Children's home run by Back on Track Children’s Services SE LTD in Dover

Inspection report children’s home: SC473404 1 SC473404 Registered provider: Back on Track Children’s Services SE Ltd

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 13 to 14 December 2017

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

 The young people are provided with security and continuity in their care. They settle and develop feelings of belonging and attachment.  The staff team is firmly and consistently focused on the care, well-being and Inspection report children’s home: SC473404 2 progress of the young people.  The young people are given good opportunities to develop relationships and networks outside the home, promoting the transition to independent living.  Staff are confident and skilled in safeguarding practice and are able to support the young people to take risks in accordance with their abilities.  The physical environment of the home has been developed to a high standard and promotes social interaction and a homely atmosphere, making the young people feel valued and respected.  A new senior management structure brings added stability to the home and provides impetus for continued development and improvement of the service.

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 The supervision policy is unclear and supervision practice does not currently meet the standards for frequency.  The policy and practice regarding the young people’s safe and appropriate use of the internet is outdated.  The key information necessary for keeping the young people safe and supporting their progress is not sufficiently clear and accessible.  Current practices around staff activities do not adequately promote cohesion and team working.

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 20/09/2016 Full Good 25/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 26/05/2015 Full Good 23/10/2014 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC473404 3

p.2

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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33(4)(b)) 15/03/18

p.3

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular to ensure that staff 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. (Regulation 12(2)(a)(i)) In particular, ensure that policies and plans are clear and provide staff with clear guidance about how to keep the children safe and reduce their risk of harm, when using the internet. 15/03/18

p.3

Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6(2)(b)(iv)) In particular, ensure that plans are clear, targeted and accessible. 15/03/18

p.3

Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that ensures that staff work together as a team where appropriate. (Regulation 13(2)(b)) In particular, that this is regular and in accordance with the home’s supervision policy. 15/03/18

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and managers succeed in delivering highly individualised care to each young person and make no assumptions about the young people’s relationships with each other. This allows young people to make choices about how they socialise and spend time together. Recent changes to the layout of the home’s living area provides the Inspection report children’s home: SC473404 4 young people with a range of ways to do this and has enhanced the homely, family atmosphere. The young people express pride in their bedrooms, which are organised and decorated according to their choice and preference. This promotes a sense of belonging and security and contributes to young people feeling welcome, valued and respected. The staff team is purposeful and professional in developing its relationships with the agencies and families involved with the young people. This enables the young people to benefit as much as possible from the services available to them and to maintain valuable

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

contact with key family members. Staff make noteworthy efforts to promote family contact and, for some young people, this has improved and expanded significantly. The stable and consistent care provided allows the young people to make progress across all areas. Reckless behaviour reduces and the young people become more responsible. They engage in learning and develop skills for independence. They grow in awareness about the need to maintain good health and increase social skills. The current recording and planning system does not, however, enable staff to readily access key information that is most likely to facilitate and accelerate the progress and well-being of the young people. The objective and systematic measuring of progress across key areas is not currently enabled by current recording systems. The staff team is alert and proactive about decisions that it believes to be premature regarding moving a young person on to more independent living. Staff advocate strongly

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

on young people’s behalf for the best-planned transitions. Staff are aware of pressures to move young people on to independence and are rigorous in their efforts to prepare them for this next step.

p.4

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

The staff are able to balance their safeguarding duty with the support of normal adolescent development and the young people’s tendency towards risk-taking behaviour. This approach fully recognises the vulnerability of the young people, but also allows them to take developmentally appropriate risks and learn how to keep themselves safe. The staff have developed sound, professional relationships with the local police, missing person’s co-ordinator and police community support officers, to support them in their safeguarding responsibilities. Staff enjoy a two-way relationship with these key role players and receive relevant updated information about the local area, which may assist staff in keeping the young people safe. When a young person goes missing, staff respond with vigour and urgency and apply their very good understanding of the local area, in attempts to quickly locate and safeguard the young person. They know when and how to escalate concerns and work

p.4

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

closely with the police when necessary. The staff team is well trained to recognise and respond appropriately to signs of radicalisation and exploitation and is proactive in responding to indications of bullying. Staff take swift and appropriate action in dealing with any actual incidence of bullying in the home. All staff are not, however, adequately equipped to actively support the young Inspection report children’s home: SC473404 5 people’s safe and appropriate use of the internet. The current, outdated policy in this regard does not provide clear, relevant guidance. Risk assessments and strategies for reducing individual risks are not always sufficiently clear and accessible.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A new senior management structure within the organisation has created a renewed sense of direction and motivation for further improvement and development of the service. The change has also resulted in some good-quality reconfiguring and expansion of the living area. Individual members of staff are unanimous in the view that this has created a more homely atmosphere and has resulted in the young people spending more time together in the living area. All staff interviewed were positive about the recent changes in the wider organisation. The experienced registered manager said, ‘It feels like a fresh start and I feel a new enthusiasm.’ The young people enjoy good continuity of care from a staff team that remains unchanged since the last inspection. The staff team is highly focused on delivering the best possible level of care and displays a detailed knowledge and strong desire to understand each young person. The registered manager displays an increased interest in

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

developing and improving information tools to better capture and understand how specific practice affects the progress of the young people and how this can be effectively monitored and measured. All individual members of staff display motivation and enthusiasm for their roles. However, monthly staff meetings, which are never fully attended, an emphasis on online staff training, and a lapse in regular supervision, have combined to weaken staff cohesion and effective team working in some areas. This undermines consistency in the care of the young people as well as their sense of security and stability. The registered manager and senior members of staff excel in their ability to effectively challenge inadequacies in other services when these might undermine or threaten the progress and/or well-being of the young people. The registered manager is readily able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

service and is very responsive to the challenge and recommendations of the regulation 44 independent visitor. Although confident in its ability to effectively nurture and safeguard the young people, the staff team as a whole is open and keen to improve and contribute to the further development of the service.

p.5

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 Inspection report children’s home: SC473404 6 after.

p.5

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: SC473404 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Back on Track Children’s Services SE Ltd

p.7

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Kathryn Davenport

p.7

Inspector

John Pledger, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC473404 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, 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 http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8