Children's home run by Kids Inc Residential Services Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2704185 1 Registered provider: Kids Inc Residential Services 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 run and provides care for up to three children who experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by an experienced registered manager.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2704185 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2704185 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is a warm and welcoming place for children to live. Staff have a calm and relaxed approach with the children. This is very positive for the children as it allows them to feel supported, safe and protected in their home. Children know that the staff care for them and that there are trusted adults for them to talk to. This helps children to make good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to keep children meaningfully occupied. They support children to participate in activities inside and outside of the home. Children are involved in a variety of enjoyable activities to support their interests. They also engage in physical activities. Therefore, children are helped to remain healthy and have fun. This approach helps children to grow in confidence and supports them to develop friendships away from the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is a strong focus from staff to support children to have good memories of their time at the home. Staff regularly take photos of children to capture the good times. This supports children to reflect on their time at the home and understand their experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children do not have a suitable education provision, staff support their educational activities at home. They have motivated one child, who has been absent from school for a long time, to keep learning. This is very positive for the child. However, children are not always encouraged and supported enough to re-engage in education. Staff do not always liaise with schools and the placing authority to ensure that an education provision is identified as quickly as possible.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children’s placements end, work is carried out with children to prepare them well for their next placement.

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

The home environment is safe for children. Risk assessments relating to the home’s remote location are reviewed regularly to make sure that children can remain safe and protected at the same time as living away from their own community.

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

Staff know how to protect children. Risk assessment documents are clear, detailed and individual to the child. They are kept under regular review and external agencies have been involved in informing some of these assessments. A range of strategies are in place which are designed to support staff in their work to protect children.

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

The manager and staff ensure that children’s safety remains their paramount concern. The manager monitors children’s risks, and her analysis identifies patterns and trends. She acts where risks are not reducing. Inspection report for children’s home: 2704185 4 The manager has clear oversight of any incidents that occur. She carries out debriefs with staff so that lessons can be learned and practice can be improved. The manager’s effective evaluation and analysis have led to additional support being requested from one child’s placing authority. The focus is always on children’s needs and safety.

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

When staff use physical intervention techniques, these are always proportionate and for safety reasons. The physical intervention records are detailed so that a clear picture of events can be established. The manager reviews the records and speaks to staff following incidents of restraint. This monitoring helps to ensure that children are safe and protected. However, the manager has not ensured that staff always talk to children about their experience of being restrained after it has happened. As a result, children are not consistently given opportunities to express their feelings and discuss any support they need following incidents.

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

The manager places the safety and welfare of children first and recruits new staff in accordance with safer recruitment protocols. New staff undergo a range of checks that are designed to minimise the likelihood of children being harmed by those caring for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has worked in residential settings for many years. She has a vision for the home and is enthusiastic and aspirational for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported and attend regular supervision sessions and team meetings to ensure that they remain skilled and supported in their roles. Supervision sessions consider the children, as well as the needs of the staff. Staff benefit from a thorough induction process, which helps them to get to know the children and understand their role. A staff member commented, ‘She (the manager) is always available. She has a personal touch and wants to know that we are ok.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has very good oversight of the day-to-day work of staff. She is visible and always accessible to the team. She ensures that staff complete the necessary training within the required timescales. Staff have received bespoke training that is based on the children’s specific needs. More recently, staff have received training on global development delay, intimate personal care and working with traumatised young people. The manager understands the benefits of investing in staff through training and development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The decision-making regarding the admission of one child could have been better. The registered manager did not fully ensure that risks to the child were fully explored. However, the manager has recognised this developmental need and new processes are in place for the next referral. This will improve the matching process for admissions to the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2704185 5 The manager ensures that children are valued as individuals and there are opportunities for their voices to be heard. For example, there are regular children’s meetings that allow children to be involved in the operational running of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2704185 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

children are given the opportunity express their feelings about their experience of the restraint as soon as is practicable, ideally within 24 hours of the restraint incident, taking the age of the child and the circumstances of the restraint into account. In some cases, children may need longer to work through their feelings, so a record that the child has talked about their feelings should be made no longer than 5 days after the incident of restraint. (Regulation 35 (3)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly relates to ensuring that children have the opportunity to talk about their experiences of being restrained. 11 August 2023

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that where children are not participating in education because they have been excluded or are not on a school roll for some other reason, staff work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)

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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: 2704185 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Kids Inc Residential Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 72 Oakdale Drive, Heald Green, Cheadle SK8 3SW

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Inspector

Corline Parker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2704185 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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