Children's home run by PCF Residential Childcare Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2503031 1 Registered provider: PCF Residential Childcare 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 provides care for up to three children who may experience emotional and social difficulties. A private company runs the home. At the time of this inspection, two children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

Since the last inspection, the manager has left the organisation. A new manager was appointed the day before this inspection. She is in the process of submitting her application to register with 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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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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: 2503031 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/08/2024 Full Good 17/04/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/01/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 02/03/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 2503031 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There were two children living in the home at the time of the inspection. No children have moved in or out of the home since the last inspection. One child spoke with the inspector about their experiences of living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, children have positive relationships with staff. One child has struggled with changing managers; however, they report very good relationships with the staff team. Children can identify key adults they can talk to and trust. Staff are creative in using their time to provide opportunities for children to express their views, wishes and feelings. This is helping children to understand their journeys, process trauma and reduce children’s exposure to risk situations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress in education from their individual starting points. One child who was previously not in education is now attending school and making progress. Another child whose school attendance was inconsistent is in the middle of taking their GCSE exams. They have future aspirations and have gained a place at their chosen college.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health and emotional needs are prioritised by staff. Staff encourage children to talk about their physical and emotional health. Children benefit from access to external therapy, such as equine therapy. Staff make appropriate referrals when children need additional support. However, one child’s experience of an external therapeutic service was not positive, and this prevented them from accessing its support. Managers did not take prompt action to challenge this on behalf of the child. The new manager and responsible individual reflected on this during the inspection. A formal complaint will be made as a result.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have a range of opportunities to express their views, wishes and feelings. Managers and staff generally advocate well for children in their care. However, for one child there has been a missed opportunity to fully explore how an advocate could support them with decisions being made about their future. The responsible individual acted on this immediately during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise the importance of supporting children to maintain relationships with people who are important to them, including friends and family. In addition, they are committed to involving family members in their children’s care. A family member was extremely positive about the progress a child has made. They stated: ‘I can only praise the staff. They have made a real difference to [child].’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a warm and homely environment. When damage is caused to the home, this is rectified quickly. The environment is spacious, which means that children have access to a variety of areas which they can enjoy together or independently. One child Inspection report for children’s home: 2503031 4 has been involved in redecorating their bedroom. This is significant as she has not felt safe enough to invest in their bedroom historically.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child’s experiences were compromised during a period of increased incidents and instability within the home. Positively, the child has been able to express their feelings and views to enable action to be taken to support their better during these times. The child was also able to speak to the inspector about their experiences. Managers have taken action to improve the child’s experiences. They have done this in partnership with the child’s social worker. However, prior to this, there have been missed opportunities to support the child following incidents in the home. This means that she has not always received good-quality emotional support, and this has the potential to impact on children’s relationships with each other and staff.

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

Children trust the adults who care for them. As a result, they are opening up about their emotions and feelings. Children feel safe to explore their experiences, and staff help children manage their behaviours and emotions safely. As a result, children work through their internal struggles and have an increased understanding of them. This has supported a reduction in exposure to risk situations for both children.

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

The staff manage challenging and risky situations effectively. They respond well when one child harms themselves and provide caring and attentive support. Staff work closely with a range of safeguarding and health professionals to regularly review risk. As a result, incidents of children hurting themselves are well managed, and there are longer periods between them.

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

The manager and staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities well. When incidents occur, managers and staff work well with safeguarding agencies and are committed to putting plans in place to reduce risk in the future. They do this by working in partnership with children to review safety. They balance risk with children’s wishes, feelings and increasing independence. This has enabled one child to safely explore a new relationship, and staff have used curiosity around this in a way that any good parent would.

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

Staff use de-escalation techniques to help children to manage their behaviour. This ensures that physical interventions are used as a last resort. Due to the positive relationships that staff have built with the children, the need for physical intervention is reducing. Children are helped to reflect and explore any worries following these incidents.

