Children's home run by Moonreach LTD in Dover

Inspection report for children's home: 1226977 1 Registered provider: Moonreach Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to two children with social and/or emotional difficulties. A private company owns and manages this home. There are currently two children living at the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post is vacant. There is an interim manager in post before a new manager starts in August 2023.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1226977 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/07/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 14/09/2021 Full Good 04/12/2019 Full Good 11/02/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 1226977 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are provided with warm, consistent and loving care by staff who acknowledge their strengths. They are seen to be happy and have good relationships with staff.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have a weekly activity plan that they contribute to, which encourages building their self-confidence and the development of their independence skills.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Supporting children’s moves in and out of the home is an area of strength. The planning and consideration taken by staff to ensure that this time is as well planned and communicated as possible is seen in how positive the children’s moves have been.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have their progress tracked and celebrated and they are encouraged to participate in regular reviews of their progress. This promotes feelings of self-worth and contributes to their overall progress.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to attend appointments. When possible, they do this in conjunction with parents. This builds positive relationships and means that children are more willing to attend.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff gather children’s views through key-work sessions. Their choices regarding meals and hobbies are supported, and they are helped to build relationships. Consequently, children are confident to express their wishes and feel heard.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff communication with families is good. When possible, parents are kept updated on a weekly basis through reports and phone calls.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are treated with dignity and respect. They experience sensitive care and help and are encouraged to develop their own sense of identity.

p.3

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

Staff understand the risks for children. They work with them to develop their understanding of situations where they are vulnerable or at risk. This promotes children’s safety.

p.3

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

The physical environment of the home is safe. Risk assessments are regularly reviewed and are understood by staff.

p.3

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

The interim manager has focused on ensuring a consistent, positive response to children’s behaviour. They encourage reflective discussions and child-focused team meetings are held which provide a regular discussion forum for staff. Staff say that they understand expectations and have seen improvements for children as a result. Inspection report for children's home: 1226977 4 Staff’s response to episodes of children going missing has improved with the oversight of the interim manager. Procedures for when children go missing are followed, with staff attempting to locate children. Staff reflect on why these episodes are occurring. However, debriefs are not always clearly recorded. Records do not always detail return home interviews or record any challenge to placing authorities when these interviews are not undertaken in a timely way.

p.3

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

Restraint is not frequently used. This is a sign of significant progress for some children. However, as episodes of restraint are rare, some staff are lacking the confidence to use physical intervention. Managers have recognised this and have a plan to ensure that all staff’s knowledge is refreshed. In addition, the records of restraints are not always as specific as needed, and do not always show management oversight.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager post is currently vacant. An interim manager is in post until the new manager starts in August 2023.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The interim manager has good oversight and is clear about the strengths and weaknesses of the home. There is a plan to hand over to the new manager which should ensure that the transition is as smooth as possible.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are happy and content working in the home. They report positive changes since the interim manager has taken over which have resulted in them feeling more confident in their work. Staff say they feel supported and encouraged.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from external professionals is very positive. For example, several stakeholders highlighted that communication has significantly improved.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervisions for staff are held regularly and are of good quality. This contributes to staff feeling happy and supported in their role.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The interim manager has taken steps to improve management oversight. Staff say this is providing clarity and support which directly impacts their care for the children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The training logs for staff do not always accurately reflect their training needs and there are gaps in the recording of mandatory training. The training matrix is difficult to read, meaning that managers are not able to monitor training needs of staff effectively without using several different forms. Inspection report for children's home: 1226977 5

p.4

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The 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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

p.5

Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

p.5

Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

p.5

Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

p.5

Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iv)(v)(b)(ii))

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring that reports on the use of restraint include necessary detail and that oversight from the authorised person is recorded and signed. 8 September 2023

p.5

Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.5

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (2)(c))

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to managers ensuring that staff training is accurately recorded and monitored and specific training relating to the needs of the children they care for is provided to staff. 8 September 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 1226977 6

p.5

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care, or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview, and this should be evidenced in records. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

p.6

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: 1226977 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 4 Dane John Works, Gordon Road, Canterbury CT1 3PP

p.7

Inspector

Faye McCarthy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1226977 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8