Children's Home run by Benecare Limited in Kent

Inspection report children’s home: SC401927 1 SC401927 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 owned and run by a limited company. It provides care and accommodation for up to four children who have learning disabilities. The home’s stated purpose is to provide a safe, homely environment for children with challenging behaviour, which includes children with autism spectrum disorder.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2018.

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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: 29 January 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC401927 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/01/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 11/09/2018 Full Good 22/05/2018 Full Inadequate 13/02/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy warm relationships with trusted staff. Staff are attuned to the needs of the children and go the extra mile to ensure that they deliver good-quality care. They regularly seek the children’s opinions to ensure that their views inform decision-making.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Frequent children’s meetings offer further opportunities for children to participate in decision-making forums. Communication aids are adapted to ensure that each child’s voice can be heard. Staff use short phrases to help children understand their daily routines and planned events. Children echo these phrases and, because of this, some children’s speech and language has improved. They are more confident and using longer sentences. This has reduced their frustration and increased their confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is promoted. The staff have developed positive working relationships with the education establishments that the children attend. Some children have additional tutoring at the home. This is tailored to their interests, which encourages them to learn.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with families. They work collaboratively to ensure that children experience well-informed, consistent care. Children regularly spend time with important people in their lives. This is arranged both in the community and, where appropriate, in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s progress has exceeded expectations. They are all making progress from their starting points. A parent said, ‘My son is making exceptional progress here. He is enjoying so many new activities and learning new skills.’ Staff work tirelessly to give children the support and guidance that they need to enable them to develop their identity. One child was described as ‘transformed’ by his social worker. Supported by staff’s efforts, children achieve what was not previously thought possible.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritise the health needs of children. They liaise with healthcare specialists, and obtain specialist equipment, such as sensory toys that encourage children to engage in active play. Some children’s health has improved as a direct result of the care delivered to them at this home. Inspection report children’s home: SC401927 3 Admissions to the home are well planned. Children are informed in advance of any new arrivals. Departures are equally well planned. Staff work closely with families and social workers to ensure that children receive effective care throughout the placement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The physical environment of the home is well maintained. Routine servicing of equipment ensures that the premises are safe. The children’s rooms are all decorated to their individual tastes and are clean and well furnished to suit their needs. Consequently, this home provides a safe space for the children in which they can relax.

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

Children living at this home have trusting relationships with reliable staff. Observations during the inspection found children to be relaxed and happy. The recent review of safeguarding within the organisation has refreshed staff’s knowledge. They demonstrate a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities and are competent in reporting and recording of any safeguarding concerns. There have been no serious concerns during this period.

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

Behaviour plans are clear. They provide staff with guidance and strategies that reduce risk. Some children’s behaviour has improved as a result of the safe, consistent experience of care that staff provide. Staff review risk assessments in light of any new concerns. Learning from reflective practice sessions feeds into reviews of existing plans and shows risk management to be a ‘live’ process.

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

Physical restraint is rarely used. When it is, it is the last resort. Records are clear and demonstrate staff’s skills in defusing many incidents without using restraint. Managerial oversight is good; clear debriefings take place for adults and children. Managers are responsive to the children’s changing needs. They recognise patterns in behaviour and adapt care plans and staffing in response to this.

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

Staff utilise their training to draw attention to the social issues that children may face. For example, they discussed a scenario with the child which highlighted his vulnerability to criminal exploitation. As a result of this discussion, his plans have been adapted in order to mitigate this risk.

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

Medication is safely managed and administered. The use of medication prescribed for use only when required is scrutinised by leaders and managers, for both the home and school environments. Staff routinely share their observations with healthcare professionals; this has enabled the medication to be reduced for one child. This level of attention to detail helps keep children safe.

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

Wider community engagement is good. Staff work in partnership with social workers, parents and families and invite them to share their knowledge about the children. This has reduced some families’ anxieties about their children being cared for by others. The transparent way of working with the wider network promotes the safety of the children. Inspection report children’s home: SC401927 4 Recruitment practice is safe. All necessary checks are completed prior to new staff joining the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is doing well despite organisational pressures. At times her support has been required at other homes. However, she maintains frequent communication with her own staff. Furthermore, the deputy manager ensured that the smooth running of the home continued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak highly of the registered manager and deputy home manager. Frequent supervision, regular staff meetings and clear target-setting ensure that staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities and kept informed about service development plans for the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New staff speak positively about their induction. They feel that the training provided equips them to care for the children. They demonstrate a clear understanding of the whistleblowing process and how to raise concerns within and outside of the organisation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been some impact of organisational pressures on staff. At times, staff from other homes have been supporting this home. Some are less confident in working with the children as their needs differ from the other homes. This has affected the morale of long-standing staff. However, the leaders and managers are aware of this and have allocated staff from other homes in such a way as to reduce the impact of frequent changes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has efficient monitoring systems in place, which she uses to produce good- quality, reflective reports. Her detailed analysis enables her to monitor effectively the progress that the children make and the effectiveness of interventions used by staff. She uses this to inform practice and to adapt plans as children’s needs change.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC401927 5 children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: SC401927 6

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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

Sarah Olliver, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC401927 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 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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