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

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:

 The manager is dedicated to improving standards of care and providing increasing opportunities for young people to succeed and fulfil their potential. She leads by example, role modelling sensitive and responsive therapeutic care and developing the staff team’s skills to promote young people’s positive outcomes.   Staff work closely with a team of therapists implementing research-led attachment practice to address their specific complex attachment, emotional and behavioural difficulties. Young people are benefiting from this approach. They are developing an understanding of their emotions and managing their feelings more appropriately.   Young people trust the adults who care for them. Through thoughtful and considerate responses from staff, they build positive relationships and the confidence to accept support. Staff closely supervise young people; their welfare and protection is at the heart of practice within the home. They

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The children's home provision is good because:

experience safety, stability and security.   Young people are making significant progress. The Registered Manager works extremely effectively with external agencies and professionals. The best interests of young people drive practice and she is proactive in challenging decisions which may not meet the highest standards of care for young people.   Young people enjoy living at the home and say ‘it is fun’. They are participating in community activities which are helping them develop self- esteem, self-confidence and appropriate social skills.   Staff receive regular supervision to review their practice and promote high standards of care. However, records of these sessions do not clearly demonstrate a focus on safeguarding young people and how staff are minimising potential risk factors. 

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s): ensure that the records of staff supervision clearly demonstrate that supervision safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (The Quality Standards, page 61 paragraph13.1)

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Information about this children's home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is operated by a private organisation. It offers therapeutic residential care.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.5

Recent inspection history

12/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

p.5

Good

In a calm and relaxed environment, young people settle, develop trusting relationships and establish a sense of belonging. In relatively short periods of time, they make significant progress. A Social Worker commented that a young person ‘is very happy in their new placement and it reflects on their behaviour, well-being and general presentation’. Another Social Worker remarked that a young person ‘has made a successful transition and appears to have made significant progress in terms of personal growth, which is a pleasure to see and acknowledge’.

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Good

Young people receive one-to-one support from staff. Such close supervision provides opportunities for staff to implement specific strategies to promote their development in line with their emotional needs assessment and placement plan. Young people are benefiting from directed therapeutic interventions. Consequently, some young people are developing self-regulating skills and emotional insight. Other young people are responding to calm, nurturing care to address their complex attachment issues and behavioural problems.

p.6

Good

Daily, targeted key working addresses young people’s individual needs, helps them build relationships with all staff and realise that staff care for them and care about them. Daily group meetings are held where young people can discuss their day and matters affecting them. They also discuss issues such as fire safety, smoking and complaints. This provides a forum for young people to put forward their views and develop self-confidence as they are listened to. Staff ensure young people are aware of the complaints procedure but there have been no complaints recorded since the last inspection.

p.6

Good

Excellent liaison with school staff ensures close partnership working and effective support for young people’s education. Through thoughtful planning taking into consideration their emotional needs, one young person has made a positive transition to a mainstream secondary school. All young people’s attendance at school is good. They receive support from staff to complete homework. Two young people attend the organisation’s school which has recently been through some re- structuring and staff changes. Staff are supporting young people through these adjustments and providing appropriate support to enable them to progress.

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Good

Engaging young people in positive activities is an important aspect of the home’s therapeutic approach. Through participating in community activities and new experiences, they have opportunities to develop their self-confidence and social skills. Staff organise leisure activities according to their specific interests. Currently, they are involved in playing for a local rugby team, a cheerleading group, ice skating, cadets and horse riding.

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Good

Close monitoring of young people’s health needs ensures they receive appropriate health services. In addition to ensuring that all their physical health needs are met, staff pay close attention to their emotional well-being. Each young person has a detailed emotional needs assessment compiled by therapists with personalised strategies and guidance for staff to promote their psychological health. Young people are engaging in one-to-one therapy and group therapy. Staff meet therapists in monthly ‘therapeutic thinking time’ meetings to review emotional needs assessments, strategies for support and progress. Young people are benefiting from this focus. Some are developing skills in understanding their emotions and being able to talk about their feelings. Others are developing a secure base from which staff are supporting them to address their complex attachment, emotional and behavioural difficulties.

p.7

Good

Staff provide appropriate support to develop young people’s independence and daily living skills as they approach a move from the home. Tailored key work action plans identify areas where they require specific support to prepare them for young adulthood. Contact with families is very well supported so that young people can establish meaningful relationships as a foundation for a move back to live with their family or provide support for living more independently in the community.

