Children's home run by Moonreach LTD in Dover

Inspection report children’s home: SC460671 1 SC460671 Registered provider: Moonreach Ltd

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

 The home provides care for up to two children.  In its statement of purpose, the provider states that it provides care for children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.  The registered manager has been in post since April 2018.  The registered manager manages this and another of the provider’s homes which is close by.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 20 to 21 September 2018

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: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC460671 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/07/2017 Full Good 13/12/2016 Full Good 14/05/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 16/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC460671 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— keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 30/11/2018

p.3

Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Specifically, review the location of information displayed in the kitchen.  Ensure that children are in full-time education if they are of compulsory school age, unless their personal education plan contained within the care plan or other relevant plan states otherwise. The home must aim to support full-time attendance at school unless the child’s relevant plan indicates this is not in their best interests. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality

p.3

Recommendations

standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.14)  The children’s guide should help children to understand: - what the day to day routines of the home are (‘what happens in the home’); - the statement of purpose of the home (the care they can expect to receive while living there); - how to make a complaint in line with the home’s complaints procedure; - how they can access advocacy support or independent advocacy if eligible; and Inspection report children’s home: SC460671 4 - how to contact the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.22)

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There have been changes in the management of the home and new staff have joined the team. However, this does not appear to have adversely affected the children who have developed positive relationships with the staff. A staff member said that they aim to provide a ‘family environment where children can feel safe and learn from their mistakes’. Children enjoy doing things with the staff such as bike rides or watching films together. They really enjoyed the summer holiday and trying new activities. Although children may not wish to be in residential care, they nevertheless like the home and acknowledge that staff want the best for them. Children are supported to better manage their feelings and their behaviour. For example, some children are now able to speak to staff about how they feel rather than expressing this through challenging behaviour. Children benefit from having structure to their day and feel secure in the home’s regular routines.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children keep in touch with people who are important to them. Due to improved behaviour, some children see their relatives more frequently. A relative said that staff ‘have children’s interests at the forefront’. They appreciate the progress made in building their child’s self-confidence and ‘learning values’. Children’s independence is promoted. They learn useful skills, for example by budgeting for a meal, buying the food and preparing it. They engage well in workshops with staff where they also learn practical skills such as how to change a plug. Some children have recently improved their engagement with education, some of which is arranged by the home. However, there are not always clear arrangements for education when children move in. This has resulted in some children being unable to access full-time education. Progress for these children has been uneven.

p.4

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

Children feel safe. They tell staff of their worries. Children know that staff protect them, for example by talking to them about the risks of using social media. Staff maintain their skills in safeguarding through attending training and by discussing reporting procedures. Staff build trust with children to go out independently and return at an agreed time. There is some normal testing of boundaries when children do not return on time. Some children, who have previously been at high risk due to going missing or self-harming behaviour, show significant improvement to their safety. A social worker said, ‘Staff are good at setting boundaries.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC460671 5 Behaviour is managed well. Children may ask the staff to go for a walk with them to discuss their feelings. Staff talk about unacceptable behaviour with children and explore the impact of this on others to help children develop empathy. The reward system is

p.4

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

particularly effective in changing behaviour, and children enjoy ‘saving points for a really good reward’. Staff assess the risks to children and help reduce these. Training is relevant to children’s needs as well as the wider risks to children in society, for example gang culture and substance misuse. Staff recruitment is good. Thorough checks help to ensure that only suitable people are employed to work with children. New staff find that the system of induction, shadowing and supervision helps them get to grips with the role. The building is maintained well. Regular fire drills help the children learn what to do in an emergency. The building is homely and comfortable and children like how it is furnished and decorated. However, some information displayed on a noticeboard detracts from the domestic appearance of the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has only been registered since April 2018 but is well supported by the responsible individual. The manager is working towards achieving a suitable level 5 qualification. The staff work well as a team and are knowledgeable about the children’s needs. Staff make sure that everyone involved in children’s lives is kept up to date about their welfare and progress. A social worker said, ‘Communication has been excellent.’ Staff value their training. All are first aid trained and have achieved, or are working towards achieving, level 3 qualifications. Both the registered manager and an independent visitor monitor the service to check what goes on. Reducing the length of reports of their monitoring and including more analysis may make these documents easier for staff to read. Staff advocate for children. They provide information on helplines and other means of support. However, the children’s guide does not reflect the good care in the home. It

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

does not include all the required information and is confusing in places. The statement of purpose also requires review.

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 Inspection report children’s home: SC460671 6 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.

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: SC460671 7

p.6

Children’s home details

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

p.7

Inspector

Jacqueline Graves, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC460671 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