Children's home run by Pike View Care Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2711793 1 Registered provider: Pike View Care 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 is owned and managed by a private provider. The home provides care for up to two children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2023.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2711793 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/04/2024 Full Outstanding 30/08/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2711793 3

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outstanding

Children living at the home have built exceptionally strong, trusting and secure relationships with staff. Managers and staff invest time in children, they listen to them, protect them and promote their welfare. Staff are proud of children’s progress and achievements and tell children how proud they are. As a result, children have a strong sense of permanence, pride and belonging.

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outstanding

Children receive outstanding, consistent care from staff. Children’s comments about living at the home include, ‘I really like it here and I have everything I need’, ‘I like all the staff and they show me respect’ and ‘the staff are always there to help you.’

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outstanding

The home is maintained to a high standard and provides a homely, comfortable and nurturing environment. Photos of children are displayed throughout the home, which gives the home a family feel and a feeling of permanence for children.

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outstanding

Children have made significant progress in their education from their individual starting points. One child who had not attended education for a significant time prior to living at the home is now attending school on a full-time basis. Managers and staff are ambitious for children and promote their educational development to enhance opportunities for their future.

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outstanding

Staff encourage children to lead a healthy lifestyle and to try new foods, promote healthy eating and discourage children from smoking vapes. Children are supported to attend relevant health appointments. Staff advocate for children to ensure that they receive timely access to health care by chasing up referrals with relevant health professionals. This ensures that children remain in good health.

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outstanding

Staff support family time arrangements as they recognise the benefit of these relationships for children both now and in the future. Staff actively support children to develop and nurture relationships with the people who matter to them, regardless of distance. Children are supported to spend time with their family at the home. Staff understand that family time can sometimes be emotionally challenging for children and they provide sensitive support to help them process and manage their feelings.

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outstanding

Parents and family value the excellent care children receive living at the home. One parent said, ‘He is like a different child’ and I do not want them to move from the home.’ Another parent said, ‘Communication is great and this is the best home they [the child] have been at and they have come on leaps and bounds.’

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outstanding

Children are offered a wide range of new activities and experiences, including go ‑ karting, trips to a shopping Centre and holidays abroad. One child was supported Inspection report for children’s home: 2711793 4 to attend their school prom and particularly enjoyed going shopping with staff to choose a new outfit.

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outstanding

The manager and staff contribute to several local charities and actively encourage children to take part in community initiatives, helping them develop a sense of participation and belonging.

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outstanding

Children are supported to develop their independence skills. Staff have supported two children to move into their own semi ‑ independent accommodation. The strong, trusting relationships built over time mean that the children have chosen to remain in contact with staff after moving on. Staff helped the children to purchase essential items for their new accommodation to support their independence. One child who has moved from the home spoke to the inspector and said, ‘They [the staff] changed my life around and they have given me the life skills to become an adult’.

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outstanding

Proactive, creative and effective safeguarding practice means that all children have a strong sense of safety and well-being. Children feel safe and well cared for by the staff.

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outstanding

Leaders, managers and staff demonstrate a strong understanding of safeguarding practice. Staff receive appropriate training through a wide range of courses, ensuring their knowledge remains current and effective. The manager and staff team know each child’s needs well and clear strategies are in place to minimise identified risks. Each child has an individualised, up ‑ to ‑ date risk management plan, which the manager and staff review regularly to ensure that they remain relevant and robust.

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outstanding

Children’s risks significantly reduce over time and those subject to orders that restrict their liberty when moving into the home are supported to make swift and sustained progress, resulting in these orders no longer being required. Social workers and other professionals value the effectiveness of safeguarding practice. A social worker said, ‘This is the most stability the child has had in a number of years and I know he feels safe and secure’. A child’s independent reviewing officer commented, ‘The staff have created a safe, nurturing environment where [child’s name] feels secure and valued.’

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outstanding

Incidents of holding a child to keep them or others safe is used only as a last resort. Records of these incidents are completed and contain all relevant information. After each incident, both the child and the staff involved are spoken to so that any learning can be identified and reflected upon. The manager provides effective oversight and evaluation of all incidents to ensure that practice remains safe and appropriate.

