Children's Home run by Moonreach LTD in Kent

Inspection report children’s home: 1258463 1 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 home is registered to provide care for one child who has emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since May 2021. He 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 24 February 2021 to carry out monitoring visit. The report 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 requires improvement to be 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

Date of last inspection: 11 December 2019

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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: 1258463 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/12/2019 Full Good 09/01/2019 Full Good 20/03/2018 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1258463 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders understand that a single occupancy home may not suit all children. Consequently, referrals are very carefully considered to increase the likelihood of success once a child moves in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A small, committed staff team provides reliable routines and care that is planned effectively. For the child who has recently moved on to foster care, this was critical to sustain the three-and-a-half years the child spent living here.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff demonstrate skill in working in partnership with education provisions. They provided one-to-one support which allowed the child to have positive experiences and engage in the school setting. This helped the child to develop positive relationships, to enjoy social interactions, and to learn and play in a safe environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team provides an adaptable environment. For the child who has recently moved on, much necessary focus was placed on nurture and younger children’s play. For the current child, emphasis is focused on the provision of age-appropriate care and the environment. This demonstrates that the staff and the environment are versatile in meeting a range of children’s needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Regular consultation and one-to-one sessions show that staff listen to children. As a result, a variety of activities and events have been experienced and enjoyed, including a child’s birthday party with their friends from school. In line with this child’s development needs, staff fully recognised the importance of helping the child to cultivate and enjoy friendships with peers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager oversees successful endings for children. He challenged the proposed speed of a child’s planned move with the placing authority. He worked in partnership with other agencies and made sure that the child had time to develop trust in this decision.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Good planning includes a thoughtful break for the staff team, following one child moving on and another moving in. This practice gives staff time to reflect and to prepare mentally and emotionally so that they can give their best to the next child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Targeted staff training takes into account the presenting needs of the child who has recently moved in. Risk management plans are fluid and being adapted while relationships build. Although staff demonstrate a sound understanding of this child’s need to focus on developing their independence skills, this is not clearly captured in care planning guidance or, for example, through key-work plans. Inspection report children’s home: 1258463 4

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improvement to be good

Not all risks for children’s safety are managed effectively. For example, although environmental risk assessments are completed, this process is undermined by poor action planning to reduce identified risks, and no clear management responsibility. For example, an independent fire risk assessment, albeit only very recently completed, highlights required actions. However, leaders and managers have not prioritised a clear action plan in response.

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improvement to be good

Although some redecoration has been completed, there are areas that are of a poor standard of repair and cleanliness. In particular, the child’s bathroom is unkept and in a poor state of repair. This does not promote a warm and welcoming home for children. However, this poor quality of the environment is not indicative of the quality of care that staff provide.

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improvement to be good

Safe recruitment practice is followed by the human resources department. This includes relevant checks and reference verification. Although this improves the likelihood of recruiting safe adults, the registered manager does not review the documents himself when signing off this work. This is a missed opportunity to provide an additional layer of rigour to such a critical area.

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improvement to be good

Staff supervision is regular and supports the staff to have time to reflect on their practice and allow for continual professional development. Safeguarding is a frequent theme. This results in staff’s skills and knowledge being maintained to safely care for children.

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improvement to be good

Staff are suitably trained in safeguarding matters. Due to the positive, safe and respectful relationships between the staff and the child, incidents are minimal. Key- work sessions were effective for the previous child and helped them to develop self- regulation strategies when things became difficult. Therefore, this child was able to develop resilience in a safe and supported way.

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improvement to be good

Staff use a clear risk management process to identify and manage risks. Most known and historic risks for the current child are recorded, and the staff use these documents as working tools to aid them in supporting the child to settle into the home in a safe way. However, one example where this is not clear relates to the child’s refusal to take prescribed medication. Although such incidents are recorded and an appointment is awaited with the child and adolescent mental health services team, there is insufficient guidance for the staff to follow currently. The absence of this being rigorously chased with health professionals means that the child is not receiving the necessary support in this regard.

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good

The monitoring and evaluation systems that managers use are not sufficiently thorough or effective. For example, managers are not using their monitoring to Inspection report children’s home: 1258463 5 inform and promote change and improvements. This was evident when the fire risk assessment identified significant areas of risk that have not been prioritised through a clear action plan. Consequently, children are not living in a safe, clean and hazard- free environment.

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good

The organisation provides a comprehensive range of training opportunities for staff. These have been considered in relation to the matching of the new child moving in. However, there are some areas of online training that do not have competency assessment tools, such as the administration of medication. This does not give the manager oversight of the staff’s abilities or areas requiring support.

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good

The registered manager has completed a development plan; however, its purpose and functions are not fully understood. This has resulted in the document not being focused on the development of the home. Therefore, opportunities to improve practice and maintain high aspirations are being missed.

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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 visitors’ reports do not consistently lend themselves to the home’s improvement and development.

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good

The responsible individual has recognised that the organisational structure is not clearly defined in relation to specific areas. The roles and responsibilities relating to health and safety are not successful to ensure that the home is operated safely and that risks are reduced. The registered manager does not always challenge these processes. These shortfalls underpin the need for leaders to improve on their own monitoring and accountability to ensure that risks are managed and that children’s safety is not compromised. Inspection report children’s home: 1258463 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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 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;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that risk assessments are completed in relation to all known risks for the child, and take prompt action to remove hazards from the environment and maintain the home to a good standard. 30 October 2021

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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 must have effective and meaningful monitoring and review systems for administering 30 October 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 1258463 7 medication and for recruitment checks, to ensure that shortfalls are identified and acted on.

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Requirement Due date

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 (Regulation 14 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that care planning is targeted, clear and enhanced by meaningful key working. 30 October 2021

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, obtain medical expertise to produce and implement clear guidance on managing refused medication. 30 October 2021

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Recommendation

 The registered person should keep the statement of purpose under review. The statement of purpose should be child focused and indicate how the home provides individualised care to meet the quality standards for the children being cared for. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.5) Inspection report children’s home: 1258463 8

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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: 1258463 9

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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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Inspector

Rebecca Fisher, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1258463 10 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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