Children's home run by Kent County Council in Ashford

Outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceeds 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:

 Staff exude a passion and commitment to enhancing the children’s experiences of their short breaks. Children learn, develop and make significant progress within an environment of care, safety and fun.  Meaningful care plan targets focus on areas which improve children’s skills and independence. Staff work in partnership with parents, carers and schools in this regard to ensure a consistent approach.  Parents and carers are reassured of their child’s safety and enjoyment while using this service. Staff understand risks in the context of the children’s needs, age and levels of understanding.  Excellent health care arrangements are diligently applied. Every procedure is conducted with care, precision and utmost respect for children’s dignity and safety.  Experienced, well-trained staff support and mentor their new colleagues. Consequently, a cohesive staff team provides consistent high quality care.

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The children’s home provision is outstanding because:

 Strong and effective monitoring by the registered manager helps to maintain extremely high standards. All aspects of the service have improved and become embedded over the last three years.

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

 The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring. Specifically, keep the current regulation 44 arrangements under review. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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Information about this children’s home

This short-break service is run by the local authority. It is registered to provide a respite service for families with children who have a physical and/or learning disability. The maximum number of children and young people who can stay at the home at any time is four.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 24/05/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 09/12/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 22/07/2015 Full Good 25/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Outstanding

Children delight in using this service because they have fun in a vibrant and stimulating environment. Friendships between them are nurtured and enabled. The registered manager strives to offer the same dates for the children who are making friends with each other. He says, ‘It normalises the process of coming here – like having a sleepover with your friends.’ Such thinking typifies the ethos of this service. Its intention is to provide families with support in an understated way. The complexities of the children’s needs are very well understood and met, but their need to simply be recognised as children first underpins and drives the staff’s practice.

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Outstanding

A culture of acceptance and mutual respect is embedded and the children are loved and valued for their unique personalities. One staff member said, ‘I know exactly which games and toys to get ready for him, he has his definite favourites!’ Parents and carers described it as ‘a wonderful resource for all the family’ and explained that, ‘My child is happy and safe here which means that I can focus on my other children. The whole family benefits.’

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Outstanding

Sensitive admissions procedures allow the children and their families to familiarise themselves with the service at their own pace. Thorough assessment processes ensure that the children are well known prior to their first visit, which is usually for tea, prior to any overnight stay. This practice instils confidence in the children and their parents and carers. A parent said, ‘They made sure they knew so much about him. I trust them to look after him as I need them to. Absolutely no doubt about it.’

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Outstanding

Effective care planning ensures that the children receive the level of care they need, with the main focus on enjoying their visit. Parents, carers and children help to design the children’s goals and targets. These are meaningful and are incorporated into daily routines. Skilled staff ensure that the learning and practising of these goals simply feels like an everyday occurrence for the children. Achievements are lavishly praised and celebrated. Staff ensure that the children feel good about themselves and know that they are valued.

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Outstanding

Competent care delivery enhances the children’s experiences. The ‘All about me’ care plan tool leads into further, more detailed information about the children’s health, safety, education and social needs. Specific health and medical procedures and tasks are either directly delivered, or overseen, by a qualified nurse. A staff member said, ‘Necessary health care procedures are extremely important but our biggest aim is to complete them without fuss and get on with having fun and a nice time with the children.’ Staff never underestimate the value of safe and reliable routines for the children. During term-time, the children continue to attend school and their preferred routines are incorporated into their stay. Parents and carers describe the service as a ‘home from home’. Observations during this inspection included children instigating positive contact with the staff, lots of laughter and children moving

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Outstanding

around the home confidently and at ease.

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Outstanding

A superbly equipped play room and outdoor area provide the children with stimulating games, toys and educational resources. Children naturally learn and develop. Their experiences are further enhanced through excellent staffing levels. This factor, combined with the home’s own transport, results in spontaneous trips and external activities that some children might not otherwise experience. One parent said, ‘My child is enjoying going out. This used to be a real issue.’

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Outstanding

Crisis situations are reduced and resolved because of this service. One current example demonstrates the commitment of the staff and social services, who swiftly designed an emergency plan to temporarily accommodate a child. The local authority team manager said, ‘We now have the time to focus on finding the right foster carers while (name of child) is staying for an extended period in a safe and loving place that he already knows.’

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Good

Children’s safety and welfare underpin every aspect of their stay. Well-trained staff implement the home’s safeguarding guidance in practice. They know what to report, when and to whom. Following a previous recommendation, all staff are now aware of their reporting duties in respect of female genital mutilation. Core safeguarding training focuses on the everyday risks for disabled children. For the staff, this reinforces their acute understanding of the factors that increase the children’s vulnerabilities.

