Children's home run by Parker SC Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2680042 1 Registered provider: Parker SC Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to two children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

This inspection was brought forward in order to address specific concerns or allegations received by Ofsted.

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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: 27 February 2024

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2680042 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/02/2024 Full Good 08/03/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2680042 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are settled and make good progress. They receive individualised care and since moving into the home staff have built trusting and nurturing relationships with the children. This helps children to feel secure about living in the home and confident around staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

To maintain stability and continuity of education, children are supported to remain in their previous schools even when it means a slightly longer car journey into school. School staff are complimentary of the attention staff give to the children’s education and learning. One professional said, ‘The child has maintained excellent attendance, arriving at school clean, well-rested, ready to learn, and this level of preparedness reflects the high standards of care provided by staff.’ This enhances the children’s ability to enjoy and achieve academically.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The cultural and diversity needs of children are known and met by staff. Children are encouraged to develop age-appropriate self-care skills. Staff promote a learning environment where children learn something new every day. For example, one corner of the garden is regularly transformed into a forest school where children are taught to play and explore their natural environment. In addition, they enjoy going to the local farm to ride ponies and horses. Children treasure their memory books, which they are proud of, and each picture tells a story of their positive experiences with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the needs of children. They are patient and allow children to communicate their feelings. Staff have support from the home’s clinical psychologist, and they receive training to provide therapeutic parenting. This approach has allowed the children to develop positive self-esteem and to seek comfort from staff at their own pace.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy good health. Staff attend to their physical and emotional health needs and follow advice from health professionals. Leaders and managers communicate well with health professionals, and staff follow advice from looked after children’s nurses. The children’s health needs are reviewed regularly by staff and with other professionals. This helps to promote children’s well-being and prevents them from developing health problems.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is a welcoming environment. The children understand that this is their home and they contribute ideas to make it homely. They love that their arts and craftwork are displayed all over the house. The children say that they chose their own rooms, and they went out with staff to choose their own bedroom furniture. Parents speak highly of the activities that children enjoy and staff’s commitment to giving their children positive memories. Inspection report for children’s home: 2680042 4

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

Children say that they are safe, and they would not change anything. One child said that home is perfect as it is. They know how to make a complaint, but they rarely need to because they can speak to staff if they are not happy. Children who experience ‘big emotions’ are supported by staff who understand that trauma may affect a child’s ability to trust adults. Children regain confidence in adults with nurturing care, kindness and with the staff’s use of effective de-escalation techniques. This means that there is no need for staff to physically hold or guide children to keep them safe.

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

Children’s risk assessments include known vulnerabilities and risks. They provide clear strategies for staff to help them to reduce risk and promote better outcomes. The manager reviews and updates these documents with staff and other professionals. However, not all staff have fully understood risk assessments and some decisions made have not been reflective of the action plan. For example, where risks regarding internet use have been high, a child was permitted to use a device. This increased the risk for the child prior to more effective safety measures being added.

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

Children have clear and consistent boundaries to keep them safe. They respond well to routines and structures within the home, and these are communicated in a child-friendly way. Behaviour management strategies, including the use of appropriate sanctions, are rarely used. Children respond well to rewards and positive praise, and this is reinforced through feedback from parents and professionals.

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

Children have their own dedicated children’s meetings, in which they make positive contributions. Children are encouraged to develop relationships with each other, and they participate in activities together and separately. Staff are alert to the possibilities of harm between peer relationships, and they take appropriate steps to educate the children about living together safely. However, staff’s recording is not always clear and concise. This diminishes the significant contribution records make to a child’s history.

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

Children feel safe to share their views. Leaders and managers promote a culture of openness, and this enables children to talk about topics that affect them. However, staff do not have the specialist skills to fully address the concerns related to one child’s internet use. Furthermore, staff have not had discussions with children about sensitive topics such as about sexual abuse and puberty. This increases risk for the children as they are not being taught about the potential dangers they face. Leaders and managers have identified bespoke training to keep the children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak highly about the support that they receive from the manager. They speak positively about each other as a team, and they identify the strengths in each other.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders, managers and staff are dedicated to the children. One staff member said the home is a ‘child first’ environment in which children are at the centre of everything that Inspection report for children’s home: 2680042 5 they do. The staff team is stable, and they have varying levels of experiences which influence the home’s learning culture. This is enriching the children’s lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff spend time talking to the children about their experiences. Staff take every opportunity to have discussions with the children. Unfortunately, some of the sessions held around sensitive issues, such as puberty, have not always considered the age, understanding and the child’s learning style. This has not supported the child to understand important aspects of growing up so that they can keep themselves safer.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive monthly supervisions which are reflective and focus on the progress children make. Furthermore, there are effective communication systems, and these include daily handovers and staff meetings. Staff have access to approved apps which keep them connected and updated about the children’s daily experiences, and these are closely monitored by leaders. This makes certain that the care of the children is organised and that the staff clearly know what they are doing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have robust reviewing processes to ensure that the needs of the children are being met, and to track the progress and development of staff. The management oversight of case records is strong. The manager promotes individual responsibility and accountability for staff to keep records up to date so that the progress of the experiences of the children remain a priority.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders, managers and staff collaborate well with professionals. Social workers and other professionals confirm this strong partnership working. Staff recognise the importance of sharing information with professionals and local designated officers. As a result, children benefit from consistent care and support approaches from all the adults involved in their lives. Inspection report for children’s home: 2680042 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 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

that staff 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;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; and

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1) (2) (a)(i)(iii)(iv)(v)) 30 September 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are able to listen and respond to children who may want to talk about and are curious about the process of maturing into adulthood. In particular, discussions with children should help the child to understand what abuse is and how to be safe online. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.9)

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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 Inspection report for children’s home: 2680042 7 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: 2680042 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Mistel, West Harlsey, Northallerton DL6 2DS

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Inspector

Tenji Wesa, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2680042 9 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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