Children's home run by Kent County Council in Ashford

Assurance visit report: SC439282 1 SC439282

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Information about this children’s home

This short-break service is run by the local authority. The service also provides a day-care service during some school holidays. It offers a service for children who have a physical and/or learning disability. The maximum number of children who can stay at the home at any time is four.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted on 2 May 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection date: 7 January 2020

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Information about this visit

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), Ofsted suspended all routine inspections in March 2020. As part of a phased return to routine inspection, we are undertaking assurance visits to children’s social care services that are inspected under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF).

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Information about this visit

At these visits, inspectors evaluate the extent to which:  children are well cared for  children are safe  leaders and managers are exercising strong leadership.

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Information about this visit

This visit was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000, following the published guidance for assurance visits.

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Information about this visit

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is leading Ofsted’s work into how England’s social care system has delivered child-centred practice and care within the context of the restrictions placed on society during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Findings from the visit

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit. Assurance visit report: SC439282 2

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The care of children

The home has remained open to the children and their families since the start of the national pandemic. Senior leaders, managers and the staff focused on safety by offering a reduced service to ensure distancing and infection control. Since the start of the pandemic, the home has successfully supported overnight short breaks for 23 of the 30 children who use the service. More lately, however, the service for the regular users has been further reduced because of an emergency admission.

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The care of children

The staff team has responded swiftly to this challenge. The registered manager and the staff are working closely with partner agencies, including health services and the child’s parent. In response to this child’s immediate need for structure, safety and routine, the staff team uses a sensitive approach of low demands. This is entirely appropriate.

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The care of children

The staff explain to the children the risks of COVID-19 and how to keep each other safe. The staff do this sensitively and in ways that the children can understand and respond to. For example, the staff use children’s storybooks to help the children to understand why they are not going to school, and why it is important that they wash their hands more regularly.

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The care of children

Staff ensure that the children are meaningfully engaged and occupied during their stays. The ‘garden journal’ is shared with the children to show them the visual progress of their growing plants. Staff use this journal as a learning opportunity, and to instil a sense of accomplishment in the children. One child enjoyed eating their home-grown potatoes with fresh mint.

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The care of children

Staff routinely look for ways to help the children to be included in all activities. The children’s artwork is proudly on display, and the staff use this in a meaningful way. For example, a display board in the children’s playroom features photographs that the children took themselves. The staff used this innovative practice to seek the views and feelings of what was important to the children who use the service. Such practice empowers the children to express their views and opinions about the care that they receive and how the service is run.

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The safety of children

The staff manage the children’s complex emotional and behavioural needs well. They demonstrate a commitment to overcoming difficult and challenging behaviours. Most of the children who use the service have complex disabilities and medical needs. These factors significantly compromise the children’s ability to comprehend risks and safeguard themselves. When risk-taking behaviours do occur, the staff act quickly and responsibly to ensure that the children are cared for safely. The registered manager and the staff work closely with parents and all professionals to gain insight into the children’s wide-ranging needs. Assurance visit report: SC439282 3 There has been an increase in the staff using physical interventions and physical restraint with one child. All interventions recorded have been proportionate, and essential in keeping the child, and others, safe and protected from harm. The staff record physical interventions well, and there is clear managerial oversight. However,

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The safety of children

on occasion, the staff and the registered manager have not recorded some interventions within regulatory time frames. This omission presents unnecessary risks for the children and staff involved, and it compromises monitoring.

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The safety of children

The registered manager has identified the children’s risks in their individual positive handling plans and has supported these with clear staff strategies to minimise these risks. The staff review and update these plans when new risks are known, or when patterns of behaviours emerge. This helps the staff to work sensitively and collaboratively.

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Leaders and managers

A recent admissions decision made by the responsible individual has compromised the service’s ability to operate as a short-breaks provision. Consequently, short- break packages for the children and their families have been suspended. This decision also means that the service is now operating outside of its conditions of registration and its statement of purpose.

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Leaders and managers

The registered manager and the staff are working tirelessly to support the unplanned admission of a child into the service. They are dedicated in helping the child to move on to a setting that can meet their needs. Thoughtful preparation includes the registered manager’s creation of a social story that includes photographs of the child’s new home, in recognition of the child’s need for visual methods of communication. A parent said, ‘The manager and the staff have gone above and beyond in caring for my child.’

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Leaders and managers

The registered manager has not had the support of a senior team leader since June 2020. This has had an impact on his ability to complete and delegate the staff team’s supervisions effectively. The process and timescales for all staff receiving supervision, along with the process for managing and improving staff poor performance, are not included in the registered manager’s workforce development plan. This is a missed opportunity to embed the importance and purpose of staff supervision, particularly during this challenging time for the staff team

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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. Assurance visit report: SC439282 4

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 21/11/2020

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv)) 21/11/2020 Assurance visit report: SC439282 5 The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)) 21/11/2020

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. (Regulation 16 (5)) 21/11/2020

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should: o detail the necessary management and staffing structure, (including any staff commissioned to provide health and education), the experience and qualifications of staff currently working within the staffing structure and any further training required for those staff, to enable the delivery of the home’s Statement of Purpose; o detail the processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction, probation and any core training (such as safeguarding, health and safety and mandatory qualifications); o detail the process for managing and improving poor performance; o detail the process and timescales for supervision of practice (see regulation 33 (4) (b)) and keep appropriate records for staff in the home. The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications

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Recommendations

completed by staff while working at the home, and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff – including the home’s manager. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 51, paragraph 10.8) Assurance visit report: SC439282 6

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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

Kelly Monniot, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: SC439282 7 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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Inspector

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