Children's Home run by Benecare 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:

 Young people are positive about the home. They make good progress across all aspects of their lives.  Young people become safer as a result of living in the home. For example, missing episodes reduce in length and frequency. Restraints and incidents of violence also reduce for some young people.  Staff are aspirational about young people’s learning. They work in partnership with virtual schools teams and placing authorities to ensure each young person is in education or training.  Relationships between staff and young people are strong. Key working systems are effective. This gives young people regular opportunities to discuss worries or concerns. Young people are listened to and are fully involved in their care plans.  Staff members are sufficient in number. They are well-supported by senior managers through supervision and appraisal. Training opportunities are good with staff well-trained in skills such as safeguarding.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Positive feedback has been received from placing social workers, the police, and advocacy services. This demonstrates the effective professional working relationships built by the Registered Manager.

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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

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, with specific reference to the quality of children’s case files,

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Requirement Due date

(2)(h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 25/01/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children's home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. The registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. (Regulation 16(1)(5)) 25/01/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only employ an individual to work at the children's home; if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). The requirements include that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(2)(a)(3)(d)) 25/01/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Challenge the placing authority if a child is not given the opportunity to have an independent return home interview following a missing episode. Ensure any information provided by such interviews is taken account of when assessing risk. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 45, paragraph 9.30) 

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Information about this children's home

This children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children with emotional and behavioural needs. It is managed and run by a private organisation.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Good

Young people are positive about living in this home. They make good progress from their starting points across all aspects of their lives. Observations show warm relationships between young people and staff. A placing Social Worker commented ‘What I like about the home is that they treat each child as an individual. They made [child] feel quickly that they were a child that they cared for. Staff have developed [child’s] confidence and self-esteem’.

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Good

Promoting educational achievement is a strength of the home. A placing Social Worker said ‘[child] has not been in school for a while. The home have been good at getting [child] back and engaged in education’. Structured learning takes place during school-hours. This helps young people maintain a learning routine while waiting for a full time academic provision. Staff liaise well with the virtual schools team and tutors. Young people receive good support preparing for and attending college interviews. Key workers visit new schools with young people to help ease any worries the young person may have. Staff are aspirational for young people and work hard to maintain educational placements.

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Good

Young people learn independence skills appropriate to their age. Cooking, cleaning, budgeting and opening a bank account are all ways young people demonstrate the life skills learnt. Attachments with friends and family are maintained as staff facilitate and supervise contact arrangements effectively. Young people engage in a good range of activities. Trips include fishing, crabbing at the local beach, visits to local historic sites and shopping. This offers young people purposeful and interesting experiences.

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Good

Young people’s physical and emotional needs are well-met. They attend routine health appointments, as well as accessing specialist help and advice such as sexual health clinics. Staff work in partnership with child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). Medication is reviewed regularly with the young person’s involvement. CAMHS professionals work with individual key workers and formulate strategies to help young people progress. A placing Social Worker stated, ‘When [child] arrived [child] was in high anxiety and they have really supported [child] to feel safe. As a result their anxiety has gone down’. For some young people incidents of aggression and violence have reduced significantly since living in this home.

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Good

Young people share their views and feelings through a variety of ways. Residents meetings take place where activities, menus and general discussions take place. In addition, young people are encouraged to complete ‘well-being webs’ monthly. These capture young people’s responses to set questions which are monitored. Quality assurance questionnaires also record their thoughts about living in the home. As a result of these forums, new canvas prints were recently bought to brighten up the home. An independent advocate commented ‘I have always found the children’s home supportive of my role… I feel [child] has made real progress…It’s down to the staff in the home having clear rules and boundaries. They have a positive approach with [child].’

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Good

Safeguarding arrangements within the home are good. Staff show a good awareness of child sexual exploitation including possible signs and indicators. The Registered Manager demonstrates a good knowledge of current trends in safeguarding and relevant procedures. There have been no allegations or safeguarding referrals since the previous inspection. Serious events are notified appropriately to relevant parties. Staff are mindful of radicalisation and extremism issues. They answer young people’s questions about recent world events and terrorism sensitively and appropriately.

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Good

Some young people have a history of putting themselves at risk of exploitation by running away. Since living at this home, some young people have become safer and their missing episodes have reduced in frequency and length. Staff regularly spend individual time with young people talking about the dangers they face when missing. As a result, young people now remain in contact with staff more and share information about their whereabouts, when previously they did not. The Registered Manager has built good links with the local police missing person liaison officer who visits the home regularly. For one young person their placing authority is not consistently providing an independent return home interview. The Registered Manager has not formally challenged this. Residential staff complete an internal debrief after every missing episode. However, for this young person the opportunity to reflect on events with someone outside of the children’s home is not

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Good

Use of restraint is low and has reduced in recent months. Staff successfully use de- escalation techniques to avoid the use of physical holds. Praise and reward books capture how staff recognise young people’s achievements, no matter how small. Good health and safety routines ensure that young people live in a home which is physically safe.

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Good

Recruitment files show that one candidate commenced work with gaps in their employment history. This was rectified during the inspection. Interview notes from another candidate’s file do not clearly risk assess information provided in relation to their past history. This is not in line with the organisation’s own recruitment policy. A requirement is set to make sure full and satisfactory information is gathered about prospective candidates. This is to ensure only suitable persons work in the home.

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Good

The Registered Manager started working in this home in April 2015. He has previous experience of working in children’s homes with young people of similar needs. He has recently completed the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare. This extends his professional knowledge and management skills. In addition, he has also completed a qualification in education and training skills. This enables him to produce bespoke training courses for staff.

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Good

A previous requirement to review the statement of purpose has been met. Since the previous inspection, there has been a short break placement and the statement of purpose is not clear about how such placements are facilitated. For example, when this young person stayed the organisation allocated them a clothing allowance and started financial savings. This was not necessary for a short term stay and is confusing for young people. The statement of purpose also lists training which it states all staff will have undertaken. However, as training records do not currently capture which staff actually hold these certificates the Registered Manager was unable to confirm if staff have completed the training courses listed. This could mislead prospective placing authorities or parents.

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Good

Staff receive regular supervision which is recorded and child-focused. Any practice issues are robustly followed up in these sessions, demonstrating the high standards of care the Registered Manager wishes to embed.

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Good

Young people are cared for by staff members who are well-trained. They receive a structured induction. This clearly outlines their responsibilities and key information. Staff are regularly refreshed in safe caring skills such as first aid and food safety, as well as other topics such as autism. Ongoing professional development is encouraged and supported. For example, a senior member of staff and the deputy manager have commenced the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare. This benefits young people as staff are motivated and knowledgeable. In general, young people’s case files are of a good standard. However, a small number of documents have been copied and not fully amended to reflect the individual circumstances of the child. These were amended immediately during the inspection. One young person’s reward log had not been fully completed by staff. These errors had not been identified through otherwise robust internal monitoring

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Good

The development plan focuses on further improving the standard of care. For example, the Registered Manager is now an instructor in the organisation’s behaviour management technique. This provides the staff team access to direct advice and guidance on dealing with behaviours that challenge. Some aspects of the environment are an ongoing target to improve, although overall the accommodation presents to a good standard.

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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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