Setting in Ashford

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged Requires improvement at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has Improved in effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the last inspection in September 2015 three requirements and three recommendations were made. The three requirements and two of the recommendations have now been addressed.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the last inspection the home had seen unsettled and a number of young people had moved on due to levels of disruption and difficult behaviour. The occupancy level of the home was reduced by senior managers so that the remaining young people could experience a calmer atmosphere. Additionally, this was seen as an opportunity for the staff team to concentrate their efforts on re-establishing stability and creating a positive and caring culture for the young people who remained. This has been achieved.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

All members of staff now receive regular planned supervision and this enables them to have their practice assessed and the opportunity to reflect on the quality of care they are delivering. As a result, support to members of staff has improved to a significant degree.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Recording of sanctions has also improved. Records are now completed promptly and confirm that there have been discussions with the young people after a sanction has been imposed. This ensures that young people understand why the measure has been taken and have the opportunity to reflect on the consequences for their behaviour.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the last inspection a recommendation was made relating to the locking of the visitors room when it was not in use. This was an established practice which had not been reviewed. The Registered Manager has ensured that this practice has ceased and that there are no areas in the home which are routinely locked. Consequently, young people do not have their movement around the home restricted.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection the missing person protocols for individual young people have been reviewed and are now more detailed. They include clear instructions for staff to follow in the event a young person is missing or absent without permission. This includes guidance on specific areas to check.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

A recommendation was made at the last inspection to ensure that members of staff recorded key work sessions. While there is an improvement in this area, there are still shortfalls. Examples of which include staff not dating records of significant conversations with young people. This makes it difficult to establish when these conversations have occurred or timescales for addressing specific issues which young people or staff have raised. Additionally, some staff signatures are illegible in some key documents. This makes it difficult for young people or external professionals to establish who wrote the record. The recommendation related to recording remains.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff commitment to young people is high and there are strenuous efforts made to support them. Examples include advocating on behalf of young people to improve their educational opportunities. The Registered Manager has successfully negotiated with external agencies on young people’s behalf to ensure that they have been placed at schools which meet their needs.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Efforts made by staff to support young people during stressful times are laudable. Staff have worked closely with young people to ensure transitions to new placements have been very well managed. They have supported young people closely during challenging times such as attending court. As a result, young people have been well prepared and are able to cope with these situations.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Communication with placing social workers remains good. This ensures that they are kept up to date with how young people are progressing and whether there are any incidents of note which need to be shared. One Social Worker commented ‘communication between staff and social care has been to a very high standard’. This approach leads to collaborative working centred on improving each young person’s outcomes.

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Information about this children's home

This service is a children’s home providing care and accommodation for up to nine children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is run by a registered charity.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

12/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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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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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure staff are familiar with the home's policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording; in particular that records accurately reflect when individual key work sessions have been carried out, how action plans have been implemented and that members of staff signatures are legible when signing records. (‘Guide to the Quality Standards’ page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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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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