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 is a purpose-built children’s home that is run by a local authority. It offers a short-breaks service for children with learning and/or physical disabilities, and can care for up to six children at a time. It currently offers short breaks to 52 children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in August 2016.

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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: SC068511 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/05/2022 Full Good 23/03/2022 Full Inadequate 10/03/2020 Full Outstanding 22/01/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC068511 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are looked after by a caring, skilled and dedicated staff team that knows the children and their individual communication and behavioural needs well. Children’s care and support are tailored to their care plans and their progress is recorded well, in line with individual targets. The environment is clean, child-friendly and well designed. Children can enjoy a range of facilities, including a soft-play area, a jacuzzi and a sensory room. The garden is well maintained and offers a stimulating space for children to play in. Children also benefit from well-planned community-based activities. Parents spoke positively about the service. One parent who met with the inspector said that it was a ’lifeline’ for him and one of the best services he had used. He trusts the staff and said that his child ’loves’ his monthly breaks. Another parent spoke about the ’amazing staff’ and how her child’s confidence had been ’boosted

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

no end’ by spending time at the setting. The processes for introducing children to the setting, and for making sure that their needs are compatible with the needs of children who already come to stay, are thorough and thoughtful. Managers work closely with children and their parents or carers to ensure that children have the support that they need. Children’s care and support plans are comprehensive and accurately reflect their needs and most-relevant risks. These plans are created and reviewed collaboratively with children’s parents or carers and relevant people, including health and education professionals. Each child’s care plan describes their individual targets. Providing support to children to help them to achieve their targets is embedded in staff practice. Children’s meetings are held regularly and are a supportive forum for children to express how they are feeling and to have a say in the day-to-day running of the

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

home. During the meetings, learning opportunities are also created for children. Recent topics include healthy eating, activity choices, the life of a butterfly and sun safety. Children’s individual communication methods are understood by the staff, which means all children are able to participate and their contributions are recorded in their plans. Children are encouraged to explore and develop a sense of their own identity. Religious and cultural events such as Eid, Pride and Father’s Day are celebrated.

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

Staff have a good understanding of each child’s strengths and vulnerabilities. Staff respond to children in a caring and protective manner. They talk with confidence about risks and how to manage them. Inspection report for children’s home: SC068511 4 Children have thorough and detailed risk assessments that clearly describe how to keep them safe. They are updated when children’s risks change, or when new information is received. Incidents that require physical intervention are low. This is because staff know the children well and respond to behavioural incidents in a way that reduces the risk of them escalating. When they do occur, managers carry out a prompt and thorough review. They explore what happened and seek to find ways of reducing the risk of incidents reoccurring. Managers provide staff with safeguarding training and information to ensure that they stay alert to signs that children are at risk of harm.

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

Children are given information about how to complain if they are unhappy about any aspects of the service. Their parents are actively encouraged to contact managers to feed back any worries or concerns after each short break. Processes for managing health and safety matters and maintenance tasks are generally good. However, some recommendations arising from the most recent fire risk assessment have not been met. During this inspection, managers took immediate action to make sure that the remainder of the works are carried out without further delay. They were able to demonstrate that the fire and rescue service has confirmed that, in the meantime, the fire procedures in place ensure that the shortfalls do not undermine children’s immediate safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is passionate about the home and ambitious for what the children can achieve. She is well supported by her deputy manager and a committed staff team. The registered manager has sound understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home and is committed to ensuring continuous improvement. Staff enjoy working in the home. Team meetings take place regularly and have a clear focus on children’s progress and staff development. Actions are agreed and reviewed. The registered manager promotes an ethos of strong teamwork. Staff are encouraged to share the strengths of their colleagues in team meetings and celebrate achievements. The registered manager receives good support from the responsible individual. Managers advocate on behalf of children when they identify shortfalls in the service they are receiving from other professionals. Staff reported good support from the registered manager and confirmed that she is

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

readily available to provide advice and guidance. However, formal supervision sessions are not being carried out at agreed intervals. As a result, there are missed opportunities to reflect on staff practice and progression. Inspection report for children’s home: SC068511 5

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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 ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c)) 1 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home. (Regulation 25 (1)(a)(b)) 1 August 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: SC068511 6

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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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Inspectors

Mike Simmonds, Social Care Inspector Suzy Lemmy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC068511 7 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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