Children's home run by Kent County Council in Ashford

Outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children’s home provision is outstanding because:

 Leadership is strong, clear and entirely focused on achieving the best possible experience for the children and young people who come for short breaks.  The registered manager and staff make exceptional efforts to maintain effective communication with the children and young people in order to ascertain their wishes and feelings, and to enable them to contribute to improvements in the service.  Staff consistently meet the complex care and health needs of children and young people with confidence and competence, enabling a strong focus on the wider aims for their stays.  Considerable thought and effort is devoted by staff to ensuring that children and young people are safe and protected from harm. They do this in a way that does not unnecessarily prevent the children and young people from having fun and increasing their experience of the world.  The registered manager and staff are bold, creative and flexible in providing

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The children’s home provision is outstanding because:

each child and young person with a bespoke stay experience that is enjoyable and challenging, for their growth and development.  The registered manager and staff are consistently able to engender a level of trust in parents and carers that enables them to enjoy confidence and peace of mind when their children are having short breaks.

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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 within 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):

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Recommendations

 That the registered manager makes full use of the regulation 45 review process to analyse and understand the key strengths and weaknesses in the home and use this understanding to plan for continuous improvement. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.4)  That the registered manager seeks to improve collaboration with parents and carers by providing written feedback on stays more quickly. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.8)

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Information about this children’s home

The home is jointly funded by the health authority and the local authority. The home provides six residential places for children and young people who have physical disabilities and/or learning difficulties. It is fully equipped to meet the needs of the children and young people who require short-break care. The registered manager also retains management responsibility for the resource centre attached to the premises.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 02/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 03/06/2015 Full Good 25/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/07/2014 Full Adequate

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Outstanding

Through its wide range of activities, this superb short-break provision enables children and young people to relax, have fun, be stimulated and try new experiences. Over time, they become familiar with and confident in using this highly valued service.

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Outstanding

Staff provide a very warm welcome. One parent said: ‘It’s a mix of friendliness and professionalism; they really understand my child, who has complex needs.’ Children and young people experience a sense of belonging and familiarity with the physical environment, despite their short stays being intermittent. This is because staff prepare carefully for their arrival and provide a sense of continuity. The same preferred rooms are allocated, children and young people are encouraged to bring small personal items from home, reference is made to their likes and dislikes as well as their preferred activities, and, whenever possible, friends attend together. When specific care is required, careful matching with key staff is ensured.

p.6

Outstanding

Staff are competent and confident in meeting the complex health needs of children and young people, some of whom have intricate feeding requirements. This helps children and young people to settle quickly, and to develop confidence and trust in the adults who care for them. Consequently, parents and carers have trust and confidence in the staff to provide consistently high-quality and stimulating care for their children and young people. This is because staff communicate well with parents and carers. They demonstrate warmth, respect and acceptance. This helps children and carers to separate easily and gain maximum benefit from their short breaks. One parent said: ‘They are fastidious about medication and safety. I feel confident, leaving my child in their care, which is tremendously important for a parent.’ Another said, ‘It makes me feel at ease, knowing that my child is well looked after and in safe hands.’

p.6

Outstanding

Staff make substantial and sustained efforts to develop and improve their communication with the children and young people. They display an eagerness and willingness to learn new approaches and methods. They show great sensitivity and perceptiveness in understanding and responding to non-verbal children and young people by learning to recognise subtle cues in their behaviour. This helps staff to be proactive in meeting children’s and young people’s needs, because they are able to anticipate challenges and reduce the likelihood of negative events.

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Outstanding

These channels of communication are continuously used to gain an understanding of children’s and young people’s views and wishes on how the provision and stay experience can be improved. Children’s and young people’s meetings are held when appropriate, and a real desire to listen and understand their views is evident in the written minutes. There is also ongoing feedback to the children and young people about what they are saying and how this is being responded to. Staff are challenged to gain meaningful feedback from a very diverse range of children and young people, but they remain enthusiastic, persistent and committed to achieving this.

p.6

Outstanding

Children and young people are encouraged and supported to engage actively in a rich and diverse range of activities at the setting, as well as in the community, each according to their level of ability and interest. Flexible and imaginative use is made of sensory, soft play, spa, art and craft, and computer facilities at the home.

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Outstanding

Children and young people have realistic and achievable targets which are focused on increasing their independence and expanding their experience of the world. Progress is clearly documented and achievements are celebrated. Socialising and making friends is encouraged, as the importance of this for children and young people with complex needs is well understood by staff. One parent said, ‘They have allowed my child to be independent and make friends.’

