Children's Home run by Kisimul Group Limited in Lincolnshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2808010 1 Registered provider: Kisimul Group Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to six children and young people with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, five children were living at the home. Their views were considered during the inspection.

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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 good

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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: not previously inspected

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2808010 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children receive highly individualised care. The manager and staff know children very well. They go above and beyond their roles to ensure children feel loved and cherished. Children make outstanding progress because staff support them so well. Staff are confident, knowledgeable and highly skilled. Staff have a thorough understanding of each child’s communication style. This means that children can make their choices known, express their preferences and contribute to any decisions that affect them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Although this home was only recently registered, it sits within a well-established group of children’s homes. Because of this, there is a well-established and long-standing team of staff members, who thoroughly enjoy their jobs. Many of the staff have been working with the organisation for a considerable period and know the children very well. For one child, this spans seven years, and staff have provided the child with stability and with care that is consistently very good.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are making extraordinary progress with their education, considering their starting points when moving to the home. For example, one child who had previously been out of education for three years is now attending education and making excellent progress. Staff and educational professionals work collaboratively to support children’s learning. What is learned at school is then transferred to the home. This approach allows opportunities for the children to continually develop and learn new skills. As a result, they are flourishing. One child’s social worker said, `[Name of child] is doing so much better than expected and has exceeded our expectations.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff are aspirational for the children. They want them to take part in society and experience new things. Therefore, staff seek opportunities for the children that will enable this. This has included attending a music festival, participating in a sponsored walk to raise money for charity and attending a local youth club, where children have made friendships. Children achieve this through staff’s encouragement and support. Trying new activities enhances children’s life experiences. Furthermore, it helps to boost their confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Feedback from external professionals and parents is exceptional. There are excellent working relationships between staff, professionals and families. A representative from a local authority praised staff’s care of the children and said, ‘They provide a high standard of care, I am so pleased we found this home for [name of child].’ One parent said, ‘My son is a totally different child since moving to the home and the care they provide, and this is a credit to their hard work.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff demonstrate genuine aspiration for children’s success and are committed to helping them reach their full potential. They engage directly with the children, assisting them in breaking down objectives into manageable tasks and then empowering them to acquire the necessary skills independently. For example, one child has made progress Inspection report for children’s home: 2808010 3 with their personal hygiene, now showering daily and brushing their teeth, as they were not doing this before moving to the home. Another child now uses the toilet and no longer uses incontinence products. Other children have significantly improved their communication skills and vocabulary, greatly enhancing their quality of life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The importance of time with family is understood by the team. Staff help children to share positive experiences with the people who are important to them, for example by arranging gatherings for special occasions and planning activities. Children are supported to rebuild and strengthen these relationships. This enables children to spend more time with their family and reduces feelings of loss and rejection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children’s health needs are exceptionally well considered. Staff work very closely and effectively with families and health services to ensure children’s health needs are met. This has included monitoring food and nutritional intake for children with self-restrictive diets. With careful care planning, staff have supported a child to broaden their meal choices. They are beginning to gain weight and are becoming healthier. This is exceptional practice.

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

Staff have been trained by the organisation to use a trauma-informed approach to the children’s care. They are extremely skilled in responding to behaviours that are difficult to manage, such as physical and verbal aggression. Staff implement firm and consistent boundaries, which are highly effective.

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

The frequency of more-concerning incidents for children is reducing. The manager has a comprehensive review system where he monitors any patterns or trends of incidents. This review enables the manager to identify any potential triggers or timings. Monthly learning from these reviews is used to improve practice to try to reduce future incidents. Staff support children to become more independent in developing new strategies to manage their emotions and behaviours safely.

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

Safeguarding is a key aspect of the work that staff carry out with the children. Due to the vulnerabilities of the children, staff are always keen to grasp any opportunity to explore safeguarding issues. The leadership team discusses safeguarding in team meetings and supervision meetings with staff. An external advocacy service is also used to discuss safeguarding with children on a regular basis, seeking children’s views and wishes and sharing this information with the manager to ensure children’s feedback can be acted on. This has promoted a safeguarding culture in the home that supports the children to become increasingly safe.

