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

Unique reference number SC385631 Inspection date 11/03/2014 Inspector Paul Taylor Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 18/12/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The home is registered to provide care for no more than four young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is run by a partnership company.

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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 last inspection in December 2013 the home was judged to be adequate. Three requirements were made as well as two recommendations. These have all been addressed.

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Progress

All members of staff now complete key training before they complete their probationary periods and this ensures they are competent to fulfil their roles. All members of the staff team now receive regular supervision to ensure that they are supported and are working effectively to promote the well being of the young people. Additionally, the manager has revised the process of notifying Ofsted of any significant events. This has ensured that this is now achieved promptly.

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Progress

The manager now has a development plan in place which outlines how different aspects and targets for the home are to be achieved and how practice is to be reflected upon and improved. The plan examines how individual progress for the young people is to be promoted as well as outlining what training and guidance the staff need in order to further develop their skills and competencies. The manager now has a thorough system in place which ensures that she has oversight of key aspects of the home. This includes collation of statistics which enables her to monitor specific trends and incidents. For example, whether a young person's challenging behaviour is triggered by specific issues, such as bed times or bath times. As a result of this system and combined with the staff understanding and knowledge of the young people's needs, strategies have been implemented which have been very effective in reducing incidents where young people have become

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Progress

Young people continue to benefit from living at this home. They all receive bespoke packages of care which take into account their vulnerabilities and needs. Additionally, they benefit from being cared for by a staff team which has high aspirations for them and enables them to develop to a significant degree, especially when bearing in mind their starting points. 'It's great, I love it here. I don't need to run away anymore. I truly deeply trust them' is a comment made by a young person. 'You can talk to the manager about anything' is another comment made.

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Progress

Support offered to the young people to enable them to attend school remains excellent. Close liaison together with prompt responses in the event of problems, has ensured that the young people have excellent levels of attendance and continue to have their schooling promoting to an excellent standard.

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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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