Children's Home run by Channels and Choices Kent LLP in Kent

Unique reference number SC385631 Inspection date 06/09/2011 Inspector Angus Mackay Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

p.1

Date of last inspection 08/03/2011 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.1

This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

p.2

About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

p.3

About this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the Inspections of children’s homes – framework for inspection (March 2011) and the evaluation schedule for children's homes.

p.3

The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service that exceeds minimum requirements Satisfactory : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

p.3

Brief description of the service

The home is registered to care for three young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties and currently provides education on site. There is single room accommodation for young people.

p.4

Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

p.4

Overall effectiveness

Young people say they recognise that they have made considerable progress while living in the home. Their needs in health, education, basic care and safeguarding are well met and the home is recognised as being good at doing this. Young people make excellent progress in developing a positive self view. This strengthens their emotional resilience through good contact with their families supported by regular key-working and sessions with their therapist.

p.4

Overall effectiveness

Young people live in a home where the management is outstanding. Managers make excellent use of information from a range of monitoring systems. This ensures that young people are making good progress and that all staff are properly prepared to provide good care.

p.4

Overall effectiveness

Young people feel safe in the home and have good relationships with the staff. Young people are looked after by carefully selected staff and opportunities exist in developing young people’s awareness of personal safety. Recommendations following this inspection include: improved private access to independent advice and support from adults, more use of the excellent complaints information in analysis and better recording of gaps in employment.

p.4

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

p.4

Recommendations

 ensure that children have access to independent advice and support from adults who they can contact directly and in private (NMS 1.5)  ensure that all complaints including those made informally, are entered in the complaint book to allow monitoring of these and to identify any concerns about specific incidents and to identify patterns and trends (NMS 21.2)  ensure that there is a record of the recruitment and vetting checks which have been carried out on those working for the children's home in, particular a detailed recording of the discussion about any gaps in employment. (NMS 16.3)

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are good .

p.5

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have generally good health which is improved with assistance from staff .They show an improvement in self-esteem, sense of identity and pride in their appearance which is encouraged and supported by staff and by positive health programmes. A social worker commented that staff ensure the young people’s presentation is always good. Young people have also made significant progress, with assistance from health professionals. This addresses a range of issues including poor sleep, anger management and impulse control issues allowing them to more successfully engage in school.

p.5

Outcomes for children and young people

All young people attend school and are engaged in programmes designed to lead to re-engagement in mainstream education. Progress is significant relative to the young people’s starting points Young people are proud of their success in school and look forward to further progress in achieving academic success.

p.5

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people take part in activities of their choice but where possible these are in the local community with children from local families. One social worker commented that she liked this engagement outside the home with normal activities with children outside the care system. Young people are encouraged to develop age appropriate friendships and to see friends and family on a regular basis. Visits to the home are encouraged for families and young people are helped to maintain regular appropriate contacts and develop an understanding of their background.

p.5

Quality of care

Young people enjoy care in line with their placement plans, which are regularly reviewed by them with support from their keyworker. Staff ensure the care plans and 24 hour management plans contain explicit guidance on care and cultural issues. Young people and their families are consulted about this and staff assist young people in meeting any identified needs. Staff are sensitive to gender differences and offer care to young people with due sensitivity to privacy and personal choice. Care plans detail how young people like to be cared for such as: the gender of carer putting them to bed, waking routines and privacy to dress which young people confirm staff follow. Staff are aware of the progress young people make and issues they need to address with young people. This is evidenced in staffs’ comments on young people’s placement plans and keywork records. Young people’s personal programmes are adjusted to help them achieve positive outcomes. For example, one

p.5

Quality of care

young person’s personal programme is being successfully changed with shorter reward periods and shorter term goals. This produces successful outcomes in behavioural change and personal care targets. Young people say that they get on well with each other and staff with any disagreements being likened to family squabbles. One young person said they were going through a difficult time and were presenting some very aggressive behaviour. However, staff continue to support them, making them feel safe and cared for. Disruptive behaviour during the inspection was dealt with calmly and efficiently by staff using a lot of negotiation, explanation and perseverance. Diffusing situations with post event discussion allow young people to learn from the incidents and settle calmly back into their activities.

p.5

Quality of care

Young people live in a home where staff work exceptionally hard at helping them to address their personal health issues. Young people achieve this by working through individual health targets agreed with them, keywork sessions and appropriate professional advice.

p.6

Quality of care

Young people are encouraged to take an interest in healthy eating and exercising choice in meals. Young people receive advice from the nutritionist about these choices and this ensures that they learn about what makes a balanced diet. Young people are encouraged to take part in fun physical activities of their choice and all have positive reward targets around personal hygiene. This encourages young people in self care and improving their fitness and self-esteem.

