Children's Home run by Moonreach LTD in Kent

Unique reference number SC448997 Inspection date 14/03/2014 Inspector Sophie Wood Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 02/10/2013 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

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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Progress

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

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Progress

At the previous full inspection in October 2013, the home was judged good for overall effectiveness. One requirement and three recommendations were made. All of these have been addressed; albeit Regulation 33 processes do have areas of weakness.

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Progress

The requirement to ensure the use of any physical restraint technique is fully recorded has been addressed. The recording log has been updated and staff are clear about the entries they must make. Everyone stands to be better protected through explicitly accurate records. The Registered Manager continues to check this understanding because it has not been used in practice. No such measure has been used since the last inspection. The staff team is strong on anticipating difficulties and diffusing challenging situations in a more productive way.

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Progress

Improvements have been made to the Regulation 33 process. The independent visitor actively seeks the views and opinions of the young people and staff; appropriate records are checked and reports are submitted to the provider and Ofsted in a timely manner. Although comprehensive in terms of the format and length, some areas lack evaluation. There is a risk that the checks conducted are not being sufficiently used to inform the provider of the quality and conduct of the home.

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Progress

In response to the previous recommendation, young people have been given the opportunity to practise the home's emergency fire evacuation plan. All records in relation to fire safety are meticulously completed. Everyone's safety in this regard is assured.

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Progress

The recommendation to review the style and content of young people's care records has been addressed. Young people say they fully understand the purpose of their placement. They also demonstrate a good understanding of how their care records work. Through diligent record-keeping and clear links to key worker records, young people understand their needs and the progress they are making. This engaging approach motivates young people to work to achieve their goals and targets, increasing their chances of success.

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Progress

Young people are extremely positive about their experiences of living in this home. Comments include, 'I love it here, it's the best place I've ever lived in' and 'the staff really listen to me, they understand and give me the support I need.' Very careful admissions processes are a strong starting point for the young people. Despite many referrals, the home has recently operated with a vacancy due to its commitment to carefully match to the needs of the current young people.

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Progress

The staff team presents as competent, highly motivated and passionate about meeting the needs of the young people. The high quality support they receive from senior managers is complemented by an ambitious training programme. This is regularly reviewed in response to the sometimes changing needs of the young people. The Registered Manager is equally driven. She has fully researched Regulation and framework changes to ensure the home is continuing to meet these.

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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 there are clear and effective procedures for monitoring and controlling the activities of the home. This recommendation relates to the evaluative content of Regulation 33 reports. (NMS 21.1)

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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.

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