Children's Home run by Fairport Care Services Ltd in Kent

Inspection report children's home: SC066129 1 SC066129 Registered provider: Fairport Care Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to five children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 16 July 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, Ofsted suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

Ofsted last visited this setting on 19 October 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. The report for this is published on the Ofsted website.

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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 full inspection: 12 February 2020

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC066129 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/02/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness 30/07/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/08/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 14/05/2018 Full Inadequate Inspection report children's home: SC066129 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Stable and consistent care has enabled the children to continue their paths of progress throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. They express feelings of security and belonging, and attachment to staff. Some children make exceptional progress and make substantial strides in their education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children build trusting relationships with staff, and this helps them to express their feelings and explore past trauma. Staff display good understanding of the children’s needs and vulnerabilities, and work sensitively with them, using highly individualised and creative approaches to support their best possible progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with placing authorities and other professionals to ensure that plans and activities support the children’s progress. The children participate in the running of the home and their views and opinions are valued and acted on by staff. They contribute to their reviews and participate in assessing the suitability of prospective staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has recently acquired a chicken coop and hens. All the children are involved in their care and protection. The children also grow vegetables in the garden. The children feel a sense of belonging and permanence through these investments in their home environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff are careful in considering the children’s wishes and feelings about spending time with their families. Those who want to, have been well-supported to maintain the best possible contact with family and friends while restrictions have varied during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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

Consistent boundaries, maintained by caring staff, help the children to feel contained and safe. Children feel secure, and this allows them to express themselves and test boundaries and the strength of their relationships with staff.

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

Staff are generally effective in responding consistently to these situations, but some are unclear at times about when and how to best use restrictive practices. Due to this uncertainty, some staff are not always clear and consistent in the way they promote positive behaviour. Policy and procedures, to guide staff in maintaining a positive environment for the children, require review and improvement.

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

The risks and vulnerabilities associated with each child are well-understood and clearly recorded. Guidance to staff in how best manage and reduce these, is equally clear. Incidents of children going missing are rare and there has only been one such incident during this inspection period. Inspection report children's home: SC066129 4 The vetting of care staff is good, but shortfalls in this process were identified in the use of regular contractors involved in maintaining and decorating the premises. There has been no harm to children as a result of this and leaders have taken immediate action to rectify the situation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are ambitious and determined about continuing to improve the quality of the children’s care. Plans of action are made, to target identified areas of weakness, and to simplify procedures to sharpen staff’s focus on the children’s progress and well-being. These efforts to improve the quality of the children’s care are however, not yet effectively integrated into the internal quality-of-care review process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Structures and processes that support staff are generally effective. They help maintain consistency and promote a strong child focus. Examples of these processes include induction, probation, staff supervision, training, and team meetings. There are also regular, well-attended meetings dedicated to the progress and well-being of each child. These are attended by external agencies where appropriate, and help staff and others to maintain a co-ordinated approach to meeting the key needs of each child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Policies and procedures that promote good staff conduct are less effective. These include the areas of smoking, mobile phone use, and social media activity. These policies are not linked to the disciplinary procedures. The procedures currently in use do not meet requirements. This weakens the effectiveness of oversight and response to any poor staff practice and conduct.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff team have built and maintain positive and cooperative relationships with external agencies and placing authorities. They succeed in getting good performance in the best interests of the children from external agencies, and will challenge appropriately when this is not the case.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff speak very positively about the support and direction that they receive from leaders and managers and are confident in their leadership. They show enthusiasm for their roles and clear dedication to the children in their care. Inspection report children's home: SC066129 5

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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 the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2)) 25 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may permit an individual to start work at the home despite the fact that the requirement in paragraph (3)(d) has not been met if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person has taken all reasonable steps to obtain full information about each of the matters in Schedule 2 in respect of the individual, but the enquiries in relation to any of the matters in paragraphs 3 to 6 of Schedule 2 are incomplete;

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information in respect of the individual has been obtained in relation to the matters in paragraphs 1 and 2 of Schedule 2;

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the circumstances are exceptional; and

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Requirement Due date

the registered person ensures that the individual is appropriately supervised while carrying out the individual’s duties, pending receipt of any outstanding information on the matters in paragraphs 3 to 6 of Schedule 2, which is then considered satisfactory by the registered person.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must take reasonable steps to ensure that any individual who is working at the home and who 25 August 2021 Inspection report children's home: SC066129 6 does not fall within paragraph (2)(a) and (b) is appropriately supervised while carrying out the individual’s duties. (Regulation 32 (7)(a)(b)(c)(d) (8))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must operate a disciplinary procedure which, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

provides for the suspension from work of an employee if necessary, in the interests of the safety or welfare of children; and

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Requirement Due date

provides that the failure on the part of an employee to report an incident of abuse, or suspected abuse, whether past or present, in relation to a child to the appropriate person is a ground on which disciplinary proceedings may be instituted.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of this regulation, “the appropriate person” is the registered person, an officer of HMCI, an officer of the local authority in whose area the home is located or a police officer. (Regulation 33 (2)(a)(b) (3)) 25 August 2021

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the review of the quality of care identifies areas of strength and possible weakness in the home’s care. The review process should be used as a tool for continuous improvement in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.4)

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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: SC066129 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Fairport Care Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Bank Chambers, 1 Central Avenue, Sittingbourne, Kent ME10 4AE

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Nicky Farrant-D-Wilson

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Inspector:

John Pledger, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC066129 8 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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