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Good

Child protection and safeguarding routinely feature at every team meeting and staff supervision. The presenting risks for the children are uppermost in staff’s thinking. One staff member said, ‘Our children are extremely vulnerable due to their disabilities. They can’t easily say that something is wrong or that harm has happened.’ A very new staff member said, ‘The biggest part of my induction was about safeguarding and my role within it.’ Joint training and research-informed practice guidance has been jointly undertaken by the staff and their local authority social worker colleagues. This unified approach is driving shared good practice across all of the teams involved with the children. A thorough approach to the handover and administration of medication reduces the room for errors, and this high standard is equally applied when any form of medical intervention occurs.

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Good

Diligent staff are highly observant and quickly report concerns. They adopt a questioning approach to obvious or subtle changes in the children’s presentation and behaviours. Such details are spotted because the staff know the children so well. Appropriate consultations and referrals to the local authority safeguarding team have been made, ensuring that the children have been protected. This strong safeguarding culture enables the staff to honestly appraise and, where necessary, challenge each other’s practice. One staff member’s use of the home’s whistle- blowing procedure led to immediate action being taken to place the welfare of the children as staff’s first priority.

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Good

Behaviour management guidance is clear, unambiguous and relevant to each child. Generic policies and guidance are funnelled into individual plans. Consequently, staff understand individual triggers and skilfully de-escalate potentially challenging situations. Sanctions are very rarely required and the use of physical interventions is uncommon.

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Good

Since the last inspection, no child has been absent or missing. High staffing levels and explicitly clear shift plans ensure that the staff know the whereabouts of the children at all times. Restrictive measures, such as door codes and monitoring equipment, are very well advertised and agreed with parents, carers and involved professionals. Such mechanisms are routinely reviewed to achieve the necessary balance of safety and freedom of movement.

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Good

Superbly well-maintained premises provide a safe and secure physical environment. All required health and safety checks and procedures, including the routine servicing of equipment, are up to date. Fire safety precautions are integral to night- time staff handovers. These arrangements are agreed each night.

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Good

A diligent process of obtaining checks, references and rigorous interviews is combined with determining that candidates will bring the required personal skills and attributes to the team. One new staff member said, ‘I applied before but they wanted me to build on my experience. I did and I’m thrilled to finally be a part of this fantastic team!’

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Outstanding

Since his appointment in 2013, the registered manager has remained focused on his commitment to provide the best possible service. Over the course of eight inspection visits, he has systematically targeted themes, issues and areas of strength and weakness. He is responsive to guidance, criticism, research and feedback. He uses all such information to steer the service to its current judgement of outstanding.

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Outstanding

The staff team mirrors the manager’s motivation. Current members, many of whom are long-serving, willingly trial new systems and approaches to improve the quality of the care provided and the experiences for the children. Confident staff attribute their competence to the provision of excellent training and regular professional supervision which enhances their knowledge and skills.

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Outstanding

The registered manager is suitably qualified and all care staff have either achieved, or are working towards, the completion of the level 3 diploma. New staff receive a thorough induction. New staff do not engage in lone working until they are assessed as able to do so. A new staff member said, ‘I am so thrilled to be here. My mentor (the deputy manager) supports and guides me in exactly the way I need.’

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Outstanding

Daily routines run smoothly due to meticulous shift planning. Flexible staffing arrangements meet the needs of the group of children using the service at any given time. Current higher staffing levels are in response to one child who is staying for a longer period. This thoughtful planning provides him with consistent familiar staff. It also ensures that the other children’s experiences are not compromised due to his very demanding needs.

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Outstanding

Appraisal and supervision arrangements focus on staff’s continuing professional development. The impact of training is scrutinised and staff are suitably stretched, challenged and supported to improve their practice for the benefit of the children. This focus on professional development includes the registered manager, who responds with enthusiasm to the challenges set for him by the responsible individual.

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Outstanding

Focused monitoring by the registered manager is central to the home’s success. The impact and effectiveness of the delivery of the children’s care plans are integral to his determined approach and eye for detail. The local authority’s strategic aims for its disabled children flow seamlessly into the registered manager’s team development plan. He takes swift action to respond to any shortfalls he identifies, such as the provision of targeted training for the staff. He is currently challenging the provider’s recent change of regulation 44 independent visitor arrangements. The reports contain limited regard for the specific needs of the children. The registered manager said, ‘We need these visits to be challenging and reflective of our children to keep us on our toes.’

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Outstanding

Feedback from other agencies commends the professionalism and practice of the home. A local authority team manager said, ‘They go above and beyond for the children’ and ‘The registered manager always contributes positively at children’s review meetings.’ Positive links with the local police reliably inform the home’s locality risk assessment, and the views and opinions of parents and carers are used to shape the home’s continually evolving development plan. Compliments are frequent, yet the home actively seeks suggestions for improvement. One complaint from a child was swiftly and appropriately resolved.

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Outstanding

The registered manager maintains appropriate contact with Ofsted. Notifications of significant events are clear and timely. Such practice assists the regulator to maintain reliably informed monitoring of the home between inspections.

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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 differences 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 whom 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

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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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