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Good

Young people who have experienced attachment difficulties, develop a sense of safety, protection and trust in the adults who care for them. Their behaviour improves as they build relationships with staff. A Social Worker commented that a young person ‘presents as happier and more confident and this is reflected in their behaviour, due mainly to the positive relationships they have with the staff team’. With warmth, good humour and sensitivity, staff support young people individually with consistent care.

p.7

Good

Comprehensive care plans identify young people’s specific, complex needs. Staff implement appropriate strategies through extensive key work action plans and continuous review of their emotional needs within a therapeutic environment. Current risk assessments demonstrate that staff understand the risks associated with each young person. Appropriate measures protect them from harm.

p.7

Good

Nurturing, therapeutic support is at the centre of behaviour management within the home. Young people receive effective help to manage their emotions safely. Consequently, incidents requiring physical intervention are infrequent. Positive handling plans which identify warning signs and triggers, guide staff in de- escalating potentially challenging behaviour. Staff undertake training to manage such incidents safely. Records provide sufficient detail for the manager to monitor any physical intervention effectively and include discussion with the young person and de-brief with staff to inform and improve future practice.

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Good

Incidents of young people being away from the home without permission are uncommon. Staff respond effectively when this occurs, implementing agreed procedures, including return interviews, to safeguard them and minimise risk of harm.

p.8

Good

An experienced safeguarding officer provides the manager and staff with advice and guidance relating to safeguarding concerns, ensuring appropriate consultation and referral to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO). Internal investigations, when recommended by the LADO, are conducted thoroughly to fully explore safeguarding concerns.

p.8

Good

Staff receive comprehensive training in safeguarding matters including on-line safety and child sexual exploitation and are aware of risks facing young people. Young people receive specific on-line safety training. Developing an awareness of keeping themselves safe is a priority for staff and clearly outlined in their key work action plans. Regular one-to-one sessions target support to highlight and address specific risks. Staff complete the local authority's risk assessment toolkit for child sexual exploitation for each young person and have measures in place to safeguard their welfare. Staff are aware of the risks of radicalisation and assess the possibility of young people being exposed to such danger.

p.8

Good

Robust recruitment processes are in place to safeguard young people from unsuitable adults working with them. All checks on prospective employees are undertaken before they commence working at the home.

p.8

Good

Health and safety checks are up to date. Fire safety measures are routinely applied. Judgement grade

p.8

Outstanding

The manager has recently been promoted to the role, having previously been deputy manager for over a year. She has applied for registration and is currently waiting for authorisation and the certificate for her registration. She is suitably experienced and is undertaking a Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare.

p.9

Outstanding

The manager provides strong yet calm, committed leadership and effective management of the home. She leads by example, role modelling sensitive and responsive therapeutic care and developing the staff team’s skills to promote young people’s positive outcomes. A member of staff commented that she is ‘a very good mentor’. She is accessible to young people, knows them very well and they respond very positively in their interactions with her. She is available and approachable for staff to discuss matters affecting young people’s care.

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Outstanding

Appropriate induction programmes and relevant training and development opportunities successfully prepare staff to meet young people’s complex needs. Responding to their emotional needs and promoting their psychological wellbeing is a priority for staff. The manager successfully leads the staff team, with the support of a team of qualified therapists, to provide nurturing and therapeutic care. A renowned academic in the field of attachment practice directs staff development. Staff work closely with the team of therapists, consequently, young people benefit from this focused support, are making real progress and enhancing their future life chances.

p.9

Outstanding

Close monitoring by the manager ensures staff maintain high standards of care. Her review of sanctions prompt changes to allow young people to learn from the consequences of their behaviour and understand the effect on others. The manager’s internal quarterly reports on the provision are evaluative and thorough. Monthly monitoring reports by an independent visitor lead to action to address any shortfalls and advance improvement. Through this quality assurance process, the manager identifies areas for future development which are formalised into a plan to secure continuous improvement. Reflective practice is evident. Staff value time together in meetings, and particularly therapeutic thinking time meetings, to review their practice, ensure they are working consistently and to appreciate the progress young people are making.

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Outstanding

The manager ensures that young people’s welfare is central to all practice within the home and constantly looks for opportunities to enhance their experience and progress. Currently she is developing a ‘key issues’ folder with resources for staff to use as discussion topics in young people’s meetings so that together they can discuss pertinent issues such as drugs, smoking, healthy relationships and on-line safety. This proactive approach allows young people to extend their knowledge and understanding to make informed lifestyle choices.

p.9

Outstanding

The manager wholeheartedly acknowledges the crucial importance of working in partnership with other agencies and professionals to promote young people’s progress. Close liaison and planning with mainstream school staff resulted in a very successful transition into the school for a young person. The manager challenges professionals when she considers decisions are not in the young person’s best interests such as medication to aid sleep when they are not demonstrating any such difficulty, or slowing the pace of a young person’s transition back to live with their family to maximise the potential of a positive outcome. A Social Worker commented on the home’s successful partnership working after a young person had made the transition from the home. They remarked that ‘the young person has flourished during their placement and it has been a joy to be part of a multi- agency approach’.

p.10

Outstanding

Staff receive regular supervision to review their practice and discuss how they are meeting young people’s needs. However, records do not clearly demonstrate a clear focus on safeguarding young people and how staff are minimising potential risks to them.

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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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