Children's Home run by The Drive Care Homes Ltd in Kent

Unique reference number SC063689 Inspection date 05/03/2014 Inspector Jennie Christopher Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 17/04/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The children’s home is privately owned and registered to provide care for up to six children who have learning and/or physical disabilities.

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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 satisfactory progress .

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Progress

At the last full inspection in April 2013, the overall quality rating for the service was judged as good with no requirements or recommendations made. The home demonstrates improvement in the quality of care provided and is committed to service development. A particular strength of the home is the caring and compassionate staff team who provide a positive home environment for young people.

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Progress

Young people continue to receive well planned care from a committed and consistent staff team. Young people seem positive about their care and observed interactions show their relationships with staff are supportive and caring. Young people appear to feel safe and approach staff to raise concerns or seek their support. Staff have consistent boundaries which enable young people to progress and learn to positively manage their own behaviour. The high staffing ratio ensures young people are able to access activities of their choice while keeping safe, both in the home and community. The home environment is spacious, allowing for independent and group activities. It is mostly well maintained, although there is some damage requiring repair. A glass panel in a young person’s bedroom has not been laminated or toughened, creating a risk. Independent monthly monitoring visits have not taken place consistently, however the Registered Individual recognises this area of

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Progress

weakness and in line with upcoming changes to regulations, is seeking an independent person to complete monthly Regulation 33 monitoring.

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Progress

Since the last inspection the manager and staff team have worked hard to implement new systems of working to ensure young people’s needs are met effectively. This has included implementing shift plans to ensure all young people’s needs are met, that they are involved in meaningful activities and to ensure all household tasks are completed. Plans are comprehensive and staff are assigned responsibilities, including involving young people in cooking and cleaning tasks to develop their independence skills. Observations showed young people using laundry facilities, collecting medication from the chemist and accessing public transport. Shift plans ensure young people experience monthly fire dills, which are effective, with young people now automatically meeting at the gathering point. Key working plans for young people have been developed and improved. These detail what sessions to focus on for the month and can be completed with the young person by staff who have the

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Progress

best skills, rather than solely the key worker. This ensures young people have a full, range of activities and skills promotion throughout the month, planned in line with their individual needs.

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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 is well maintained and avoidable risks are removed and damage is promptly repaired, including ensuring all glass is safe (NMS 10.3)  ensure that monitoring under Regulation 33 includes visiting the home at least once a month. (Volume 5, Statutory Guidance, paragraph 3.12)

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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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