Children's Home run by Anderida Adolescent Care Ltd in East Sussex

Unique reference number SC028526 Inspector Ruth Loughridge Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Anderida Adolescent Care Limited Registered person address Anderida Adolescent Care Neville Mews, 6A Neville Road EASTBOURNE East Sussex BN22 8HR Responsible individual Erica Jane Scott Registered manager Kerry Shoesmith Date of last inspection 03/01/2014 2 of 9 Inspection date 15/01/2015

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Previous inspection good progress Enforcement action since last inspection none

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Overall effectiveness outstanding

Outcomes for children and young people outstanding Quality of care outstanding Keeping children and young people safe outstanding Leadership and management outstanding

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned setting is registered to accommodate two young people with emotional or behavioural difficulties.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/01/2014 Interim good progress 21/05/2013 Full outstanding 07/02/2013 Interim good progress 13/09/2012 Full outstanding

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 The registered person has a system in place to notify within 24 hours the persons and appropriate authorities of the occurrence of significant events in accordance with Regulation 30 (NMS 241). 4 of 9

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Staff at the home, and placing social workers, recognise the excellent progress that young people make. Some young people identify the positive ways in which they have changed. One young person stated, ‘I have changed a lot – my behaviour. I have grown. I feel better.’

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people take advantage of opportunities to try new things, go to new places and to develop new talents. This provides them with a sense of achievement and allows them to recognise the possibilities that lie ahead. The social worker for one young person stated, ‘The home has been an integral part of them feeling good about themselves and having higher aspirations and feeling good about the future.’ Developing a positive self-view represents exceptional progress for young people at this home.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

For some young people, education attendance increases dramatically. For others, taking their first steps back into education represents enormous achievement. A teacher for one young person said, ‘He has made huge progress in all aspects - not only educationally but health wise as well. He is now able to engage with peers. Academically he has made huge progress.’

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people attend routine and specialist health appointments. Some receive necessary immunisations that had not taken place and others develop the confidence to question medical professionals about their condition and treatment. This is a significant achievement for young people who were previously anxious around professional people. Young people enjoy healthy diets. As a result their physical health improves and they learn to take responsibility for their own health needs. Consistency of care, provided in a nurturing environment, means that young people’s sense of self-worth and emotional wellbeing significantly improves. This is evident in how young people feel about themselves, their ability to trust adults and their ability to make positive peer relationships. Young people develop the practical skills they will need to live independently. Staff work with placing social workers, to ensure that young people are ready, both

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

practically, and emotionally, to take on responsibilities such as cooking for themselves.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Sound arrangements, and agreements, for contact allow young people to renew, build and maintain relationships with significant family members. This allows young people to maintain their sense of belonging within their families, to learn and understand more about their backgrounds, and, to benefit from ongoing family support as they reach independence. 5 of 9

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Quality of care outstanding

Young people benefit from an exceptionally high quality of care from a committed, nurturing staff team. The social worker for one young person stated, ‘They show her positive regard regardless of what she has done – this has been the message throughout the placement.’

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Quality of care outstanding

When necessary, young people have ready access to therapeutic support either through the local child and adolescent mental health service, or the home’s own therapeutic practitioner. A clear model of therapeutic intervention has been established in the home. This has been developed, and embedded in practice, through clinical oversight from an appropriately qualified professional, staff training and group supervision. ‘Persistence not insistence’ underpins the approach with young people. Staff recognise young people’s potential and seek to surmount resistance and barriers to their progress. A social worker for one of the young people commented, ‘The home were so good at persisting with college registration – they unpicked her resistance and supported her and she started college - this was huge. She now knows she has the ability and can do it.’

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Quality of care outstanding

The persistence of staff also ensures barriers to young people’s full inclusion, particularly in relation to education, are challenged. For example, close working relationships with school, and strong advocacy on behalf of one young person, means that he is now achieving well at college, where previously a college placement was considered to carry too high a risk. Creative use of the provider’s own educational resources, combined with those provided by the placing authority, means that another young person achieved the qualifications required for them to go to college.

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Quality of care outstanding

Young people are consulted about their day to day care. One young person commented, ‘On Sundays (staff) sit down with me to run through what’s going on that week - we have hot chocolate. I have a say about routines – they will sort it out – I like stuff to be the same.’ Young people’s participation in statutory reviews ensures that their views, about the overall plans for their care, are taken into consideration. As a result, young people know that their wishes and their opinion count and they know when changes will occur. Staff, at all levels, demonstrate excellent knowledge and understanding of young people’s backgrounds, experiences and current circumstances. This means that staff can, for example, support young people sensitively when they remember difficult past life events. Photographs, greeting cards and various other pieces of memorabilia are collected in young people’s memory boxes. This ensures they have their own

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Quality of care outstanding

record of their time at the home. Where young people display discriminatory attitudes, for example through the use of language, this is appropriately challenged and this helps them to develop respect for people from different backgrounds.

