Children's Home run by Prestige Adolescent Care and Education Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC420876 1 SC420876 Registered provider: Prestige Adolescent Care and Education Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A small private provider runs this children’s home. The home provides care for up to four children who have social and emotional difficulties and who may also have a learning disability. The company has its own therapeutic team.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is suitably experienced and qualified.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC420876 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/06/2023 Full Good 07/03/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 02/03/2022 Full Good 11/02/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC420876 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Four children were living in the home at the time of the inspection. They all enjoy long and stable placements and are making excellent progress from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Since the last inspection, one child has been welcomed into the home, and one child has moved on. Children’s moves are managed sensitively, even in challenging circumstances, to make them as positive an experience as possible for children. When a child struggled to settle into the home, the manager and staff worked proactively with the child and the team around them to understand more about what help they could provide. This collaborative and inclusive approach has enabled the child to settle and feel safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children and staff have built secure, trusting and extremely positive relationships with staff. Staff are exemplary role models to children, and children speak affectionately about the devoted staff that care for them. A social worker said, ‘[Name of child] admires the staff.’ Children enjoy genuine, encouraging and caring interactions between the children. One child said, ‘They are my family, like my brothers and sisters.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Care planning in the home is excellent. Children are involved, and they are given the opportunity to review and shape their plans. This gives children a say in decision-making about matters that affect them. With good support, they develop a sense of ownership and responsibility about their future plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Managers and staff have high aspirations for children. They are committed to helping children develop life skills. One child spoke proudly about their improved cooking abilities and learning to drive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff celebrate children’s individual talents. They provide opportunities for children to pursue their interests. Children are part of social groups; one child plays in a local football team, and another goes to Cadets. This gives them the opportunity to make friends, socialise and have fun.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are making excellent academic progress because of the coordinated approach staff take to support their learning. Staff liaise effectively with education professionals and advocate strongly for children. For example, the manager has worked with the school to secure additional mathematics tutoring for one child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children’s voices are heard. They are regularly consulted about their care, what works well and what needs to develop. Children’s meetings incorporate fun games such as rounders and board games. This creates a relaxed atmosphere where children feel able to share their views. Inspection report for children’s home: SC420876 4

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

The children’s safety and welfare are a priority. All staff show a high level of professional curiosity in relation to children’s behaviour, which is helping them to understand and meet children’s needs and keep children safe.

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

Children say they feel safe. They trust the adults that care for them, and they are comfortable talking to them about their feeling and any worries they may have. One child said, ‘I can manage my behaviour better now [because] staff help me to talk about my feelings.’

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

Children rarely go missing from the home. When they do, they experience a well- coordinated response from staff. They take action to locate the child and work with other agencies, such as the police, to bring them home safely. When children return home, staff seek to understand the child’s reasons for going missing so that they can try to prevent a reoccurrence. For one child, there has been a reduction in missing-from-home episodes, and they are safer as a result of staff support.

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

Staff only use physical interventions as a last resort to keep children and others safe. Staff receive training in how to physically intervene safely and confidently. When staff have supported children through particularly challenging times, incidents have increased. All incidents involving restraint have been reviewed by a manager, and excellent reflective discussions have taken place for both children and staff. Leaders work collaboratively with trainers and children’s social workers to appropriately assess and agree intervention strategies. These are explained to the children, so that they understand why this is necessary.

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

The manager and staff manage risk effectively. Regular review of and discussion about risk management plans and strategies give staff confidence to enable children to take developmentally and age-appropriate risks safely. This includes spending time out with friends and using the internet safely. This approach has been influential in the development of children’s resilience and independence.

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

When children raise concerns, these are taken seriously. Managers share information and work closely with other professionals, ensuring concerns are thoroughly investigated. This promotes children’s safety and welfare.

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

Staff support the children to explore their own boundaries with a particular focus on modelling good behaviour and rewarding this. When consequences are required, they are fair and proportionate and help children to understand the impact of their behaviour on themselves and others.

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

Robust safer recruitment practice means that suitable staff care for children. Excellent induction processes and activities enable new staff to quickly understand their role and responsibility to keep children safe. Inspection report for children’s home: SC420876 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is a confident and inspirational leader. She is supported by two experienced deputy managers. Together, they make a highly effective management team and have excellent oversight of the quality of care in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager works exceptionally well with families and other agencies. She understands the importance of effective partnership working. For example, the manager was praised by a social worker for helping to create a pen portrait for a child. This detailed, informative document will be instrumental in finding the child an appropriate foster family in the future. This could only be created by the people that know the child well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is suitably staffed with a highly ambitious and experienced team. Morale is high, and staff feel supported, valued and listened to by their managers and colleagues. This contributes to children’s positive experiences of living in the home. Staff speak about the children with love, care and empathy. One staff member said, ‘They are four of the most amazing, resilient, happy young people I’ve ever met.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Regular, effective supervision enables staff to reflect on their practice and identify any areas for development. Additionally, monthly team meetings are informative and are used to have open discussions about the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff undertake a wide range of training. This includes the organisation’s therapist regularly meeting with staff and delivering training to ensure that they fully understand and implement the home’s therapeutic model. Inspection report for children’s home: SC420876 6

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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: SC420876 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Prestige Adolescent Care and Education Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 90 King Street, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire ST5 1JB

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Inspector

Kirsty Truesdale, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC420876 8 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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