Children's home in Thanet

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

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

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has sustained a good level of care since the last full inspection in December 2015. At that inspection, a requirement was made in respect of the general upkeep of the home and garden. Three recommendations were made in relation to staff supervisions, young people’s views and communication with other agencies.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Work has begun on a refurbishment of the home. The garden areas are tidier, overhanging shrubs in the back garden have been cut back. In addition the patio areas are in the process of being pressure washed giving the outdoor space a more open and brighter feel. Painting has started indoors, with staff sleeping in rooms, bathroom and shower rooms completed first. The upstairs carpets are cleaned and free of old stains. The bathroom and shower areas look fresher and cleaner. These developments mean young people benefit from living in an environment that is improving in quality.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

A scheduled refurbishment plan is in place detailing the remainder of the work proposed for 2016. This includes re-building the conservatory, replacing with double glazed units and installing a heat-reflecting roof. Later in the year, there is a planned refurbishment of the kitchen and dining room areas. In addition, a cleaner is now employed to ensure the home’s ongoing cleanliness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has improved supervision recording by adding actions and timescales and clarifying who is responsible for carrying these out.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager and staff team continue to seek ways to include young people’s views. For example through completing key work sessions on risks with young people and including their views in the assessments. Staff are also discussing how to record young people’s views in their placement plans on routine issues such as curfews, food preferences and bedtimes.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager and staff have worked hard to improve and extend communication with placing authorities and schools. This has helped to build trust with young people and professionals. As a result they are able to work more openly and realistically on issues such as missing from care. For example taking a more pragmatic approach and allowing young people to take age appropriate risks provided they are doing so as safely as possible.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home looks after young people with complex needs. The registered manager considers new referrals for admission carefully. Since the last inspection two young people’s placements broke down quickly. However there were due to circumstances beyond the home’s control, for example hospital admission and police involvement. One other young person moved in for a planned short stay, while waiting to move elsewhere. These recent quick turnovers of placements have been unsettling for existing residents and one young person says, ‘I feel happier when there are less young people here.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

In general, this home supports placements that have lasted, creating stability and the opportunity to undertake purposeful work with the young people to improve their futures. Two of the young people in placement have been here for over a year and one young person is coming up to two years.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home is supporting one young person to return to the care of her family in a planned way. The home are doing outreach work informed by the psychotherapist to support this reunification home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

A strength of this home is the consistent and experienced staff team. Young people know the staff well and receive good continuity of care. Young people share positive relationships with staff and appear happy and relaxed in their presence.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people are making progress. Due to complex needs, progress is harder to recognise. However notable achievements include a decrease in the number of missing episodes, attending health appointments where these have been refused before and attending school or college on a regular basis. A strength and a major achievement in this home is the increased maturity of the young people and their ability to sustain positive relationships with staff and peers. Negative behaviours are reducing and young people present as calmer and are making good progress in areas of self-care, independence skills and self-esteem.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

All young people are in education. Staff support and encourage them by helping them to understand the importance of this and how it can provide opportunities for them in the future.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Safeguarding is central to the practice within this home. Staff are aware of their responsibility to keep young people as safe as possible and are guided by policy and processes to support them in this task. Young people say they feel safe and know how to complain. Several young people have access to an advocate. A recent incident of bullying was dealt with quickly and appropriately.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Restraint is rarely used. In general the recording of such incidents are appropriate. However opportunities to gain insight and record how young people felt about the restraint are missed.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

External monitoring of this home is good. An independent person regularly visits the home and offers a good analysis of practice and recommendations for improvement. The registered manager completes a review of the quality of care. This ensures an understanding of what is happening in the home and identifies areas for potential improvement.

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Information about this children's home

The provider is an organisation and a limited company, who owns a number of children’s homes. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

18/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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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

 Ensure any child who has been restrained is given the opportunity to express their feelings about the experience of the restraint as soon as is practicable, ideally within 24 hours of the restraint incident, taking the age of the child and the circumstances of the restraint into account. In some cases children may need longer to work through their feelings, so a record that the child has talked about their feelings should be made no longer than 5 days after the incident of restraint. Children should be encouraged to add their views and comments to the record of restraint. Children should be offered the opportunity to access an advocacy support to help them with this. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 49, paragraph 9.60)

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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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