Children's Home run by PCT Children’s Services Ltd in Norfolk

Inspection report for children’s home: 2786766 1 Registered provider: PCT Children’s Services Ltd Full inspection 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 company and provides care for up to 5 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 4 children were living in the home. The inspector saw and spoke with all 4 children, and the children shared their views.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted at the same time the home re-registered on 17 January 2025.

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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

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: 2786766 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/07/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2786766 3

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Summary of findings

Staff are not consistently confident in challenging children’s behaviours and keeping them safe. However, there were no serious or widespread failings identified, and leaders and managers have recognised these shortfalls and are taking appropriate steps to address them.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, 2 children have moved on from the home.

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improvement to be good

Three children are not currently engaging in education. While one child attends a school operated by the same provider, maintains good attendance and is making progress from their starting point, the other children are not consistently accessing education. Their engagement with alternative provision is variable. Staff do not consistently provide clear structure or routines to encourage children to engage in learning opportunities. Feedback from an education professional highlights concerns about the consistency of support provided by staff. This lack of structured support may affect children’s progress and their ability to achieve positive educational outcomes.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not consistently developed positive relationships with children. As a result, children are not always supported to build healthy relationships in the home or with their peers. Staff lack confidence with children, which limits their ability to promote meaningful connections and emotional support. They do not consistently establish clear routines or boundaries, and children frequently spend time alone or with peers without appropriate staff engagement or guidance. As a result, children are more often involved in incidents together, increasing risk and reducing opportunities for positive experiences.

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improvement to be good

Children are not consistently engaging in activities. They can access the local beach, go shopping with staff in the community or go swimming. However, they are not routinely offered activities or opportunities that support their engagement with staff.

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improvement to be good

Staff generally plan children’s moves into the home carefully. Children are provided with relevant information, and professionals say that they are supported to settle well. However, despite these positive starts, some children experience unplanned endings. On 2 occasions, children have moved out in an unplanned way, including one child returning to their family. While leaders and managers carry out assessments when considering moves into the home, these are not always sufficiently detailed. They do not consistently identify or fully consider potential risks or the impact of new children joining the home. As a result, children may experience instability, which can affect their sense of security and continuity of care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2786766 4 Children are supported to have their routine health needs met. Recently, one child has been supported to visit the GP to engage in a health assessment specific to their needs.

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improvement to be good

This is something this child has previously not wished to participate in. This appointment has helped the child to receive appropriate additional health support.

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improvement to be good

Feedback from families and professionals about children’s experiences at this home is mixed. Some parents and professionals have concerns about children’s safety and wellbeing and the routines and boundaries children have, whereas others say staff are helping children to make some progress over time.

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improvement to be good

Children do not always have positive experiences and are not always kept safe at the home. Staff respond to concerns about children’s safety, but they have not always appropriately supervised children or been available to them during times of worry. On one occasion, a child took a significant overdose. Staff sought appropriate medical intervention; however, no staff accompanied the child to the hospital. This left a child alone in hospital overnight following a serious incident. Staff were not quick to see the child the following day. The sufficiency of staff did not help this child to feel safe and well cared for.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently provide effective supervision to keep children safe. Children have been able to access each other’s bedrooms, where they have used alcohol and e- cigarettes. On one occasion, an unknown young person was found in a child’s bedroom, and staff were unaware of when they had entered the home. On other occasions, children have spent time together in ways that place them at risk of harm. These shortfalls in supervision mean that staff have not consistently taken appropriate steps to monitor and safeguard children, increasing the risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

On several occasions, 3 children have gone missing together, and staff have not always had sufficient oversight to identify when they left the home. This lack of supervision reduces staff’s ability to respond promptly and effectively to safeguard children. When staff are aware that children are missing, they take appropriate action, including searching the local area and notifying the police, with clear records of these actions. However, children’s risk assessments do not provide clear or detailed guidance for staff on how to respond to missing-from-home incidents, which limits the effectiveness of staff actions and planning to reduce risk.

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improvement to be good

Children are monitored through door alarms, as well as other motion sensors, as part of plans to prevent them from going missing from home. These measures are in place to try and keep children safe. There are risk assessments that note why these measures are currently used, but some professionals and parents said they were not aware these measures are in effect. This issue was raised at the last inspection.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, children have not needed to be physically held. Previously, one child was held multiple times before moving to this home. This reduction in needing to Inspection report for children’s home: 2786766 5 be physically restrained by staff is progress for this child. However, one member of staff, who has been working at the home for 6 months, is yet to undertake any restraint training, despite this being a known risk for a child.

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

Leaders have not ensured that staff receive the training required to meet children’s complex needs. Staff are not yet equipped with the skills or confidence to manage behaviours that challenge them. Despite the home’s statement of purpose outlining a therapeutic approach, staff have not received in-depth training to deliver this in practice. One staff member has not received any face-to-face training. As a result, children are not consistently supported with the level of care and understanding required to meet their needs.

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

The home is managed by a registered manager who is currently undertaking the relevant management qualification. She has worked at the home for several years, including before the home re-registered, and has established knowledge of the staff team and children. Leaders and managers do not yet have sufficiently effective oversight to identify and address all concerns consistently.

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

The staff team is currently made up of individuals of only one gender. One child said that they feel they are missing out on experiences and positive role modelling that a more diverse staff team could offer. While the use of agency staff is generally limited, agency staff are currently being used in response to an increase in incidents. On one occasion, there were insufficient staff available to support a child to attend hospital. These shortfalls in staffing capacity and diversity are having a negative impact on children’s experiences and the quality of support they receive.

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

Staff recording is now more detailed in relation to incidents, such as when children go missing from the home. Children’s records are generally up to date; however, there are some gaps in local authority care plans, which do not support staff to work in line with those plans. Language in some records remains institutionalised and does not support the recording of information about children in a child-friendly manner.

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

Staff receive regular supervision. Records of these sessions are detailed, and children are regularly discussed. This helps leaders and managers to understand the needs of children and the staff team. Staff report feeling well supported and say that leaders and managers are approachable and support their learning and development.

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

All staff either hold the relevant level 3 qualification or are enrolled and working towards it. Recruitment checks for new staff are also appropriate. Inspection report for children’s home: 2786766 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 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(ii)(iv)(b)) 31 July 2026

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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 staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 31 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2786766 7 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

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)(c)(d)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship; 31 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2786766 8 strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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 achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(v)(x)) 30 September 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that, whenever possible, staff in day-to-day contact with children include individuals from the different gender groups. Where the home’s statement of purpose specifies that the home employs staff of only one gender, clear guidance must be in place and followed on how children are supported to maintain relationships with people of a different gender. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.22)  The registered person should obtain written consent from the placing authority at the time of placement for any use of CCTV or other monitoring equipment in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.16)  The registered person should ensure that staff record information about individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-

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Recommendations

party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report for children’s home: 2786766 9  The registered person should ensure that children are offered a wide range of activities, inside and outside the home (where appropriate), and are encouraged to participate in those activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.5)  The registered person should ensure that they only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans, and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph

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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: 2786766 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: PCT Children’s Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 28 Gordon Road, Lowestoft NR32 1NL

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Inspectors

Rebecca Hannell, Social Care Inspector Tam Musvaire, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2786766 11 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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