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

Requires improvement

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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because:

 The Registered Manager failed to provide effective oversight and monitoring to ensure that standards in the home are consistent. Risk assessments are not updated, some are contradictory, restraints are not recorded and staff are not able to provide safe care or evaluate and identify potential risks as a result.  Some staff, observed by inspectors, do not interact meaningfully with young people. Young people are therefore not stimulated during social occasions.  Risk assessments in the event of a fire are not individualised and do not relate to the evacuation plan. The plan in regards to escape routes and fire doors are not consistent, examples of this are some fire doors are locked with chains. These shortfalls were however, rectified during the inspection to ensure young peoples’ safety.  Young people’s bedrooms are not personalised, the rooms are bare, with few personal items and some rooms need re-decoration.

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because:

 Young people’s records are not stored in locked cabinets; young people’s personal information is not confidential and is accessible to visitors.  The Registered Manager did not collaboratively work with health professionals to support staff to manage a young person’s continuing challenging behaviour; this led to ineffective management of the young person’s behaviour.

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The children's home strengths

 The Registered Manager has improved consultations with young people at their meetings. Young people’s meetings now cover a range of topics.  Staff members promote contact between young people and their family, within the home and in the community.  Care plans are more detailed and thorough, evidencing the progress some young people make from their starting points.

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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

In order to meet the engaging with the wider system quality standard, the registered person must, ensure that staff:

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Requirement Due date

(d) seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children's home is to provide care and accommodation 25/10/2015

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Requirement Due date

6: The quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, the 25/10/2015 registered person must ensure that staff:

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Requirement Due date

(2) (b) (vii) provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably

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Requirement Due date

(viii) provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard the registered person must:

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Requirement Due date

(2) (a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home's statement of purpose

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Requirement Due date

(b) ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate

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Requirement Due date

(e) ensure that the home's workforce provides continuity of care to each child

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Requirement Due date

(f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home 25/10/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that after consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must provide adequate means of escape from the home in the event of a fire and ensure by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that person's working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire (Regulation 25(1) (b)(d) 25/10/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which (2) are kept securely in the children's home during the period when the child to whom the case records relate 25/10/2015 is accommodated there (Regulation 36 (2)(c)

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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

Staff should support young people to be aware of and manage their own internet safety both inside and outside of the home to the extent that any good parent would (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 43, paragraph 9.9)

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Information about this children's home

This private children’s home can accommodate eight young peolpe with physical and learning disabilities. There is a garden with wheelchair access to the ground floor of the building.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

18/02/2015 CH - Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

18/03/2014 CH - Interim Satisfactory Progress

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Requires improvement

Young people experience poor interaction with staff members. Although staff are enthusiastic and caring when discussing young people, this is not apparent in their interactions. This hinders the development of positive relationships between staff and young people. Staff were observed not to sit with or talk to young people at all meal times; one young person was left on their own without stimulation.

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Requires improvement

Overall young people’s activities are limited and social opportunities not consistently promoted. A staff member said young people do not do activities in the community every day, daily logs inappropriately record car journeys home from school as an activity. There was a lack of stimulating equipment available to interest young people such as books, toys or games within the home. On the day of the inspection, however, two young people were on holiday with staff.

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Requires improvement

Young people attend full time education. Staff liaise with teachers and others to promote young people’s engagement and attendance. Staff members make sure that good travelling arrangements are in place for those young people attending school a distance from the home. Some young people struggle to integrate with their peers, where this is identified as an issue staff support the school by attending with the young person. Staff are committed to young people’s academic attainment.

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Requires improvement

Young people’s emotional and behavioural development is not a priority; some staff members do not attend consultations arranged by a psychologist to share behaviour strategies. The Registered Manager is not proactive in requesting an earlier review to address continuing difficulties. In the case of one young person the challenging behaviour continue and is not being managed by a consistent, knowledgeable staff team.

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Requires improvement

There are failures in food hygiene, such as food that was out of date, unlabelled and unwrapped stored in the fridge. This means that there is a risk of young people becoming ill through contamination. Staff shop for meals daily, however, snack food is not readily available to young people.

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Requires improvement

Young people are able to experience positive contact with parents promoted by staff. A parent said ‘staff are always nice, I can talk to the manager and all the staff’. The parent and young person spent time together during the inspection; however this was in a communal area shared with others and was not in relaxed or private place. Strategies for managing young people’s care needs have improved, which has led to some young people making measurable progress from their starting points. For example, one young person is now able to concentrate for an hour when previously he was not able to manage more than a few minutes, another young person has reduced the amount of time that he needs to cover his face.

