Children's home run by Kent County Council in Maidstone

Inspection report children’s home: SC068511 1 SC068511 Registered provider: Kent County Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is a purpose-built home that is run by a local authority. It offers a short-break service for up to six children who have learning and/or physical disabilities. It currently offers short breaks to 45 children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in August 2016.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 22 January 2019

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: Outstanding

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None. Inspection report children’s home: SC068511 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/01/2019 Full Outstanding 23/01/2018 Full Outstanding 15/02/2017 Full Outstanding 14/09/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC068511 3

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outstanding

Children make exceptional progress, in all areas of their lives, as a result of staying here. The children love spending time with staff, and are happy, settled and content. Routines are tailored to the child and fully adhered to, and there is a genuine feel of ‘home from home’. This ensures that there are seamless transitions between the child’s home and the short-break service. Staff work tirelessly to provide positive experiences for children, while offering a relaxed and anxiety-reducing environment. A parent commented that whenever her child sees his overnight bag being packed in preparation for a stay, he becomes very excited.

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outstanding

Relationships between the service and parents are built on trust, mutual respect and a genuine desire to achieve the very best for each child. Children benefit immensely from an environment that has been thoughtfully designed and carefully laid out. There are homely touches everywhere and the environment is child focused, vibrant and welcoming.

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outstanding

Children are encouraged to get to know staff through an ‘all about me’ folder which tells them about the staff’s likes and dislikes. This helps to quickly build rapport between staff and children. Children also enjoy access to areas of the wider service when they stay. These areas include the jacuzzi, soft play, sensory room and various other large spaces within the centre.

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outstanding

The service caters for over 40 children who stay there for short-breaks. The staff know each child’s needs in remarkable detail. This is underpinned by the management team constantly updating children’s records, risk management documents and guidance for staff. Care plans focus on the individual needs of children in most cases. One care plan that was sampled during the inspection had nothing recorded for the child’s religion. This means that religious needs may be unmet or unknown by staff. The registered manager corrected this omission immediately during the inspection.

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outstanding

Children are protected and supported throughout their stays at the home. Staff take their safeguarding responsibilities seriously and ensure that an open, transparent and enabling culture permeates throughout the residential service.

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outstanding

Physical intervention is used only when staff have no other option for keeping children safe. The complex needs of children mean that a variety of creative and innovative approaches are used to capture children’s views and feelings after any incident. This is an improvement since the last inspection. Similarly, the registered manager continues to be an accredited trainer in the home’s chosen method of physical intervention. This ensures that she can promote safe techniques for supporting children with their behaviour, while tailoring the training to the complex and individualised needs of the children who stay in the service. Inspection report children’s home: SC068511 4 A nurse is based on site for several days per week. This professional also has a practice-educator training role. She ensures that staff are rigorously tested on and trained in how to administer medication, and how to identify any potential side

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outstanding

effects. Staff are encouraged to develop their own skills and knowledge. The staff’s training in medication administration has involved learning about how and why mistakes occur, and identifying erroneous recording This proactive approach provides a further layer of safety for every child who uses the service, and provides great reassurance for parents, too. A parent commented that her child ‘needs well trained and confident staff’. The parent also said, ‘I have full trust in the staff. They are so compassionate.’

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outstanding

Children do not go missing from the home. The registered manager is not complacent and has ensured that each child has emergency plans that can be followed if they are ever absent or missing. Clear protocols are in place for such an eventuality. The manager has built a relationship with the local police, whose officers complete training at the home so that they increase their awareness of some of the complex needs and behaviours that children can present. A police officer said that visiting the home was an ‘extremely insightful experience’. The police officer also said, ‘It was helpful to gain an understanding of how to talk with children and how they communicate.’ The registered manager has plans to extend this innovative approach to other emergency services.

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outstanding

The home is safely maintained and any defects are swiftly resolved. Risk is managed well due to the vigilance of the staff. They respond quickly and effectively to the needs of the many children who use the service throughout the year Although the service is busy, given the constant stream of different children accessing short breaks, each child is individually known and great care is taken to personalise every aspect of their stay. This helps children to settle quickly into their individualised routine.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

At the heart of the service is the registered manager. She is ambitious for the children, fiercely protective of all those using the service and not afraid to raise concerns or challenge other agencies when required. She is supported by exceptionally dedicated and committed staff who share her passion for ensuring that children receive the very best care possible. Every member of the team role-models excellence. Staff are fully supported in their duties. There are regular team meetings, discussions, practice-based staff meetings and training opportunities to hone the staff’s skills and to keep everybody up to date.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff supervision takes place with regularity and includes discussions about the needs of children and the individual staff. However, there is a tendency to only discuss safeguarding if there are issues. This is a missed opportunity to review and improve the staff’s knowledge of safeguarding practice, and provide them with critical challenge Inspection report children’s home: SC068511 5 The strengths and weaknesses of the service are well known by the manager, and plans are in place to make further improvements. The responsible individual provides excellent support and the manager provides effective challenge for more senior staff when needed. This attitude also extends to working with other services. Staff are confident about raising concerns if needed, and routinely advocate for children. There is an unswerving commitment to making sure that every child makes excellent progress and has the best possible experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Quality assurance processes are highly effective and constantly evolving. The manager ensures that regular checks are made on the quality of care for children and she regularly spends time working with children to monitor and guide staff practice. This approach also enables the management team to identify further enhancements to the service, such as the introduction of additional specialist training that will equip staff to support children who experience difficulty when eating or drinking. Inspection report children’s home: SC068511 6

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Recommendations

 Children should be able to maintain and develop their cultural or religious beliefs as far as practicable and where appropriate, through participation and instruction, and by observing religious requirements, including dress and diet. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.22) This specifically refers to ensuring that all children’s care plans contain up-to-date information about religious needs.  Supervision of staff practice should ensure that individual adults in the home are engaged in the safeguarding culture of the home so they understand what they would need to do if they found other staff misusing or abusing their position to the detriment of the safety of a child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.14) This specifically refers to ensuring that safeguarding is given prominence in all

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Recommendations

staff supervisions so that staff have their safeguarding practice tested and reviewed throughout the year. Inspection report children’s home: SC068511 7

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: SC068511 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Kent County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Sessions House, County Road, Maidstone Kent ME14 1XQ

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Inspector

Pete Hylton, Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report children’s home: SC068511 9 to 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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