Children's home run by Kennet Care Limited

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

Young people continue to make good progress while living at the home. They are developing positive ways to manage and self-regulate their behaviours and emotions.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Those who have resided at the home for several months are fully engaged in full- time education. Staff support young people to transition between home and school. They support young people to complete homework tasks and to access additional learning opportunities and after-school clubs and activities.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff encourage and support young people to lead healthy lifestyles. They support young people to attend health appointments and meet their basic healthcare needs. For example, one young person has had all of their required immunisations with support and encouragement from staff. Young people have also addressed long term healthcare needs.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff have systems and procedures for medication administration and storage. Medication is stored in a locked cupboard in the adult area. During the inspection, the home’s medication policy and procedure was observed not being followed, with medication not properly locked away.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff follow detailed and thorough care plans. These provide practical information and guidance to staff supporting them in their care of young people. Staff regularly review plans involving young people fully in this. Young people are developing their self-care skills, and staff assist them to manage their anxieties and emotions.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

All young people are encouraged to attend and engage in activities outside the home, developing networks and friendships within their local area. Staff are supporting young people to make choices and take age-appropriate risks. Young people access a wide variety of activities while at the home. These have included a camping holiday. Young people spoke positively about the fun holiday and adventures which had been experienced.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people maintain contact with family and friends while living at the home and staff have facilitated this. They support young people to work through any emotions and worries they may attach to this.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff complete detailed risk assessments, which explore many known risk factors. Staff have identified risks associated with inappropriate sexual behaviours, but plans to address and minimise risk are lacking. Risk assessments are regularly reviewed and updated when required.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Systems within the home for recording and managing safeguarding concerns are robust. Staff act on concerns swiftly, with substantial investigation and exploration. Concerns are recorded, reported and referred to others when required. Staff response to allegations is thorough and robust, with records detailing all required actions and outcomes.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

When young people misbehave, staff have given sanctions which are linked to the event or cause. Young people’s views are sought following the event. Staff use a repair and rebuild approach to situations. Managers are working with local residents and authorities to develop the relationships between them. A young person helped to prepare for a community celebration. Staff have encouraged young people to apologise to those in the community if their behaviour has had a negative impact on them. Young people are being educated to understand how their negative behaviour can affect others.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff have previously restricted access to the lounge area overnight. This is currently being reviewed as it is not thought necessary. It had been used to assist staff to manage behaviour and encourage a positive night-time routine.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff support young people to self-regulate their behaviour and emotions. They avoid the use of physical intervention, with it only being used once in the home since the last inspection. Staff use a log with basic information and then a more detailed report of the event is recorded within an incident report. Records show that it was used in its least restrictive form for the shortest time possible. All staff are trained in the home’s preferred method of behaviour management. Staff have contacted police and taken young people to the police station to assist in the management of negative behaviours. On one occasion, they used the police as a threat to young people in an attempt to manage negative behaviour. This is not the ethos of the home and managers are addressing this with staff.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Leaders and managers complete pre-admission risk and impact-risk assessments, exploring all factors prior to admission. Staff consider if needs can be met and if a prospective young person is compatible with other young people already placed in the home. They do not evidence that they ensure that all the required information and documentation is gained from the placing authority prior to admission. Staff have challenged placing authorities when advocating on behalf of newly admitted young people.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home has a new manager, who has applied to be registered with Ofsted. There has been a gap in leadership in the home since the last inspection and HMCI has not received reports evaluating the quality of care provided in that six-month period.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Leaders and managers have employed new staff who have been subject to a robust safer recruitment process.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care for up to four young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, and/or children and young people with learning disabilities. The home is one of two homes that are privately owned by the proprietor.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 26/04/2016 Full Good

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Managing medicines in care homes (March 2014) is a guideline that applies across both health and social care (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.17).

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Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5).

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Recommendations

 The behaviour management strategy should be understood and applied at all times by staff, and must be kept under review and revised where appropriate (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.34).

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Recommendations

 The registered person must challenge (under regulation 5(c)) any placing authority who asks them to accept a child in the absence of a complete and current relevant plan, as the expectation that a placement of a child without the necessary information would go ahead (in circumstances other than an emergency) is inadequate in relation to their role. It is essential that homes understand what will be required of them before they accept responsibility for a child’s placement, to avoid disruption and instability for the child in future and for other children in the home. For non-looked-after children, the home should ensure they have sufficient information from the child’s ‘placing authority’ (usually their parents/carers) and other relevant agencies to effectively assess whether they can meet the child’s needs before agreeing to the placement (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page

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Recommendations

 The processes the registered person puts in place to enable such a review to take place, should allow for a report to be generated at least once every six months. The generated report should be sent to Ofsted and the placing local authority of all children in the home who are looked-after children (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.3).

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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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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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