Children's home run by Moonreach LTD in Dover

Inspection report children’s home: 1226977 1 Registered provider: Moonreach Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home is one of several owned and operated by a private provider. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for two young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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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

Date of last inspection: 25 January 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people feel welcome and reassured by the clear structure and routine of the home. Inspection report children’s home: 1226977 2  Young people experience an atmosphere and routine similar to that of a normal family home.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff are firmly focused on the well-being and progress of the young people, and are eager to find ways to connect with them.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff are enthusiastic and ambitious for the young people, and believe they can make positive changes in their lives and overcome difficulties.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Leaders and managers are ambitious, and are determined to increase staff expertise and improve the quality of care provided.

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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

 Greater rigour needs to be applied to ensure that the needs of young people are adequately understood, and to ensure that the home is able to meet their needs, before they move in.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Key areas of risk for each young person need to be more clearly understood and more effectively addressed.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff need to become more expert in recognising and responding to signs that young people may be at risk.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/01/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 06/07/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1226977 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

14.—(1) The care planning standard is that children— (a) receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and (b) have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (a) that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose; (b) that arrangements are in place to— (i) ensure the effective induction of each child into the home; (ii) manage and review the placement of each child in the home; In particular, ensure that the full range of children’s needs are understood before a decision about admission is made. 25/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

12.—(1) The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (a) that staff— (i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; (ii) help each child to understand how to keep safe; (iii) have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; In particular, ensure that the highest areas of risk receive the highest priority attention. 25/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

33.—(4) The registered person must ensure that all employees— (b) receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; 25/09/2017 Inspection report children’s home: 1226977 4 In particular, ensure that the manager also receives practice- related supervision.

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Recommendations

 The registered person must request the local authority to review the care plan as soon a child is deemed to be at serious risk of harm. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.12)

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that all staff are sufficiently skilled to recognise and effectively respond to expressions and indications by children of possible risk. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraphs 9.10, 9.11 and 9.12)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A relaxed, homely atmosphere and welcoming staff help the young people to settle quickly and develop positive relationships. Staff strive to know and understand the young people, making them feel valued and able to form positive attachments. They learn to trust staff who are consistent and reliable.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people occupy the centre stage of staff’s thinking and planning in the running of the home. The young people’s well-being and progress is their focus. This care ethos results in the young people receiving highly personalised care, and supports their best possible progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team has a good understanding of the available range of mainstream and alternative education for young people, as well the stages through which they need to progress. Staff are sensitive to the detrimental effects of lost time in education, and the young people are strongly supported to access learning, regardless of what provision they may be in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Key working with the young people is a strength of this home, and key areas for normal development and progress towards independence are systematically addressed. This helps the young people to make important progress in areas where they may have fallen behind in gaining essential knowledge and skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people have ready access to an abundance of positive leisure activities in the immediate and surrounding areas. Staff encourage and support them to make use of these opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff follow plans that enable the young people to have safe and satisfying contact with Inspection report children’s home: 1226977 5 their families, and will intervene appropriately when interaction is not in their best interests, or when adults deviate from agreed plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When young people move into or out of the home, in planned or unplanned ways, staff will make all reasonable efforts to make this a constructive and positive experience for them.

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

The young people who move in become safer because the adults who care for them are equipped to protect them from identified risks in the community. Staff are trained to identify and respond appropriately to the risks posed by those who may wish to sexually exploit or otherwise harm the young people. They understand the risks and hazards of online activity, and teach young people how to keep themselves safe when using the internet. They recognise young people’s susceptibility to influence and manipulation and are alert to the risk of them being drawn into extremism.

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

The staff maintain clear and consistent boundaries, and make the young people feel reassured and contained. One young person said, ‘I felt welcome here when I came and I feel safe. It feels nice to know that there is an adult sleeping in the room next to me.’

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

Comprehensive and clear plans help to reduce the risks to the young people when they go missing. Staff respond immediately and urgently when this happens, and the positive relationship established with the police ensures that efforts to locate and safeguard the young people are coordinated and focused.

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

Key areas of risk for some of the young people are not, however, sufficiently identified, prioritised and understood. The efforts of staff to safeguard young people are therefore not always appropriately focused, and opportunities to reduce risks are missed.

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

The home maintains safe indoor and outdoor environments for the young people, and regular, scheduled health and safety checks are carried out. Fire safety plans are in place, and evacuation drills are practised as required.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The newly appointed manager is both experienced and qualified, and leads an enthusiastic staff team whose members display a good teamwork ethic. She is actively supported by the responsible individual, who knows the service, as well as a newly appointed deputy who has significant residential and management experience. The manager’s application to be registered in this role is in progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The shortfalls identified at the last inspection have all been addressed through training, staff meetings and specific actions. Areas of strength and weakness are understood by the manager, and she displays a steady ambition and determination to raise the quality of care delivered by the home to the highest possible standard. Inspection report children’s home: 1226977 6 Staff talk positively about the relevance and quality of their training. Staff meetings are well attended, and supervision is regular and well recorded. Annual appraisals for staff are meaningful, and support their professional development. Increases in knowledge and expertise, together with meaningful support, is building the staff team’s capacity to consistently provide the young people with a good quality of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All employees are required to receive regular practice-related supervision, although the manager has not currently secured supervision for herself.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Some young people have moved into the home without their needs being sufficiently understood. The information gathered about them before they moved in was not sufficient. This has resulted in unforeseen difficulties and disruption to their settling-in, as well as weaknesses in plans to keep them safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has the confidence and expertise to challenge poor performance by external agencies when it affects the progress and well-being of the young people, and when placement plans are failing. However, she needs to escalate concerns more promptly and consistently.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership in the home is capable and competent to monitor the care and progress of the young people, and to bring about improvement to enhance the quality of their care.

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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’.

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Children’s home details

Inspection report children’s home: 1226977 7 Unique reference number: 1226977

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

John Pledger, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1226977 8 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

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Inspector

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Inspector

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