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Outstanding

Children and young people grow vegetables outside and there is access to a carefully designed woodland walk. Cooking, baking and helping with the preparation of meals are encouraged and supported. Activities in the community are frequent and adventurous, and include the use of off-road wheelchairs to access the beach and sea. Regular theme days and weekends, based on cultural events and celebrations, involve special meals, dressing up and making things. Each child and young person has a scrapbook in which their activities, experiences and achievements are vividly recorded by photographs, captions and inscriptions. This helps to build positive memories, increase self-esteem, and map progress and development.

p.7

Outstanding

The registered manager and staff feed effectively on the uninhibited and innovative approach of the attached resource centre to maintain a fresh and imaginative approach to providing stimulating, interesting and fun experiences for the children and young people.

p.7

Outstanding

Well-trained staff consistently look beyond the children’s and young people’s short stays in their safeguarding practice. This starts with vigilant and meticulous documentation of the well-being of individuals on their arrival. All details that might suggest possible safeguarding concerns, such as marks and bruises, are logged and followed up with parents and carers, when appropriate. A recent example identified the need to replace outgrown hoist equipment at the young person’s home.

p.7

Outstanding

The safeguarding log is regularly monitored to identify possible patterns and trends that will alert and inform managers on when to take action. Managers are confident in escalating concerns and know how to follow safeguarding protocols. Strong relationships are maintained with key safeguarding bodies such as the police, designated officers and the Local Safeguarding Children Board. This enables the best possible interventions and outcomes for children and young people when their safety becomes a concern.

p.8

Outstanding

Children and young people do not go missing during their stays. High levels of supervision, combined with thorough shift planning, ensure that children’s and young people’s whereabouts are known. Staff’s effective application of risk assessments, which includes agreed restrictions such as safety gates, gives children and young people freedom of movement within a safe environment. This aspect is further ensured by the high standards of routine maintenance, decor and renewals. Well-organised health and safety systems keep specialist equipment in excellent order. Fire safety is everyone’s business, and equipment is routinely checked and evacuation practices are regular.

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Outstanding

The complex control and administration of medication are meticulous. Errors are very rare and there have been none since the last inspection. Such high standards really matter to parents and carers. They are reassured of their child’s health, well- being and safety. Skilled staff recognise challenging behaviours as a form of communication. Hence, physical restraint is occasional, and almost always applied to protect children and young people from injuring themselves or each other. Staff are extremely successful in de-escalating circumstances that could otherwise develop into situations requiring restraint.

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Outstanding

Staff recruitment and vetting are extremely thorough. Beyond safer recruitment checks, the suitability of applicants to work with children and young people with complex needs is rigorously explored. The recruitment process includes a written exercise, group discussion and a site visit. Only those who display what is regarded as the appropriate motivation are considered, and this is carefully monitored during new staff’s induction and probation periods. Those not meeting these exacting standards are not appointed.

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Outstanding

Strong and effective leadership starts with the qualified, experienced registered manager. He is supported by a deputy with previous registered manager experience in a similar provision. They form a unified and balanced team, with their strengths and special interests effectively complementing each other. The registered manager displays vigour and enthusiasm to achieve the highest possible standard of service for children, young people and their families. This enthusiasm is infectious and inspires staff to strive consistently to achieve the best standards of care. Staff readily compliment the registered manager and show respect for and appreciation of his hands-on approach, his knowledge of the children, the good relationship that he has with them, and the innovation, change and improvement in the provision that he has led so far.

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Outstanding

The home consistently succeeds in ensuring that each group of children and young people, on any given day, has a staff complement that possesses the required level of expertise and appropriate capacity. This is the result of careful planning, strong teamwork and a good understanding of the children’s and young people’s needs, together with staff’s capabilities. The outcome of this careful preparation is that the care and safety needs of the children and young people are met, and there is still sufficient capacity to enable them to have fun and expand their experience of the world.

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Outstanding

Children and young people have a clear, targeted and detailed care plan for every stay. These become well-used, live reference documents for staff. They add useful comments, such as the discovery of a new favourite food, to improve future care experiences and to provide useful feedback to parents and carers. However, the written reports would be more meaningful for parents and carers by being provided more quickly after the end of each stay.

p.9

Outstanding

Staff benefit by having two separate weeks in each year dedicated to their training and professional development. This is supplemented by additional and online training, as the need arises. The home uses an in-house NHS practice educator to provide specialist healthcare training. Eighteen out of 21 staff have achieved the level 3 diploma and three are currently engaged in the programme to achieve this.

p.9

Outstanding

Staff are helped to sustain their motivation and focus to maintain high levels of practice through regular supervision and weekly staff meetings. These activities are very child focused, but also allow staff to reflect on their practice and talk about how they may be affected by challenging aspects of their care role. Children and young people profit from this, because it helps to keep their care consistent.

p.9

Outstanding

Managers constantly seek feedback from children and young people, parents and carers and other stakeholders, looking at ways to improve the reliability and soundness of this information. This is because they really want to know how they can improve the experience of children, young people and their families. The registered manager has a good understanding of the provision’s strengths and weaknesses. He uses published models of care, as well as research findings, to inform the development of the service and to improve practice. However, his own system of the regulation 45 review process is very detailed and could be simplified for greater effect. Excellent liaison with community and parent groups around fundraising and activity expansion, demonstrates close partnership arrangements. The home has hosted two trainee police officers for induction placements and intends to continue this offer. These positive practices contribute to the overall provision of a consistent,

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Outstanding

safe and enriching short-stay experience for the children and young people.

p.10

Outstanding

Parents and carers are frequent visitors. One parent said, ‘As parents, we feel free to ask anything and they are very informative about my child’s stay.’ Another said: ‘We have good communication and I always feel comfortable to pick up the phone and ask how my child is getting on. It is really like an extended family.’

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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’. 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

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What the inspection judgements mean

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 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 0300 123 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, work- based 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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