Children's Home run by Kent County Council in KentOfsted inspection, 16 Sept 2026

Inspection report for children’s home: 2536967 1 Registered provider: Kent County Council

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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 local authority home cares for 3 children with learning difficulties. The home provides specialist support and intervention for children with complex needs for up to 16 weeks.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2026 and is suitably qualified.

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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: 2536967 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/08/2025 Full Good 10/12/2024 Full Good 10/08/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2536967 3

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Summary of findings

Children make positive progress despite often living at the home for relatively short periods. Staff prioritise building trusting relationships and work with children to set clear goals, helping them engage positively in their plans. Children are encouraged to express their wishes and feelings through a range of innovative communication methods and report feeling listened to and valued. They are actively involved in decisions about their care and future through effective multi-disciplinary planning. Children experience well- planned moves into and from the home, with all children moving on positively. Staff manage complex behaviours effectively, resulting in no children going missing and a reduction in the necessity to use physical interventions. New leaders have strengthened practice and improved monitoring and quality assurance systems, although some staff have not received supervision or completed mandatory qualifications within required

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress, despite only staying in the home for a short period of time. Staff focus on the importance of establishing positive relationship from the beginning and then set clear goals and targets that children respond well to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff use innovative methods to help children communicate their wishes and feelings. Throughout the home children can use a variety of methods, such as questions in books, to support them to express their wishes directly to their professional network, questions in children’s meetings, day-to-day conversations and dedicated time to talk. Children have responded well to this, identifying the method that they feel most comfortable with. Requests are always responded to, and children feel genuinely listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children actively choose from a wide range of activities, such as craft activities in the home, LEGO building. They also access activities in the community, such as joining local youth clubs. These are always carefully planned and consider individual children’s preferences and areas of vulnerability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who have historically not attended school have been supported to start receiving education again. This initially takes place in a dedicated education room in the home with support from a tutor. Staff also work closely with local education provision to identify the best resources and plan to support children to start going to school again.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Childrens health needs are well met by a staff, who have comprehensive knowledge of their needs. Staff work closely with relevant external professionals to ensure that individual children’s health needs are understood and form part of care plans prior to children moving in. Children who have historically not always attended routine health appointments have been supported to do so. Inspection report for children’s home: 2536967 4 Staff ensure that children are involved in as many significant meetings as possible. This supports them to take responsibility and have opportunity to be involved in decision- making regarding their care. All children’s care planning is supported by a multi- disciplinary team, including social workers, dedicated health staff, the team from the home and the child. This helps children feel like their opinion truly matters and helps them to invest in plans, both at the present time and for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children moving into and on from the home is always done in a planned and structured way. Leaders work closely with professionals and the child to make sure that all relevant information, such as history, interests, areas of risks and care needs is shared and understood. As a result, children move into the home after child-led introductions have been complete and they get a good understanding of what it is like living in the home as part of their induction.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children have positively moved on to their next homes, whether this be into supported accommodation, a new children’s home or back to live at home. This has meant all children have had successful experiences of moving on from the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, there has been a change in the range of needs of children the home is looking after. Leaders have updated the home’s statement of purpose, however, have not updated their conditions of registration.

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

Children have historically presented with complex and high-risk behaviours. Staff know the children well and demonstrate a strong understanding of their individual needs and vulnerabilities. As a result, staff are quick to recognise changes in behaviour, presentation or emotional wellbeing and respond appropriately to help keep children safe and supported.

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

Children do not go missing. A combination of knowledgeable staff and a safe environment ensure that children do not go missing. Staff are well informed about what to do and are clear about their responsibilities should a child go missing. This is significant as some children have historically had significant periods of absence from the home.

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

Staff are appropriately trained and experienced in responding to behaviour incidents and take effective action to protect children and others from harm. Leaders identified that, historically, recording of physical interventions lacked sufficient detail and that opportunities for reflection and restorative work with children were not consistently undertaken. Leaders responded effectively by providing additional challenge, guidance and training to staff. Consequently, records now provide a clearer account of incidents, Inspection report for children’s home: 2536967 5 care practice has improved and there has been a notable reduction in the frequency of physical interventions.

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

However, leaders have not followed their own behaviour policy, as permitted physical interventions are not identified on individual children’s plans. In some instances, it is not clearly identified when high-level holds may not be suitable for some children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, there has been a change in both registered manager and senior team leader. Since joining, they have focused on bringing the team together and improving the quality of the care for children. Staff are unanimous about the positive impact that leaders have made, and even though they initially struggled with some changes they are now able to see the benefit in the day-to-day care of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders have a good understanding of the progress the children and staff are making. Leaders have developed a new monitoring system to better understand the impact of care on the progress of children. Newly introduced end of placement reports ensure that anyone working with the child in the future will have a detailed understanding of how best to care for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders have used regular monitoring and quality assurance systems to identify areas of development for the staff team. This has been a large task and leaders took time and care to fully understand how best to support staff to raise standards before implementing any changes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff acknowledge that new leaders are visible in the home and are always happy to help and lead by example. Staff feel supported by this, however, the frequency of formal supervision has slipped and some staff have gone several months without the opportunity to speak with a line manager to reflect on some of the challenges of work. This has led to missed opportunities to reflect on practice issues.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All staff receive regular and bespoke training to ensure they know how to care for children and to better understand their individual needs. However, there has been a delay for some staff to complete their level 3 qualifications with some being beyond the 2-year requirement. This has been identified by leaders, who have put together clear plans and timescales for all staff to complete.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Independent monitoring takes place through monthly visits. There has been a significant increase in scrutiny and challenge through visits that have provided helpful feedback to further enhance the outcomes and experiences for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2536967 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, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes rRgulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)) 31 October 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff are clear on how the use of physical restraint is considered in relation to the needs of each child. 31 October 2026

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Requirement Due date

4 The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

(a)undertake appropriate continuing professional development; 31 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2536967 7 (b)receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all staff in a care role, including external agency or bank staff, must have the qualification in regulation 32(4) within the relevant timescale listed in regulation 32(5). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.12)

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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: 2536967 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Kent County Council, Sessions House, County Road, Maidstone ME14 1XQ

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Inspector

Mark Newington, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2536967 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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Inspector

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