Children's Home run by Channels and Choices Kent LLP in Kent

Inspection report for children's home: SC385631 1 SC385631 Registered provider: Channels & Choices Kent LLP Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children aged between eight and 17 years. It is operated by a private organisation. According to the statement of purpose, the home caters for children who have behavioural, emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2020.

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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 10 December 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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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 inspection: 5 February 2020

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC385631 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/02/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 22/10/2019 Full Good 21/03/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 17/10/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC385631 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are happy and clearly feel safe and secure at the home. They have good relationships with staff and feel able to speak with any member of staff if they feel worried or concerned about anything. The children enjoy a varied range of activities. Children receive good, individualised care from an experienced management team combined with a skilled workforce and a good multi-agency team within the organisation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The response to COVID-19 has been to make a positive out of a negative. Following the first lockdown, a questionnaire was completed to ensure that children were able to comment on what they found most difficult. This aided the planning when further COVID-19 restrictions were introduced. This meant that through staff’s determined responses, the impact of COVID-19 was kept to a minimum.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress. For children who have struggled educationally, there has been a high level of support and communication with education professionals to provide children with increased opportunities. The positive impact of this is that children who have previously been unable to attend school are now going to school on a regular basis.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to share their views through one-to-one work and daily meetings. When there are bigger projects in the home, such as the new sensory room, children are consulted to ensure that these projects are meeting their needs and that they have a constructive input. Children’s views can also be seen in the location risk assessment and in feedback to staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is detailed planning for children who are moving into the home. There is thorough information gathering by managers to ensure that they can effectively meet the needs of the individual child. When the potential impact of a new admission is assessed, this is done comprehensively against the local area and the resources that are available. However, this is not assessed against the children that currently live in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Preparation for future begins as soon as children move into the home. The Stepping Stones review programme that staff use means that there is ongoing assessment of children’s skills and what they have achieved. This helps to plan work with children to continue to increase the living skills they have. This assessment process is shared with relevant professionals, meaning that the team around the child is all clear on what work is undertaken.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is a good attitude to celebrating and educating diversity and difference. Themed discussions have taken place with children following significant cultural events. Bespoke work has been carried out with children to help them understand their own heritage. There is an open culture in the home where children are Inspection report for children's home: SC385631 4 encouraged to express how they feel. This has allowed children to develop their sense of identity.

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

Risks for children in both the home and the community are well identified. Whenever concerns are raised by children’s behaviour, these are responded to quickly and risk assessments are effectively changed.

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

Staff manage challenging situations well. Staff implement a range of strategies to support children to express themselves, and incidents of physical intervention are minimal. When restraints do occur, there are comprehensive records, and the child is always consulted about how they feel. This means that children are confident to talk about how they feel and understand the reasons why the incident has happened.

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

However, there has been a delay in reporting significant events. On two occasions, incidents have not been reported to Ofsted in suitable timescales. On one occasion, an incident was not reported to relevant safeguarding professionals within appropriate timescales. There has been a good reaction to both incidents in terms of learning and action subsequently taken.

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

Despite this, professionals are clear that staff take appropriate action to safeguard children and believe that children are safe.

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

Recruitment practice ensures that there is, on the whole, a thorough vetting process of all staff. There is good decision-making, and appropriate safer recruitment checks are completed. However, there is some inconsistency in the home’s policy about identification checks which, to date, has not yet been resolved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have clear aspirations for the children. They have worked hard to create as normal a home life as possible, which is valued by the children. Leaders have a clear and realistic understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in the home. Whenever shortfalls are identified, they are responded to quickly and thoroughly to reduce any impact on children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are well supported. They speak positively about both the work that they do and the pride with which the children succeed. One member of staff reported, ‘The house has a caring environment that allows the children to thrive while making positive memories that they will hopefully look back on when they’re older’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision for all staff happens on a monthly basis. This is supplemented by regular team meetings and detailed handovers to ensure that staff have a good working knowledge. Newly appointed members of staff are supported into the home and are given detailed feedback and guidance on their work, enabling them to continue to develop and learn. Inspection report for children's home: SC385631 5 When decisions are made that are not in the child’s best interest, leaders and managers are quick to challenge and ensure that there are appropriate outcomes. When issues have been raised and the response is not achieved in suitable timescales, there is a dogged response by the manager to ensure that there is an outcome.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision which allows good levels of feedback and professional development. Despite there being regular case management meetings involving the management team, there is no individual supervision for the registered manager and the deputy manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Parents talk with huge passion about the work that staff do. One parent gave 11/10 and could not think of anything else that could be done to improve. Inspection report for children's home: SC385631 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 registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33(4)(b)) 30 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 30 April 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  The registered person should ensure that they maintain good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguard children and minimise potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1) Inspection report for children's home: SC385631 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 for children's home: SC385631 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Channels & Choices Kent LLP

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 44 The Pantiles, The Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 5TN

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Inspectors

Vevene Muhammad, Social Care Inspector Mark Newington, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC385631 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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