Children's Home run by Compass Children’s Homes Kent Limited in Kent

Inspection report children’s home: SC425071 1 SC425071 Registered provider: Ferndearle Child Care Services Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately run children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six children. The home’s statement of purpose states that it operates as a therapeutic community for children who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. Education is available on site.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since January 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 requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 27 February 2019

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC425071 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/02/2019 Full Good 21/09/2017 Full Good 21/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 23/05/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC425071 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 notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40(4)(c)) 30/10/2019

p.3

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.3

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(b)) 30/10/2019

p.3

Recommendations

 Supervision of staff practice should ensure that individual adults in the home are engaged in the safeguarding culture of the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.14) In particular, ensure that there are no internal reviews or internal evaluations of practice when a potential conflict of interest exists.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience warmth and sensitive care that promotes their security and resilience. As a result, the children feel that they matter, and that their progress is important to the adults who care for them and about them.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have high academic aspirations for the children and want the best for them. Leaders have created a specific role for a consistent adult to help the children with their Inspection report children’s home: SC425071 4 morning routines before school. This helps to set the children up well for their school day. Consequently, the children’s school attendance is excellent.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support and encourage children to pursue leisure activities and attend clubs such as cadets, youth club and swimming lessons. One child helps at a local stables and hopes to pursue a career working with horses. All the children spoke enthusiastically about their recent summer holiday. Staff recognise that getting children involved in enjoyable and stretching leisure activities increases their confidence and self-esteem.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home benefits from a team of in-house therapists who work creatively to support the children, their families, and other significant relationships A systemic family therapy model helps the children to develop insight and understanding about their past histories and traumas.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work supportively with the children’s families to help promote and maintain relationships. Some families live a considerable distance from the home, but staff ensure that distance is not a barrier, and that children see their families regularly in line with agreed plans.

p.4

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

A social worker described how staff, ‘hold children in the centre’. Children said that they feel safe at the home. Consistent boundaries and structure provide the children with predictability and security.

p.4

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

Fortnightly team meetings around each child help the staff to develop insight into the emotional needs of the children, alongside encouraging staff to reflect on their own triggers and feelings in the context of their caring role. As a result, the children’s emotional health and well-being needs are understood, and responded to well by the staff.

p.4

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

Staff support the children to take part in day-to-day decisions about their lives. Weekly children’s meetings provide opportunities for children to talk about matters arising from group living. Individual, tailored, direct work helps the children to develop the capacity to reflect on their feelings and acquire alternative ways of thinking about successes and setbacks.

p.4

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

Some restraint records sampled indicated that the staff may have used physical intervention before fully utilising de-escalation strategies. On one occasion, there was a conflict of interest relating to a senior manager’s evaluation of practice. However, leaders have conducted an internal audit of practice around restraint, and this learning has appropriately informed areas of improvement and staff development needs.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Following a complaint, the registered manager and leaders did not ensure that the important decisions they made to safeguard children were properly underpinned by Inspection report children’s home: SC425071 5 written information from other safeguarding agencies, or that these decisions were clearly recorded alongside rationale. The chronology of events was therefore difficult for the inspector to follow. In addition, there was a delay in the manager notifying Ofsted about the incident, and the notification did not include a sufficient level of detail. This reduced Ofsted’s ability to understand and scrutinise the actions taken by managers to safeguard children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager and leaders promote an inclusive culture at the home. Children experience care and help that is responsive to their individual needs. Staff provide opportunities for the children to celebrate and understand difference. This helps children to develop a positive self-view and a strong sense of their identity.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Children’s records are child centred, and are recorded in a way that reflects their voice. This ensures that the children have a good understanding of how their needs are planned for and met. Leaders monitor children’s achievements and can demonstrate the positive impact that living at the home has on the children’s progress and life chances.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager and leaders work well with the wider professional network. Staff are confident to challenge other professionals to ensure that children receive the services they need. Feedback from a social worker and a parent was extremely positive about the communication from the registered manager and the team, and the support they provide.

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 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: SC425071 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Ferndearle Child Care Services Limited

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Mountfields House, Epinal Way, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3GE

p.6

Inspector

Anne-Marie Davies, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC425071 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.

p.6

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.7

Inspector

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

p.7

Inspector

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

p.7