Children's Home run by Fairport Care Services Ltd in Kent

Inspection report children’s home: SC066129 1 SC066129 Registered provider: Fairport Care Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides care for up to five children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 16 July 2020.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC066129 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/05/2021 Full Good 12/02/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness 30/07/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/08/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: SC066129 3

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outstanding

Children make significant progress when living at the home. Senior managers and staff demonstrate empathy, care and love. This helps children thrive and make progress in all areas of their lives.

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outstanding

Staff speak with immense pride about the children, crediting them for their achievements, which staff regularly celebrate with them. Likewise, the children speak of the staff’s high level of emotional support and the difference this has made to their lives. All four children have lived at the home for over three years, a testament to the consistent care that they receive from staff.

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outstanding

The therapeutic model is instrumental in equipping staff with the skills that they need to uphold the ethos and culture of the home. Staff’s responses are informed by advice from therapists who understand the impact of trauma and previous experiences. The therapists contribute to meetings, to ensure that continual reflection and therapeutically informed guidance are provided for staff.

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outstanding

Listening to children is a strength of the staff team. Staff encourage the children to share their views and help them to influence decisions that shape their lives. Children complete their own action plan for the home. This is a valued working document, with clear aims, which informs the development of the service.

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outstanding

Education is a high priority. Staff find extremely creative ways to engage children in their learning. This approach has positive results. For example, one child has made excellent progress and has developed their reading and writing skills significantly. Staff provide support for the children in school when necessary to maintain their educational attendance.

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outstanding

The staff encourage children’s independence at appropriate levels for the individual child. Children learn to cook, budget and shop for food. One child cooks for himself most days, in preparation for when he leaves the home. Another child has successfully applied for employment and an educational placement on their own, something that they previously struggled to do.

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outstanding

There is a strong safeguarding culture embedded across all areas of practice. Staff understand how to escalate any concerns, and they keep children’s well-being central to all that they do. There is a huge emphasis on keeping children safe and helping them to keep themselves safe. Inspection report children’s home: SC066129 4 The intervention of the staff and therapists helps children to learn coping strategies, to manage their behaviour and emotions. Children who previously struggled to manage their anger can now do so far more effectively. Consequently, incidents are rare. The senior managers and staff know the children well and skilfully respond to signs of distress.

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outstanding

Incidents of physical restraint are reviewed closely and assessed by senior managers to ensure that the measures used are appropriate and proportionate. Any learning from these reviews is used to inform practice. Children’s views and experiences are central to this process. Staff consider the impact and timing of debriefs on children’s emotional well-being, and the appropriateness of discussing past incidents with children. This approach means that children do not experience additional distress following an incident.

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outstanding

Children rarely go missing from the home. The response when a child did go missing was exemplary. The staff demonstrated a genuine concern for the child’s welfare. Some staff looked for the child outside of their working hours. The record of this event was detailed and thorough.

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outstanding

The children trust staff implicitly and know that they will keep them safe. Children will approach staff when they are concerned or worried, seeking protection and reassurance from them. This provides children with security that allows them to explore and discuss their worries without fear of being judged.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is managed by inspirational leaders who are passionate about the excellent ethos and culture that they have developed. This is disseminated through staff practice and all aspects of the care provided to children. Managers and staff are genuine in their aspirations for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Senior managers support the registered manager by providing additional monitoring and auditing. This ensures that the high standard that she sets is consistently met. If the registered manager is involved in an incident, senior managers monitor this. All staff are accountable for their actions and there is a strong learning culture.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The children are at the centre of care planning processes. They contribute to all their plans, including risk assessments and ‘my care plans’. This ensures that decisions are made with them and not for them. When a child felt that other professionals had made a decision that was detrimental to him, he was supported to advocate for himself effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive regular supervision sessions and training to ensure that they have the skills and competencies to meet the needs of the children. Additionally, staff attend clinical sessions that the child psychotherapist facilitates. This helps staff to explore how they are feeling and share their views about team dynamics and the children’s behaviours in a supportive forum. This process helps staff to reflect on their Inspection report children’s home: SC066129 5 practice, consider their own feelings and how children’s behaviours can affect everyone in different ways.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Feedback from other professionals is positive. For example, one social worker was clear that the significant progress that a child had made was because of the care that they receive. Positive working relationships with social workers lead to collaborative working that helps children make progress and stay safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

All the requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection have been met. Inspection report children’s home: SC066129 6

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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: SC066129 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Fairport Care Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Bank Chambers, 1 Central Avenue, Sittingbourne, Kent ME10 4AE

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Nicky Farrant-D-Wilson

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Inspector

Suzy Lemmy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC066129 8 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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