Children's Home run by Kent County Council in Kent

Unique reference number SC037282 Inspection date 05/01/2012 Inspector Diane Thackrah Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 14/07/2011 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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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.

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About this inspection

The report details the progress made by the provider since the last full inspection, identifies any further strengths, any areas for improvement and makes judgements as outlined in the Inspection of children’s homes – framework for inspection (March 2011).

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Good progress The children’s home has demonstrated continued improvement in quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the large majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Satisfactory progress The children’s home has maintained quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Inadequate progress The children’s home has failed to address one or more requirements and/or has not met the majority of recommendations and/or the quality of care and outcomes for children and young people have declined since the last full inspection.

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Brief description of the service

This children’s home is operated by a local authority and provides short break care for children and young people aged between 5 and 17 years, who have learning difficulties, physical disabilities and other associated complex needs. A team of nurses funded by the Primary Care Trust work within the home.

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Progress

Since their previous inspection the service is judged to be making good progress.

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Progress

At the last inspection on 14 July 2011 the home was judged as being good. Since this time, good progress has been made to promote positive outcomes for young people.

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Progress

There has been a commitment to on-going quality monitoring including regular Regulation 33 visits and management checks of record keeping. This has ensured that good levels of quality are maintained in the home and that any problems are put right quickly. For example, there was a short delay in child protection concerns being reported to the local authority child protection team. Good monitoring led to this problem being picked up quickly and identified a staff training need. The positive approach to staff development in the home has resulted in this training being put in place. Supervision has also been used to address this issue. This has helped to ensure that young people are looked after by staff who are well trained and supported to do their jobs. However, not all staff receive supervision frequently enough in order to ensure that all staff receive support to provide each child with the high level of care that they need. Training for staff has been on-going. A number of

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Progress

staff have completed training in child protection, fire safety and incontinence related issues since the last inspection. As a result of training the home can now provide a service for more young people with complex health needs. Staff also have the skills and knowledge to keep young people safe and secure.

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Progress

The home has continued to maintain positive links with parents. This has been done through consultation and social events, such as Christmas parties. This has helped to ensure that parents feel that they have a say in the way that their child is cared for. One parent said ’They always ask for my views’ and reported that this made them confident that their child would be well looked after when at the home. Young people continue to benefit from staying in a well-maintained environment because there are good arrangements for the up keep of the home. There is a rolling programme of redecoration which as meant decorative improvements to some bedrooms and some communal space. Strong arrangements remain in place for carrying out an annual review of each young person's care. As a result young people changing needs are met. These reviews also ensure that good links are maintained with other professions who work with young people and this in turn leads to better continuity in care for

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Progress

young people. For example, one young person's school attendance has improved as a result of multi-disciplinary discussions at an annual review. Young people enjoy spending time in the home. Young people continue to be happy when at the home. One young person said that they like playing with their friend when they stay here.

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Progress

Some information about young people is written on notice boards in communal areas. This practice is intended to ensure that young people's individual needs are clearly understood by staff members. However, the practice does not fully uphold young people's privacy and dignity as private information can be accessed by visitors and other young people. In other areas however, staff promote young people's privacy and dignity well. Young people's files are held securely and seen only by those with a right to see them.

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

 ensure that staff are provided with regular supervision by appropriately qualified and experienced staff (NMS 19)  ensure that information about individual children is kept confidential and only shared with those who have a legitimate need to know the information. (NMS 22.3)

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