Children's home run by Heathfield (Parkgate) Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2667771 1 Registered provider: Heathfield (Parkgate) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides care for up to four children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The focus is long-term placements for children aged eight to 17 years.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were four children living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 31 March 2022.

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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: 13 November 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: 2667771 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/11/2024 Full Good 03/07/2024 Full Inadequate 24/08/2023 Full Good 08/11/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2667771 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making ongoing progress in their development because of the committed, engaging staff team who provide a warm, nurturing environment in which they can flourish. Long-term stability is a priority, providing the children with a sense of belonging and routine.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and staff have built trusting relationships based on fun and respect. Children were heard laughing and playing throughout the inspection. Staff understand the importance of play and of children experiencing new challenges.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are encouraged to maintain their physical and mental well-being. They benefit from a range of activities, such as football, a Makaton choir and accessing many local outdoor spaces. During the school holidays, staff support children to have positive experiences, through short-stay holidays and day trips. Children were excited to talk about their adventures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff proactively help children to understand the importance of being healthy. They help children to attend their necessary health and medical appointments, and specialist services are sourced when required. This means that children’s health and well-being needs continue to be met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children in education benefit from structure and routine, with staff using effective strategies to support their attendance. As a result, children are reaching their appropriate milestones. However, staff omit to obtain certificates of the children’s achievements, which prevents children from having a shared celebration of their accomplishments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care planning is well documented, and newer staff are well informed regarding the children’s lived experiences and current needs. This planning enables the children to receive consistent and appropriate care from the whole team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When possible, all children, including those with additional communication needs, are encouraged to attend their own care planning meetings. This means that their views and wishes are heard and acted on accordingly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of children spending time with family and the people who are important to them. As a result, children are helped to understand and maintain their identity and are supported to have positive experiences with their brothers and sisters.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment continues to be child focused and welcoming. The bedrooms are personalised, but the communal areas, including the garden, have not been well maintained recently. Inspection report for children’s home: 2667771 4

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

Leaders and managers promote a positive and proactive safeguarding culture at the home. A commitment to staff receiving appropriate training is helping to ensure that the safety and well-being of children are prioritised.

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

The recently introduced therapeutic model has helped staff to understand children’s behaviour. Staff’s commitment to learning and an increasing insight into children’s lived experiences are also helping children to understand their own responses.

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

Physical intervention is used only when necessary. Staff use de-escalation techniques effectively to prevent the acceleration of significant incidents. Prompt debrief sessions with children enable them to talk openly about their feelings. This further supports staff’s understanding and enables positive responses to unwanted behaviour.

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

Timely oversight by leaders and managers helps to ensure that any incidents are managed well and in line with keeping children safe. Children spoke candidly about the consequences to their behaviour and learning from incidents.

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

Senior leaders and managers ensure that risk assessments are regularly reviewed, shared and understood by each member of staff. New staff receive an informed and comprehensive induction. This includes gaining knowledge of the impact of childhood trauma. As a result, all staff have a good understanding of children’s behaviour and their unique vulnerabilities.

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

Regular key-work sessions provide an opportunity for children to build trusting relationships, and they create a safe space for them to express their feelings, thoughts and concerns. Older children benefit from focused sessions on life skills and independence. This enables them to gain a sense of accomplishment.

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

Leaders and managers carefully consider the matching of children coming to live at the home. These decisions also take into account the views of the children already living there.

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

When a child makes an allegation, all necessary safeguards are put in place. The local authority designated officer is notified, and any internal investigations are generally thorough. However, the registered manager does not always identify themes such as staff performance. This means that concerns are not addressed at the earliest opportunity. Nonetheless, children are kept safe, and learning from incidents is shared collectively during team meetings or discussions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home continues to be managed effectively by an experienced registered manager. Senior leaders are visible and have a comprehensive oversight of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2667771 5 Monitoring systems and quality assurance tools are effective. In addition, the home’s workforce development plan is regularly reviewed. This means that leaders and managers understand themes and areas for development and identify the actions needed to improve children’s experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff mostly receive regular supervision sessions. However, the quality of these meetings varies. For example, staff subject to allegations are not afforded reflection on learning and their own well-being. However, all staff have received an annual appraisal to support their own ongoing development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers ensure that staff complete necessary training. Additional training is secured when necessary to enable staff to be well equipped to fulfil their roles and responsibilities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Effective safer recruitment practice provides the necessary safeguards when new staff are being appointed. Delegation of tasks, for example health and safety, ensures that children live in a safe environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager maintains appropriate and timely communication with relevant professionals, including the regulator. Effective working relationships with agencies enable a transparent and positive overview of children’s progress and promote positive outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Senior leaders and managers know the children extremely well. The registered manager demonstrates a clear understanding of the home’s strengths, areas for development and the progress of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent person offers an additional layer of scrutiny. Leaders and managers welcome this challenge to further improve outcomes for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2667771 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children have a clean environment, to include areas outside of the home, for example the garden. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.3)  The registered person should ensure that the home’s staff recognise and celebrate the achievements of their children. Specifically, when children have achieved certificated skills and educational awards. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.7)  The registered person should maintain good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: 2667771 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Heathfield (Parkgate) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: C/O Harrison Clark Rickerbys, 5 Deansway, Worcester, West Midlands WR1 2JG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Jacqueline Smeeth

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Inspector

Jill Sephton-Wright, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2667771 8 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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