Children's home run by Kent County Council in Maidstone

Inspection report for children's home: SC068511 1 SC068511 Registered provider: Kent County Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is a purpose-built home that is run by a local authority. It offers a short-break service for up to six children with learning and/or physical disabilities. It currently offers short breaks to 45 children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2016.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account good

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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Overall experiences and progress of

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

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

The home was inspected on 23 and 24 March 2022 and was judged to be inadequate. Five requirements were made. A compliance notice was also served in relation to regulation 25. This compliance notice was issued due to leaders not taking sufficient action following commissioned fire risk assessments where significant failings were found, specifically in relation to the safety of the fire doors. Following that inspection, leaders made the decision to close the short-breaks service to allow the required work to be completed. Ofsted conducted a monitoring visit on 11 April 2022 and deemed the compliance notice had been met. Inspection report for children's home: SC068511 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/03/2022 Full Inadequate 10/03/2020 Full Outstanding 22/01/2019 Full Outstanding 23/01/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children's home: SC068511 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When parents and carers visit the home for the first time, they are given an information welcome pack to explain the services on offer. The registered manager has developed an additional easy-to-read welcome pack for children to take away with them. This helps the children to have a better understanding of what to expect when they first visit and gives parents the tools to sensitively help explain this to their children. In turn, this means children settle well overnight on their first stay away from home. A social worker said, ‘From the very beginning, [name of child] has loved going for his overnight short breaks.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children benefit from their short breaks and look forward to them. On arrival, they are met with a warm welcome from friendly staff who know them well. The staff team works hard to ensure that the children receive consistent care during their stay. This includes working closely with parents, allocated social workers and schools, and also gaining the views of the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children continue to thrive, benefiting from the wide range of services available. The services are tailored specifically to meet their needs, and this contributes to their emotional and physical development. They make progress towards achievable goals that are derived from their developmental needs, some of which are linked to educational and health targets. This helps the children to build on their skills in the different settings they visit. A social worker said, ‘[Name of child] has made significant improvements in all areas of their social and developmental skills.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Comprehensive and detailed plans identify and address the children’s very individual and complex needs. These include subtle yet important information for the child that makes a significant difference to them when they stay. The staff know and understand the children well and diligently follow written guidance. For example, the children are encouraged to learn and develop new independence skills according to their abilities and other relevant plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is very well equipped with age-appropriate toys, games and resources to keep the children occupied. Whether choosing to play alone, with friends or the staff, wall displays and photos show the children enjoying themselves. The staff have created ‘all about me’ profiles to share their likes and dislikes with the children. This encourages the children to look for similarities in their shared interests and hobbies and helps the staff to build on their positive relationships with the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are plentiful communication resources and aids in the home to meet the children’s needs. These are accessible in all areas, and managers have provided an assortment of different symbols to meet a variety of needs, likes and interests. However, the inspector did not see these being used by the staff in practice. This is a missed opportunity for the staff to demonstrate that the children are consulted with about their activities and daily routines. The registered manager has already Inspection report for children's home: SC068511 4 identified that the staff require additional training to ensure they can use the communication aids with the children effectively.

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

Support for the health needs of the children is excellent and has a significant impact on their well-being. The staff administer children’s medication in a safe and appropriate manner with an effective system of accountability. The systems in place to review the staff training and competencies are strong, and the staff are clear on what to do if they have a medication concern. As a result, the number of medication errors is low.

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

Knowledgeable staff know how to keep the children safe while they are away from home. This includes reporting and recording their concerns appropriately. The staff are professionally curious and follow up on concerns where needed. Children’s care plans are updated in response to any concerns. This approach means the staff have a shared understanding of the needs of children and provide consistently good care.

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

Good practice in behaviour management has helped some children to reduce negative behaviours and anxieties. Detailed plans describe what types of behaviour the child might display, along with strategies on how to manage these if they occur. This includes de-escalation techniques and the use of social stories to help manage their behaviour and feelings. Physical interventions and sanctions are very rarely used, but when they are, reviews of incidents evidence that staff have used these appropriately, as a last resort and with additional leadership oversight. As a result, the previous requirement relating to the use of physical interventions has been met.

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

The staff host regular awareness meetings for the children using research-informed resources. The staff have recently modelled topics in road safety and how to use the internet safely. The staff involve all the children and tailor the learning so everyone can join in. This makes learning and participation fun for the children and helps them gain vital skills and knowledge on subjects that help to keep them safe.

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

Senior leaders have recently changed recruitment practices in the local authority. This includes the application form candidates use when applying for a new job. The new format does not allow for safe recruitment practices to be effective. For example, it does not ask for a candidate’s full employment history or ask the reasons for leaving their last job role. This approach gives the managers in the home more responsibilities to ensure the regulations are met. The inspector found several shortfalls in safer recruitment practices. This presents unnecessary and unexplored risks for both the children and the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The culture of the home is characterised by high expectations and aspirations for all of the children. The ethos and objectives of the home are demonstrated in practice, and the children are at the centre of all decisions. Inspection report for children's home: SC068511 5 The registered manager is clear on the strengths and weaknesses of the home and uses regular quality of care reviews to develop effective service development plans. She implements changes to improve the service and to enhance the experiences of children. This demonstrates continual growth and a commitment to the children, parents and staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager uses effective monitoring systems and has clear oversight of the children’s care planning arrangements. The systematic approach to reviewing the children’s needs in regular team meetings means that care plans stay current. Meeting regularly like this also gives the staff the opportunity to raise any concerns, share good practice and review the children’s targets. This demonstrates the staff team is working together and providing good outcomes for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Allocated social workers speak positively about how the registered manager and staff communicate with them. They say that they are kept up to date on a regular basis and are informed of any significant incidents immediately. They spoke highly of how staff work together and in a joined-up way with education and social care to help the children achieve their goals and targets.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has ensured that all of the previous requirements and recommendations from the last inspection are now met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff say they feel supported by managers and longer-serving staff. One member of staff reflected positively on the training, supervision and shadowing opportunities during their induction period. However, not all supervisions for all staff have been as frequent as stated in the home’s statement of purpose. On occasion, individual targets are not discussed or carried over from one supervision to the next. This is a missed opportunity to formally meet with staff and to discuss role-related themes and continual professional development needs. Inspection report for children's home: SC068511 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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the staff must use the children’s preferred method of communication as recorded in their care plans. 1 July 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. The registered person may only—

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d)) 1 July 2022

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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; and receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) 1 July 2022 Inspection report for children's home: SC068511 7

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. In particular, senior leaders should ensure the staff have the necessary training to effectively communicate with children using their preferred methods of communication. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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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: SC068511 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Kent County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Kent County Council, Sessions House, County Road, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1XQ

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Inspector

Kelly Monniot, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC068511 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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