Children's Home run by Kent County Council in KentOfsted inspection, 22 Jul 2015

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 An experienced Registered Manager, committed to achieving high standards of care for children and young people, leads this home.  The established and consistent staff team know and understand the children and young people in their care. Staff place the well-being of children at the centre of practice.  The decoration and maintenance of the home is of a high standard. Facilities and equipment meet children and young people’s individual needs. Parents describe the service as ‘a home from home’.  Children and young people’s wishes and feelings are valued by staff and influence care. They can choose which bedroom they stay in, meals and activities undertaken.  Children and young people build positive relationships with staff. Parents, professionals, children and young people describe trusted relationships between children, young people and the adults that care for them.  Comprehensive care plans underpin care; these include children and young

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The children's home provision is good because:

people’s targets for progress. Activities undertaken during short break stays promote development.

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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 (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

prepare and implement a policy which is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children's home from abuse and neglect; in respect of child sexual exploitation (Regulation 34 (1)(a)) 30/09/2015

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure that (2)(d) the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child's health 30/09/2015

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure that staff (2)(a)(v) understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person 30/09/2015

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Information about this children's home

This is a short break unit that is run by the local authority. It is registered to provide a respite service for families with children who have a physical and/or learning disability. The maximum number of children and young people who can stay at the unit at any time is four.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

25/03/2015 CH - Interim improved effectiveness

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good

Children and young people build secure relationships with staff and enjoy their short breaks at this home. Children, young people and their families value the home. Parents say ‘It’s an absolute godsend’ and ‘the service is excellent, I look forward to respite because I know she enjoys it; I can recharge knowing my daughter is looked after to a high standard and all her needs are met’.

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good

Children and young people receive support to participate in decision-making during their short break stays. They choose the bedroom that they stay in, select meals and choose the activities that they undertake. Recent activities chosen include trips to the beach, castles, gardens and a river-cruise.

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good

Facilities at the home allow children and young people to enjoy themselves and have fun. They include a sensory garden, sensory tent, sand pit, and a range of inside and outside activities. Activities support children and young people’s developmental needs, for example, one young person’s chosen activity to water the garden aids their motor skill development.

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good

Staff work proactively with other services including social workers, child and adolescent mental health services, schools and specialist medical services. Social workers say ‘I haven’t got a bad word to say about the service, the staff are really good and the building is lovely, the staff really know the children’. Schools say ‘We’ve got fantastic links, we share strategies and information, they are brilliant at following strategies. The quality of relationships between staff and young people are very good’.

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good

The home has positive links with the local community. Children and young people attend community events and a number of local groups fundraise for the home. Children and young people are valued in the local community and develop a sense of belonging.

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good

Children and young people’s health needs receive proactive care. Health needs and medication are well recorded and monitored. Specialist nursing consultation is available and staff receive training to meet children and young people’s individual needs.

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good

Staff know children and young people well and understand their behaviours. Behaviour plans guide staff in de-escalation techniques and physical intervention and result in a consistent staff approach to care, which supports children and young peoples’ progress.

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good

Staff treat children and young people with dignity and respect. Their culture, identity and faith are included in care plans and guide care. For one young person this involves staff saying scriptures with them at night, for another religious dietary requirements influence meal plans.

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good

Staff liaise proactively with parents and provide written reports after each short break. Parents say ‘they keep me in the loop; I get a written report after every stay’. Parents feel confident in leaving their children for short breaks in this home ‘we have confidence, we can drop him off and just chill out, he is very happy there’.

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requires improvement

Comprehensive health and safety checks underpin the safety of the home environment. Recent security problems with one fire exit lead to an immediate safety review and a new fire door system awaits installation. The new fire door will improve the safety of the home environment; a robust risk assessment is in place until this work is complete.

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requires improvement

Trained staff administer medication; medication procedures are well organised and well recorded. Comprehensive medication checks with regular management oversight further enhance practice.

