Children's home run by Kent County Council in Ashford

Inspection report for children’s home: SC368763 1 SC368763 Registered provider: Kent County Council

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This short-break 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.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2021.

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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

Date of last inspection: 18 December 2023

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

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

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/12/2023 Full Good 08/06/2022 Full Good 08/03/2022 Interim Declined in effectiveness 02/12/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC368763 3

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outstanding

Children receive excellent care from skilled and knowledgeable staff. From the moment they arrive, children actively communicate their wishes. Staff use a wide range of communication tools and styles to ensure that every child is heard and their needs are met.

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outstanding

Children have access to a wide array of resources that enable them to have rich and fulfilling experiences while staying at the home. They engage in different types of play, art and fun activities throughout their stay. Staff also recognise that many children find their time at school physically and emotionally demanding. They read children’s moods and feelings superbly and make time for rest and quiet relaxation too.

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outstanding

Staff, in collaboration with children, parents and social workers, set realistic goals for children to achieve. Children make great progress against agreed goals. They make big strides forward in relation to developing their independence skills, communication, language and, in some cases, their ability to manage difficult emotions and feelings.

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outstanding

The home is well resourced, and staff say that they have everything they need to provide a high-quality experience for children. In general, staff have created a homely, welcoming space for children, allowing for personalisation and individual touches in bedrooms and living areas. There have been some examples of unnecessary delays in responsive maintenance. While these have not had a serious impact on the well-being of children, systems could be enhanced to ensure that maintenance is carried out promptly.

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outstanding

Parents and carers are very positive about the support that their children receive. One parent said, ‘[The home] is an amazing resource. All the staff are friendly, supportive and wholly child centred. My son loves going there and always has a fabulous time.’ Professionals are also very happy with the service provided and commented that families always feed back great things about their children’s experiences at the home.

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outstanding

Children benefit from having a stable staff team that they know and trust. Staff develop excellent relationships with children over time. Children receive highly personalised and tailored care and support. As a result, staff enable children to make great progress, enjoying wide-ranging and life-enhancing experiences.

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outstanding

The staff have gone out of their way to provide support to some children with very complex needs this inspection year. Their dedication to offer respite to these children has been a lifeline for some families experiencing significant hardship and challenge. Inspection report for children’s home: SC368763 4

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outstanding

Staff have a detailed and comprehensive understanding of their responsibilities around the safeguarding of children. Children have individual risk assessments to support staff to recognise and manage individual areas of vulnerability for children.

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outstanding

As a result of this careful planning, staff can provide safe care. This is well demonstrated by the low occurrence of serious incidents in the home. When children have presented behavioural challenges, staff have been given effective support and training to manage these situations safely.

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outstanding

Staff’s commitment to the safety and well-being of children is clear across all areas of practice at the home. Staff are vigilant and monitor the environment well for any emerging risks to children. They also provide close and supportive supervision for children to ensure that their needs are met and any risks are rapidly reduced.

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outstanding

Managers ensure that planning for the admission of children to the short-break service is meticulous. Staff benefit from clear admission plans that include relevant information to support children’s stays. These plans are regularly updated to consider any new information from their family home or observations while they are staying for short breaks.

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outstanding

The pace at which children relax and settle into their stays is testament to the feelings of safety and trust that the staff engender. Staff manage behaviours that have the potential to challenge, with endless patience and good humour. Staff always seek positive strategies to support children who may be struggling. As a result, the use of physical intervention is kept to an absolute minimum. Staff will only consider this kind of intervention as a last resort to safeguard the child, their peers and the staff team.

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outstanding

Families place high levels of trust in the service. They consistently reported that they feel that their children are safe and, importantly, understood by the team. One parent said, ‘The staff team always go above and beyond and are a lifeline to me as a parent of a child with complex needs.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has created a strong senior team that shares a common ethos, which is to provide excellent levels of care and support to the children. The manager achieves this goal through providing high-quality training and support to the team. This inspires the team to have the confidence to achieve excellent outcomes for children with very complex needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff praise the support that they receive. Supervision is high quality, and staff get lots of opportunity to share their ideas and thoughts about improving standards of Inspection report for children’s home: SC368763 5 care at the home. The manager has created a team that works towards a clear vision of how it wants the home to operate, and staff strive for continuous improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders are reflective and analytical, which helps them to quickly identify areas for growth and improvement. Again, staff feel included in this process and contribute to the development of the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has ensured that when the home has accommodated children with particularly complex behaviours or needs, she has carried the staff with her in those moments. She regularly checks in to ensure that they feel confident carrying higher levels of risk at times. This gives the staff the strength and confidence they need to frequently go above and beyond in their care of highly vulnerable children and in their support to their families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Children are encouraged to engage in learning opportunities and activities that champion inclusivity and diversity. A great example is the work that staff have done on the European Convention on Human Rights. Staff completed a photographic journal that explores how children, families and staff can all work together to ensure that every child has their views, wishes and feelings considered and supported wherever possible.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is a passionate advocate for the children in her care and the staff that support those children. She confidently challenges others in a constructive but determined way to ensure that children get access to the best possible support. The manager and the whole team at the home enhance children’s life experiences and give families invaluable support. Inspection report for children’s home: SC368763 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home’s maintenance arrangements take into account the specific needs of vulnerable children and ensure that all works are completed in a timely manner so that the children’s home is an environment that better supports children’s physical, mental and emotional health. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 33, paragraph 7.3)

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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: SC368763 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Kent County Council

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Peter Jackson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC368763 8 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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