Children's Home run by Progressive Care Limited in Sheffield

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2751408 1 Registered provider: Progressive Care Limited

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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 owned and managed by a private provider. It offers care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 2024.

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Inspection date: 19 February 2025

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector has looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2751408 2

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Findings from the inspection

This inspection was brought forward to address specific concerns received by Ofsted.

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

The workforce has stabilised; however, staff are inexperienced in working in children’s homes. Therefore, at times, staff have not responded to the child appropriately, which has created or extended some incidents involving the child. At other times, staff have shut down conversations with the child in a negative way, instead of taking opportunities to have open discussions. However, staff have not used physical intervention with the child.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff are not proactive and lack motivation or creativity in their attempts to engage the child in meaningful activities inside and outside the home. The child is becoming increasingly isolated in the home.

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Findings from the inspection

The manager is now registered with Ofsted. This is her first role as a manager in a children’s home. The manager’s inexperience in this role and the decision to only have one member of staff on shift have resulted in the manager carrying out a lot of the work with the child and being involved in the day-to-day tasks of the home.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff lack professional curiosity around the child and their behaviours, and management lacks professional curiosity around staff practice. This has prevented the manager from being able to notice and address poor staff practice or to consider themes and patterns of behaviour from the child.

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Findings from the inspection

The child continues to go missing, although these incidents have reduced, as have the risks when the child goes missing. It is not clear if this reduction in frequency and risk is because of support provided by staff or other factors. When the child goes missing, staff respond appropriately in line with the plan. At times, this includes extensive liaison with other professionals and the child’s family network. As a result, the child has always returned home safely. However, there have been some instances when the child has left the home and told staff they needed a short walk and returned, but due to a strict curfew, they have been reported as missing. Staff and managers have not considered building instances like this into the child’s plan.

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Findings from the inspection

The response to risks is mixed. Staff respond to serious risks appropriately, in the moment, ensuring that the child is safe. However, risk assessments do not address all known risks, including repeated risks, such as an incident involving a cigarette lighter and an aerosol can. This incident was not properly recorded and did not receive proper managerial oversight. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2751408 3 The strategies detailed in risk assessments are ambiguous. It is not clear how staff are expected to reduce risks to the child in a planned way, outside of a crisis response. For example, incidents involving the child misusing substances are managed at the time, but responses from the provider to ensure that staff have the right skills are slow. This has led to further incidents without staff having any additional skills to manage things differently. According to the child’s risk

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Findings from the inspection

assessments, all risks have increased since they moved into the home.

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Findings from the inspection

The issues identified at the last inspection in relation to the independent person have continued. Another new independent person has been appointed. However, they often lack curiosity and fail to triangulate information to evaluate effectively whether the child is safe and if their well-being is promoted.

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Findings from the inspection

Two new members of staff have joined the home since the last inspection. The recruitment process has ensured that staff are safe to be in the home and care for the child. Regular probation reviews take place, and new staff have a detailed development plan. However, these do not always consider practice-related performance as the manager has not always identified practice issues. This is a missed opportunity to support the development of new staff members.

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Findings from the inspection

The child’s social work team continues to report excellent multi-agency working. The manager is in regular communication with the placing authority, and they spoke positively about the length of time that the child has lived in the home, with this being the longest they have been able to stay in one home. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2751408 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/08/2024 Full Good 13/02/2024 Full Good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2751408 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

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children; and

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(c) (2)(a)(i)(vi)(viii)(ix)(x)) 24 March 2025

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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— 24 March 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2751408 6 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

ensure staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children’s records, including incident reports and risk assessments, are overseen to accurately reflect children’s experiences.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, the registered person must ensure that the independent person makes a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting children’s welfare.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person makes a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2751408 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Progressive Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 51 Attercliffe Common, Sheffield S9 2AE

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Inspector

Joanna Beal, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2751408 8 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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