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outstanding

All staff receive training in relation to safeguarding and managing children’s behaviours. When incidents do take place, staff complete detailed records to ensure that all relevant information is captured. Discussions with the child and the staff Inspection report for children’s home: 2711793 5 involved take place afterwards so that experiences can be reflected on with a clear focus on staff practice and continuous improvement.

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outstanding

Room searches are carried out when necessary. When a child is not present during a search, staff speak with them afterwards to explain what happened and why. Detailed records are completed for each search, clearly outlining the reasons why it was undertaken and noting any items of concern that were found.

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outstanding

Children benefit from clear structures and consistent boundaries, which help them to feel safe and secure. Staff regularly praise and reward children’s achievements and help them develop the skills to manage their emotions more effectively. Staff responses are firmly rooted in trauma ‑ informed practice. Staff know the children well and recognise subtle changes in their mood or behaviour. Staff quickly offer guidance, advice and support at an early stage to prevent escalation, enabling children to enjoy a stable living environment in which they can thrive.

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outstanding

Consequences are used appropriately and proportionately, following restorative principles that encourage children to reflect and understand the impact of their behaviour. The manager has oversight of consequences and ensures that they are effective in improving children’s emotional responses and behaviour.

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outstanding

Allegations are managed effectively. When one child made an allegation, managers and staff responded swiftly and ensured that all relevant professionals were informed of the necessary details. Records provide a clear and detailed chronology of the actions taken and the discussions held in response to the concerns.

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outstanding

Incidents of children going missing from home significantly reduce while they are living at the home. There have been only two such incidents, both of which were managed effectively. Managers and staff spoke with the child involved to discuss what happened and to help them understand the risks associated with going missing. An independent return ‑ home interview was also completed to ensure that the child had the opportunity to share their views and receive additional support.

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outstanding

Children’s medication is stored and managed safely and effectively. On one occasion, a medication error occurred; however, this was promptly identified and appropriate action was taken. This included providing additional training to staff to prevent a recurrence.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders, managers and staff consistently go above and beyond to ensure that children receive the highest standards of care. They are committed to meeting each child’s individual needs and to promoting their safety, well ‑ being and overall development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is experienced and provides enthusiastic, motivated leadership. He works closely with the deputy manager and the responsible Inspection report for children’s home: 2711793 6 individual, together they share a clear vision for delivering outstanding care. They hold high aspirations for every child and are committed to ensuring that each child reaches their full potential. The management team maintains effective oversight of the quality of care at the home, ensuring that standards remain consistently high.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have high expectations of the staff team, as a result, staff work exceptionally well together to provide a consistent and stable home for children. Staff benefit from regular supervision and team meetings. They speak positively about the support they receive from managers and value the leadership team’s commitment to operating the home to an exceptionally high standard. Staff comments include, ‘It is fantastic here and we are very well supported’ and ‘I love working here and it is so rewarding.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular training in line with children’s needs. Managers search for new, innovative training opportunities. Staff recently completed training on new ways to record children’s lived experiences in an empowering and respectful way as part of their commitment to continually improve their practice. All staff have either completed or are in the process of completing the qualification in residential childcare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team has good oversight of the quality of care provided to children. Although all serious incidents at the home are managed appropriately, not all serious incidents have been notified to the regulator. This prevents oversight of the regulator to consider the action taken by the provider to keep children safe. A requirement has been made to address this shortfall.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have monitoring and review systems in place. However, the systems failed to identify that some children’s local authority documentation requires review to ensure that it reflects the child’s current circumstances. This has not impacted on children’s care or experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has developed positive working relationships with professionals and parents. The manager understands the importance of effective partnership working and how this contributes towards children’s positive experiences at the home. Professionals said, ‘Nothing is too much trouble’ and ‘I have so much trust in this placement’ and ‘I am overwhelmingly impressed with the quality of care and support provided.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2711793 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 registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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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 —

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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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e) 20 February

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that effective internal monitoring and review systems are in place to drive continuous improvement in the quality of care provided. This includes making sure that children’s written plans are kept up to date with their current circumstances and that all relevant documentation for each child is maintained on file. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’ page 55, paragraph 10.24) Inspection report for children’s home: 2711793 8

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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: 2711793 9

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Inspector

Suzanne Birchall, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2711793 10 and inspects to 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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