Children's Home run by The Drive Care Homes Ltd in Kent

Good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 Children live in a warm, nurturing environment where staff support them to develop increased levels of independence.  Children maintain good levels of contact with their families. Staff support the children with contact in the home and at their family homes.  Children are making exceptional progress, both in increased verbal communication and in their overall development. This has included children ceasing to need incontinence pads and achieving healthier weight levels.  Staff support the children to travel to school in their home authorities, enabling them to experience settled and secure education placements. The children maintain exceptionally high levels of attendance.  There is a well-established, consistent staff team and many of the staff have worked with the children since the children moved in to the home several years ago.  The manager is increasing the level of accessibility of information for the

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The children’s home provision is good because:

children. The development of aide memoirs and pictorial systems and modification of all aspects of the keyworking and recording systems in the home enables the children to experience care in a more person-centred way.  Some staff have worked at the home for a number of years, but have not completed a relevant level 3 qualification.

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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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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification, the level 3 diploma for residential childcare (England) (‘the level 3 diploma’), or a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the level 3 diploma, by the relevant date. (Regulation 32(4)(5)) 30/05/2017

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home is registered to provide care for up to six children who have learning and/or physical disabilities.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 15/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 02/12/2015 Full Good 17/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 16/01/2015 Full Good

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Good

The children living in this home have a range of complex learning needs and either have very limited speech or communicate non-verbally. The children have lived together for a number of years. Each child has a personalised care plan and a communication plan that details the individual ways that they communicate their moods and wishes. Staff adapt their own communication styles as needed to enhance their communication with the children.

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Good

The children’s daily and monthly records and their key-work records show that the children have the opportunity to say if they are happy; to say if they have any worries; to make choices; and to make contributions to discussions about the home. This promotes the children’s active participation in decisions and choices that affect their daily lives. It helps the children to feel listened to and to know that their views are valued.

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Good

The rapport between the children and staff is warm and caring, which reflects the nurturing environment that the children live in. It is evident that the children are cared for in a home where the staff ensure that all aspects of the children’s care are met. One relative spoke positively about the support that the staff had offered their child following a sudden bereavement. The child’s social worker echoed this, saying, ‘He has lived here for nearly two years and he is a different boy. He is progressing academically and the staff have gone over and above to help him with the sudden loss of his mum.’

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Good

Staff recognise the importance of the children maintaining good links with their families and they facilitate family contact both in the home and within the family homes. One parent visits the home on most Sundays to cook her child’s favourite meal. Staff have familiarised themselves with the recipe in order that the child is still able to have their favourite meal on the occasions that the parent cannot visit. This helps to minimise the child’s level of upset at not seeing her parent.

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Good

The staff have a child-centred approach that empowers the children to have a voice. The children are making exceptional progress from their starting points. The introduction of the aide memoirs and pictorial systems to make information accessible has resulted in further progress in the children’s behaviours and their communication. This has resulted in fewer incidents of challenging behaviour and a reduction in the number of negative incidents. Staff and professionals say that this is because the children are more able to communicate their views.

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Good

All of the children attend education. Most have a much-extended day because they travel to schools in their own local authorities. All of the children achieve extremely high levels of attendance and only miss school when they have appointments or are ill. One older child has recently started attending college and has settled in well. Staff have a good working relationship with each of the schools and the college. The staff attend parents evenings and offer support to teaching staff to help them to mirror the approaches and techniques that the staff use to engage with the children. This enables the children to experience a consistent approach in school and at home.

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Good

The manager has had several areas of the house redecorated including the lounge, which has been totally refurbished and now offers a more homely comfortable space in which the children can relax and play. Children’s bedrooms are personalised and there are pictures of the children all around the house showing them enjoying different activities. The pictures add to the homely feel of the house and promote the children’s sense of belonging.

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Good

The children experience a vast array of activities in the community. Staff set targets for the children that help them to develop the independence skills that they will require in adult life. They support the children to become knowledgeable and confident in using public transport. Staff are actively preparing one child for his imminent transition to a provision for young adults.

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Good

One child can now, accompanied by staff, shop for his cultural food provisions. He has built the confidence to select the items and has developed an understanding of the ingredients that he requires. These skills are promoting his level of independence.

