Children's home run by Moonreach LTD in Dover

Inspection report children’s home: SC460671 1 SC460671 Registered provider: Moonreach Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned children’s home which provides accommodation for two young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home shares a registered manager with a sister home that is run separately and located in different property in close proximity.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 13 December 2016

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Enforcement action since last inspection

None Inspection report children’s home: SC460671 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 The young people who move in like the homely atmosphere and settle quickly.  Placing social workers are confident about the quality of care provided by the home.  Managers and staff collaborate closely with the families of the young people, as well as with the other professionals involved in their care and well-being.  Strong safeguarding arrangements make the young people feel secure and help to keep them safe.  The young people become more controlled and increasingly engaged with life outside the home.  Leaders are open and decisive in responding to aspects of care that require improvement.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Identified areas requiring improvement include a more consistent and robust approach to recruitment and induction, and ensuring that all staff maintain professional and helpful relationships with the young people.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/12/2016 Full Good 04/05/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 16/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 16/09/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC460671 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person must take to meet 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

32. The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, they may only employ an individual if they are of integrity and good character and have the appropriate experience, qualifications and skills. (Regulation 32(3)(a)(b)) 21/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

33. The registered person must ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction and a satisfactory period of probation. (Regulation 33(1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, address any areas for development identified during the recruitment process. 21/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

11. The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on mutual trust and respect and an understanding about acceptable behaviour. (Regulation 11(1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff consistently display behaviour that engenders respect from the young people and provides them with a clear model of acceptable behaviour. 21/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

13. The leadership and management standard requires that the registered person knows and understands the impact that the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and uses this knowledge and understanding to inform the development of the quality of care in the home. (Regulation 13(2)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that plans of care have measurable objectives that enable progress to be effectively monitored. 21/08/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC460671 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people respond well to the homely atmosphere that closely approximates that of a normal family home. One young person said, ‘It’s really just like a normal house. My friends would not believe that I am in care.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people respond positively to the highly individualised care that they receive. They make good progress in reducing self-defeating behaviours, increasingly engage in social and recreational activities, and make progress with their learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people are successfully helped to weather the storms of unexpected change and disappointment. During this inspection period, one young person successfully moved into a foster placement following the sudden cancellation of a previous, much- anticipated move. Staff provided him with skilled and caring support to help him to maintain a positive outlook.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people participate appropriately in the running of the home, and regularly contribute to meal planning and organising outings. Staff actively seek and stimulate their ideas and interest in sports, hobbies and other social activities. One young person was encouraged and supported to join the local football club and scout group soon after moving in, and he is engaging well with these activities. He is attending education and is currently on track to re-join mainstream schooling.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One young person with a background of chronic absconding and high vulnerability to exploitation has written GCSEs and secured an apprenticeship, and is positive and excited about her future. Clear pathways have been laid for her progress to independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One young person is being helped to come to terms with significant early trauma and attachment difficulties through a sophisticated support and therapeutic arrangement. This includes weekly clinical supervision for staff by a care coordinator to support their effective responses to his challenging behaviours. The coordinator, commissioned by the local authority and the home, also liaises on a weekly basis with the therapist and the management of the home. The coordinator said, ‘I am very impressed with the perseverance and dedication of the staff. (Name of young person) is making steady and significant progress.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A strength of this home is the high standard of practice maintained in liaising with parents, carers, placing authorities and other relevant professionals to secure a coordinated and joined-up approach to providing the safe and best possible care of the young people. This extends to ensuring that they maintain meaningful contact with their families, in accordance with their agreed plans. Inspection report children’s home: SC460671 5

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

A feature of the home is the substantial reduction in runaway and other risk-taking behaviours by the young people who move in. One young person with a history of chronic running away and risk-taking behaviour has settled quickly and has not been missing from the home since moving in.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Despite the very low incidence of young people going missing, clear procedures are in place and key information about each young person is ready for immediate sharing, should this happen. Staff have established good relationships with the police and the local missing person’s coordinator, and this helps to reduce risk when young people go missing.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff have a good understanding of the young people, and risk assessments are relevant and current. The young people become more able to keep themselves safe through the support that they receive here. Targets are set for reducing risk and the young people are supported to take developmentally appropriate risks. One young person is becoming more confident, for example by progressively learning to take himself to football practice.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff make strong efforts to understand the challenging behaviours presented by the young people and to respond in the most appropriate and helpful ways. This reduces the need for physical intervention, which is very sparingly used and only when significant thresholds have been reached.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Managers are diligent in ensuring that staff are properly equipped to identify and respond effectively to likely areas of risk for the young people. This includes training in safe internet use, and in countering child sexual exploitation and radicalisation.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The home is well maintained, and health and safety standards are good. Routine checks are carried out on schedule and fire safety practice is sound.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Overall, safeguarding arrangements in this home are good and the young people who move in are kept safe, and become increasingly safe, as they settle and develop a sense of belonging and self-responsibility.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There has been careful succession planning in this home and the former deputy has been appointed as manager. Her application for registration is in process, and she is well advanced in attaining her level 5 qualification in leadership and management. The former registered manager has now become the responsible individual and provides close support to the manager. A new deputy manager has been appointed. This management structure is shared with a nearby sister home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Current staffing levels provide the young people with a sense of stability and continuity in their daily care. The young people say that they don’t have any favourites and feel Inspection report children’s home: SC460671 6 comfortable to talk with any of the staff about matters that might be troubling them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The current staff group display a good level of commitment and focus on the needs of the young people. They report a good level of cohesion and teamwork and feel confident in their ability to keep the young people safe and facilitate their progress and development. One young person remarked, ‘They know what they are doing … they are on top of their game here.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Recent allegations made against the home were looked into at this inspection, and had previously been subject of internal enquiry. Although some shortfalls and areas for improvement were identified the allegations were broadly unsubstantiated. The areas found for improvement were in staff management. For example, there were lapses in sound recruitment practice where likely areas of concern were not recognised and further, were not addressed as areas for improvement during induction and probation periods.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There have been instances of blurred boundaries developing between some staff and the young people and incidents of ill-discipline and unprofessional conduct by some members of staff. These failings have undermined the helping relationship between staff and some of the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

These failures were not anticipated by the leadership and whistle-blowing practice only partially identified these. As soon as issues were identified, the leadership acted immediately and decisively in removing any possible threat to the safety and well-being of the young people posed by the relevant members of staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The independent investigation commissioned by the home was narrow and failed to identify the underlying reasons for the poor staff practice and misconduct. The leadership have however, recognised this and are going above and beyond the recommendations that were made, to address the deeper culture issues that under- pinned the failings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Levels of monitoring in the home have been raised and plans for raising and maintaining high levels of professionalism in staff practice have been implemented. Recruitment, induction and probation practices are being reviewed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Although the young people who move into this home undoubtedly make progress, the current recording systems do not adequately detail the process in a way that enables leaders and managers to respond effectively in improving the quality of care being provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers are ambitious about this provision and display commitment to improving the quality of care. They are also ambitious about the young people who move in and advocate strongly for their best possible outcomes. Inspection report children’s home: SC460671 7 Inspection report children’s home: SC460671 8

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, 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’. Inspection report children’s home: SC460671 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 8a, Alfred Square, Deal CT14 6LU

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Inspector(s)

John Pledger, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC460671 10 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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