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Requires improvement

Staff consults effectively with young people using a range of communication tools. This include young people’s meetings and photographs being used to ensure that all young people can contribute. Young people’s meetings occur on a weekly basis, involving all young people and staff on duty; young people chair these meetings. This means that young people are able to make their wishes and feelings heard and are directly involved in decisions about their home.

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Requires improvement

There are shortfalls in regards to the home environment, it is not a homely atmosphere, communal rooms and bedrooms are bare, impersonal and in need of decoration. One room has been in a state of disrepair for a month.

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Requires improvement

Individual risk assessments and behaviour management plans are not always reviewed. This leads to inconsistent practice with regards to implementation and lack of preventative action. An example is a young person’s risk assessment not updated following an incident which resulted in police involvement.

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Requires improvement

The restraint log lacked sufficient details of all physical intervention used. This was a requirement from the previous inspection. The Registered Manager is not evaluating incidents or identifying any learning opportunities or failures in staff management of situations.

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Requires improvement

Staff supervise young people closely; they do not have unsupervised time. This is due to the high level of assessed needs requiring close supervision. This reduces the likelihood of young people going missing. However, staff members are knowledgeable about the missing from home policy and able to describe the action they would take linked to the young person’s behaviour management plans should a young person go missing.

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Requires improvement

Staff are able to demonstrate a knowledge of safeguarding procedures. They recognise the importance of robust responses to safeguarding matters. Staff could not demonstrate a good enough understanding of the issues involved with child sexual exploitation (CSE). They have had no specific training in this area although the Registered Manager confirmed that child sexual exploitation (CSE) was included in recent safeguarding training. More specific training has been arranged.

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Requires improvement

Staff are clear about safe internet use and supervise young people effectively when they are using the home’s computer and their own devices. Restrictions are in place to ensure that they only access trusted sites. Staff demonstrate good understanding of young people’s internet safety, which is paramount

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Requires improvement

Health and safety checks are not effective in preventing potential risks to young people. There are inconsistencies in practice; some fire doors are locked with chains on them, with one fire door left open. Evacuation measures are not consistent with individual risk assessments. For example the individual risk assessments for two young people make clear that each required the support of two members of staff during fire evacuation. However, only two waking night staff are on duty at night. The Registered Manager reviewed the evacuation plan and rectified this during the inspection.

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Requires improvement

The locality risk assessment is thorough. The Registered Manager consults with the local police community support officer, Local Safeguarding Children Board, other professionals and local services and this information is used to inform the locality assessment.

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Requires improvement

The Registered Manager has over ten year experience of working with vulnerable groups. She became the Registered Manager for this home in March 2014 and is registered to complete Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare.

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Requires improvement

A multi-professional team approach reinforces effective links with schools. Staff attend classes with young people when necessary and transport young people to and from school. The Registered Manager attends all educational meetings; staff value the young people’s academic achievement.

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Requires improvement

On the initial day of inspection there was no management oversight. The team leader was working directly with young people. The lack of competent leadership and management impacts poorly on the well-being of the young people. This resulted in a number of shortfalls, including food hygiene and lack of food stock in the cupboards. Young people’s privacy and confidentiality unprotected with their personal records left out in public places accessible for visitors to read.

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Requires improvement

The statement of purpose sets out clearly the home’s ethos and stated aims. However, there are shortfalls in consistency of care and how the team works. The Registered Manager employs a high level of temporary staff; young people experience an inconsistent approach as a result. There is a low staff attendance at team meetings where information about young people’s specific needs are shared. A knowledgeable, committed staff group do not care for young people as a result. Some staff report that they enjoy working at the home, one member of staff said that ‘the company has helped her to develop’.

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Requires improvement

Supervision is not in line with the organisation’s supervision policy or the statement of purpose. Irregular supervision and appraisal processes fail to sufficiently target and address the ongoing training and development needs of the staff. This shortfall limits staff members’ ability to provide the support, guidance and care the young people need.

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Requires improvement

Inter-agency work is good. The Registered Manager has forged good relationships with stakeholders. A Social Worker reports that ‘the home communicates concerns in a timely manner’ and that the Registered Manager ‘provides good partnership working. Staff are supporting the young person’s care plan’.

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Requires improvement

The Registered Manager plans to improve the areas highlighted and to develop the staff team. She is aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the home and is keen to put systems in place to improve practice and ensure that risk is minimised.

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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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