a different provider.

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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: 29 November 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Ofsted received an anonymous complaint about the home in March 2024. As a result of this and some emerging concerns raised in regulation 44 reports, we carried out an assurance inspection on 19 March 2024. This inspection did not identify any serious or widespread shortfalls. Inspection report for children's home: 2627088 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/11/2023 Full Good 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

Staff work hard to form positive relationships with children and know them well. Children feel able to approach staff and ask for help and support. One child said, ‘The new manager is decent. He has made a difference. He listens to us and encourages and supports us.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have acted as good advocates for children. The children have faced significant delays in accessing education. One child was supported to make an official complaint to their local authority. As a result of this, a senior education advocate is now involved. A clear plan is in place to get the child an appropriate education placement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Despite changes in staffing, children have experienced some stability. There has been a core group of staff who know children very well and who have been proactive in ensuring children’s needs are well understood. A social worker said, ‘The key worker has an excellent relationship with the child. She has gone above and beyond in her role for her.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children know how to make a complaint. The manager responds to complaints quickly. They thank the child for the complaint and explain what action will be taken. This ensures children feel listened to and their views are respected.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager has a newly developed key-work planner for each child. Topics are planned for the month ahead, in line with the needs of the individual child. Actions are recorded following key-work sessions, with management oversight. However, reflective practice is not yet embedded in key-work sessions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The new manager has started to improve the home environment, with an aim to make the home warm and welcoming. There has been some recent refurbishment and redecoration. Some elements of the home and garden would benefit from further attention to promote a nurturing homely environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There have been significant delays in a local authority progressing a specialist assessment for a child. This delay may impact on the child’s transition planning. Despite the home challenging this, this important assessment has not yet been completed. There has been a referral for an independent advocate, but further timely escalation is required.

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

There is a clear and robust system in place to tackle missing-from-home episodes. The manager has a good understanding of children’s triggers for going missing from home. Children are offered support when they return. Because of this, missing-from-home episodes for one child have significantly decreased. The manager has been creative and Inspection report for children's home: 2627088 4 thought of ways to reduce risk for one child by ensuring his views are listened to. The child has also been supported with family time, to prevent further episodes of going missing. Staff request independent return home interviews, but these have not taken place in a timely manner.

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

Staff understand the whistle-blowing procedures. If staff raise concerns, the leadership team records and investigates them appropriately. When safeguarding agencies need to be referred to, this takes place. Managers understand the importance of following safeguarding procedures.

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

There has only been one physical intervention since the last inspection. Staff know how to de-escalate situations. Staff intervene at an early stage to prevent further escalation of incidents. There is clear management oversight of files and debriefs with staff and children.

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

Risk assessments are comprehensive and reflect the risks for the children. Managers have oversight of incidents and risk assessments and regularly review and update the assessments. There is a plan for overseeing the online safety risk management plan for one child.

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

Safer recruitment processes are followed and the appropriate checks are made before staff start work with children. This helps to ensure the children’s safety.

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

There have been some difficulties recently with peer relationships in the home. Children have been supported to share their views on this. Staff have carried out key-work sessions with children to gather their views and helped them to make a complaint if needed. Staff understand what must be done to reduce the risks of bullying behaviours between children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management and staff team have been through a turbulent time. There have been several changes in the management team. The new manager has been in post since March 2024. He has started to introduce some positive management monitoring systems and processes into the home. The impact of his leadership is evident.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home experienced a very challenging weekend before this inspection, when several incidents occurred, and one staff member left the home with immediate effect. The managers were proactively addressing the challenges from the weekend, staffing matters, safeguarding processes and ensuring the focus was on children’s experiences and providing stability for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has shown resilience and a commitment to the home. The responsible individual acknowledged the pressures on leaders at the home and has devised an action plan to support the home to move forward. Inspection report for children's home: 2627088 5 The staff team is still very new and needs further development. The manager has a plan to upskill this new team, including training which is specific to the staff and children. A new learning and development lead has been appointed to support this work. Part of the development of the staff team is to ensure that there is effective and consistent record- keeping.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision is held at least once a month for staff and documented in a supervision matrix. Supervisions are recorded on the system clearly, with actions and targets being set. There is evidence of issues and concerns being raised with staff members and actions being put in place. Staff development and training needs are covered in supervision, as well as feedback on performance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Positive partnership working with other agencies is a strength. Staff work effectively with families, education professionals and external professionals, all with the aim of improving outcomes for children. Inspection report for children's home: 2627088 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

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, the provider must escalate concerns with delays in care planning and access to assessment where needed. This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 24 August 2024

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Recommendations

 When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should 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)

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, Inspection report for children's home: 2627088 7 food hygiene, etc); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report for children's home: 2627088 8

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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 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Paramount Children Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Bev Allison, Social Care Inspector Lauren Barwell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2627088 10 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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