Children's home run by We Are Beams in Sevenoaks

Inspection report children’s home: SC435152 1 SC435152 Registered provider: Dartford & Gravesend Consortium Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide short breaks for up to six young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, and/or learning difficulties and/or physical disabilities. The home is operated by a charitable organisation.

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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 good

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good

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

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Good

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Key findings from this inspection

 The registered manager understands the strengths and weaknesses of the service and motivates the staff to provide a high standard of care.  Relationships between the staff and the children are positive. Staff encourage children to reach their potential.  The facilities are excellent and create a stimulating and fun environment for the Inspection report children’s home: SC435152 2 children placed, and also for the outside community to enjoy.  Parent and carers value the service and say that it makes a positive difference to their lives.  The high level of supervision and interactions ensure that children are cared for safely.  Challenging behaviour is well understood and de-escalating techniques are used effectively. The positive behaviour management style ensures that children make good progress.

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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

 A fire drill has not taken place since the last inspection. Personal evacuation plans are not in place for children who need additional support in the event of a fire. This compromises the safety planning in the event of a fire.  A detailed location risk assessment has not been recorded to inform stakeholders of the risks related to the surrounding area.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/03/2017 Full Good 15/12/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 07/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 06/01/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC435152 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) 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(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must— ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of a fire. (Regulation 25(1)(d)) 31/10/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard). (Regulation 46 (1)) 31/10/2017

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Recommendations

 The registered person is required to ‘seek to involve’ the placing authority that places a child in the home, which in practice means working with their statutory social worker. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 11, paragraph 2.5) In particular, any concerns should be shared with placing social workers promptly.  Staff should help children to understand how to protect themselves, feel protected and be protected from significant harm. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.9)  Review the location assessment at least annually. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home provides a short-break service for children. The children, along with their Inspection report children’s home: SC435152 4 families, benefit from the service offered and the flexible response to their evolving needs. The children who use this service have generally used the organisation’s day care services prior to having short breaks and they are, therefore, familiar with the facilities. The staff work across the organisation, which means that they know the children well. This makes children’s move to overnight care occur seamlessly. Managers assess the children prior to accepting them. Newly referred children are sensitively supported with gradual introductions. In the rare event that a child does not settle at the home, a review is undertaken to ascertain whether the move is in the child’s best interest. The children’s well-being is the focus of any decision-making. The home typically provides short breaks, but there are occasions when children have

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

emergency stays. These episodes of care are often in response to a crisis situation and are agreed by a multi-disciplinary team. As a result of the success of a recent emergency placement, the registered manager is offering the child a regular pattern of care. Parents appreciate the flexibility of the service. The registered manager is sensitive to parents’ requests for support. For example, one parent planned to attend an important event and so the registered manager changed the dates that the home was open in order to accommodate this. Staff strive to create a warm and safe environment which is welcoming to children, parents and carers. Children look forward to staying and are happy to be here and join in with the activities available. The home is well resourced with stimulating equipment, including the child-friendly garden, a soft play area and sensory room. A young person said, ‘I love coming here, there is nothing I would like to change. The best thing is the

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

staff.’ Parents also confirmed that their children enjoy coming to the home. A parent reported, ‘My child is happy to go and happy when I pick him up,’ another parent said, ‘He is happy to go and is now attending two nights at a time.’ The quality of the relationships between the children and the staff and with each other enhances children’s experiences. Staff make a positive difference to children’s lives. Children make good progress as a result of the consistent care that staff provide. A baseline assessment of children’s ability has been developed to identify children’s targets and record when they have been reached. A reward system reinforces good behaviour and celebrates when children have reached their goals. Staff identify targets that transfer to the family environment to benefit the children and their families at home. Education is not compromised as a result of attendance at the short-break care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Excellent relationships with local schools exist. Staff share information with educational placements to provide opportunities for children to continue their learning in the home environment. For example, a child who has physical activities first thing in the morning at school is encouraged to continue this practice during his stays. This provides a consistent approach and ensures an easier transition back to school after the summer holidays. Staff are proactive in gaining children’s views in all aspects of their care through residents’ meetings and encouraging children to make choices throughout their day. A range of communication methods are used to gain the views of each child. Methods such as pictorial exchange cards, smiley/sad faces and visual aids are used to ensure that all Inspection report children’s home: SC435152 5 the children can contribute. Children’s dignity and privacy are respected by staff within safe boundaries. Staff knock

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

before entering children’s bedrooms. Children are able to lock their rooms if they wish. However, staff can still enter if they feel that the child is at risk or needs help. The ethos of the home is to promote children’s independence in preparation for when they leave the home. Staff support children’s self-care and daily support is kept to the minimum to enable children to do as much for themselves as they are able to. The registered manager works with parents and the local authority to offer flexible dates for when they have to leave the service. For example, one young person does not have an adult placement identified, so the registered manager has extended her stays to allow more time for a suitable placement to be identified.