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Good

Staff advocate on behalf of the children and the manager has recently been successful in challenging a placing authority’s decision to move a child to an adult placement. This and ongoing efforts to advocate on the children’s behalf addresses the recommendation made at the previous inspection.

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Good

The children’s families and external professionals are positive about the progress that the children have made in the time that they have lived at the home. This includes children starting to vocalise more words, ceasing to be incontinent and generally becoming healthier. A relative of one child said, ‘You can tell he is happy just by looking at him. His independence skills are coming along nicely. It was an amazing achievement when he stopped needing to use the nappies. This has exceeded my expectations.’ Judgement grade

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Good

When considering any new admissions the manager conducts a compatibility risk assessment. The assessment considers the potential impact on both the new child and the children already living at the home to ensure that the group dynamics are not negatively affected.

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Good

Each child has a range of risk assessments that cover all aspects of their care, such as personal care, radicalisation and safeguarding, including child sexual exploitation. Many of the risks are categorised as very low level because the staff supervise the children on a one-to-one basis at all times. The high levels of staffing prevent any missing-from-care episodes. Staff understand the procedures to follow should an incident of missing from home occur.

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Good

The risk assessments cover risks that arise when out in the community. They also cover risks that occur as a result of learning life skills, such as making a hot drink. Children are becoming increasingly safer as they develop these skills and recognise the potential dangers.

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Good

The children all have personal emergency evacuation plans that detail how the staff should approach assisting each child to evacuate the building in the event of a fire. There are regular fire drills to familiarise the children with the process. This promotes the children’s physical safety.

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Good

Staff undergo training in the use of physical intervention. However, use of any physical intervention is rare and there have been no incidents requiring physical intervention in this inspection period. Staff use their knowledge of the children to divert and defuse situations that would otherwise escalate.

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Good

A requirement was raised at the last inspection in relation to whistleblowing and reporting allegations. The staff are now clear about the home’s whistleblowing process and are aware of the reporting processes should any allegations be made about staff. The staff say clearly that they have no concerns about their colleagues or any practice within the home and they can explain how they would escalate matters should concerns arise. The children benefit from a staff team who keep children’s safety and wellbeing at the core of their work and interactions. Judgement grade

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Good

The manager has worked for a number of years within services for adults who have learning disabilities. He has been in post in this home as the registered manager for a year. The manager is currently completing the level 5 qualification. He is using his knowledge and experience of children transitioning into adult services to ensure that from a young age the children start developing the skills that they will need in adult life. He has modified a number of recording and filing systems to make them accessible. The manager has a child-centred approach and both he and the staff are now writing reports as though they are speaking to the child. The risk assessments and care plans read as though the child is speaking to the reader. This immediately gives the documents a more personalised feel.

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Good

The manager has re-inducted some staff and introduced them to aspects of paperwork that staff previously deemed as management tasks. Staff say that this approach is encouraging them to develop new skills and to have a greater awareness of all aspects of the paperwork, monitoring and inspection processes. Staff report that they find the manager’s approach open and supportive, and that they are now feeling empowered and confident. This positivity is reflected in the care that they provide and their attitude to work.

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Good

Managers follow safe-recruitment practices when employing new staff. The new staff receive an appropriate induction and both mandatory and developmental training. Refresher courses occur at the appropriate intervals to ensure that staff are working with current subject knowledge.

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Good

Staff receive supervision in line with the home’s policy. A staff member said, ‘During supervision additional opportunities are offered and the sessions allow you to develop.’ The supervision sessions form the basis of the annual appraisals.

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Good

The manager conducts weekly and monthly audits. When he identifies any gaps in information or records, he addresses this with the staff member concerned during supervision and ensures that shortfalls are rectified. The independent visitor provides a monthly report detailing the strengths and weaknesses in the provision of care, and the manager promptly addresses any actions required. This helps to drive improvement in the quality of care.

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Good

Staff have a good rapport with families and professionals. Families give positive feedback. A relative of one child said, ‘The staff keep me informed. They really care and they are not just there for the money.’ The manager prides himself on the fact that the children and their families benefit from the support that the home offers.

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Good

Some staff working at the home have not completed their level 3 diploma training, which means that they are not qualified to undertake the role. Training and supervision is in place but this does not replace the need to ensure that the staff have relevant qualifications.

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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’.

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What the inspection judgements mean

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 children looked after is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements 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

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or that 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 that 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 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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