Children's home run by Reamcare Limited in Kingston upon Thames

Inspection report for children’s home: SC481369 1 SC481369 Registered provider: Reamcare Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to eight children who have learning and physical disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, eight children were living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC481369 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/03/2023 Full Outstanding 11/01/2022 Full Outstanding 10/02/2020 Full Outstanding 15/10/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC481369 3

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outstanding

Children living at this home make exceptional progress in all areas of their development. Staff provide children with an extremely warm and nurturing environment and care that creates positive experiences. Staff keep children at the centre of everything they do, and children form trusting relationships with staff as a result. Staff have a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of children’s individual needs and know how best to support them. One headteacher said, ‘The home is amazing. We have been super impressed and as a SEN [special educational needs] setting, we are incredibly pleased our young person has found such an insightful, caring, flexible home that puts the child at the centre. They get to know the child quickly and implement more than required.’

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outstanding

Staff have an excellent understanding of children’s preferred methods of communication. They consistently support and promote these methods so that children can participate fully in their daily lives. Staff use a range of communication tools to support children to express their views, wishes and feelings and to prepare children for any significant events or changes in their routine. Children have easy access to communication aids such as pictorial symbols or sound boxes, which are located in all areas of the home.

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outstanding

Staff have high aspirations for children and enthusiastically support their education. Staff encourage children to attend their schools and celebrate their educational achievements. There is excellent liaison between education providers and the staff. One child was out of school for a significant period of time. The manager contacted the Office of the Children’s Commissioner to advocate on the child’s behalf. Consequently, a school placement was identified for this child.

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outstanding

Children benefit from healthy lifestyles. They are encouraged and supported to take part in activities to promote their health, including exercise or learning about healthy eating. All children are registered with local healthcare professionals and supported to attend routine and specialist appointments as required. Staff are relentless in ensuring that the children have the right healthcare, for example by seeking an alternative medical opinion if they feel it is necessary. Furthermore, there are suitable arrangements in place for the safe administration of prescribed and ‘pro re nata’ medication (medication taken as and when needed).

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outstanding

There is a sense of joy and playfulness at the home. Staff encourage children to have fun, learn from their experiences and try new activities. These include going to the beach, activity and adventure parks and art exhibitions or taking part in charity walks. Children are learning to complete a variety of tasks independently. As a result, children make exceptional progress in their self-care and independent living skills. This increases their confidence and grows their self-esteem. One parent said Inspection report for children’s home: SC481369 4 about their child’s progress in toileting, ‘He is completely out of pads; what they have done is amazing, we never thought it would be possible.’

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outstanding

Children’s moves into the home are extremely well planned. Thorough consideration is given to how children will be best supported, and plans are developed at the children’s pace. Before children move in, several visits take place with the child, where they are able to meet staff, and staff can get to know them. Equally, when children leave, careful planning is put in place so staff can support them to make the transition as successful as possible.

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outstanding

Staff are committed to ensuring children’s safety. Staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. If any new risks are identified, staff take immediate action to address them. For example, a fence has been installed outside the home in response to one child attempting to abscond from staff.

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outstanding

Children’s individual risks are detailed in their risk management plans, and staff understand these extremely well. The manager and staff work proactively and collaboratively with other professionals when assessing risk. The risk assessments are regularly reviewed and give clear guidance to staff. This means that children experience consistent responses to behaviours, leading to quicker de-escalation of difficult situations and a longer-term positive impact. For example, self-injurious incidents for one child have markedly decreased.

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outstanding

Children do not go missing from home. Despite this, missing-from-home protocols are completed for each child, which ensures that staff know what action to take if children were to go missing.

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outstanding

Children are encouraged and supported to take age-appropriate risks, such as using kitchen equipment to make a hot drink or a snack. This contributes towards the development of children’s independence and confidence. Staff carry out regular direct work with children to support their understanding of risk.

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outstanding

Positive behaviour is promoted consistently, and incidents are rare in the home. There have been no physical restraints since the last inspection. Staff make sensitive use of any professionally agreed recommendations that include the use of restrictive measures, such as hand-holding to keep children safe from self-injurious behaviours. Any use of such measures is regularly reviewed during children’s review meetings and reflected in their plans.

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outstanding

There have been no allegations made against staff since the last inspection. The manager and staff have a clear understanding of the procedures to be followed should an allegation be made. This demonstrates that staff are able to respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns relating to other staff and managers. Inspection report for children’s home: SC481369 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is suitably qualified. She is ambitious, enthusiastic and experienced. She knows each child well and is committed to providing excellent standards of care for the children. The manager is supported in her role by an experienced deputy manager. Their positivity and commitment to achieving exceptional outcomes for children are reflected by the whole staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The management oversight and monitoring in the home are comprehensive. This ensures that all documentation reflects the current needs of the children. Leaders and managers use learning from practice and feedback to improve the experiences and care of children. This includes feedback from the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers have high expectations of staff. The recruitment process includes a tester session, where the candidate can be observed and assessed while working with the children in the home. This ensures that only staff with the right skills and attitudes are employed in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers have developed positive working relationships with external professionals and family members. They understand the importance and benefits of effective partnership working. One professional said, ‘They [managers] have been very quick and responsive in working with the multi-agency team, for example liaising with the commissioned taxi service to ensure that [name of child]’s needs are known so he can be supported appropriately on the journey to school.’ This contributes to children’s positive experiences, in and out of the home, and their overall quality of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the leadership and management of the home. The management team is approachable and supportive, offering encouragement for staff to develop new ideas and try different ways of engaging children. A member of staff said, ‘We always try new things; not everything works, but we try.’ Staff receive regular supervision and annual appraisals, which enables them to reflect on their practice. Regular staff meetings also enable the staff to work collaboratively and further ensure consistency of care. Staff value the opportunities for career development within the organisation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff access and take part in effective training and development that is relevant to the needs of the children in the home. For example, to help staff better understand the experiences of autistic children, they were able to take part in the Autism Reality Experience. Leaders and the manager are very proud that staff’s knowledge contributed to the home maintaining their accreditation by the National Autistic Society.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

No requirements or recommendations have been made. Inspection report for children’s home: SC481369 6

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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: SC481369 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 100 Thorkhill Road, Thames Ditton, Surrey KT7 0UW

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Inspector

Aneta Wasilewska, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC481369 8 regulates and inspects 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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