Children's Home run by Moonreach LTD in Kent

Inspection report children’s home: SC448997 1 SC448997 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

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

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 18 to 19 December 2017

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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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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC448997 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Confident and capable managers lead a committed team of staff, who are firmly focused on the well-being and progress of the young people.  Staff are ambitious about the progress that the young people can make and resourceful and imaginative in how they can engage young people in positive activities outside the home.  The staff team displays understanding and affection for the young people and displays a strong parental attitude towards their safety, meeting their needs and helping them to progress.  Staff work hard to properly understand the behaviours displayed, and this helps them support young people to overcome difficulties and make progress effectively.  The young people benefit from the positive and professional relationships that staff thoughtfully build with external agencies.  The young people’s education enjoys a very high priority, and they quickly engage in learning.  The young people are able to address their difficulties and challenges through

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Key findings from this inspection

carefully considered key-working and other planned activities.

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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

 Recruitment practice is not always consistently robust, and all elements of safer recruitment practice need to become firmly imbedded.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/08/2016 Full Good 16/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 16/09/2015 Full Requires improvement 12/02/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC448997 3

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Recommendations

 As set out in regulations 33–35, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff supports safe practice and minimises potential risks to children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 13.1) In particular, exhaust all reasonable avenues when conducting employment checks on candidates.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team’s celebration of the uniqueness of each young person results in highly individualised care. Few limits are placed on the ways in which the young people can engage with their learning and development. Staff are ambitious about what the young people can achieve and the progress they can make.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people and staff know what progress in key areas will look like because plans and records clearly describe this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff talk about the young people with care and affection and continually strive to understand what might underpin their unwanted and challenging behaviours. This enables staff to build relationships with the young people that are characterised by mutual respect and trust. This creates an environment that is favourable for the young people to reflect and make progress in key areas. A visiting social worker and independent reviewing officer reported that their young person is happy and settled quickly, saying: ‘She is engaging, and we could not achieve that back home.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people who have therapeutic needs are supported to make best possible progress by staff who liaise closely with other professionals and the young people’s families. Leaders and managers ensure that the staff team members receive regular support and guidance from an external helping professional, to assist them in understanding and caring for the young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The importance of education is central to the home’s culture. This is reflected in the real interest and concerted efforts by staff to support the learning of the young people and the readiness with which they engage in education. The progress that the young people make in learning is facilitated by staff who are knowledgeable about the settings and liaise closely with teachers. Inspection report children’s home: SC448997 4 Staff exploit the wealth of social, cultural and recreational activities in the locality. The young people are expected to explore and test these out and are supported to engage in activities that appeal to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people’s contact with their families is enhanced and promoted by staff who are vigilant and caring. Arrangements are carefully made, and a high level of communication is maintained with placing social workers and the families of the young people. This protects the young people from avoidable upsets and helps them to enjoy family contact.

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

Managers gain a clear understanding of the young people before they move in. The needs and vulnerabilities of new young people are carefully considered against those of the young people already in the home. Well-considered plans are made to manage any likely adverse mutual influences. This enables the young people to settle quickly and safely.

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

Staff are proactive and attentive in anticipating situations that could increase young people’s tendency to take unwanted risks. Strong efforts are made to keep the young people engaged in meaningful and rewarding activities both inside and outside the home. This contributes to developing a sense of belonging and being valued. Boundaries are clear and consistently applied. All these factors work together to minimise missing from home incidents and the need to use physical interventions. When a young person does go missing from the home, the response of staff is swift and efficient. This is because the staff are highly motivated to locate and safeguard the young people as soon as possible, know their locality very well and can utilise the sound relationships that they have established with the police and missing persons coordinator.

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

Staff are alert and knowledgeable and able to recognise early signs of possible grooming and manipulation by others, and this helps them to protect the young people from extremism and exploitation. Routine and proactive sessions with the young people in how to keep themselves safe when using the internet also contribute to their safety and protection.

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

Health and safety practice in the home is good, and an external auditor is employed to ensure that high standards are maintained. The atmosphere in the home is inviting and comfortable, and the physical aspects are maintained to a good standard. The young people said that they feel safe and secure and trust the adults who look after them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The experienced registered manager is supported by a capable deputy. Together, they manage this home and another of similar size in close proximity. The registered manager is supported by the registered individual who previously managed both homes. This tight Inspection report children’s home: SC448997 5 and experienced management structure succeeds in providing strong and consistent leadership for the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Proactive recruitment and careful selection practice ensure that the young people are cared for by a capable, diverse and committed staff team. However, employment checks for new recruits are not always consistently robust.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The consistency and quality of the young people’s care is supported by sound staff supervision arrangements and practice. Annual appraisals are meaningful, and the staff induction programme is of a particularly high standard. The maintenance and development of staff’s care practice is further supported by a training policy that ensures that targeted, stimulating and relevant learning and development activities are procured for staff in a planned and responsive manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are reflective and critical of their practice. They seek the feedback of the young people, parents and carers and other service users and are open to their responses. The young people said that staff listen carefully to what they have to say. These factors combine to sustain a culture of seeking to continually improve the quality of care for the young people. Effective monitoring systems are in place to support this process, and leaders and managers make good use of the regulation 44 process and respond positively to any meaningful recommendations and suggestions made by the independent visitor.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A particular strength of this home is the ability of leaders and managers to maintain effective relationships with external networks and use these to achieve best possible outcomes for the young people. They are skilled in escalating concerns and securing responses that are focused on the best interests of the young people.

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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: SC448997 6

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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: SC448997 7 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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