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

There is a clear and proactive multi-agency approach to keeping children safe. Children are provided with consistent and reliable support while enabling them to take age- appropriate risks, with the support of staff’s emotional warmth and understanding. Inspection report for children’s home: 2808010 4 The ethos of the manager and staff is to never give up on children. The manager ensures that children can live together safely. There is extensive planning when children transition into or out of the home. This has meant that children make progress and that their experience of living at the home is positive from an early stage.

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

Children’s individual risk assessments capture their risks and vulnerabilities. Managers and staff regularly carry out reviews of risk assessments and update them should circumstances warrant this. As a result, staff have up-to-date information about each child and the best way to respond to their needs when they arise, enabling them to keep children safe.

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

Medication management processes are strong. When medication errors have occurred, action has been taken to rectify this immediately. Staff have received extra training and support. This has prevented further errors from being made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is experienced, committed and suitably qualified. He is very well supported by two knowledgeable and dedicated deputy managers. They share the same vision for the children in their care. They work well together and have created a culture of high expectations and an excellent standard of care for children. They are proud of how staff have significantly influenced and enhanced children’s lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager strives to achieve the best possible outcomes for children and always ensures that their wishes and feelings are heard. He is enthusiastic, wanting children to get the best out of life and have new experiences. The manager is self-assured and assertive. He is not afraid to challenge professionals when it comes to getting the right services and outcomes for children. There are numerous examples of where he has advocated for children to ensure their needs are met. The whole management team is influential in terms of standing up for children’s rights.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is visible and approachable. Staff say that they are very well supported in their roles and day-to-day practice. They work well together, and staff morale is extremely high. High staff retention has ensured that children have consistency of care. Because of this, the team has ambitious, creative plans to improve the outcomes for children and to ensure they have positive experiences. One staff member said, `The team is truly one of a kind, unmatched in our dedication to the young people and providing a quality of care we can be proud of.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager seeks to continually learn and develop for the benefit of the children. Working hand in hand with the home’s service development practitioner, he accesses research and additional training specific to the needs of the children, cascading this to all members of the team. As a result, staff are supported to develop their practice and improve children’s experiences. For example, therapeutic and trauma-informed practice and emotion coaching are thoroughly embedded in practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2808010 5 There is outstanding monitoring by the manager. He has robust and effective monitoring and quality assurance systems in place. Records are of a very high standard and provide a detailed analysis of care provision. Regular audits take place, with actions to address any shortfalls or learning. This means the manager clearly understands the home’s strengths and areas for development. As a result, detailed development plans

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

are in place to ensure continual improvement. This ensures that standards of care remain high.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff collaborate closely with the company’s therapy team to provide the highest standard of care possible. The therapy team takes a proactive approach, working effectively and supportively with staff. The therapists spend time in the home, working alongside the staff team. They lead by example and help children to make progress and build their emotional resilience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive regular supervision sessions and access to team meetings. They are supported to understand the children’s complex needs and reflect on their practice. As a result, staff are attuned to the children’s needs and skilled in their role and meet the managers’ expectations. Staff who were spoken with were enthusiastic, motivated and dedicated. They enjoy working at the home and refer to this as being more than just a job to them. One staff member said, `This team truly exemplifies what it means to care – not just as a job, but as a calling.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has incredibly strong working relationships with parents and professionals, such as teaching staff and social workers. Feedback from external professionals has been overwhelmingly positive. The manager communicates exceptionally well and works effectively in collaboration with others. Parents feel involved in their child’s care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2808010 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: 2808010 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Kisimul School, The Old Vicarage High Street, Swinderby, Lincoln, Lincolnshire LN6 9LU

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Inspector

Zoey Lee, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2808010 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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