Children's home run by Moonreach LTD in Dover

Inspection report children's home: 1226977 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

The home provides care for up to two children. According to the statement of purpose, ‘the home can care for children with additional and specific needs, as well as emotional and behavioural issues’ (social and emotional 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 18 February 2021 to carry out a 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 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: 4 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: 1226977 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/12/2019 Full Good 11/02/2019 Full Good 25/01/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 06/07/2016 Full Good Inspection report children's home: 1226977 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Committed staff provide a consistent and child-centred approach. This enables the children to experience positive and safe relationships, built on respect and honesty. These relationships provide a secure base for the children to make progress. Children say they feel supported to explore their previous experiences and difficulties because the staff make them feel safe to do so.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from regular individual time with staff. These opportunities give space and time for the children to explore their developing needs and to express their wishes and feelings. One child’s regular sessions have helped her to explore her identity. Consequently, she feels comfortable within the home because she is confident that staff understand her. Such practice encourages children to embrace their individuality, and this raises their self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff seek children’s views in a variety of ways, including individual and group children’s meetings. The registered manager recognised that the meeting structure did not suit the needs of both children currently living in the home. As a result, their views are now considered in forums that meet each child’s individual preferred style. Consequently, the children now have regular input into decisions about the environment, activities, menu planning, theme nights and celebrating their successes. This approach demonstrates that the children are empowered to make decisions about their care and daily lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children’s engagement in education. The registered manager has formed close links with local schools to ensure the children have the best opportunities to go to the right place. One child changed schools, giving them the opportunity to engage in a full-time programme. Staff provide support with transport to school. They recognise the importance of children having space and time to prepare for their day. As a result, the children are engaged in their learning and are making progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to actively participate in decisions about their lives and futures. One child has expressed a wish to become more independent. Staff are supporting her to develop a variety of different skills in a safe and planned way. This approach demonstrates that staff are responsive to children’s development and encourage this growth.

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

Children say that they feel safe, and that they like the staff and the care they receive. Staff demonstrate good safeguarding practice by following clear procedures when incidents occur. Their consultation with professional agencies is effective and positive for the children. Inspection report children's home: 1226977 4 Staff actively look for children when they are missing from home. Staff work in partnership with the local police to create effective protocols and plans. Managers closely monitor staff responses and the records of these incidents. Other risks, such as self-harm, are also well understood by the staff, who respond appropriately. Other professionals speak positively of how the children are kept safe.

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

The staff provide good behaviour support. With the exception of one incident, staff promote positive behaviour support to enable change and progression. Staff consult with children about managing their behaviour and developing tangible behaviour strategy plans. Such plans have contracts and consequences linked to them. Therefore, through their involvement, children are empowered to take ownership of their behaviour, which develops their resilience and coping processes when they experience difficulties.

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

The children have good access to local health services and specialists. Staff ensure that there are regular reviews of the children’s health, including any medicines prescribed. Despite shortfalls in the policy and procedural guidance, staff demonstrate sound practice. Children receive necessary medicines safely. However, the potential risks, such as the impact of unclear guidance for new or agency staff, have not been identified by leaders’ monitoring.

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

Staffing levels and staff retention have improved since the last inspection. Although there are still some staffing vacancies, the children are receiving consistent care from familiar staff. The managers follow good safer recruitment practices, and the staff training focuses on keeping the children safe in the context of relevant safeguarding risks.

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

The staff keep the home in good order. This is supported by regular and effective reviews of the maintenance by the manager and clear action plans to ensure timely repairs and upkeep of the environment. Children benefit from a home which is well maintained and safe.

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good

Leaders’ oversight of the staff’s responses to children’s behaviour does not always include the necessary scrutiny to be assured that these responses are proportionate. On one occasion, the wider factors that the child was experiencing were not considered by staff when deciding the consequence. The use of an inappropriate consequence resulted in the staff failing to provide the necessary support for a child at a distressing time. The staff did not consider the consequence in line with the child’s needs and care plan. Nor was the record reviewed and scrutinised by managers with this context in mind. This example was a missed opportunity for managers to support the staff to develop their understanding of the use of consequences to avoid such measures becoming punitive for children.

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good

There are further examples of missed opportunities for the staff to embed their learning from training into their daily care practice. Although the training programme Inspection report children's home: 1226977 5 is comprehensive and relevant, topics are not always followed through in different forums, such as staff supervision and team meetings. In areas such as safeguarding, there is limited additional discussion and records do not demonstrate that the learning is embedded within the culture of the home. Consequently, staff are not fully supported to translate their learning into safe practice and support for children.

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good

The sampling of staff supervision records identifies that these meetings do not always support staff’s reflection and learning from their practice. In one example, a member of staff did not receive the regularity of supervision that was required to target their identified learning and practice needs. This shortfall limits staffs’ opportunities to reflect on their work and be supported through effective practice- based supervision.

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good

The responsible individual is developing and establishing a revised organisational structure. Defined roles and responsibilities give staff a clearer understanding of their accountability. The responsible individual has also reviewed the independent visitor arrangements and the focus for these visits. Although it is too early to measure the impact of this revised approach, the desire to improve and strengthen the quality of the care for children is a strong feature, demonstrated by all members of staff and managers. Inspection report children's home: 1226977 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 must ensure that consequences for children are monitored and managed effectively, to promote positive behaviour management. 31/12/2021

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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))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must provide regular and practice-related supervision for all staff, in line with their development and practice needs. 30/11/2021 Inspection report children's home: 1226977 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: 1226977 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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Inspector

Rebecca Fisher, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 1226977 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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