Children's Home run by Moonreach LTD in Kent

Inspection report children's home: SC448997 1 SC448997 Registered provider: Moonreach 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 for up to two children. According to the statement of purpose, the aim of the service is to provide children with stability and consistency and to enable children to develop trust, confidence and the opportunity to develop and grow.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since April 2018. She is also the registered manager of another of the company’s homes which is close by.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 27 and 28 October 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on Ofsted’s 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 requires improvement to be good

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good

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

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None Inspection report children's home: SC448997 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/03/2019 Full Good 16/08/2016 Full Good 16/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 16/09/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children's home: SC448997 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The provider demonstrates a strong commitment to offering the best opportunities and experiences for children. This is shown by the decision not to look after any other children while the current child requires extensive support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All staff demonstrate respect, openness and honesty in their approach to childcare. This has enabled the child to experience positive and secure relationships which provide a safe base from which to explore her past experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Key working is a strength of the home. The positive relationship between the child and her key worker has allowed the child to begin to explore the complexities of the different relationships that she has with people, and how to navigate these. Other staff commented that she now demonstrably cares about the reaction that she thinks her keyworker may have in response to some of the situations she finds herself in. They described this change as being akin to ‘not wanting your mum to be disappointed in your behaviour’. The local authority social worker commends this progress as highly significant and describes the staff’s nurturing practice as ‘precisely what [child’s name] needs’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This approach is mirrored by all staff, who routinely praise and welcome the positive choices the child makes, to encourage her in learning to make safer choices and decisions. This high level of care is enriching the child’s experiences and aiding her social and emotional development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively involve the child in making decisions about her day-to-day care, activities, meals and other matters that affect her. The level of one-to-one attention and consultation give the child the opportunity to explore a variety of subjects. These include safe relationships, sexual health and independence skills. This has contributed to her making exceptional progress. The consistent approach from staff provides the security for the child to grow and develop. Therefore, the child is beginning to regulate her behaviours and build her self-esteem and confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have sensitively encouraged the child to engage in education, which has not always been a positive experience for her. Historically, the child’s anxiety about social interaction has prevented her from fully engaging. Staff recognise that success relies on the child managing a healthy routine and enjoying activities both inside and outside the home. This has resulted in the child applying for, and being successful with, her college application.

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

Leaders and managers respond well to safeguarding concerns and allegations and give prompt reports and referrals to safeguarding agencies. However, managers’ records are cumbersome and do not always provide a clear account of the steps Inspection report children's home: SC448997 4 taken. This does not support a clear audit trail for staff to follow when managing safeguarding concerns.

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

Plans and strategies are in place to provide appropriate care for the child. These are followed by staff and regularly reviewed. There is a sharp focus on managing missing-from-home episodes which provides staff with clear guidance and safety plans. This has contributed to a reduction of these episodes and an increase in communication between the staff and the child when she is not at home. Return home interviews are consistently held and give the child space and time to reflect, while encouraging her learning.

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

Good quality risk-management guidance is undermined by a poorer process that is used to record and monitor the incidents that result in staff applying sanctions. The recording tool uses emotive and negative language which is inconsistent with the positive way staff usually communicate with the child. There is little evidence of the effective monitoring of these records either by senior leaders or the independent visitor. Consequently, the effectiveness of the measures being used is not being monitored. However, this isolated aspect of poor practice is not indicative of the staff team’s general practice.

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

Staff encourage and support the child to be independent despite the potential risks involved. They manage their own emotions and anxieties that arise when she is away from the home. There are clear management strategies to support this process. These include staff being available in the area and maintaining regular phone contact. This allows the child to take calculated risks, build her resilience and develop her independence in an increasingly safe and supported manner.

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good

The monitoring and evaluation systems used by managers are not sufficiently thorough or effective. For example, managers have not used their review and monitoring of sanctions to inform the development of staff practice, in particular the impact this has on the child and her learning journey. Therefore, leaders and managers’ oversight of the home does not consistently identify shortfalls.

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good

The organisation provides a comprehensive range of training opportunities for staff, but this does not consistently include specific training related to the individual needs of children. The registered manager does not always consider the staff’s skills as part of the matching and impact process when considering referrals for placements. This is a missed opportunity to make sure that the team has the required levels of skills and knowledge and identify further areas for targeted training and development.

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good

There has not been an effective review of the workforce development plan for some time. Consequently, it is not clear that the manager has an up-to-date knowledge of the individual and collective skill set of the staff team. Staff supervision meetings do not take place at the intervals stated in the provider’s supervision policy. As a result, Inspection report children's home: SC448997 5 staff do not have regular opportunities to discuss the impact of their work, and any issues with their performance are not discussed in a timely manner.

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good

The recruitment of staff meets safer recruitment standards in terms of securing the required checks and references. This is attributed to recent improvements in the development of a new online system. However, the verbal verification process is not specific in clarifying that previous employers have no safeguarding concerns. This is a missed opportunity to ask additional questions and be reassured by a thorough and rigorous process.

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good

The responsible individual and registered manager have identified that the monthly visits by the independent person provide an insufficient level of challenge to their practice. The independent visitor’s reports do not consistently support the home’s improvement and development.

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good

Anecdotally, the registered manager demonstrates a good grasp of aspects that are going well and areas for development and improvement for the home. This is hindered, however, by the lack of a clear and methodical approach towards monitoring and review. The registered manager’s own monitoring mechanisms are not always used in practice and this results in reports not being completed in a timely way. Consequently, various records and systems, for example those relating to children’s health matters, are not routinely checked for accuracy. Some records are out of date or do not match other records. Although no immediate safety concerns are identified from these shortfalls, the current gaps present avoidable risks. Inspection report children's home: SC448997 6

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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.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager needs to have effective monitoring and review systems to ensure that shortfalls are identified. 30 September

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure supervision is provided and recorded in line with the organisation’s policy. 30 September Inspection report children's home: SC448997 7

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that any sanctions used to address poor behaviour are restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

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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: SC448997 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 4 Dane John Works, Gordon Road, Canterbury, Kent CT1 3PP

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Inspectors

Rebecca Fisher, Social Care Inspector Sophie Wood, Regional Inspection Manager Inspection report children's home: SC448997 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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