Children's Home run by Institute of Integrated Systemic Therapy in Kent

Inspection report for children's home: SC454294 1 SC454294 Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a charitable organisation and is registered to provide care for up to eight children. The home’s statement of purpose states that the home is a specialist residential therapeutic community that provides therapeutic care and treatment along with family support to psychologically traumatised children. Three children were living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has not had a registered manager since May 2023. A new manager is in post and they have applied to Ofsted to be registered.

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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: SC454294 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/05/2022 Full Good 13/01/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 05/05/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 13/02/2020 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children's home: SC454294 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This home is inviting and calming, with plenty of spaces for children to relax, read, study, socialise and play. Mealtimes are sociable occasions and children help to devise the menu and cook for each other, which they enjoy. Children’s bedrooms are furnished according to their preferences and there are clear examples of how children have contributed to the design of the home. The design of the dining room is a significant example of this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress in a number of areas, including healthy relationships, independence, education and developing their social skills. One child who has missed a significant period of education is now attending school consistently and is achieving well. Another child is learning how to manage their emotions better, which is reflected in the reduced number of behavioural incidents recorded.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have a clear understanding of their goals and how to reach them. The work towards their goals is supplemented by targeted key work and supportive interventions, such as feelings cards and routine cards, which is in line with children’s learning and communication needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to a range of activities to support their well-being and social development. They are supported to maintain positive links with their families, friends and important people in their lives. Special occasions are well planned and birthdays are celebrated according to the children’s wishes. A cultural calendar has been devised to enhance children’s exposure to elements of their own identities as well as the world around them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to express themselves openly with the well-attuned group of adults who provide informed and considerate care. Children use the community meeting and wishes and feelings book to make their requests, which are responded to thoughtfully and sensitively. Every effort is made to grant children’s wishes or to manage expectations when this may not be possible.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are actively involved in decisions about their physical environment and are clear about the rules of the home. They feel motivated and empowered to share their opinions in community meetings and can tolerate challenge from each other, when supported by adults.

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

Children say that they are safe and happy at this home, and talk positively about their relationships with the adults who care for them. Adults have good knowledge of safeguarding procedures and of the children’s individual care needs and vulnerabilities. They understand how to respond to children in line with their support Inspection report for children's home: SC454294 4 plans and have developed trusting relationships with them, through daily conversations, quality time and key-work sessions.

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

Adults understand how to set appropriate boundaries for children, with a level of flexibility that enables children to have choice and control over their own lives. Adults interpret children’s non-verbal and behavioural communication and respond helpfully, which reduces the likelihood of escalation in behaviour and reduces children’s anxieties.

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

Adults assist children to make responsible choices and to understand their behaviour and experiences. Adults model empathy and help children to repair relationships after conflict. While this can be challenging for some children, adults persist in helping them to adopt these practices so that they can develop sustainable and healthy relationships.

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

Adults receive training that is specific to the needs of the children they care for. This helps to upskill the workforce so they are more confident in their approach to supporting children who have, for example, experienced bereavement or who may have a diagnosis of autism.

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

There has been a notable decline in the use of physical intervention in recent months. Improved management oversight has also ensured that any use of physical intervention is scrutinised effectively and that learning is drawn from these incidents when they occur. Following incidents, there is plenty of opportunity for reflective discussion between the managers and the adults. Children are consulted within the relevant timescales about any intervention they experience, however, the quality of records regarding children’s feedback could be improved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s manager has been in post since September 2023 and was awaiting the outcome of his registration application from Ofsted at the time of inspection. Since his appointment, the home’s leadership team has provided a greater level of direction and stability for the adult team and the children, which has been pivotal to the recent improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The requirements from the previous inspection have been met. The manager and leadership team have created greater accountability in the home by focusing their efforts on the areas identified for improvement. Agency staff are no longer used and recruitment has increased, which has helped to develop a more stable and familiar adult team so that children receive more consistent care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The children and adults at the home have confidence in the manager’s decisions and adults describe the home as being increasingly settled as changes are introduced. There have been improvements to the quality and regularity of supervision and training. Effective supervision ensures that adults are consulted and feel that their experiences are central to decisions made in the home. By improving this Inspection report for children's home: SC454294 5 communication and support, the manager has generated improved workforce retention.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Adults are relaxed and confident about their roles in the home. They speak positively about the support they receive from their colleagues and leaders. They are provided with opportunities to discuss any concerns they have and challenges that arise, so that solutions can be explored. The therapeutic model of the home requires adults to participate in reflective discussions as a group, which strengthens their understanding of the dynamics in the household. This encourages a culture of feedback and enhances adults’ insight into their own behaviours and responses to children. Inspection report for children's home: SC454294 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children’s views following restraint are comprehensive and linked directly to the incident record. 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 five days after the incident of restraint (regulation 35(3)(c)). Children should be offered the opportunity to access advocacy support to help them with this. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 50, paragraph 9.60)

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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: SC454294 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Institute of Integrated Systemic Therapy, 210 Borough High Street, London SE1 1JX

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Inspector

Tash Williams, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC454294 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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