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

When children go missing from home, staff follow clear and coordinated protocols. They take immediate action to find children and make sure they are safe. Children are welcomed back with warmth, understanding and care. There has been a reduction in incidents when children have gone missing since the last inspection. This demonstrates that staff’s actions are helping to reduce risk and improve children’s safety. Inspection report for children’s home: 2503031 5 Children know how to make a complaint. When children do complain, this is taken seriously. The manager investigates the complaints and addresses any identified actions thoroughly. Managers have reviewed the complaints procedure to ensure that children receive a letter detailing the outcome of their complaint and the action taken.

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

There are a variety of risk assessments in place to support children’s safety. They detail strategies for staff to follow and are updated after incidents. However, the rationale behind decision-making when risk increases and decreases is not always clear. For example, the home uses bedroom door alarms to safeguard children. Managers do not always review the need for this type of surveillance in the home. In addition, children and their social worker are not regularly consulted about the reasons that this remains in place. Consequently, children may remain under surveillance when it is not necessary.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There has not been a registered manager in the home since it reopened in 2022. Consistency has improved as a result of a committed responsible individual. However, the manager has recently left the organisation before he was registered with Ofsted. This means the children and staff have not always had the consistency and continuity that they need. Positively, a long-term member of staff who was deputy manager has been appointed to the role. She is in the process of applying to register with Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Ineffective day-to-day management of the home has led to a number of shortfalls that have the potential to compromise children’s experience and progress. This is because shortfalls are not identified and responded to promptly. For example, a child and the staff team did not fully understand some aspects of the child’s independence plan. This led to delays in progressing one area of the plan, and timescales for completion have needed to be extended.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

On one occasion, a staff member raised challenges about the effectiveness of the use of physical intervention for one child. Due to sudden changes in management, this was not followed through effectively with the staff team. This has not compromised the safety of children but is a missed opportunity to review practice and ensure it remains safe and appropriate for both children and the staff supporting them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The previous manager has not ensured that they have notified Ofsted of all significant incidents involving children without delay. Although there was no negative impact on the children, this prevents the regulator from having effective and timely oversight of what action staff take to keep children safe. The responsible individual had identified this prior to the inspection. As a result, he implemented opportunities for learning and reflection, along with new systems that will support improvement in this area moving forward.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers took appropriate action when they had concerns about the effectiveness of the management of the home. Both the newly appointed manager and responsible individual have a good grasp of the home’s strengths and areas of development. There are a range of monitoring and review systems in place that will Inspection report for children’s home: 2503031 6 support the manager moving forward. This includes systems that are effective in tracking children’s progress and the support they require. These systems will contribute to wider decision-making about children’s next steps.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff are positive about working in the home. One staff member acknowledged that although there have been changes in management, the staff have been committed to providing continuity to the children and each other. Staff talk warmly about children. They know the children well and how to support them. In addition, staff are supported through regular supervision, training and team meetings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers are passionate about the care children receive. They have high aspirations for the children and what they can achieve. Leaders and managers are not afraid to challenge poor practice, which helps to ensure that the children have the best possible experiences. External professionals positively describe the care that the children receive. Inspection report for children’s home: 2503031 7

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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

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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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

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding.

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) 2(a)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that behavioural incidents within the home are reflected upon with children, and that managers ensure action is taken to explore children’s experiences and views. 2 July 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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 2 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2503031 8 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;

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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.

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Requirement Due date

The responsible person must take steps to ensure that oversight of the home by the responsible individual and the manager is effective and used to identify and address shortfalls in the quality of care provided to children that brings about positive change for them.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home provides a nurturing, supportive and homely environment that meets the needs of the children. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, 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)  The registered person should ensure that looked-after children understand the role of an independent advocate and how they can access one. Staff should regularly remind children of their right to access an independent advocate, concerning any matter relevant to the child’s status as looked after. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.17)

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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: 2503031 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: PCF Residential Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Brook House, Moss Grove, Kingswinford, West Midlands DY6 9HS

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Inspector

Natasha Skinner, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2503031 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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