Children's Home run by Kennet Care Limited in Reading

Inspection report for children's home: 2611110 1 Registered provider: Kennet Care 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

The home is privately owned and provides care for up to 7 children who experience social and emotional difficulties. The children are aged between 8 and 17 years and live in 2 houses on the same site.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of this inspection, 5 children were living at the home and the inspector had the opportunity to speak to 4 of them during the inspection.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2021.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2611110 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/08/2025 Full Good 15/10/2024 Full Good 30/08/2023 Full Good 27/07/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2611110 3

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Summary of findings

Children are making positive progress through warm, nurturing relationships with staff, who provide consistent emotional support and enjoyable experiences. Children are listened to, involved in decisions and supported to personalise their environment.

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Summary of findings

Children's education, health and emotional wellbeing are promoted through tailored support and therapeutic interventions. Staff understand children's needs and respond effectively, using restorative approaches to encourage learning and positive relationships.

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Summary of findings

Effective partnership working helps to safeguard children and manage their complex lives. Leaders and managers provide clear direction and strong support and have high aspirations for children. Ongoing training and therapeutic supervision help staff to provide individualised care and support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress while living in the home and enjoy the nurturing relationships with the staff who care for them. Children talk about the staff who they like to spend time with and how much they help them when they are anxious, worried or upset. They also talk about all the fun they have had, including recent day trips and holidays both in the United Kingdom and abroad.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are listened to and supported to help make their contributions and views known when decisions are being made about them, but also about the simple things, such as small items they may want for their room. One child said that she had emailed staff about some glow-in-the-dark animals that she wanted, which had been ordered by the staff without their knowledge. While this is only small gesture, it was a great surprise for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming, with photographs of both the staff and children in the hallway, as well as certificates celebrating successes in the home. The therapy area has been redesigned and renovated into a calm and relaxing space. Children have personalised their bedrooms with their choice of soft furnishings, posters and other personalised touches.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are engaged in education and have bespoke packages for their assessed needs. There is thoughtful support in place for children. Staff are working hard to maintain healthy routines and encourage children's attendance and engagement. This includes exploring barriers to learning and providing meaningful activities during the school day.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children's physical and emotional wellbeing needs are well met in the home. The therapeutic team employed by the organisation provides timely, appropriate and skilled interventions to meet the individual needs of the children. Staff help children to Inspection report for children's home: 2611110 4 understand how to maintain a healthy lifestyle, including by offering support with meal planning, providing emotionally and physically stimulating activities and offering support with navigating friendships and relationships.

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

Staff are knowledgeable about the children's needs and vulnerabilities. They have formed strong and trusting relationships with the children. Children approach staff for advice and guidance. Staff respond empathically, ensuring that children have the time they need to feel safe and secure.

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

Staff understand that all children communicate through their actions and behaviours, and staff seek to understand what the children are trying to communicate. Staff's responses when children are upset or in crisis are thoughtful to each child's needs and in line with the home's ethos and approach. Children are supported to learn rather than feel shame about to their actions. Consequences are restorative in approach and focus on repairing relationships and learning from mistakes.

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

Some children have experienced relationship issues with other children in the home. The approach by staff and the managers is thoughtful of all children involved and considers how they can best move forward. Records of discussions and reflections when there have been issues between children are child focused and allow all involved to learn from their actions. This is continually reviewed, and it is recognised that each child responds differently and at a different pace.

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

Close joint working with partner agencies, including child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) and the specific CAMHS child in care team, has led to effective support for children who struggle managing crisis. This has helped staff to have a better understanding of how to respond when children self-injure, use food as a coping mechanism or go missing from home. The coordinated and consistent approach helps children to feel safe and secure in the home.

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

Children spend a lot of time online gaming or socialising with friends. Concerns have been noted and responded to effectively when children have been at risk online. However, not all staff have the same level of professional curiosity when considering children's responses when they are online. This has not led to any significant concerns for children currently.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and leaders have a clear vision for the home, which is supported by the ethos of the home's statement of purpose. Staff say that they are well supported by the management team through regular supervisions, and their presence in the home means they can always approach them for any support, advice and guidance. Inspection report for children's home: 2611110 5 Recent changes in the staff team include a new assistant manager and support workers joining the team. The team is still forming, with staff becoming increasingly aware of the approach and how to consistently put this into practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Regular, therapeutic group supervision helps to guide the staff team and help them understand children's responses and how they can support them more effectively. This means that children have individualised care and support linked to their emotional needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The senior managers are highly aspirational for all children who live in the home. They are visible and both children and staff interact easily with them. The managers in the home are up to date on the progress made by children and are supportive of the staff team to develop new and highly personalised plans and targets for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from a thorough induction and continued, bespoke training throughout their time working in the home. This leads to them having a strong foundation based in theory in how to support children who have suffered trauma and abuse and an understanding of children's attachments and how they may respond to this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has highly effective monitoring systems in place to ensure that all information is shared with staff and partner agencies. Inspection report for children's home: 2611110 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all staff demonstrate curiosity when considering the risk that children may face. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 42, and paragraph 9.5)

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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: 2611110 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: c/o Goringe Accountants Ltd, 1650 Arlington Business Park, Theale, Berkshire RG7 4SA

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Children's home details

Responsible individual: Dennis Austin-Visser

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Inspector

Jennie Christopher, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Louise Walker, His Majesty's Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2611110 8 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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