Children's home in Thanet

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement at the full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has improved effectiveness . Since the last inspection, one child has moved on from the home. This was in a planned way to live with family and was a positive outcome for this child. Another child has moved into the home during this period. The children generally get on and staff report improved relationships among the children, with some shared activities going on. Planning menus and undertaking a main weekly shop with children has helped staff improve the supply of food in the home. All children feel safe living in the home, with one saying, ‘I’ve settled here.’ They do not find bullying to be an issue and say there are just the ‘usual teenage disagreements’. The registered manager has reported safeguarding incidents appropriately to children’s social workers, families and Ofsted to share information

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

effectively and protect children. Redecoration and refurbishment has improved the premises, including a new kitchen and redecoration in some areas. The building is more homely and domestic as a result. The children helped staff to clear the garden and plant flowers to make this a more attractive outdoor place for everyone to use. There are plans for further redecoration, with children involved in choosing how their home should look. Staff plan to use the children’s artwork to decorate the home. School attendance has improved for most children since the last inspection. One child is now in full-time education and attending regularly. Another is attending regularly for longer periods of time. This optimises their chances of doing well in education and gives them the opportunity to make friends with their peers. A full- time education placement is not yet in place for the newest young person, who is due to receive tuition for a few hours a week. Nevertheless, management

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

advocates appropriately for the child by challenging the placing authority to provide suitable education. Staying in touch with family has improved for some children. They meet and stay with their families more regularly and benefit from closer relationships. Some benefit from family members coming to visit them in their home. Staff report that morale is improving, with one saying it has ‘improved greatly’. Some staff have left and there has been some staff absence due to sickness. The existing staff and bank staff from within the company cover vacancies while management recruit new staff. Some staff still regard the shift patterns as over-long and tiring. Due to staff vacancies, formal staff supervision has been irregular. However, as the team is small, staff discuss matters on a daily basis. The registered manager has reviewed different models of supervision to adopt. There is good progress in meeting four of the five requirements made at the last

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

inspection. The staff are working more effectively as a team, staff recruitment is ongoing and training has helped staff to better meet the needs of one child. Behaviour management has improved. Staff no longer impose financial penalties, but ask children to pay reparation should they deliberately damage something, such as helping to repair the damage. Audits by senior staff and monitoring by the independent visitor have highlighted any deficiencies and have led to improvement in children’s case records. Risk assessments now assess the likely impact of one child’s admission on the existing residents and staff. This helps to provide a more robust approach to matching children with each other. Staff have removed brambles from the garden to make it a safer area for children. An independent person visits the home regularly and reports on their findings. The registered manager finds their reports useful to help the service develop. However,

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

the independent person’s reports still fail to give an opinion on whether children are effectively safeguarded and whether the conduct of the home promotes the children’s well-being. The registered manager has addressed four of the five recommendations made at the last inspection. Staff record key work to evidence their one-to-one work with children. Staff looked into the possible complications when children refuse to take prescribed medication and now dispose of old medication to improve safety. Episodes of children going missing have reduced. When children have returned after being missing, staff have challenged placing authorities to offer an independent return home interview to try to reduce the risk of this reoccurring. Children eat an evening meal together. Some are making progress in eating at other times, such as breakfast, but a few are not eating regularly throughout the day. Also, in one case, there remains an over-reliance on high-energy drinks,

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

although this has improved somewhat. The recommendation related to healthy eating has been partially addressed and is, therefore, repeated.

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Information about this children’s home

A limited company operatesthis home and a number of other children’s homes. The home’s registration enables it to provide care and accommodation for up to five children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

31/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

18/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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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 independent person must produce a report about a visit (‘the independent person’s report’) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether: (a) children are effectively safeguarded, and (b) the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. (Regulation 44 (4)(a)(b)) 30/05/2017

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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

 Ensure that children are provided with nutritious meals suitable for each child’s needs. This is with specific reference to providing greater encouragement to some children to eat a proper meal during the day before their evening meal, and further supporting some to make healthier choices regarding a reliance on energy drinks. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.8)  Ensure that systems are in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children 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 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 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 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 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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