Children's Home run by Benecare Limited in Kent

Inspection report for children’s home: SC465579 1 SC465579 Registered provider: Benecare Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to three children. Its statement of purpose states that it provides care for children between the ages of eight and 18 who experience social and emotional difficulties. Two children were living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 2 December 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: 8 December 2021

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC465579 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/12/2021 Full Good 28/01/2020 Full Good 11/03/2019 Full Good 14/11/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC465579 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and children have positive relationships. Children are encouraged to have opportunities to expand their experiences. They have fun and are making memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children move to the home following a carefully considered matching process. The manager and staff review the needs of the child moving in alongside the needs of the children already living in the home. Children are given the opportunity to visit and meet the other children and staff before they move into the home. Staff work well with parents and professionals to ensure that each child’s move to the home is sensitively managed. Consequently, children benefit from careful and effective care planning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children are supported to reach their full potential. Children make good educational progress from their starting points. One child does not have a school provision. However, the registered manager has taken action to promote learning, and, where necessary challenged professionals to consider alternative educational arrangements. A school has now been identified for the child to attend.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to engage with the wider community. The staff and children have been involved in charity events. For example, children had a bake sale to raise money for a cancer charity, and they recently sent gifts to children in need during the festive period. As a result, children have greater opportunities to develop their social interactions, and staff support them to integrate into the wider community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with all health professionals to ensure that children’s health needs are managed effectively, including specialist support where necessary.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have a welcoming home that is child centred and provides space for children to live comfortably with each other. Children’s bedrooms can be personalised to ensure individuality.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported when moving to a new home. When one child’s needs could no longer be safely managed, the manager worked closely with professionals to ensure that the child’s needs were considered. This reduced the impact on the other children living in the home and all children were kept children safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to maintain family connections. There is a clear focus on what matters to the children. Staff show sensitivity when managing and supporting family relationships.

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

Children are safeguarded. Incidents are well managed with clear recording systems. The registered manager understands her safeguarding responsibilities and communicates effectively with other professionals. One child’s social worker told the Inspection report for children’s home: SC465579 4 inspector, ‘Staff effectively safeguard the child and are committed to ensuring that they are protected from harm.’

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

Incidents where children go missing from care are well managed with good partnership working with external services. The registered manager has taken action to manage and reduce missing-from-care episodes. Clear guidance and protocols are in place for staff to follow. Children have opportunities to talk to staff when they return home. Staff check that children are safe and help them to understand the risks of going missing from home to help children make safer choices.

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

Risk management plans are in place for all children. This supports staff to understand and manage current risks. Staff can demonstrate knowledge of children’s risks and the plans to mitigate these. Consequently, there has been a reduction in incidents.

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

Children are supported to understand how to make a complaint. When children make a complaint, clear action is taken by the registered manager and children are informed throughout the process. This means that children feel heard and their views are valued.

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

Children are supported to be safe online. Appropriate safeguards are in place and staff are trained to understand risks to children when accessing the internet.

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

Safer recruitment processes are in place and are implemented by leaders and managers. Staff are proactive in giving children opportunities to have a voice in this process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in the quality of care provided to children. She is passionate and understands the needs of the children. The registered manager is prepared to challenge senior managers to ensure that children receive good-quality care and that the best outcomes can be achieved for all children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a consistent staff team in place. Staff receive regular and effective supervision; this is supported by regular team meetings. Training is tailored to the needs of the children, and staff have a good induction when starting their new role. The registered manager has effective oversight of staff’s progress and there has been good succession planning where staff have been promoted to senior roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has effective monitoring systems in place. M anagers review the daily and case records for all children. As a result of this monitoring and oversight, the management team has knowledge of the children’s day-to-day experiences and a well-rounded view of the progress that the children are making.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Three serious incidents have not been notified to Ofsted. The manager acknowledged this during the inspection. The incidents were managed well, and all other necessary actions were taken to ensure that children were safeguarded Inspection report for children’s home: SC465579 5 effectively. However, the failure to notify Ofsted means that the regulator was unable to fully assess these incidents and subsequent actions taken at the time.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has not kept the statement of purpose up to date. For example, room searches are currently required to keep children safe. However, this has not been included. Therefore, the information shared with professionals is not reflective of the current practice in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager prioritises working closely with other professionals. Feedback from external professionals, such as social workers, is very positive regarding communication and partnership working. This demonstrates a culture of openness, which ensures that children benefit from meaningful joint work. Inspection report for children’s home: SC465579 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 notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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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

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(c)(e)) 28 February 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the statement of purpose reflects the home’s current work practices around room searches, including appropriate consent. 28 February 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC465579 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: SC465579 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Thatch Vine Farm, Stockers Hill, Boughton- under-Blean, Faversham, Kent ME13 9AB

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Inspectors

Rebecca Fisher, Social Care Inspector Hannah Cox, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC465579 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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