Children's Home run by Panache Care Limited in Derbyshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2776085 1 Registered provider: Panache Care Limited

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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 by a private provider. It offers care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by a registered manager.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home. Both children were spoken to.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 5 November 2024

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2776085 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/11/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2776085 3

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improvement to be good

The home environment does not consistently promote a sense of warmth or nurture that supports children’s emotional well-being and development. Since the last inspection, there have been minimal improvements made to the overall presentation and atmosphere of the home. While children’s bedrooms reflect their individual tastes and personalities, this personalisation is not extended throughout the communal areas, which remain impersonal.

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improvement to be good

Children do not consistently make progress from their individual starting points. One professional involved in a child’s care reported limited progress in relation to the objectives set out in the local authority’s care plan. While the manager shares relevant information with the wider professional network when progress is hindered, staff within the home are not consistently proactive in addressing barriers or taking ownership of the child’s development. This lack of initiative delays children’s progress and impacts their ability to achieve continued positive outcomes.

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improvement to be good

Children are not in education. The manager maintains ongoing communication with the wider professional network to secure educational provisions that meet children’s individual needs. However, staff do not consistently support children’s educational engagement when formal schooling is not in place. When children show resistance to learning, staff fail to engage with them to identify barriers or to help them understand the importance of education. This limits children’s progress and hinders their ability to develop essential skills for their future.

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improvement to be good

Children can identify key adults they can approach if they have any worries and have developed positive relationships with staff. However, children say that they do not always feel listened to by staff. Opportunities for children to express their wishes and feelings openly are inconsistent, and they are not always given the time and space to do so. This remains an area for development.

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improvement to be good

Staff actively support children to maintain and rebuild relationships with those who are important to them. For example, one child has been supported to re-establish a relationship with a family member. Staff facilitate family visits where appropriate and ensure that significant individuals in children’s lives remain involved.

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improvement to be good

Staff offer praise to acknowledge children’s development and successes. Staff write personal letters to express pride in children’s achievements, and children are celebrated for their efforts. These positive interactions help children to feel recognised and valued. Inspection report for children’s home: 2776085 4

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improvement to be good

Children are informed of the reasons why room searches are necessary, helping them to understand the purpose and ensuring openness in how staff conduct safeguarding measures. Records of searches are detailed and clearly reflect the child’s involvement, including their views and responses. As a result, children feel involved in decisions affecting them.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing from home, staff respond promptly and in a well-coordinated manner. They conduct searches in the local area, liaise with the police, and contact individuals who may have knowledge of children’s whereabouts. Upon return, children are given the opportunity to speak with both staff and independent people. This provides a space for children to share their reasons for leaving the home. However, the missing- from-home protocol lacks information on known locations and key contacts, which would support staff even further.

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improvement to be good

When children raise concerns about staff, appropriate and timely action is taken to safeguard them. The manager promptly informs the designated safeguarding lead and other relevant professionals involved with the children. Internal investigations are conducted efficiently. This ensures that any risks are swiftly addressed, and children’s well-being is protected.

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improvement to be good

Safeguarding incidents are managed effectively by staff. Children are given space to speak with staff following incidents, allowing them to reflect and explore ways to receive further support. Staff demonstrate a clear understanding of known risks to children. However, the support provided to minimise these risks is not always consistent. Ongoing conversations with children to help them keep themselves safe are limited. Additionally, risk assessments lack clarity regarding specific actions staff must take and are not always aligned with local authority decisions.

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improvement to be good

When physical intervention has been used, it has been appropriate and only applied to ensure the immediate safety of children. However, records relating to physical interventions lack consistency, particularly regarding the specific measures used and their duration. Children are spoken to following incidents of physical intervention; however, conversations focus on what happened during the incident rather than exploring how the physical intervention made them feel. This is an area for development.

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

The management team has clear oversight of safeguarding incidents, and all reports are subject to thorough quality assurance. When areas for improvement in staff practice are identified, the manager addresses these through reflective discussions that support staff development. This proactive approach ensures that staff are better equipped to manage similar incidents in the future, leading to improved support and protection for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2776085 5 The manager and staff maintain effective communication with the local authority. Concerns are appropriately shared with the wider professional network, and the manager actively requests multi-agency meetings when additional support is required. Professionals report that communication is effective and that they are kept well informed about significant incidents.

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

Staff have access to regular meetings that promote their ongoing learning and development. Reflective discussions are a positive feature of practice, enabling staff to consider how best to meet the individual needs of children. When areas for improvement are identified, staff engage openly in discussions, which leads to more thoughtful and responsive care being provided.

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

Staff benefit from regular, good-quality supervision. Supervision sessions provide a structured space to reflect on their practice, including what has gone well and areas that may require improvement. Individual children are discussed in depth, enabling staff to consider how their practice impacts on children’s experiences and outcomes.

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

Staff report feeling well supported by the management team and confident in raising any concerns should they arise. They also say that they enjoy working in the home, which contributes to a positive and stable environment for the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2776085 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the environment of the home and ensuring that it offers a homely environment. The registered person should ensure that any maintenance or damage is addressed in a timely manner. 22 August 2025

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans; 12 September 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2776085 7 support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(x)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children are provided with educational opportunities when they are not attending full- time education. The registered person should explore with children barriers to learning and support children to understand the importance of accessing education. Inspection report for children’s home: 2776085 8 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

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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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

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understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children are provided with support and guidance around risks, such as online safety and vaping. The registered person should support children to understand how to keep themselves safe. 22 August 2025

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; 12 September 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2776085 9 the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children are spoken to following incidents of restraint and that this is clear in recordings. Recording relating to restraint should be consistent with regard to measures used and durations.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, there should be clear and detailed risk assessments to reflect individual risks, such as going missing from care. These must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks of going missing and contain details of known locations and people that can be contacted should children go missing. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5) Inspection report for children’s home: 2776085 10  The registered person should ensure that staff work in partnership with relevant people as appropriate to ensure that each child is provided with support (appropriate to their age and understanding) to communicate their views, wishes and feelings and

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Recommendations

participate as fully as possible in all aspects of their care planning and daily care. This may include the use of and support to use communication aids, equipment and/or any necessary language support. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.6)

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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: 2776085 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Panache Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Flat A, Ashton Court, 1 Oxford Road, Aylesbury HP19 8ER

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Inspector

Jess Baines, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2776085 12 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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