Children's Home run by Kent County Council in Kent

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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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has declined in effectiveness .

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

There has not been a registered manager managing the home since November 2015. The present manager has been seconded to this post since September 2016. Prior to this, two temporary managers were employed. The current manager is in the process of applying to be registered. She is currently a registered manager for another of the organisation’s homes. She has a level 5 qualification in leadership and management for residential childcare and a social work qualification. The manager is a strong leader who is committed to driving forward change and developing the service. She is aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the service and is committed to implementing a sustained improvement.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The managers have partly met the requirements and recommendations set at the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Staff collate information from parents and professionals to inform care plans and risk assessments prior to the child or young person moving in. Introductions include tea visits with overnight stays starting once the child or young person is ready to stay. Children and young people only stay at the home when thorough care plans and healthcare plans are in place and staff are aware of and able to respond to children’s and young people’s health needs. A practice educator role, undertaken by a qualified nurse, underpins this process. Staff receive training in administering medication and meeting the children’s and young people’s complex health needs.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Supervision sessions have improved. Staff are able to discuss individual children or young people and reflect on their practice when these take place. However, they have not occurred regularly in line with the organisation’s supervision policy. Staff have not had formal, protected time to regularly evaluate and discuss their practice. The new manager has addressed this effectively. Supervisions are now regular and monitoring systems are in place to ensure that they remain a priority.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Staff know the children and young people well and enjoy working with them. Children and young people make good progress because of the input and commitment of the staff team. One young person has developed his self-care skills, another young person is more able to tolerate spending time with other children and young people. Staff set measurable targets. They review these goals usually during each stay. However, staff have not reviewed one young person’s targets for a considerable length of time. It was, therefore, no longer effective and there was a lack of clarification regarding how to respond to the young person’s challenging behaviour. The manager recognises this shortfall. She is addressing this as part of the development of the service.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Children’s and young people’s health needs are a priority for the manager and staff. They have reviewed medication processes to ensure safe practice. There is an increased level of vigilance in regards to monitoring and administering medication. Staff demonstrated efficient handover of medical information. As a result, there is a reduction in the possibility of errors occurring in medication administration.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Children and young people attend children’s meetings and input into the running of the service. Staff listen to their views and act upon them, for example, children and young people chose the colour of the newly painted bedrooms. Staff use a range of communication methods to gain and record the children’s and young people’s view, such as picture exchange, observation and objects of reference. Staff reassure children and young people that adults value their views.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Physical interventions of children and young people are only used as a last resort and in accordance with the legislative framework. Staff receive training in appropriate restraint methods. Staff record young people’s views or observations of their response. However, managers have not reviewed the physical intervention methods within timescales. This delay in monitoring means that staff cannot reflect on their practice and managers are not able to oversee the use of these measures within an appropriate timescale. Current practice shows that this has improved. The manager monitors physical interventions within timescales and arrangements are in place for senior staff to review the records in her absence.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Current risk assessments demonstrate that staff understand the risks associated with each child or young person, appropriate measures are in place to ensure that they are safe within the home and in the community. However, personal emergency evacuation plans are not consistently individualised. There are examples of well-written, individualised plans. However, some records are more general. This does not inform staff about how to respond regarding these children and young people in the event of a fire.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The building has been newly decorated, positive changes regarding information have been displayed and refurbishment has resulted in a more homely feel. Children and young people make good use of the resources in the home, which include a cinema screen, arts and crafts, a sensory room and soft play area. Children and young people enjoy a range of activities in the community including going to see Father Christmas and local Christmas lights. Staff safeguarding training is up to date. Staff are trained to identify and report issues relating to child sexual exploitation and radicalisation. Staff spoken to demonstrate a good awareness of these issues and their responsibility to safeguard the children and young people.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Partnership working with parents and professionals is effective in providing a multi- disciplinary approach to children’s and young people’s care. The manager works closely with therapists to ensure that children’s social, educational and physical needs are met. A social worker reported, ‘The staff contribute well to child in need meetings, they communicate well and are always willing to discuss the children and ensure that I am aware of any incidents.’ Parents value the service, one parent said, ‘All staff go out of their way for my child.’ Another parent said, ‘Staff feedback to me after my child’s stay at the service. It’s a lovely place. I’m really pleased.’

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Staff are positive about the improvements to the service. One member of staff said, ‘I now get regular supervision and can discuss children individually.’ Another said, ‘There are more structures in place. The manager will listen to our views before putting new ideas into practice. She focuses on the children’s needs.’ Team meetings are now weekly, children and young people are the focus of the meetings and staff review clearly recorded actions at future meetings. This ensures that staff address any issues before the child’s or young person’s next stay.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Close monitoring by the manager ensures that staff maintain a good standard of care. Staff have not fully embedded the systems introduced. However, improvements are in place. The manager ensures that children’s and young people’s welfare is central to all practice within the service. Initiatives like introducing an induction folder for shift leaders and a new monitoring process for senior team leaders have been effective.

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Information about this children's home

This is a local authority managed short-break service for children and young people. The home caters for up to six children and young people with complex needs and those on the autistic spectrum.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 10/03/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 27/10/2015 Full Good 26/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 27/01/2015 Full Good

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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: (b) within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (‘the authorised person’)— (i) has spoken to the user about the measure; and (ii) has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i) and (ii)) 28/02/2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:

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Recommendations

 Children's home’s staff should seek to identify and provide appropriate opportunities for children to develop themselves in accordance with the home's care plan for their care. This relates specifically to targets being set and reviewed. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.4)

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Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively asses the risk to each child and the arrangements to protect them, particularly in relation to personal emergency evacuation plans being individualised to inform procedures in the event of a fire. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Recommendations

 The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff receive supervision, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the child assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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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

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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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