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Quality of care outstanding

When staff leave their employment at the home, time and care is taken to ensure that young people understand their reasons for leaving. This is to ensure that young 6 of 9 people do not have a distorted perception of why staff leave and to minimise the possibility that they may relate it to themselves, or their behaviour. Accommodation at the home is good. Young people have their own living spaces which are personalised to their own tastes. The layout allows for privacy and highly personalised care, as well as opportunity to share and interact with other young people. One young person commented, ‘It’s like a normal home except for the office – you wouldn’t think it’s a care home.’

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

Staff and managers take their responsibility to safeguard young people extremely seriously. Individual needs and risks are fully understood. Measures taken to address risk taking behaviour are discussed and agreed with families, placing social workers, and the police. This ensures that responsibilities are effectively shared and their responses match the assessed level of risk. For example, when a young person goes missing from the home a ‘campaign of concern’ is launched. This includes following young people, keeping in communication with them and informing relevant parties, who then update one another to the young person’s likely or known whereabouts. In relation to missing from care, one social worker commented, ‘This is when the home really showed their worth. They were so reactive – going to where they would be – knocking on doors – involving the family – they brought family to the home to show

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

their care and let them know that all is not lost - as a parent would.’ One relative commented, ‘Staff are doing their utmost to keep them safe – a magnificent job. If they abscond, staff keep in touch and we pass on news to them – they let us know the minute they return – this has worked well. I have nothing but good things to say about all of this.’

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

Behaviour management focuses upon praising and rewarding positive behaviour and letting young people know that, although some behaviour will not be accepted, they will not be rejected. Individual behaviour management plans recognise young people’s achievements and are linked to targets such as swearing. The provider’s website for the young people invites them to earn points, through positive behaviour, toward major treats. This is a creative and effective approach. Young people receive consistent messages from staff which is supported by close management oversight and good communication between staff. As a result, young people develop more positive behaviour. Young people rarely engage in damaging behaviour: when this does occur, consideration is given to a response which makes clear that the behaviour is not acceptable, and, avoids the criminalisation of young people.

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

Safeguarding training is a priority for new staff and is an ongoing element of staff development. Training on child sexual exploitation has been provided at basic and more advanced levels. This ensures that staff are up to date with current practice and legislative developments.

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

Risk assessments are carried out in relation to activities and outings and so risk to 7 of 9 young people is minimised. A rigorous recruitment process helps to ensure that only those who are suitable to work with young people are employed at this home. There are routine health and safety checks and regular fire drills, including when young people are new to the home. This helps to ensure that the environment is safe and secure and young people are protected from hazards including the risk of fire.

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Leadership and management outstanding

The Registered Manager is committed and experienced. She is suitably qualified and has been the Registered Manager of the home since 2007.

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Leadership and management outstanding

Case records provide a clear overview of young people’s time living at the home and show the changes they make over time. The Registered Manager’s monitoring of the home is of an exceptionally high standard and evaluates the progress that young people make. Scrutiny of practice and documentation, means that any shortfalls in practice are soon identified and messages are communicated clearly to promote consistency for young people. Where the Registered Manager was dissatisfied with the rigour of the independent visitor to the home, she took action to ensure that alternative arrangements were made. As a result the quality of regulation 33 reports has improved. The Registered Manager uses monitoring systems effectively to identify trends in young people’s progress and behaviour and to drive continuous improvements within the home.

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Leadership and management outstanding

The consistent staff team are very well supported through supervision, training and annual appraisals. There is strong emphasis on professional development and, as a result, staff present as skilled, knowledgeable and competent to meet the diverse needs of the young people. High standards of professional conduct are expected of all staff. High standards are also expected of training providers, and where the Registered Manager has been dissatisfied with training, staff have attended, solutions to this have been sought and secured.

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Leadership and management outstanding

Placing social workers and schools report excellent levels of communication between themselves and the home. One social worker commented, ‘There is superb communication – particularly when an incident happens.’ However, significant events are not always notified to Ofsted in a timely way. As appropriate action has been taken in relation to incidents, this has not had a negative impact upon young people.

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Leadership and management outstanding

A number of systems are in place to ensure that staff are up to date with current issues, and approaches to young people. These include daily handovers and team meetings. As well as embedding the therapeutic approach, separate monthly meetings with the lead clinician, provides staff with the opportunity to reflect on their personal experience of working with the young people. No recommendations or requirements were made at the last inspection. 8 of 9 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Leadership and management outstanding

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Judgement Description

Outstanding A service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Good A service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Adequate A service that only meets minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Inadequate A service that does not meet minimum requirements.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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Information about this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the framework of inspection for children's homes.

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