Children's home run by Rapha Haven Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2784250 1 Registered provider: Rapha Haven 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 home is operated by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care for up to two children who experience social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in July 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the home’s first inspection since registration.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: Following a serious incident in the home, the home’s registration was suspended from 22 October 2024 to 25 May 2025. Three monitoring visits have been carried out, with the last one taking place in May 2025 before the suspension notice was lifted. Inspection report for children’s home: 2784250 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children have lived at the home since the last monitoring visit. One child had a short period living in the home before moving out in an unplanned manner. The child currently living in the home moved in following the first child’s departure and is new to the home. Their move into the home was well planned and managed. The manager and staff have a good understanding of the child’s needs and are beginning to establish trusting relationships with the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is making measurable progress in key areas in the short time they have been living in the home. This includes establishing daily routines, sleep patterns, personal care, education attendance and adherence to agreed boundaries.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help the child to maintain relationships with those important to them. The staff have taken the child long distances to see family and the child’s family visit them regularly in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child can express their wishes and feelings. The manager and staff meet regularly with the child to ensure they are heard. Regular key-working sessions support this open narrative.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child benefits from opportunities to explore the local community and has accessed a wide range of activities. Staff are actively supporting the development of the child’s independence skills, making progress in practical areas such as cooking and laundry. The child has enjoyed trips to the cinema, ice skating and the local park.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is clean and well maintained. However, it lacks a homely feel, with unused Yale locks on internal doors. While damage from incidents has been repaired, some repairs have been delayed and completed to a poor standard.

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

Staff provide the child with clear expectations and boundaries which are mirrored across the staff team. This consistent approach helps the child feel safe. The child said that ‘The staff do their best to keep me safe.’

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

Staff understand the risks for the child. Managers gather comprehensive information before a child moves into the home about their vulnerabilities and risks. Staff assess these risks and keep these under review after serious incidents. This helps to inform consistent practice to reduce risks for the child.

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

Staff are trained in the home’s model of de-escalation and restraint. They are clear that restraint is to be used only as a last resort to keep children or others safe. The recording of physical interventions has improved. However, recording remains inconsistent and Inspection report for children’s home: 2784250 3 some key information is not routinely captured or logged in these records. The manager’s review of these records has not identified these inconsistencies.

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

The manager has not followed the home’s policy when responding to allegations. They have not always promptly identified when children have made allegations. While information is shared with placing social workers and the local authority designated officer, notifications to the regulator have been delayed. Although this has not resulted in any harm to the child, this practice leaves the child at risk. This was raised at the last visit and has been restated.

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

The manager has not ensured that health and safety practices reduce risks for the child. The medication is stored in a cabinet with keys left in and hazardous substances are stored in an unlocked shed which can be accessed by the child. Additionally, the relocation of portable fire equipment has not been appropriately risk assessed with the relevant fire specialists to ensure that risks to children and staff are minimised. The child has not been at risk due to these practices.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager and the responsible individual do not have effective oversight of the home. The manager has not implemented effective monitoring systems to identify concerns, improve recording and inform staff practice. The manager has not had effective oversight of staff completing their qualification. Two members of staff have exceeded timescales for completion of their level 3 diploma for residential childcare. There is no support in place to help the staff complete the qualification in the required timescales.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Recording practice is poor. Some of the child’s records lack sufficient detail and are not always written in a way that would be meaningful or helpful to the child should they access them now or in the future. The manager has not identified this or supported staff with improving their practice. This was raised at the previous visit and has been restated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has not kept restrictive practices under assessment and review. The staff lock the door to the kitchen overnight without a clear rationale, which restricts children’s free access to their home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff say they are well supported. They receive regular supervision and attend regular team meetings. Records of these reflect a range of discussions, including children’s progress and staff development. Further training organised has helped develop the staff’s understanding of the home’s model of care and how this influences their day-to- day practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff work effectively with a range of external professionals. They are complimentary about working relationships and communication. Professionals say that information is shared regularly and appropriately across the network. Inspection report for children’s home: 2784250 4 The child is cared for by a consistent and permanent staff team, which provides them with continuity of care. The staff receive regular training to help them carry out their roles. Staff receive additional training when there are identified needs. Training responds to the presenting needs of any children placed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2784250 5

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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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(g)(h)) 31 January 2026

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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

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained— 31 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2784250 6 the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the language used when recording in children’s case files is helpful for the child reading them.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, is the registered person must ensure that records of physical intervention are dated and completed fully to monitor when all post-incident actions have been completed. 31 January 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)) 31 January 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home provides a nurturing, supportive and homely environment that meets the needs of the children. The environment should be positive and well maintained. The children’s home must Inspection report for children’s home: 2784250 7 comply with relevant health and safety legislations. In particular, the registered person should ensure that hazardous substances, medication and portable firefighting equipment are stored safely. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that just as in a family home, children should be able to access all shared areas of their home unless there are specific reasons why this would not meet a child’s needs. Any decisions to limit a child’s access to any area of the home, and any modifications to the environment of the home, must only be

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Recommendations

made where this is intended to safeguard the child’s welfare. All decisions should be informed by a rigorous assessment of that individual child’s needs, be properly recorded and be kept under regular review. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)

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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: 2784250 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 25 Threshers Drive, Weavering, Maidstone ME14 5UA

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Inspector

Cassie Martin, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2784250 9 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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