Children's Home run by Moonreach LTD in Kent

Unique reference number SC448997 Inspection date 29/11/2012 Inspector Sophie Wood Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 06/06/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This privately owned children's home is registered to provide care and accommodation for a maximum of 2 young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements Adequate : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are making good progress in almost every area of their personal growth and development. They are benefitting from a consistent and stable team approach which reinforces their feelings of safety. A skilled staff team is competently led and managed to provide good quality care. Staff are effectively supervised and trained to meet the needs of the young people.

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Overall effectiveness

Some difficulties are being experienced in obtaining school placements but the home works in close partnership with placing authorities to resolve this. One requirement and three recommendations are made as a result of this first inspection visit. These are primarily concerned with recording systems and do not as yet negatively impact upon the safety and welfare of the young people.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

17B (2001) ensure that within 24 hours of the use of any measure of control, restraint or discipline in a children's home, a written 07/01/2013 record is made in a volume kept for the purpose of which shall include confirmation that the person authorised by the registered provider to make the record has spoken to the child concerned and the person using the measure about the use of the measure. (Regulation 17B (3)(h)

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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 the home supports the young person's transition to adult services, when required by the care plan. This recommendation is made within the context of improving upon the content and quality of such plans, to ensure they accurately reflect the young person's skills, needs and progress made (NMS 12.4)  ensure staff encourage children to take appropriate risks as a normal part of growing up. This recommendation is made within the context of ensuring young people's individual risk assessment are regularly updated to allow them to take balanced and appropriate risks as they grow up and make progress (NMS 4.4)  ensure that visits of the home carried out under Regulation 33 include relevant checks set out in regulations and guidance. This recommendation is made within the context of ensuring such reports demonstrate rigour and robust quality assurance. (NMS 21.7)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are good .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are enjoying good, and in some areas, excellent outcomes. They are positively addressing their historic difficulties and learning to form appropriate attachments with the staff team and their own family members. Incidents of challenging and unsafe behaviours are dramatically reducing. Young people are developing safer coping mechanisms.

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Outcomes for children and young people

An inclusive and educative approach encourages young people to take responsibility for their own health needs. Individuals are actively involved in developing their own health care plans. Staff members remind young people of the consequences of their decisions and they intervene appropriately. They now make positive choices, for example, the cessation of using harmful substances.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are thriving on an emotional level. They are exploring their past experiences and histories and developing emotional resilience. Their emotional health and well-being is highly prioritised. Family members describe, 'overwhelming positive changes' and say, 'the home has turned my child around.' Young people enjoy positive contact with their family members and friends. Significant relationships are in many cases, blossoming. Parental comments include, 'it feels like I've got my child back.'

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are being encouraged to make positive choices with regards to their education. Their attendance and effort is richly rewarded. When difficulties arise, staff persist with support, encouragement and clear expectations. Young people are now seriously considering their future options and are making plans for college. They are clear about their future aspirations and the staff team remind them of their own responsibilities in this regard.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people enjoy a wide range of opportunities to explore their surroundings and to further develop their independence skills. As their confidence grows, so does their desire to become increasingly self-sufficient. The staff team encourages this in many practical areas including, budgeting, cooking and household chores. Young people sometimes describe frustration in this regard. Comments include, 'I am more capable than they sometimes let me be.' Staff appreciate this view and are reviewing some of their risk assessment processes as a result.

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Quality of care

Young people thrive in an environment which values them as unique individuals. The staff team instils feelings of self-worth and this inspires confidence. New referrals are carefully scrutinised and the home is explicitly clear about whether it can or cannot take a placement. The chances of success for young people entering the home are dramatically increased due to vigilant placement planning. Written care plans are diligently completed in close liaison with placing social workers, young people and family members. Individual histories and backgrounds are respectfully acknowledged; these are used to inform the working practices of the staff team.

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Quality of care

Staff are extremely sensitive to individual needs. They understand the learnt and idiosyncratic behaviours which are used by young people as protection mechanisms. The collective response is consistent, patient and where necessary, firm. Staff know the young people well. They communicate effectively in ways which are understood. Young people contribute to house meetings, key working sessions and reviews because they know their views and opinions are important. Complaints processes are understood. Young people say they tend to rely more on informal processes and state, 'you just say if something is bothering you and it's sorted.'

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Quality of care

Detailed health care plans are designed with the input of the young people. Staff strike a good balance in encouraging responsibility alongside appropriate monitoring and intervention. Health-related issues and areas of concern are closely monitored. Staff know how to support such needs because they receive appropriate training and they refer to external agencies as is appropriate. Young people are learning to make positive choices and decisions. Some areas of progress are taking longer than others but the team's consistent approach is having the desired effect.

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Quality of care

The staff team actively encourages educational attendance and achievement. Staff members are excellent role models. Young people are rewarded and encouraged to attend school. Great emphasis is currently being placed upon supporting individuals to actively research local college provision for the next stage in their lives. Staff members are in daily contact with one school and the educational needs of one young person are currently being met by the additional services provided by the home. This is not an acceptable long-term solution; however the situation is not of the home's making. It is another positive example which demonstrates the home's commitment to its young people.