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requires improvement

All children and young people have individualised risk assessments. The Registered Manager’s ethos is that risk assessments should be enabling rather than disabling, as such children and young people receive support to undertake new experiences, such as travel by bus and boat. Risk assessments within the home take account of children and young people’s need to develop new skills. A new kitchen risk assessment enables children and young people to access the kitchen supporting development of independent living skills.

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requires improvement

Individual behaviour management plans focus upon de-escalation techniques and guide the use of any physical intervention. Physical intervention is in use only when de-escalation techniques prove ineffective; it is well recorded and monitored. A focus upon positive behaviour and praise is improved by the introduction of Disney themed reward charts encouraging progress in targeted areas.

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requires improvement

Clear recording of significant events and safeguarding issues shows the progress of incidents, action taken in response and outcomes. All significant and safeguarding events receive monitoring and oversight by the Registered manager. One recent safeguarding issue was not effectively recorded and reported by staff; staff failed to follow safeguarding policies and procedures leading to a delay in safeguarding response. A requirement for additional staff training addresses this issue.

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requires improvement

Safeguarding policies and procedures undergo regular review and updating. A new e-safety policy enhances the online safety of children and young people. The safeguarding policy does not include child sexual exploitation (CSE) and CSE is not on the current training programme. This is a requirement of the inspection.

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requires improvement

A bullying and discrimination policy is in place; there is not a culture of bullying or discrimination in this home. Careful matching of children and young people on short break stays minimises conflict and allows children and young people to develop valued peer relationships. Restorative practices, such as encouraging children and young people to say sorry following conflict allows them to develop an increased sense of personal responsibility and encourages positive behaviour change.

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requires improvement

The Registered Manager makes proactive links with external professionals to improve safeguarding within the home. Links with the police service provide ongoing support in terms of crime prevention. The local authority designated officer (LADO) provides consultation regarding safeguarding issues and the home links with the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) to access up to date safeguarding training.

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good

An experienced and suitably qualified Register Manager leads this short break service; he demonstrates a commitment to high standards and improvement. A fully staffed, established team provides consistent care to young people. A commitment to staff training means that all staff have completed or are working towards their Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare.

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good

The physical environment of the home is of a high standard, it is well decorated and furnished with specialist equipment to meet the needs of children and young people using the service. An on-site maintenance worker means that repairs are undertaken immediately. Children and Young people also benefit from the recent addition of a sensory garden and sensory tent. Robust management monitoring ensures the maintenance of high standards of care. Regular independent monitoring enhances internal monitoring and provides additional accountability.

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good

Care plans for children and young people comprehensively address their needs and include targets for progress. Parents say ‘he has been supported with his personal hygiene and has been helped to develop this’. Where children and young people are not progressing, plans undergo review and amendment. Staff test methods of care to explore what works best for each individual. For example, reconfiguring the dining room furniture enables one young person to engage more effectively at mealtimes.

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good

All staff receive regular effective supervision; staff report feeling well supported in their role ‘we are a very happy staff team, we have regular team meetings and supervision and can discuss any issues, there’s always someone to talk to’. Staff appraisal is annual and sets clear development targets for personal development and the development of the service.

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good

Staff recruitment is robust and includes required checks. All staff receive induction training; the service closes for two weeks per year to enable ongoing staff training. Staff recently undertook e-safety training prior to the service introducing an IPad for children and young people’s use. Specific training is in place to meet individual children and young people’s needs, including oxygen therapy, epilepsy and stoma care training.

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good

Feedback from all sources describes positive relationships between staff and children and young people. Parents say ‘He’s very happy there, the staff are lovely, there’s a lot of love and laughter’. Staff say ‘it’s very rewarding; children have a good time and are really happy’. Children and young people say that they enjoy their time at the home, they like the toys, the food and the adults that care for them.

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good

The Registered Manager works hard to ensure that needs of children and young people coming in to the home are met. This starts with a careful referral process and well-planned transition. Parents say ‘it took me a long time to send her to respite, we had lots of visits beforehand, the staff are lovely, they put me at ease about her staying there’. Transition planning considers the needs of children, young people and their families; this means that children and young people settle quickly in their short break stays.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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