Children's home run by Channels and Choices Limited in Dover

Inspection report children’s home: SC434517 1 SC434517 Registered provider: Channels and Choices 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

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is operated by a private organisation. It offers therapeutic residential care for children.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 23 to 24 November 2017

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 8 December 2016

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None Inspection report children’s home: SC434517 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is outstanding because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Energetic and forward-looking leadership and management motivate the staff team to be creative, resourceful and responsive to the children’s individual needs. The managers, the staff and the therapy team work collaboratively to promote the children’s development.  The children are thriving. They respond to the consistent, predictable and comforting care from the staff, and establish trusting and meaningful relationships with the staff.  Guided by a clinical psychologist and the team of therapists, the staff successfully implement research-led attachment practice. Detailed analysis of the children’s emotional needs results in sensitive, individualised support for the children. The staff understand the children’s emotional needs and continuously explore ways of supporting them to promote their safety, welfare and development.  The children are making significant progress in all aspects of their lives and their

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Key findings from this inspection

future life prospects are improving.  Partnership working is a particular strength of the managers and the staff. Social workers, Virtual School staff and parents are extremely positive about the support provided for the children.

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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

 The staff use bedroom door alarms to alert them when a child’s door is opened at night. This practice has not been individually risk assessed to ensure that it is no more intrusive than is necessary and that it does not impinge on the child’s need for privacy.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/12/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 13/07/2016 Full Outstanding 11/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 27/08/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC434517 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

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy. (Regulation 24(1)(d)) 26/01/2018

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children are thriving. They live in a home where they experience safe, nurturing, therapeutic care. Within a short period, they settle and make significant progress. A social worker commented that the staff have provided a child with ‘much needed support and stability, with the quality of the service being evident in the massive progress the child has made since placed’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Through their intense focus on the children’s profound emotional needs, the staff help them to develop meaningful and sustainable relationships and a sense of safety at all times. From this secure base with routines, structure and boundaries, the children are learning the skills that are necessary to regulate their emotions and their behaviour.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

All the children have very good attendance at school and are engaging in their education. Some children were not accessing education before they came to live at the home. The staff liaise closely with education staff to ensure that the children’s needs are understood fully and that they receive appropriate support to progress. Children receive sensitive assistance to overcome their specific difficulties and, as a consequence, they enjoy positive school experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children are receiving extremely high-quality support to advance their well-being. The staff pay close attention to the children’s health needs and encourage them to lead a healthy lifestyle through nutritious eating and exercise. The children are involved in clubs and activities in the local community, enabling them to try out new leisure pastimes, build their confidence and extend their social experiences. The staff work effectively with the organisation’s therapy team to provide specific support for the children’s emotional and psychological health, which has a high priority. Play is an important part of the children’s experience. The staff have attended workshops to aid their understanding of the importance of therapeutic play in the children’s development. Inspection report children’s home: SC434517 4 With guidance from the therapists, the staff help the children to personalise their bedrooms in order to develop their sense of belonging and provide them with a relaxing

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff recognise the importance of involving the children in decisions about their care and their day-to-day life. The children have ample opportunities to put forward their views in daily meetings, daily key-work sessions and in their continuous interactions with the staff who support them on a one-to-one basis. They know they can approach any member of staff if they have any concerns. The staff explain the process of making a complaint and children have occasionally made a formal complaint. The managers are alert and attentive in monitoring the children’s views. Complaints are thoroughly investigated and satisfactorily resolved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

With a focus on their long-term goals, the children receive support to acquire independence skills appropriate to their age and stage of development. Recently, children have successfully moved on from the home to foster placements. These children continue to receive sensitive outreach work to ease their transition from the home and to help them maintain the positive relationships they have made with the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff work proactively with the children’s families to help the children settle at the home and to promote and maintain positive relationships. A social worker commented on how well the staff had facilitated a potentially difficult meeting between a child and parent. A parent said: ‘After so many placement breakdowns, I am relieved by the great service my child is getting. The staff are very helpful and understanding and the service they provide for children and their families is the best!’

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

The staff provide the children with a stable base through reliable, predictable, consistent and comforting care. The children, who have complex needs resulting from severe attachment difficulties, are flourishing in a safe environment. Through close one-to-one supervision and responsive support from the staff, they establish significant relationships. Children settle quickly at the home and, through the trust they have in the staff, reciprocate by accepting the support the staff offer.

