Children's home run by Kent County Council in Ashford

Inspection report children's home: SC368763 1 SC368763 Registered provider: Kent County Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children's home

This short breaks service is jointly funded by the health authority and the local authority. The home provides short breaks for up to six children who have physical disabilities and/or learning disabilities.

p.1

Information about this children's home

There were four children staying at the home at the time of the inspection.

p.1

Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2021.

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: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC368763 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/06/2022 Full Good 08/03/2022 Interim Declined in effectiveness 02/12/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 03/03/2020 Full Outstanding Inspection report children's home: SC368763 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are looked after by staff who are deeply committed to giving them positive experiences. The stability of the staff team means that staff know the children very well. Staff provide nurturing care and prioritise children’s safety and well-being.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well-equipped to meet children’s needs. There is an emphasis on making the environment as homely as it can be. Effort is put into helping children settle in quickly when they come for their stay. For example, a collection of family photos is stored for each child, and these are put on display in children’s bedrooms before they arrive.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to use a range of communication aids to express their views. Staff also make good use of these aids to provide children with important information. One example is the use of symbols displayed outside children’s bedroom doors to tell them how many nights they will be staying.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff take every opportunity to help children learn the skills that they need to be as independent as possible. This includes helping them to make choices and teaching them practical skills. Staff are adept at noticing when children have done well and give them lots of praise.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Photographs of children enjoying a broad range of activities both in the home and in the wider community are proudly displayed throughout the home. One staff member said that the best thing about working in the home was, ‘The dedication from staff. Everyone goes above and beyond to make sure that children have the best experiences.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is a genuine commitment to welcoming and enjoying diversity. Each child and staff member's individual strengths are recognised. Children’s meetings are used as a meaningful way of helping children to learn about different cultures, festivals and traditions. Staff are very creative and take care to make learning accessible to children. The meetings are also used to help children learn important life skills. Recent topics include hand hygiene and road safety.

p.3

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

Safeguarding children is a priority. When safeguarding concerns arise, managers share information appropriately with children’s families and external safeguarding professionals. Effective monitoring and oversight of safeguarding records enables managers to identify any concerning patterns and trends. This is particularly important in this setting due to the infrequent nature of children’s stays.

p.3

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

Careful planning and matching ensure that, whenever possible, children stay at the home with other children who have similar needs and interests. However, there are Inspection report children's home: SC368763 4 times when children's family's requests or circumstances mean that the group of children staying together is less compatible than is ideal. Managers take proactive steps to reduce the risk of children hurting other children. On the rare occasions when this does occur, staff respond swiftly to ensure children’s safety.

p.3

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

Staff are knowledgeable about each child’s risks and vulnerabilities. This is backed up by comprehensive written behaviour management plans describing how to help children to stay happy and relaxed. As a result, the use of physical restraint is very rare. When it does occur, managers carry out thorough reviews to identify any learning which can be applied to reduce the risk of a recurrence.

p.4

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

The registered manager works extremely hard to ensure that the environment remains safe and secure. She has experienced some difficulties with making sure that maintenance tasks which require external contractors are completed in a timely way. While waiting for works to be carried out, safety measures were put in place. The system for reporting maintenance tasks has been strengthened so concerns are escalated in a more targeted way, with the intention of ensuring a resolution is reached without delay.

p.4

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

Recruitment has been an on-going challenge, but a recent appointment means that there will soon be a full staff complement. During the recruitment process, managers carry out checks to make sure that staff are safe to work with children and that they also have the attitude and beliefs to work in line with the nurturing ethos of the home. However, one recruitment record seen during the inspection did not demonstrate that there had been sufficient exploration about gaps in the applicant’s employment history. Shortfalls in the record undermine the thorough process which takes place in practice.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is passionate in her efforts to ensure that children receive consistently high-quality care. This makes her a good role model for staff. She is supported well by the responsible individual.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a clear understanding of the home's strengths and weaknesses. When she identifies areas for development, she puts plans in place to address them. At times, other priorities mean that the registered manager is unable to progress development ideas as quickly as she would like to. This is source of frustration for the registered manager but demonstrates her commitment to prioritising children’s safety and well-being.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a culture of openness which contributes to children's safety and security. When things don’t go to plan, this is reported, discussed and addressed. One example is the management response to medication errors. There have been very few since the last inspection, and all were minor. Nonetheless, each one has been carefully considered and learning has been shared with the staff team . Inspection report children's home: SC368763 5 Working collaboratively with children’s parents is given high priority. The admissions process is thorough and thoughtful. Children’s care and support plans are reviewed alongside their parents. This ensures consistency of care. One child’s parents told the inspector that they know their child is safe and happy at the home, and that gives them peace of mind.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager understands the importance of working closely with other professionals to ensure that there is a shared understanding of children’s progress. Feedback from external professionals is very positive regarding the quality of care provided to children, communication and partnership working.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel valued and respected by managers, which promotes a culture of positivity and inspires staff to provide good quality care to children. They have regular opportunities to discuss their work and the impact it is having on children’s experiences. However, formal supervision does not always take place at agreed intervals. Managers have recognised this and are taking steps to address it.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has effective systems to ensure good quality monitoring and oversight. She is clear about the impact that the quality of care is having on outcomes for children. This well-rounded view isn't always clearly outlined in the quality-of-care reports submitted to the regulator. This is because feedback from children, parents, staff and other professionals is not routinely included. Inspection report children's home: SC368763 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children's safety.

p.6

Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(d)) 31 January 2024

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

p.6

Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

p.6

Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children's home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(5)) 31 January 2024

p.6

Recommendation

 The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and Inspection report children's home: SC368763 7 experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations including the quality standards', page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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 children's home: SC368763 8

p.7

Children's home details

Registered provider address: Kent County Council, Sessions House, County Road, Maidstone ME14 1XQ

p.8

Inspector

Helen Simmons, Social Care Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report children's home: SC368763 9 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.8

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.9

Inspector

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

p.9

Inspector

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

p.9