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

The responsible individual has good links with the local authority safeguarding board. She has the necessary experience and qualifications to train staff in safeguarding procedures and ensures that they remain up to date with all relevant training. Staff demonstrate a good knowledge of safeguarding issues and how to respond to any concerns. Risk assessments are updated when needed and any new information is recorded in children’s care plans. The staff read the care plans at the beginning of each shift to ensure that they are aware of any changes. Staff ensure that they have the necessary information about the children and emergency medical consent forms with them when they go out in the community. They care for the children consistently and safely. Physical interventions are rarely used because staff are perceptive, know the children well and use de-escalation techniques to manage challenging behaviour. When physical

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

interventions do occur, these are evaluated by the manager and children are spoken to about the incident. This practice could be enhanced if staff recorded more detail regarding how the child responded and observations of behaviour. Managing children’s complex health needs is a priority for the home. The staff are well- trained in managing these. The child’s safety is prioritised. For example, one child struggled to accept staff’s oversight of his condition. This potentially compromised his safety. The manager consulted with the multi-professional team and decided that they were unable to care for him safely until work was carried out with him to help him to accept staff’s guidance and support. Staff are aware of the risks related to this vulnerable group of children, including child exploitation. Safety measures are in place to ensure that children do not access risky internet sites; however, some children are able to use their own devices. Staff have

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

worked with children to ensure that they are aware of e-safety and the risks involved. However, written agreements are not in place. These would ensure that staff, children and their parents can agree and reinforce safety messages. Fire assessments have been completed and staff have a good understanding of how to support children in the event of a fire. A recent mock fire drill demonstrated that staff Inspection report children’s home: SC435152 6 know what to do. However, a fire drill involving the children has not taken place since the last inspection. Personal evacuation plans have not been completed for children who may find it difficult to exit the home. Staff are not sufficiently practised in how to respond if a fire should occur.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager meets the needs of the children who attend the residential home, as well as the children who use the other services on offer. The registered manager is well qualified and experienced for the role. She has a higher national diploma in health and social care. The registered individual and the registered manager offer a high level of support to the staff and children. The ethos described in the statement of purpose is adhered to by leaders and staff. The registered manager works closely with the deputy manager, and this has created a strong management team which delivers its objectives well. There have not been any new staff recruited since the last inspection. All staff members have the level 3 qualification, an equivalent qualification, or are working towards this. They receive regular supervision and also attend regular well-focused staff meetings. Discussion at these forums includes reviewing care plans, risk assessments and

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

independence plans, as well as personal support for the staff. The registered manager is highly thought of by staff. One staff member said, ‘The manager is very experienced, she has a lot of knowledge.’ Another staff member said, ‘The manager is supportive and will step in when needed.’ During the inspection, the staff members demonstrated an ability to work closely as a team and adapt to the emerging needs of the children to ensure that the evening was managed effectively. Good professional relationships between the home and partner agencies result in effective, multi-displinary care. Parents value the service. One parent said, ‘They (staff) are extremely accommodating and communication is good.’ Another parent said, ‘This is an invaluable service. They do a good job.’ Relationships with the local authority are also positive. However, on one occasion the registered manager failed to pass on information

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

to a social worker in a timely manner following concerns raised by a parent. The registered individual and registered manager recognise this shortfall and are addressing this as part of their evaluation processes. The registered manager has good relationships with the community. Members of the community are encouraged to use the facilities and learn about what the service can offer. On the day of the inspection, there was an open day for parents. The organisation also provides a football play scheme and an inclusive service for younger children. In addition, a local specialist school uses the facilities to prepare and increase their pupils’ independence skills. This ethos means that the children are aware of the service before they come to stay, and staff have links with the colleges to help children who move out to adult educational placements. The home environment is well equipped and well maintained. Staff refer to risk

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

assessments to ensure that children can use the facilities safely. However, items are left on the stairs to the bedroom, which increases the risk of children tripping and injuring themselves. The registered manager plans to provide a cabinet for staff to use in order Inspection report children’s home: SC435152 7 to prevent this practice recurring. The registered manager works closely with neighbours to ensure that any building work carried out in the neighbouring property does not impact on the children. The outside environment is safe, the garden is fenced off, and the close staff supervision means that children cannot leave the building without staff’s knowledge. However, a location risk assessment has not been completed to identify any risks within the local area and how these may impact on the children. Partner agencies and parents are not able to make an informed choice with regards to the safety of the external environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is committed to developing the service by learning from external monitoring processes and internal auditing, evaluation and analysis. She is aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. However, the six-monthly report has not been completed within the timescale. This compromises the registered manager’s ability to report her analysis and evaluation of the service. She is addressing this and is prioritising completion of this document.

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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 differences 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: SC435152 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Dartford & Gravesend Consortium Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Allsworth Court, 38-40 St. Davids Road, Swanley, Kent BR8 7RJ

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Inspector

Suzy Lemmy, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC435152 9 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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