p.6

Quality of care

Staff ensure that medication is safely stored and issued. They get the young people to sign that they have received the medication. Staff discuss the reasons for taking medications and its effectiveness with young people. This enhances young people’s knowledge about their health and engagement in their own care.

p.6

Quality of care

Young people make significant progress in addressing personal issues including work with therapists on issues such as identity, anger management, family relationships and self-esteem. This helps them to reduce serious incidents and gain emotional stability. Where necessary, sessions are arranged with the local child and adolescent mental health team or the looked after children nurse. This helps to address specific health issues, monitor health progress or give advice on subjects such as sexual health. The success of these interventions has aided one young person in accessing education and helped keep another safe. Young people say they are involved in exercising choice and influence over a wide range of things in the home including décor, sanctions, medication issuing, activities and food.

p.6

Quality of care

Young people are clear about how to make a complaint and about whom they can approach if they have any difficulties. They feel safe with the staff and trust them to address their issues fairly. In addition to formal complaints, the young people say they can influence things and bring about change through their children’s meeting. The complaints and issues raised here are often successfully resolved at the time. However, not all complaints made in the children’s meetings are currently being recorded in the complaints book with the resolution and young people’s views. As a result, this does not aid the tracking and monitoring of complaints.

p.6

Safeguarding children and young people

The service is good at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

p.7

Safeguarding children and young people

Young people say they feel safe in the home and are protected from harm by the staff team. They are appropriately protected by a range of safeguarding measures such as good systems to deal with child protection matters, complaints and staff recruitment. The recording of the discussion about gaps in employment is noted as happening but is poorly recorded. Young people are cared for by a diverse staff team with a good balance of males and females to meet their care needs Staff are very knowledgeable about the homes procedures and actions to identify and address any signs of abuse or neglect and know how to respond to any allegations from young people. They receive regular appropriate training to keep their knowledge and skills current. This is supported by good casework discussions including professionals external to the home.

p.7

Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are encouraged to engage in discussion with keyworkers and other staff to help keep them safe. On the rare occasions they go missing staff follow appropriate actions with young people, attempting to locate them and safely return them to the home. Staff arrange for young people to see the police and someone independent of the home, after they return. This helps ensure young people’s safety from abuse.

p.7

Safeguarding children and young people

The young people live in a safe healthy environment in which health and safety guidelines are followed. There are very regular fire drills and comprehensive and effective risk assessments in place to keep them safe from hazards within the home and on trips out. To further ensure their safety, electrical and gas equipment is tested regularly.

p.7

Safeguarding children and young people

There is very effective monitoring of the use of restraint and sanctions by the managers of the home which evidences behavioural improvements in the young people. Sanctions and restraints are rarely used and are appropriately recorded, including comments from the young people. Young people are debriefed after any intervention and their safety ensured by access to medical help or discussion with someone outside the home if they request it. Young people have no access to contact with adults outside the home without having to ask staff.

p.7

Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are outstanding .

p.7

Leadership and management

Young people live in a home which benefits from outstanding leadership and management. The Registered Manager makes excellent use of a range of information including very detailed reports and monitoring systems undertaken for the purposes of Regulations 33 and 34 of the Children’s Homes Regulations 2011. These management systems identify patterns of behaviour, while ensuring that staff engagement with young people improves the outcomes for them. The young people also benefit from being encouraged to comment on all aspects of their care and planning. This enhances young people’s sense of control and engagement in developing successful outcomes.

p.7

Leadership and management

The Registered Manager ensures that practice in the home is excellent, providing an appropriate service for young people in line with its Statement of Purpose. Managers make outstanding use of monthly monitoring procedures and activities of the home. This drives forward the development plan and influences any changes to the service. The home is excellent at keeping social workers and families informed of all aspects of the young peoples lives and of any changes. One social worker said, ‘The home maintains good contact with me and excellent contact with the young person’s mother.’

p.8

Leadership and management

Young people have had their safety improved by the changes to the home and procedures following the last inspection. The Registered Manager has put in place an emergency procedure for use in extreme weather conditions to ensure a continuous care service is provided to the young people. Young people’s safety is further enhanced by responses to health and safety recommendations which have improved the environment of the home, reducing the risk from fire or faulty electrical equipment. Regulation 33 monitoring of complaints ensures they are properly resolved to the young people’s satisfaction. Managers set high standards for staff which are carefully monitored through supervision and appraisals. Staff receive regular supervision with a strong focus on improving their work with the young people. Staff are very positive about working in the home and managers seek constant supported improvement in their work with

p.8

Leadership and management

young people. All staff are appropriately qualified or are working towards the Children and Young Peoples Workforce Diploma within six months of confirmation of employment. This helps ensure staffs’ competency and that they can successfully meet the young people’s needs.

p.8

Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is good .

p.8