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Quality of care

Young people enjoy living in a physically safe, well-furnished, comfortable home. Furnishings and fittings are of good quality and young people enjoy the privacy of their own bedrooms. Young people have a real say in terms of décor and equipment. The home is well placed in terms of travel links and access to leisure resources. This factor positively lends itself to young people in further developing their independence skills.

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Safeguarding children and young people

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

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people live in a safe and appropriately secure physical environment. They enjoy freedom of movement within the home and no restrictive security or surveillance measures are used. Health and safety checks are diligently completed alongside generic household risk assessments. Young people understand fire safety systems which are regularly practised.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The staff team is recruited subject to rigorous vetting procedures. Young people are looked after by a safe and stable staff team. Visitors to the home have their identity verified and are supervised throughout their stay.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people say they feel safe within the home. They attribute this to the practices of the staff team and the positive relationships they enjoy. Conversely, one comment states, 'sometimes we are too safe, I know I can handle more responsibility and would like more freedom.' Placement plans and risk assessments do show the gradual introduction of more appropriate risks being taken as young people begin to settle into their placements. However, there are some examples of an overly cautious approach which could be improved through the increased sharing of responsibilities between the home and placing authorities in making these decisions.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The staff team is well trained in safeguarding practices. Procedural guidance is competently delivered and training is refreshed. Staff understand potential safeguarding risks: for example, lone working situations are routinely avoided through good planning of the duty roster. No serious child protection incidents have occurred since the home's opening. However, the manager has consulted with the Local Authority and one notification has been made. Such practice reflects the home's ability to work transparently with associated lead agencies in the interests of protecting the young people. Behaviour management systems are clear. Individual behaviour management plans are sharp, rigorously monitored and effective. All of the staff are trained in the use of physical restraint techniques; however, these are rarely used. Four such interventions are recorded since the home's opening. One omission is noted with

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Safeguarding children and young people

regards to the recording format and a requirement is made to rectify this. The staff team focuses upon rewarding positive behaviour; sanctions are used and these are monitored by the manager and Regulation 33 Visitor to ensure their relevance and effectiveness. Young people say they understand the behavioural expectations of the home. They do not always agree with some of the rules but say they are starting to appreciate why they are in place.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Risky behaviours, such as running away and staying out beyond agreed times have dramatically decreased. Current examples show young people returning home late as opposed to being deemed as missing or having run away. Young people are much safer than they were initially. Parents celebrate this achievement as the home's biggest success. Comments include, 'to know my child is safe from harm is absolutely priceless.' Such incidents are diligently managed when they do occur. Effective systems include liaison with the police, where appropriate, maintaining contact with the young person and persisting until their safe return.

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Leadership and management

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

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Leadership and management

The home is very well led and managed by a permanent full-time Registered Manager who is currently completing higher management training. Staff members place high value upon her skills, inclusive style and strong leadership. New members speak of, 'excellent support from the whole team' and, 'a thorough induction into the role.'

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Leadership and management

This is the home's first inspection so there are no requirements or recommendations to follow up. However, the home demonstrates good use of prescribed monitoring systems to review and evaluate its own practice. Policies and procedures which were in place at the home's opening are already being scrutinised and updated. The manager makes excellent use of her Regulation 34 activities to quality assure the home's performance. She has highlighted some of these documents as needing to improve. Examples include, incident recording and placement plan formats. Staff meetings and supervisions are also used to monitor the quality of the team's collective practice. This has resulted in the provision of additional training in areas such as nutrition, computer literacy and sexual health.

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Leadership and management

The staff team has formed positive relationships with neighbours and associated professional agencies. Feedback from placing social workers includes: 'staff are comprehensive and thorough with their policies and procedures.' They say 'the home is very supportive', and, 'the young person is happy and does not want to move.'

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Leadership and management

Regulation 33 visits continue on a monthly basis. Young people are routinely consulted at these and they do offer their views and opinions as to the quality of care they receive. Recent changes to Regulation 33 visitors show a variable level of quality in the reports. There are occasions whereby some are more rigorous than others. The home is already aware of this inconsistency and has appointed a new visitor.

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Leadership and management

Young people benefit from living in a home which provides them with a well- furnished, comfortable environment. The home is well resourced and staffed by a competent and skilled team. Written records are in general good order. Young people have access to these and can make comments and additions if they wish. Some excellent evidence of progress for the young people is demonstrated through such records. However, there are also examples evidence is cumbersome and difficult to immediately extract; for example to establish the progress made with independence skills. Formats and tracking systems are being reviewed to address this shortfall.

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Leadership and management

All stakeholders are reliably informed of the ethos and the aims and objectives of the home. The Statement of Purpose is accurate and clear. Placing authorities and young people know they can expect targeted support in respect of independent living skills and developing safer coping strategies. The home specifically aims to provide for older teenagers and while it supports the educational needs of its young people, it is clear that it is not dually registered as a school.

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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 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 and the evaluation schedule for children's homes.

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