Children's Home run by Benecare Limited in Kent

Inspection report children’s home: SC438648 1 SC438648 Registered provider: Benecare 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 three children who are displaying behaviours that are symptomatic of a range of emotional difficulties and challenging childhood experiences. The home is operated by a private organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since January 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 18 to 19 February 2019

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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: 13 February 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC438648 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/02/2018 Full Outstanding 01/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 13/10/2016 Full Good 17/03/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness

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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 must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. The registered person may only— employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that— the individual is of integrity and good character; the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1)(2)(a)(b)(3)(a)(b)(c)(d)) 20/05/19

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction; ensure that each permanent appointment of an employee is subject to the satisfactory completion of a period of probation. (Regulation 33 (1)(a)(b)) 20/05/19 Inspection report children’s home: SC438648 3

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Recommendations

 The home should work closely with health and education professionals to ensure that outcomes identified, and progress made by children in building relationships and achieving socially acceptable behaviours can be recorded and measured. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 38, paragraph 8.4) In particular, further develop methods for effectively demonstrating how children make progress in their identified key areas. Inspection report children’s home: SC438648 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The efforts that staff take to understand the needs of children and prepare for their arrival before they move in are exceptional. This includes a detailed assessment of the likely impact for existing children and ways in which they will contribute to the settling in of the new child. This culture, together with the cohesive, caring and highly child- focused staff team, enables children to settle quickly and soon begin to develop feelings of belonging and attachment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children engage in their learning and make academic progress. They begin to aspire for their futures, engage in stimulating and positive leisure activities and increase their connection with the wider community. This includes increased outward-looking and active involvement in chosen charitable endeavours. Although staff can clearly articulate the progress that each child is making, the methods being used to record and demonstrate this could be improved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The warm, consistent and boundaried environment maintained by the staff team, together with the availability of physical relaxation therapies, provides a safe context for the children to explore their feelings and develop positive social behaviours. Their mental and emotional well-being increases, and their ability to regulate their feelings and behaviours increases.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The cooperation, responsiveness and goodwill that flow from the staff team’s close liaison and positive relationships with key external agencies effectively support the broader progress and well-being of the children. Staff actively promote and nurture the children’s relationships and contact with their families and do this in a vigilant and caring manner. One child said, ‘They look after me when things don’t go to plan.’

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

The staff team maintains a clear and detailed understanding of the needs and risks associated with each child and how these risks can be reduced. Staff are also skilled in assessing the children’s readiness to take developmentally appropriate risks and how best to encourage this. The children feel safe and secure and become more confident.

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

Established patterns of going missing reduce substantially for children who move in. Should a child go missing, the actions of the staff team are immediate, comprehensive and sustained and are effective in securing their safety and well-being.

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

Staff are confident, caring and controlled in responding to the challenging behaviours of the children. They are proactive and thoughtful in maintaining a positive atmosphere in the home. This helps children to explore their feelings and expand their range of socially positive behaviours. Inspection report children’s home: SC438648 5 The children enjoy a well-maintained and safe home environment. The staff display a good understanding of the wider community, and the leaders of the home have established positive links with key agencies that contribute to keeping the children safe.

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

Although the overall standard of safeguarding practice in the home is high, there was a failure to follow the required safer recruitment procedures for one current member of staff. There have, however, been no identified negative consequences for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The energetic and dedicated manager leads a highly committed staff team and, together, they provide the children with stable and boundaried, family-style care in which they can make progress and strive to reach their potential. Mutual trust between manager and staff is clearly apparent.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The efforts to improve the service and increase the aspirations of the children through vision, innovation and drive are exceptional. A diverse but cohesive staff team adds a noteworthy range of talents and interests to the caring roles of its members. These include dancing, performing arts, fitness and exercise and a range of sports. This provides a rich environment in which the children can expand their experience of the world and actively explore their own talents and interests.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team displays a notable focus on the well-being and progress of each child and goes to considerable lengths to provide them with effective ways to express their ongoing wishes and feelings. Children’s records are current, detailed and meaningful and reflect a sensitivity to their most critical needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership of the home displays initiative and creativity in the ongoing development of staff in expanding and improving the way in which they meet the children’s needs. Relevant research and practice developments are routinely used to inform ways in which the service can be improved. There is an appointed champion for each of the identified specialist areas and they support the manager in ensuring that staff are kept abreast of developments in these particular areas.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are effectively supported in their roles through regular team meetings and supervision. Staffing levels are sufficient, and mutual support and good morale are evident. Effective staff induction systems are in place, but the systems and practice for ensuring that each member of staff completes a satisfactory period of probation require immediate improvement. Inspection report children’s home: SC438648 6

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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: SC438648 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 113a St Johns Hill, Sevenoaks TN13 3PE

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Stephen Richmond

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Inspector:

John Pledger, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC438648 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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