Children's Home run by Windows For Children Ltd in Medway

Inspection report for children’s home: 2559013 1 Registered provider: Windows For Children Ltd

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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 privately owned children’s home is registered to provide care for up to eight children with social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, there were four children living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

The home refers to the staff as ‘grown-ups’. The report reflects the language used in the home.

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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: 2559013 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/08/2024 Full Good 25/10/2023 Full Good 31/08/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2559013 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are provided with care, love and support from the grown-ups in the home, who are attuned to their needs. The children benefit from a thoughtful and nurturing approach to the provision of their care, providing them with a safe environment for them to grow and make progress. One child’s social worker said that their child is ‘the most settled’ they have ever been and are making ‘significant progress’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to build strong relationships with the grown-ups, who use play throughout their day by setting up arts and craft activities, going on bike rides, day trips to the beach, trampolining or to a farm and playing in the home’s large garden using the variety of play equipment available to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress. There is a culture of learning from mistakes and reflective conversations are used frequently. Children are learning to name their feelings and benefit from the therapeutic approach, which is embedded into the care provided by the grown-ups in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most of the children are now in full-time education, which is excellent progress from their starting points. The manager has worked tirelessly to advocate for the children’s best interests regarding their education. For one child, who is not currently in school, there is excellent communication between the manager and social worker in order to promote the best interests of the child and ensure that he is receiving educational input from a tutor in the meantime.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Grown-ups support the children to maintain relationships with their family by taking them to see them and by grown-ups having good communication with them. Monthly reports detail the children’s progress, which are shared with parents when appropriate.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Moves for the children are well planned and thoughtfully considered. The needs of all the children are taken into consideration when a new child is going to move into the home. However, a risk assessment for a child who recently moved into the home lacked detail and did not accurately reflect the information the local authority provided. This was later remedied in line with the child’s presenting behaviours.

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

Grown-ups understand the children and their vulnerabilities and how to keep them safe, and they regularly assess risks. Incidents inform updates to risk assessments, which helps provide a good level of understanding and confidence in grown-ups’ responses.

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

There have been no incidents where children have gone missing from the home since the last inspection. Grown-ups’ responses to children have ensured that they remain safe and do not leave the home unattended. Inspection report for children’s home: 2559013 4 Grown-ups understand self-harm risks and manage these incidents well, responding with strategies to keep children safe and reduce self-harmful behaviours.

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

Where there is conflict between the children, this is recognised quickly by the grown-ups who implement strategies to defuse the situation and promote restorative conversations and activities, teaching the children how to form and maintain positive relationships. Promoting positive relationships is consistent with children being encouraged to attend community groups to broaden their friendship circles.

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

Health and safety checks are regularly completed, and there is a maintenance person who addresses any maintenance issues within the home quickly. However, during one incident with a child, a cleaning product was left on the side when not in use rather than being safely put away. A child was therefore able to access the cleaning product. There were no injuries sustained, and this was removed from them quickly.

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

There have been new staff recruited, and safer recruitment checks have been completed. However, for one adult they started to work in the home before their safer recruitment checks were all received.

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

Physical intervention is used often by grown-ups, for short periods, to keep children safe. Grown-ups record this well. The children are spoken to following an incident. Grown-ups involved in the incident comfort children and repair relationships afterwards. However, all grown-ups involved in the incident do not always receive a debrief.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and senior leaders are passionate about the needs of the children being met and ensuring high standards of care. There is evidence of good working relationships between them and appropriate challenge in the best interests of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is respected, caring and mindful in their approach and is well thought of by the children, grown-ups and professionals who work with them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is visible in the home and knows the children and grown-ups well. These relationships mean they understand the children’s progress. The manager works closely with the responsible individual. Together, they understand the strengths and the weaknesses of the home, and there are plans in place to develop the care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Grown-ups are provided with an excellent level of support through regular supervisions, group supervisions and training that meets the children’s needs and promotes the grown-ups’ development. The support that grown-ups are provided is a particular strength, which results in them feeling supported to handle the difficult incidents they are sometimes faced with. Reflection is an important part of the support provided. Inspection report for children’s home: 2559013 5 External professionals praise the manager highly for their excellent communication and knowledge regarding the children’s care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are listened to and have regular children’s meetings. Grown-ups involve children in their care. They help the children to make age-appropriate decisions about their lives. Children can choose activities, how their room is decorated and their meals. However, there is not consistent manager’s oversight recorded of the children’s views and the responses and actions completed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are offered opportunities to make complaints. However, feedback to children is not consistently provided following the complaint being resolved. Inspection report for children’s home: 2559013 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The 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.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all checks are received and verified prior to the employee starting in post. 5 August 2025

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure all staff completing physical interventions are debriefed. 5 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2559013 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and should ensure that the initial risk assessments completed for the child fully reflect the risk outlined by the local authority. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them, including ensuring that any COSHH products are immediately stored away in the designated COSHH storage area. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  Children must be consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Children should

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Recommendations

be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted on. Manager’s oversight should be evident to ensure that responses and actions are completed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)  Staff should encourage children to share any concerns about their care or other matters as soon as they arise. Children must be able to take up issues or make a complaint with support. The manager must ensure that feedback to children regarding the outcome of their complaint is consistently provided. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.13)

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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: 2559013 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Windows For Children Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 90–92 King Street, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1BH

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Inspector

Faye McCarthy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2559013 9 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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