Children's home run by Parkview Care (Broadstairs) Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2594775 1 Registered provider: Parkview Care (Broadstairs) 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 owned and managed by a private organisation. The home provides care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since March 2023.

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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

Date of last inspection: 12 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: 2594775 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/11/2024 Full Good 25/07/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/09/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2594775 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive relationships with staff, who have a good understanding of their needs. Staff listen to children, spend time with them and promote their well-being. Children’s views on their day-to-day care are acted upon by staff. As a result, children feel valued and cared for.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children identify that they have made positive progress since living in the home and partly attribute this to the support they receive. They speak with pride about their accomplishments and recognise the role that staff have played in helping them reach these achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of family relationships and support children to spend time with their families. Family members speak positively about the care provided to the children and praise the staff for their commitment to promoting their time together. When possible, families are welcomed into the home, helping family time to feel a more relaxed and natural arrangement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A consistent theme of both family and professional feedback is the quality of communication by staff. Many specifically highlight the deputy manager’s efforts in keeping them up to date. Professionals say they feel involved in planning for children, which helps contribute to the overall quality of care provided. When describing the staff, one child’s parent said, ‘They are just so human, and I feel I can relate to them, and they are understanding.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to take part in a variety of activities that reflect their individual interests and preferences. This includes trips to the cinema, shopping outings and a planned holiday abroad. These opportunities help children to stay busy and active and provide them with new experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that the home provides a welcoming environment for children. Children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms, which helps them develop a sense of pride and ownership. Regular health and safety checks are carried out by staff, and maintenance issues are promptly identified and addressed to ensure the home remains a safe place to live.

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

All the children can identify staff they trust and feel comfortable speaking to. Children consistently say that staff listen to them and take any concerns shared seriously. This responsive approach helps children feel reassured that appropriate action will be taken to support them. Inspection report for children's home: 2594775 4 Staff have a solid understanding of how to identify, assess and manage risks for children. They are proactive in recognising potential concerns and take quick action to safeguard children from risks.

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

Staff have a clear understanding of the procedures to follow when a child is missing from the home. For some children, this has contributed to a reduction in incidents of being missing from home. This improvement is also testament to the trusting relationships children have with staff, which support them to remain in regular contact when away from the home. Staff work creatively with children to agree safety plans, ensuring children are consulted as part of this planning and that plans are tailored to each child’s individual needs.

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

Staff have a detailed knowledge of children’s experiences and needs and use this insight to adapt their approach to the care they provide. Staff respond to children with care and understanding, helping them to recognise and name their feelings. As a result, children feel more able to manage their emotions. One child said, ‘I feel I have made progress since living in the home, mainly around how I feel calmer now.’

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

Staff work closely with external professionals and make timely referrals to specialist agencies to ensure children receive the help they need. When there are delays or gaps in services, staff take proactive steps to advocate on behalf of children. One child’s independent reviewing officer praised the staff for their strong advocacy and commitment to securing support for the child.

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

Although staff are trained in the use of physical intervention, there have been no incidents of children being restrained since the last inspection. Staff use their knowledge of children and the relationships they have developed to manage behaviour and defuse situations. This prevents incidents from escalating to the point where restraint may be necessary.

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

Oversight has not always been effective in identifying and responding to safeguarding issues. On one occasion, a serious allegation made by a child was not recognised by the previous manager of the home, resulting in a lack of action to investigate and notify partner professionals and Ofsted. Since the deputy manager assumed responsibility for the home, there has been a marked improvement in the oversight of safeguarding matters. Concerns are now identified promptly, and appropriate action is taken to ensure children’s safety and well-being.

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

The home has been without a registered manager since March 2023 and has since been overseen by multiple managers. None have remained in post long enough to provide sustained leadership. Alongside this, there has been a high level of staff turnover, and some staff have described occasions when they have not received the guidance needed to manage certain situations. While senior leaders have taken steps to learn from this, this has still had an effect on the continuity of care provided to children and staff. Inspection report for children's home: 2594775 5 After the previous manager left in January 2025, the deputy manager took over the day- to-day running of the home. Since this time, the deputy manager has made some positive changes, such as improving staff morale and strengthening how safeguarding incidents are managed. While their efforts have helped provide some stability, this was only intended as a short-term arrangement. A new manager has now been appointed

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

and has submitted their application to register with Ofsted. The new manager has expressed a clear intention to bring greater stability and long-term development to the home.

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

Children have had varied experiences when moving into the home. For one child, they were welcomed with a well-prepared plan that fully considered their needs, so the child settled well. For another child, there was limited evidence of effective planning and a lack of understanding of how a child’s needs would affect the other children already living in the home. This impacted negatively on both children and led to leaders giving emergency notice for one child to leave, not long after they had arrived. This was disruptive for children and led to one child experiencing another move in their life. This is a repeated shortfall in this setting.

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

Staff feel well supported and are confident in approaching managers when they need help or guidance. However, staff personal supervision and appraisal is not consistently provided to staff in line with the homes policy and it is not reflective. The scope of the deputies’ responsibilities, in the absence of a manager, has impacted the regularity of supervision.

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

Staff actively promote equality and help children understand and respect differences and diversity. They use creative ways to explore topics like bias and discrimination, including supporting an understanding of where these views may come from. This work helps create a culture of inclusion. As a result, children become more aware of themselves and others and are supported to build positive, respectful relationships.

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

The home now has a full staff team. Since the last inspection, senior managers reviewed the staff induction process and identified areas for improvement. As a result, new staff now receive a more comprehensive induction, intended to provide them with the knowledge and practical experience needed for their roles. Inspection report for children's home: 2594775 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 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—

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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’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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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

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(e)(h)) 26 September 2025

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that arrangements are in place to plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(b) (2)(b)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the needs of each child must be fully considered before moving into the home, together with considering the needs of the children already living there. 12 September 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2594775 7 The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if —

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child — is instigated; or

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 30 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)(c)) 26 September 2025

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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: 2594775 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Parkview Care (Broadstairs) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Brentano Suite, Solar House, 915 High Road, North Finchley, London N12 8QJ

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Inspector

Kerry Howarth, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2594775 9 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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