Children's home run by Kent County Council in Maidstone

Unique reference number SC068511 Inspector Patrick Sullivan Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Kent County Council Registered person address Kent County Council, Sessions House County Road MAIDSTONE Kent ME14 1XQ Responsible individual Philip Segurola Registered manager Lisa Kavanagh Date of last inspection 05/11/2014 2 of 5 Inspection date 03/03/2015

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Previous inspection outstanding Enforcement action since last inspection none

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This inspection

This home was judged outstanding at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has sustained effectiveness .

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This inspection

Children and young people continue to make excellent progress at this setting. They enjoy coming to the service. Parents are very positive about the quality of the service and the enjoyment that their children experience from spending time at the centre. Parents state that their children 'dash through the door with hardly a backward glance'.

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This inspection

Care plans for young people are detailed and have been amended to ensure that there are fewer targets which are now more attainable. Staff are good at measuring progress against these targets and files contain evidence of improved outcomes for young people in meeting their targets.

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This inspection

Young people have the opportunity to experience new things while staying at the centre. With one young person this involves the use of the Jacuzzi. By using this on a regular basis with staff support the young person gained in confidence to the point that her family were then able to take her swimming for the first time.

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This inspection

Shift planning in this service is very good. The process enables staff to identify each young person's individual needs and preferences and take action to address them during the course of their stay. Staff interactions with the young people who use the centre is very good. Staff spend lots of time with the young people settling them into the home and ensuring that any issues are dealt with promptly and do not adversely impact upon the young person’s stay.

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This inspection

The centre is bright and well decorated. Communal areas have a wide variety of activities for young people to take part in. Bedrooms are personalised by the addition of individual items for each young person.

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This inspection

The service is good at keeping young people safe. Recruitment and vetting checks 3 of 5 are undertaken thoroughly. References are verified and gaps in employment are explored with candidates at interview. New staff have a full induction programme and commence work on the Children’s Workforce Development Council’s induction standards as soon as they start work in the centre. Staff supervision is regular and thorough. Staff find it supportive and useful. Fire safety in the setting is good with regular checks and drills. The location risk assessment is succinct but does cover all relevant areas of risk.

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This inspection

The management arrangements of the service have recently changed. The Registered Manger is currently on a placement as part of her social work degree programme and the day-to-day management of the service has been devolved to the senior team leader who is a very experienced and has been working at the centre for a number of years. The Registered Manager attends the centre several times a week and also provides additional support to the senior team leader. Staff find that the changes in management have not had a major impact on the day-to- day running of the service. The new management arrangements were fully discussed with Ofsted prior to being implemented.

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This inspection

Both external and internal monitoring of the service occurs on a regular basis. Independent monitoring visits are undertaken monthly; reports of these visits provide the service with a useful overview and identify areas for improvement. Quality of care reports are undertaken in line with regulation and sent through to Ofsted promptly. These reports provide a detailed review of the service and identify any issues or trends.

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This inspection

Records of physical interventions are well recorded and reviewed by the management team. No sanctions have been imposed since 2013. Notifiable incidents are rare and when they do occur they are promptly sent through to Ofsted as required.

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This inspection

Complaints are handled promptly. There has been one complaint since the last inspection. This was around the fact that dates had to be changed due to the centre taking in an emergency admission. A verbal complaint was received but the matter did not proceed to a formal complaint.

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This inspection

Since the last inspection, one member of staff has been dismissed on the grounds of gross misconduct; this related to issues outside of the centre. Two grievances had also been raised by a member of staff against the Registered Manager. These were investigated and have been resolved. 4 of 5

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Information about this children’s home

This county council service is a purpose-built resource centre for children with learning difficulties and/or physical disabilities. The children's centre provides a six- bedroom short break unit.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/11/2014 Full outstanding 27/03/2014 Interim good progress 13/11/2013 Full good 11/02/2013 Interim good progress Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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What inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspections 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

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The 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 relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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Information about this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the framework of inspection for children's homes.

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