Children's Home run by Kennet Care Limited in Reading

Inspection report for children’s home: 2611110 1 Registered provider: Kennet Care Limited Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The privately-owned home, comprising of two separate buildings, provides care for up to seven children with social and emotional difficulties, aged between eight and 17.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted on 9 August 2021.

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Inspection date: 2 February 2022

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2611110 2

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has declined in effectiveness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This interim inspection was scheduled due to the concerns raised from an increase in serious event notifications made to Ofsted in respect of two children who recently moved into the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

These two children had some positive experiences in this home. However, these were limited due to the length of time the children lived and returned to the home. Despite the staff’s best efforts both children moved on from this home in an unplanned way.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The admissions process, completed by senior managers to consider a child moving into the home, has declined in quality. Risk assessments and matching documents used are generic and do not include, or fully consider, all the child’s risks or needs in accordance with their relevant plans. Therefore, the staff have not been provided with guidance or strategies on how to support the child in certain situations. This means that, on occasion, the staff have failed to respond to serious incidents safely.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Senior managers have not adequately reviewed the children’s risk-taking behaviours against the home’s location risk assessment or its statement of purpose. As a result, one child continually went missing from the home, while another child displayed behaviours the staff were not sufficiently trained in to respond to. This has resulted in staff needing police involvement and support, resulting in children being arrested.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Although the children were spoken to about the return of one child following their arrest, there are no indicators to show that any formal reparation work between the children and the staff involved in this serious incident has occurred. This is a missed opportunity to capture the children’s wishes and feelings, and for the staff to be clear about how they are supporting the children to cope with the decisions senior managers make regarding the children’s home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Senior managers have not sufficiently considered the impact of the children moving into this home on the children who already live there. Consequently, no strategies are in place to mitigate the development of harmful relationships between the children. This omission has seen a rise in children going missing together, engaging in substance misuse and displaying harmful behaviours towards one another. This has had a significant and detrimental impact on all the children living in this home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Senior managers have not considered the reasons that led to children moving on from a previous children’s home into this home. This is a missed opportunity to ensure all relevant information has been appropriately shared to determine the Inspection report for children’s home: 2611110 3 additional support that might be necessary for a successful move and permanency for a child. As a result, some children have experienced another unsuccessful and unplanned move on from this home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There is a pattern of incidents occurring overnight with the children. There are no permanently employed waking night staff in this home. Senior managers did temporarily move one part-time employed waking night staff from another children’s home to help with this shortfall. However, most waking-night-hours are being supported by agency staff. The agency staff, although appropriately recruited, do not have trusting and familiar relationships with the children, nor do they have the same level of training as the permanent staff. This means the children are not being supported and cared for in a consistent way. The registered manager is in the process of recruiting waking night staff.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff are completing direct sessions with the children, as well as group awareness days. Some success is apparent, resulting in the children discussing their feelings and emotions with the staff. During one awareness evening at the home, two children disclosed allegations of bullying and abuse by a peer. As a consequence, leaders quickly made arrangements for the child to move out of the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

For the children who have moved on, staff sought permission from those children and their social workers to visit them in their new homes. The staff celebrated one child’s birthday with them, taking presents and cards. Both children received memory books created by the staff, including photographs and snippets of the good times shared in the children’s home together. Although this is not the ending the staff wanted for the children, it does demonstrate their care and commitment about them.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager and the staff recognise the instability that has been endured by the children. Since two of the children have moved on, there has been a decrease in the frequency and severity of serious incidents. The registered manager now plans to review the home’s admission processes, along with the home’s location risk assessment, to improve leaders’ admissions practice.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Recent incidents that have occurred have been swiftly shared with the children’s social workers, as well as safeguarding professionals and crime prevention teams, to find ways of making situations safer.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has completed debriefs with the staff following incidents, and he has continued to support them individually through their supervision meetings.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has taken sufficient action to meet the requirements that were made from the last inspection. Incidents that require notification to Ofsted are being reported to the regulator, placing authorities are being notified when children move in and leave the home, and the staff are completing regular 1:1 sessions with Inspection report for children’s home: 2611110 4 the children about healthy relationships. As a result of the significant concerns and omissions identified from this inspection, four further requirements are made.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/05/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2611110 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, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful; 1 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2611110 6 help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii) (ix)(x)(xi)(xii)(xiii))

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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. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(b)) 1 April 2022

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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— 1 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2611110 7 lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e))

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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; 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)) 1 April 2022

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Information about this inspection

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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 for children’s home: 2611110 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Kennet Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: C/O Stan Colaco & Co, Regus Business Centre, Centurion House, London Road, Staines Upon Thames TW18 4AX

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Dennis Austin-Visser

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Inspector

Kelly Monniot, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2611110 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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