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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2758223 1 Registered provider: Prestige Adolescent Care and Education Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private organisation and is registered to provide care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were three children living at the home. Two children spoke with the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a registered manager in post who holds a level 5 diploma in leadership and management for residential childcare.

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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: 18 September 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: 2758223 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/09/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2758223 3

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, two children have left the home earlier than planned due to poor collaboration between staff, leaders and the local authority. This contributed to inconsistency in the boundaries set by staff and family members, leading to emotional distress and breakdown in relationships with staff.

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improvement to be good

Children’s views are encouraged, and the staff team has adapted the ways in which views are gathered to help children express their views, wishes and feelings. However, children’s views are not always acted on in a timely manner. For example, there are delays in implementing plans that support children to spend time with people who are important to them. This has led to feelings of isolation for some children. Although plans are now being followed, earlier intervention would have mitigated the emotional impact on children.

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improvement to be good

Children have reward systems in place. Goal expectations have caused concern among some children. While adaptations have been made for individual needs, some children continue to experience rigid expectations that do not reflect an individualised child- centred approach.

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improvement to be good

Children benefit from enriching experiences, including holidays and going to community clubs, which support their interests and promote social development. Health needs are well understood, and children attend routine appointments. Despite these strengths, some children have experienced inconsistent care, which has impacted their ability to form trusting relationships with staff and professionals. At times, there have been inadequate staffing levels which have affected the delivery of planned activities, reducing opportunities for engagement and enjoyment.

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improvement to be good

The promotion of the importance of education is an area of strength. Managers and staff demonstrate a clear understanding of the value of education and have taken proactive steps to support children’s learning. For example, alternative school placements are being explored to ensure children can access appropriate provisions to achieve accredited qualifications. Staff work collaboratively with education providers, and children have made measurable progress from their starting points, including sitting their SATs tests and getting excellent results.

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improvement to be good

Children benefit from a warm, welcoming home environment. Their emotional needs are supported through direct therapy sessions with a qualified therapist who visits the home weekly. Inspection report for children’s home: 2758223 4

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improvement to be good

Children say they feel safe living in the home.

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improvement to be good

There has been an increase in incidents of children going missing from home since the last inspection. Staff are proactive in searching for children and follow missing-from-care protocols. As a result, there is a well-coordinated response to ensure children return home safely.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers understand the importance of safer recruitment. When staff are recruited, thorough checks are undertaken before they begin working with children. This helps to ensure that staff are suitable and safe to be working in the home.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments are in place and are updated following incidents. However, they do not always provide a clear record of how risks have been identified. For example, one area of risk for one child is deemed high risk when there are no previous concerns. This can feel punitive for children. In addition, managers and leaders have not considered the potential impact on children’s safety when there are staff shortages.

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improvement to be good

Since the previous inspection, there has been an increase in the number of allegations and complaints made by children. When allegations have been made, staff and managers have not consistently followed the safeguarding procedures. On one occasion, a manager failed to address a shortfall in staff reporting, resulting in a missed opportunity to reinforce safeguarding expectations. On another occasion, an allegation was instantly dismissed by the manager without exploring concerns with the child and investigating. This could leave children at risk.

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improvement to be good

When complaints are made by children, outcomes are not communicated to them in a timely manner. This delays resolution and limits children’s ability to feel heard and reassured that their concerns are taken seriously.

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improvement to be good

Regular key-working sessions support children’s understanding of safety and provide a space to share their views. However, records lack detail about the practical support offered, limiting the opportunities to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention and staff responses to children’s views.

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

The home is managed by an experienced and qualified manager who is passionate about caring for children. He challenges children’s placing authorities when care planning is ineffective.

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

Staff say they feel supported and like working in the home. They receive regular supervision, and team meetings are well attended and child focused. However, when children have raised concerns regarding staff, there is no repair work carried out to support positive relationships. Inspection report for children’s home: 2758223 5 Feedback from external professionals is mixed. While all professionals spoken to say that children are cared for and are making some progress, some said there have been delays in care planning and rigid house rules have resulted in children feeling unhappy.

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

Leaders and managers’ evaluations following incidents do not reflect practice or consider areas for development to help children and prevent incidents reoccurring. Records lack detail and do not always demonstrate that therapeutic approaches are used to help children. Monitoring systems in place are not effective in identifying these shortfalls. In addition, some care records for children are not suitably stored and could not be reviewed on inspection.

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

When children have raised concerns following incidents that have been witnessed by managers, there is no evidence of an independent review to ensure that matters are investigated thoroughly and impartially by senior leaders. This lack of oversight undermines the robustness of safeguarding arrangements.

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

Leaders have not provided suitable support for the manager’s professional development through supervision. As a result, the manager has not received the guidance or oversight necessary. This lack of support has impacted the consistency and effectiveness of leadership in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2758223 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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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 understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(c) (2)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children’s views are actively considered and that appropriate action is taken promptly to minimise any negative impact on their well- being. 9 November 2025

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Requirement Due date

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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; 5 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2758223 7 understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that risk assessments are in place and provide clear, practical guidance. Risk must be appropriately assessed and managed in a way that supports children’s experiences, without being punitive.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, safeguarding procedures must be followed consistently, particularly when allegations are made, to ensure children’s safety and well-being are prioritised.

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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

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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

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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for 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

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received.

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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)(a)(d)(f)(ii)(h)) 5 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2758223 8 In particular, the registered person must ensure that the quality of care is regularly reviewed, evaluated and improved by acting on children’s views and concerns in a timely and meaningful way. Leaders must provide the manager with appropriate professional support and supervision, in line with the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, effective monitoring systems must be in place, and staffing levels must always be sufficient to meet the needs of the children.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure they seek to develop the home’s effective working relationships with each child’s placing authority and with other relevant people, including parents. In particular, the registered person should ensure partnership working with children’s families to help stabilise care planning for children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.3)  The registered person should ensure all children’s case records are kept in the home. All children’s case records (regulation 36) must be kept up to date and stored securely. Children’s case records must be kept for 75 years from the date of birth of the child, or if the child dies before the age of 18, for 15 years from the date of his or her death. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)  The registered person should ensure that all serious events are notified, within 24

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Recommendations

hours, to the appropriate people and Ofsted, including any incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10)

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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: 2758223 9

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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

Joanne Humphreys, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2758223 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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Inspector

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