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

The staff benefit from valuable input from a clinical psychologist and a team of therapists who assess the children and compile clear and understandable reports and appraisals of their emotional needs. Comprehensive care plans include individualised strategies based on these assessments, which guide the staff in their therapeutic approach to each child’s care. These, and thorough up-to-date risk assessments, provide explicit information for the staff to help them to protect the children and promote their development.

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

Monthly discussions with the therapy team enable the staff to review these plans and strategies. Through detailed analysis of the children’s behaviour and explanations by the therapists of the possible meaning of their behaviour from the perspective of their past experiences, the children receive sensitive help to manage their emotions. The staff are Inspection report children’s home: SC434517 5 skilled in recognising and responding to the children’s emotions and are able to de- escalate potentially difficult situations effectively. As the children settle in to the home and trust the staff, the need for the staff to use physical intervention decreases. Therapists undertake one-to-one sessions with the children, and they receive focused and targeted daily key-work sessions to help build their resilience and adopt more appropriate ways of expressing their emotions. One child who was frequently expressing

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

her emotions and distress through tantrums and explosions of anger is now more able to verbalise her feelings and is developing beneficial emotional literacy.

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

The staff use physical intervention only as a last resort to prevent the risk of serious harm. Managers monitor and review incidents closely. Discussions between managers and the staff following such interventions are reflective to ensure safe practice. The registered manager has identified that the staff training in relation to physical intervention should focus on ‘safe holds’ in relation to the age and size of the children.

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

Incidents of children being missing are not frequent. However, there was a period where one child was leaving the home without permission on a regular basis. Records demonstrate that the staff were proactive and untiring in their attempts to locate the child and ensure his safety. Procedures and protocols were followed, with effective partnership working with the police and the placing authority to protect the child.

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

Keeping the children safe is afforded an extremely high priority. The staff receive appropriate safeguarding training to ensure that they have the necessary level of knowledge and awareness of the dangers the children face. The staff address the risks relating to such issues as e-safety, stranger danger and radicalisation in children’s meetings and in one-to-one sessions at an age-appropriate level to educate the children to keep themselves safe.

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

The staff use bedroom door alarms to alert them when a child’s door is opened at night. This practice has not been individually risk assessed to ensure that it is no more intrusive than is necessary and that it does not impinge on the child’s need for privacy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Energetic and forward-looking leadership from the registered manager motivates the staff team to be creative and resourceful in meeting the children’s individual needs. Using a research-led therapeutic approach, she leads the staff team to implement dynamic support strategies to continuously advance the children’s development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff acknowledge the support provided by managers and appreciate their collaborative approach. A member of staff commented that, ‘There is lots of discussion and communication about the children. Staff are able to put forward ideas for new strategies to support the children, and managers take these ideas on board.’ Productive team meetings and regular ‘therapeutic thinking time’ meetings, led by therapists, allow the staff to analyse the children’s specific behaviour and to explore approaches to help them manage their emotions. Inspection report children’s home: SC434517 6 Individual support for the staff is regular, reflective and focused on the children. Training for the staff is wide-ranging, sharply focused on the needs of the children and includes ongoing staff development to ensure that the staff are competent and confident in providing a nurturing and therapeutic approach to the children’s care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Continuous monitoring of the children’s progress, the staff’s practice and the staff’s recording contributes to an ethos of continuous improvement. Managers understand the strengths of the provision and are vigilant in identifying areas for development and in embedding new initiatives. Current developments include introducing child-friendly care plans to enable the children to have more active involvement in their care, and improving risk assessments so that all known risks have the necessary focus to protect the children. Quarterly monitoring reports are highly evaluative in relation to the quality of care provided for the children and their progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Partnership working is a particular strength of the managers and the staff team. A social worker confirmed that the managers are approachable and open to suggestions for supporting the child. A member of a Virtual School team commented positively on how proactive and flexible the staff are in supporting children’s education, and commended their positive approach despite any difficulties experienced. She stated that she has received ‘exceptional service’ from the staff and often refers to the work of the staff as ‘exemplary care’ and ‘a benchmark for similar provisions.’

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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: SC434517 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Channels and Choices Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 31 St Georges Place, Canterbury, Kent CT1 1XD

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Martin Scholfield

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Inspector

Jan Hunnam, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC434517 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 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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