Children's home run by Channels and Choices Kent LLP in Dover

Inspection report for children’s home: SC062931 1 SC062931 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 run by a private provider. It can support up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager applied to Ofsted for registration in January 2023.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC062931 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/03/2022 Full Good 31/07/2019 Full Good 06/03/2019 Full Good 05/10/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC062931 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children appear happy and relaxed with staff who respond to them in a supportive, nurturing manner. Children say they feel safe and well cared for. They are able to seek support from staff when they need to. Children said that staff listen to them when they feel worried.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s placement plans are comprehensive and informed by health and education documents. Children are assessed to determine their therapeutic needs, and therapy is an integral part of the support they receive. This means children are more able to manage their behaviours and emotional responses to difficult situations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since moving to the home, all children have made progress in education. Personal education and education, health and care plans clearly reflect the work staff are doing to support children. Education staff and staff from the home work closely together to ensure that children receive consistent support to achieve their educational targets.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents and professionals say children are well supported and make progress. One parent said that her son is much calmer and understands his emotions better. An independent reviewing officer praised staff for the support they provided to a child with complex trauma.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to engage in healthy lifestyles, including eating balanced diets and taking part in physical activity. Staff encourage children to be fully involved in meal planning and preparation. Children are involved in physical activities that they find interesting, including football and swimming. Children are registered for health services and have attended dental and optician appointments when required. This encourages children to make healthy lifestyle choices.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are good transition plans for children who are moving on. One child was supported for a significant period until the placing authority found a new provision that could better meet her needs. This means there was a positive end to her time at the home, and the new placement has given her the best possible start.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well decorated and comfortably furnished. Communal areas have photos of children and staff together on the walls. This gives the home a feeling of community and togetherness. Children’s bedrooms are decorated to reflect their individual personalities and interests. One child’s room has a train set that he built. He also has an ‘identity board’ that contains pictures and information about his hometown. Inspection report for children’s home: SC062931 4

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

Staff are swift to identify potential conflict in children’s relationships. Individual and group key working has been carried out to explore peer relationships and how to positively manage difficulties. Children are protected from issues of abuse and bullying and are supported to build positive relationships with peers. This has been successful in addressing conflict and potential bullying behaviours during periods of conflict between children.

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

Children are encouraged to be part of their care planning. They are involved in the completion and updating of plans and risk assessments. Each child has a consultation on file, which they complete to let staff know how they want to be supported and their likes and dislikes. This is reviewed in line with the child’s progress. Therefore, children understand their care plans. They showed an understanding of why they live at the home when talking with the inspector.

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

Staff use a range of strategies to encourage children to think about how their behaviours and actions affect themselves and others. Children have individual reward charts on the walls and are working towards rewards of their choosing. Consequences are put in place for behaviours such as aggression and property damage. This educates children about behaviours and boundaries and encourages them to take responsibility for their actions.

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

There are monthly health and safety audits in place to ensure the living environment is safe for children. Children and staff have been involved in regular fire drills to ensure they can safely evacuate the home if required. There is a current fire risk assessment in place, and all actions have been completed to ensure the building complies with safety standards.

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

Risks are not always fully understood when children move into the home. There is little analysis of how children’s risks and needs impact other children already living in the home. Managers have recently introduced a new format to complete impact risk assessments. However, the most recent assessment has been completed using the old format.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are a new manager and a deputy manager in place. The recently appointed manager has applied to Ofsted for registration.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The transition period between managers has been overseen by the area manager, who knows and understands the service. This has ensured a good level of management oversight during this period. It has also provided the children and staff with consistency and stability during a time of uncertainty.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say they feel supported by the manager and that improvements have been made in the short time he has been in place. Staff receive monthly supervision that offers support with personal and professional issues. There is a good focus on Inspection report for children’s home: SC062931 5 development and training, and staff are encouraged to think about career progression in the organisation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have undertaken a critical learning review after a child’s placement ended early. They have revised how they assess children before they move to the home. They have identified that the process needs to be more robust and that referral information should be questioned and challenged if there are perceived gaps.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive appropriate training to ensure they understand and can meet the needs of children. New training is now available following the outcomes of the critical learning review. Staff are now completing trauma-informed practice and safe care training. Inspection report for children’s home: SC062931 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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that there is proper consideration of children’s needs and risks before they move into the home and how these will affect children already living in the home. 17 April 2023

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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: SC062931 7

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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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Inspector

Tom McGhee, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC062931 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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