Children's Home run by SureCare Residential Ltd in Essex

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.2

The children's home provision is good because:

 The home has effective working relationships with other agencies visiting the home, such as the police and youth offending teams. This promotes the safety of young people and consistency of approach.  Parents feel fully updated about their child’s progress; they are confident they can contact staff at any time.  Young people are attending school or an alternative regularly. For some this is an improvement in attendance and for others this is an improvement in engagement.  Staff help young people to identify alternative strategies to manage anger. As a result, young people are recognising that their behaviour is improving.  Staff proactively praise young people and provide additional incentives, encouraging them and making them feel valued.  Staff advocate a restorative justice approach regarding incidents in the home. This helps young people to make connections between their actions and behaviours. As a result, incidents in the home are decreasing.

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

 Staff meet regularly with young people. To improve practice, staff should help young people to see the outcome from group discussions.  Recruitment processes are clear and structured. To improve practice, the provider should consistently follow their own policy.  Staff record individual meetings with young people and produce risk assessments. To improve practice, recording should provide information that is helpful to the individual young person.

p.3

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Ensure children and young people see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 22 paragraph 4.11)

p.4

Recommendations

 Ensure, as set out in regulations 31-33, there is a consistent approach to maintaining good employment practice with specific reference to the recording of gaps in employment and specific dates of previous employment. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

p.4

Recommendations

 Ensure staff put into practice the home’s policies on record keeping and understanding the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Information must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child, with specific reference to risk assessments and key working sessions. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

p.4

Information about this children's home

This home is one of a small group run by a private provider. Registration is for up to four young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The provider operates a school nearby which young people can attend.

p.5

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.5

Recent inspection history

05/02/2015 CH - Interim Declined in effectiveness

p.5

Recent inspection history

05/03/2014 CH - Interim Satisfactory Progress

p.5

Good

Young people are sustaining education and have improved attendance. They receive support and encouragement from staff to take an interest in learning. Staff persevere to identify young people’s interests and advocate with colleagues in education where there are difficulties. This creates a clear emphasis on the value of education and provides routine. Furthermore, it helps to raise self-esteem and helps them to learn about their own potential. One young person said: ‘I am good at school and I am learning lots of different things. This will help me for the future.’

p.6

Good

Young people tell some staff how they are feeling and talk with them about their emotions. They receive support to attend internal or external therapeutic appointments. The result is that some can recognise where they are making progress in managing emotions. One young person said: ‘I get help. I used to break things but now I talk about how I feel.’

p.6

Good

Staff meet regularly with the young people to encourage them to express their ideas and opinions about the running of the home. Practice falls short because they do not routinely provide feedback to the group. Young people say that they have good relationships with members of the staff team and that they know who to go to if they have any problems. During this inspection, those observed were engaging warmly yet firmly with the young people. Of the staff, a parent said: ‘I think at times they are reasonably strict, which is a good thing.’ This means that the staff have appropriate expectations of the young people regarding their conduct and interactions with others.

p.6

Good

Pathway plans help young people to develop the required skills for adult life. Where there is resistance, staff are alongside them, ready to re-visit arrangements. They identify with the young person areas that are going well or where additional support is required to progress. This helps young people to build up their knowledge and confidence at their own pace, in areas such as household management, food preparation and budgeting.

p.6

Good

Young people receive support to maintain relationships with those who are important to them. For example, one young person receives help to continue to have regular contact with a childhood friend. This helps to promote healthy social and emotional development. Staff persevere and encourage young people to take part in activities in the local community such as going to the gym, walking or visiting local places of interest. This encourages young people to get to know the area they live in and develop healthy lifestyles.

p.6

Good

The home is welcoming and affords young people ample space for communal living. Young people’s bedrooms are highly personalised with posters and personal effects. One young person said: ‘My bedroom is the best room in the house.’ This helps young people to feel safe and comfortable.

p.7

Good

Staff identify and name risk taking behaviours. They put strategies in place to help to reduce the likelihood of reoccurrence. They take time to talk with young people about the associated health risks of, for example, smoking and use of drugs. This makes expectations clear and encourages young people to make better choices. However, practice falls short in the recording of information; staff must ensure that they record information in a way that will be helpful to that young person.

p.7

Good

Young people say that they are safe and that they like living at the home. Incidents of aggression in the home and towards staff have begun to reduce significantly in both frequency and intensity.

p.7

Good

The overall homely appearance is maintained because damage caused by the young people in the communal areas has been repaired. Staff encourage young people to learn from incidents, including those which have resulted in arrest. One member of staff said: ‘We work hard not to give up on the young people.’ With reference to the homes approach to restorative justice, one external professional said: ‘The staff are supportive, as you would expect a parent to be.’

p.7

Good

Missing form home is rare. Staff efficiently follow protocols to ensure young people’s speedy return. Absence without permission is infrequent. Staff ensure that they know where young people are and successfully motivate them to return home. They document the reasons for leaving, discuss incidents with the young people and share information with the relevant stakeholders. Staff invite colleagues from other agencies into the home to discuss the importance of keeping safe. A representative from one agency said: ‘The staff have a really good open channel of communication with other professionals.’ An effective working relationship with other agencies helps to safeguard young people when they are out in the community or when they are inappropriately using social media. Judgement grade

p.7

Good

No new admissions since the last inspection mean that senior leaders have prioritised the young people, resulting in their overall progress. They have met the regulations from the previous inspection.

p.8

Good

There have been a number of staff changes. Senior managers have recruited externally and moved staff from other homes in the group. Recruitment processes are sufficient however; they fall short because there is an inconsistent approach to recording information about previous employment.

p.8

Good

The Registered Manager no longer works at the home. A previous deputy has submitted an application to Ofsted to register as manager. He knows the current young people very well, which brings continuity and consistency. He has the support of the current staff group, is organised and motivated to lead the team towards achieving outstanding opportunities for young people.

p.8

Good

Staff are suitably experienced. They understand the aims and objectives of the home. They are reflective and aware of the impact of traumatic early childhood experiences on future development. They receive regular supervision and have access to a broad range of training, which helps them to fulfil their role efficiently.

p.8

Good

There have been no further complaints from neighbours. The home has good, effective working relationships with families and other agencies who regularly visit the home. One parent said: ‘I know that they have my child’s best interests at heart and that I can phone any time of the day.’

p.8

What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

p.9

What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

p.9

What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

p.9

Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

p.10

Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.10

Information about this inspection

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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

p.11

Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.11

Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.11

Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

p.11