Children's home run by Prestige Adolescent Care and Education Limited in Stoke-on-Trent

Inspection report for children’s home: SC434520 1 SC434520 Registered provider: Prestige Adolescent Care and Education Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered in September 2011 to provide care for up to 4 children who may experience emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is suitably qualified and has been in post since November 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

There are 3 children living at the home. The children were all seen and spoken to during the inspection.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC434520 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/03/2025 Full Good 28/02/2024 Full Good 21/03/2023 Full Good 10/03/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC434520 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out of the home, and there are currently 3 children living in the home. All 3 children are settled and making good progress. Two of the children have lived in the home for over 4 years. Managers and staff know the children living in the home very well and understand their individual needs. Positive relationships are enjoyed by staff and children. Children receive excellent care, which is underpinned by a good knowledge of research-informed practice. This means that the children living in the home are flourishing and have a sense of belonging, creating stability. The staff team is stable. This ensures that children are cared for by adults who know and understand them well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to consistently attend all health appointments. Staff talk sensitively to children about the importance of positive physical and mental health as well as developing consistent self-care skills and routines. This ensures that the children’s health needs are met. Staff place great importance on healthy lifestyles and encourage all the children living in the home to engage in physical activities of their choice. This includes football, cheerleading, kickboxing and bike riding. Children feel valued and say that they really enjoy these opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff place high value on children accessing education. All 3 children living in the home attend school and are making positive progress. Staff ensure that each child is taken and collected individually to and from school. This allows children time and space to talk about their school day with support from staff if they need to process difficult feelings about school. This has meant that incidences of internal exclusion have reduced for one child living in the home. One school representative stated, ‘The stability and nurture provided at home enable the young person to be receptive, motivated and increasingly confident in the school environment.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a home that is warm, welcoming and maintained to a high standard. Children are helped to decorate their bedrooms to reflect their own personal tastes, and they have plenty of space for their personal belongings. This makes children feel valued.

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

Incidents rarely happen at this home. When these do take place, staff take appropriate and prompt action to safeguard children. Staff understand the procedures in place to report significant incidents and how to keep children safe. These are reinforced through reflective discussions within team meetings and staff supervisions. Incidents of physical restraint happened frequently for two children when they first came to live in the home. Staff have developed strong and trusting relationships with these children. This means that they are better able to recognise signs that these children are getting upset, and they take steps to help them calm down before an incident escalates. Due to the relationships Inspection report for children’s home: SC434520 4 that staff have developed with children, there have been no further incidents of physical intervention in this inspection period.

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

Staff have built positive relationships with children, and they are all able to identify trusted adults whom they can confide in. Children say that this makes them feel safe. Children know how to raise a complaint, and they say that they feel that their ‘wishes and feelings’ are valued and acted on. Meaningful conversations are used to support children to understand how to keep safe, for example about internet safety and the potential risks of playing games online. Staff use verbal and written praise to support children’s understanding of risks. Staff are creative in how they support children to develop independence skills to prepare them for when they move from the home. For example, one child was initially supported to catch the bus independently while staff went to the planned bus stop to wait for them to provide them with reassurance. This helps children to feel safer at home and in the community.

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

Staff have access to an internal therapeutic service, and this is used well to support staff in building on their understanding of how to respond to children when they are distressed. Staff have received training to specifically meet children’s needs, and this has significantly helped the children to manage their emotions and settle in the home. Staff ensure that these techniques form part of the day-to-day care of children so that they experience consistency of care. This has meant that incidents of self-harming have significantly reduced for one child since coming to live in the home.

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

Safer recruitment processes are in place. This means that children are cared for by suitable adults. Where there are potential concerns, managers have taken swift action to ensure these have been fully explored and managed robustly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is knowledgeable about and committed to the children living in the home and the staff that care for them. The manager has systems and processes in place to ensure their effective oversight of the running of the home. The manager is reviewing the system in place to ensure the safe storage of children’s records.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Training provided to staff is comprehensive, and they feel equipped to care for children with complex and diverse needs. Senior staff members have worked at the home for a long time, providing children with stability and consistency of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and leaders ensure that they consider the needs of all of the children living in the home before inviting a new child to move in. This ensures that children live with other children where respectful and harmonious relationships can be nurtured. Staff work with children so that they understand the plan when they move on from living in the home. Goodbyes are managed positively to support children through this change in their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals say that staff and managers communicate effectively, which ensures that children are fully supported. One school staff member said, ‘The young person’s sense of Inspection report for children’s home: SC434520 5 safety and trust in the adults around them is clearly evident through their behaviour and communication within school.’ Parents appreciate the clear communication with the manager and staff and state that this helps them to understand how their child is being cared for and the progress they are making. Parents feel that any concerns raised with the manager are promptly addressed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported by managers and leaders and receive regular, good-quality supervision. Team meetings foster an environment of learning and are used as an opportunity for reflection and development. Staff receive a good-quality induction and are supported to develop their skills and knowledge to be able to care for children who have experienced trauma. One staff member has not achieved their level 3 qualification within the mandatory two years’ timeframe as required. Inspection report for children’s home: SC434520 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

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)) 1 July 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure the safe storage of children’s records and that business continuity planning is in place to prevent loss or damage to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph14.3)

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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: SC434520 7

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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

Helen Dickens, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC434520 8 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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