Children's Home run by Kent County Council in Kent

Inspection report for children’s home: SC403850 1 SC403850 Registered provider: Kent County Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority home is a short break service for disabled children, providing stays for up to 6 children at any time. Four children were staying at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since November 2018.

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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: SC403850 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/03/2025 Full Good 27/02/2024 Full Good 15/12/2022 Full Good 08/12/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC403850 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are looked after by a caring and knowledgeable staff team. Staff demonstrate immense skill in supporting differing communication and needs. Children are happy and are excited to stay.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children go to school each day. Staff have a good understanding of children’s different educational experiences and needs and work closely with parents and teaching staff to support children to learn.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Detailed admissions meetings between parents and staff take place at the start of visits. This ensures that staff have the most up-to-date information when looking after a child, with a focus on how best to look after them. This information is immediately shared with the wider team and care plans are subsequently updated. This collaborative approach enables staff to help children to make progress and to have a positive, consistent experience of care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s successes are celebrated, and they are supported to learn to be more independent according to their needs and abilities. However, because there is no consistent approach to setting individual targets, it is not always possible for managers to fully understand how support from staff is helping each child to reach their full potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for in a purpose-built home that has been amended with additional equipment to ensure that children have the best possible experiences. Dedicated specialist playground equipment and a new sensory pod mean that when children stay, they can have a wide range of experiences and opportunities to have fun and play.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to make choices throughout their stay, for example around what they would like to do and what they would like to eat. There are regular surveys and children’s meetings that allow children a say on bigger issues such as bedroom choices, redecoration and plans for the holidays. Staff respond well to this, and children’s choices influence decisions about how care is provided.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Complaints about staff practice are rare, but when they do occur, they are taken seriously. The registered manager investigates any concern thoroughly and ensures that outcomes are shared with families and relevant professionals.

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

Leaders have developed a strong safeguarding culture within the staff team. Staff show appropriate curiosity, and any concerns about a child, no matter how small, are reported to the registered manager, who shares these with social workers, parents and other relevant professionals. Inspection report for children’s home: SC403850 4 Staff have positive relationships with children and a good understanding of their needs. As a result of this, staff can recognise changes in behaviour and respond well to avoid them escalating. This has meant that children do not go missing from the home, and there have been no physical interventions since the last inspection.

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

Staff understand their responsibilities to safeguard children. When concerns are raised, these are handled in accordance with statutory guidance and are shared promptly with the appropriate agencies. Leaders ensure that any incidents are investigated and reviewed to explore any learning practice to reduce the risks to children.

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

Leaders and managers ensure that newly recruited staff are thoroughly vetted and assessed before appointments are confirmed to ensure that they are suitable. However, on one occasion an employment gap was not suitably explored to fully understand the reason behind it.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by an experienced registered manager, supported by an equally experienced senior team leader. Both have high expectations of what staff and children can achieve. Leaders are aspirational and set consistently high standards across the home. Care is highly personalised and is focused on each child’s individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers support staff well. Leaders have an open-door policy and are hands-on, supporting staff to care for the children and role modelling good practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have access to a wide range of training and have regular reviews of performance. However, individual supervision has not occurred regularly, with some staff going several months without it. Leaders have recognised this and have begun to rectify it.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are proud to work in the home and speak positively about the impact they make on children’s lives. They are aware that children only spend 2 nights a month with them, but they know how important this is for the child and their families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is a strong advocate for children and is quick to respond when there are concerns or when she believes experiences and plans for children are not suitable. She maintains positive communication and working relationships with professionals and her input is valued in professional meetings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Equality and diversity are actively celebrated in the home through education, celebration and helping children to understand the importance of difference. This creates an inclusive environment where children’s identities are promoted. Inspection report for children’s home: SC403850 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 registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 31 May 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

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. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(d)) 31 May 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should support staff to be ambitious for every child in the home and to gain skills and experience that enable them to actively support each child to achieve their potential. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.5) Inspection report for children’s home: SC403850 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: SC403850 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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Inspectors

Mark Newington, Social Care Inspector Ben Wilson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC403850 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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