Children's Home run by West Sussex County Council in West Sussex

Outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceeds the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 A highly skilled Registered Manager leads this home. He is a positive role model to staff, young people and their families. The Registered Manager is confident in his knowledge and skills, is aspirational and inspires his staff team. In turn, the staff team are ambitious for the young people in their care.  Young people make, in the vast majority of cases, exceptional progress in their education, emotional and social development. The experience of living at the home significantly enhances their life chances.  Professionals, including social workers, specialist community nurses and child and adolescent mental health practitioners are very complimentary about the service, the staff and the impact the high quality of care has on the young people and their families. The views of current placing social workers and independent reviewing officers is that the home and staff are `fantastic’ and are `impressive in the support they provide’.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Supporting contact with families and building up positive relationships between young people and their families is a real strength of the staff team’s approach in caring for the young people. Parents say the home is ‘amazing’ at caring for their children and this is `definitely a very good placement that I can’t fault`.  The staff enjoy their work and value the young people. Difficult and challenging beginnings soon become a positive experience as a result of trusting and respectful relationships developed quickly between the young people and the staff team.  Pro-active and creative safeguarding practice consistently applied support young people in making safer life style choices and ensures young people have a strong sense of personal safety. The staff work collaboratively with all agencies including the local safeguarding authority and the police missing person’s coordinator. This provides the best possible care for the young

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

people.  Robust and rigorous monitoring and auditing processes enable the home to continually develop to meet the changing needs of the young people. These processes have enabled the home to consistently, over many years, deliver outstanding care.

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Information about this children's home

The home is registered to accommodate up to five young people of mixed gender with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is owned and managed by the local authority.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

16/12/2014 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Outstanding

Young people receive exceptional care in this home which adds considerably to their experience, progress and development. Young people said `the staff are brilliant’ and `without being here I would not be where I am today’. Many young people choose to stay at the home post 16 rather than moving on into semi independence.

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Outstanding

Meticulous and creative planning allows young people to make excellent progress. For example, those young people with a history of disruptive education re-engage in learning and successfully gain a variety of qualifications including one young person achieving 10 GSCE’s and currently studying for 3 A levels. All young people make exceptional progress in school attendance. They develop a real understanding of the need to gain a good education and fully participate in the choices they make in relation to their future careers.

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Outstanding

Challenging behaviours decrease as a result of consistent and sensitively applied boundaries and strategies. For example, the number of missing incidents and the number of physical interventions are extremely low. Staff focus on positive intervention and de-escalation techniques. Behaviour management is continually discussed within multi professional meetings that includes the expertise of a child and adolescent mental health doctor who attends weekly meetings at the home. Young people benefit from this multi professional approach as staff gain an in- depth understanding of individual needs and are in turn able to address and manage the issues behind the presenting behaviours.

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Outstanding

Young people form trusting and caring relationships with the staff team. The staff are exceptionally committed and passionate about the young people and supporting them to make changes in their lives. Staff take great pride in all the young people’s achievements, no matter how small. This is a nurturing and friendly home that supports young people to make progress quickly. Young people quickly learn that the staff are dedicated to them and respond positively. Young people highly value the staff and the relationships they form.

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Outstanding

Staff demonstrate a high awareness of young people’s needs and opinions through continuous observation and dialogue. In addition young people participate in group and individual meetings including key working sessions, work with advocates if identified and contribute to de-briefs following incidents. Young people are encouraged to make decisions and choices about food, furnishings in the home and activities they wish to do. A priority for staff is to support the young people in making their own decisions about keeping safe when out in the community. Young people feel they are important and that staff really do care about them.

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Outstanding

The Registered Manager uses research to inform practice and explores new ways to maximise young people’s experiences and outcomes. He fully involves his staff team in any decision making about new care practices. For example, he has identified the need for the staff to develop further their knowledge and understanding of radicalisation and extremism in relation to the publication of the national and local Prevent agenda. High quality training around areas such as child sexual exploitation and e-safety allows staff to respond confidently to any concerns identified. Links with local agencies such as drug, sexual health and specialist mental and physical health provision enables young people to gain quick access to services as needed.

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Outstanding

Young people’s health needs are addressed through access to appropriate health professionals. Trained staff administer medication and first aid. Training, monitoring and auditing of practice and records is outstanding and robust. This means that there have been no medication errors.

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Outstanding

Transition arrangements are well planned, with work undertaken in line with the home’s stated procedures. The Registered Manager will challenge professionals if necessary to ensure the best possible outcomes for young people moving on. The Registered Manager and the staff team are clear about the needs they can and cannot meet, and work closely with colleagues to ensure the best placement for young people. Young people sustain long term placements here knowing staff maintain contact once they have moved into independence. Many ex-residents return to the home to visit and say hello to the staff.

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Outstanding

Safeguarding practice is professional; policies are clear, robust and research based. Staff understand safeguarding issues including current issues young people may be at risk from. This included sexual exploitation and social media risks. The staff fully apply the procedures necessary to ensure young people are well protected. In addition they fully understand the importance of working together with other professionals and agencies, such as the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) and missing person’s coordinator, to keep young people safe. This joint working approach ensures responses are consistent.

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Outstanding

The staff effectively identify, understand and manage risks to a very high standard. Clear, individual risk assessments and behaviour management plans include triggers and intervention strategies. These are developed with input from other professionals, the young people and their families. Parents and young people are given a copy of their care plans so they know the areas of risks for them and the strategies staff use to lessen the risks. This helps achieve consistency when young people have home contact as parents are well informed. Wherever appropriate young people are able to take risk with the support of staff members. This could be independent travel, meeting friends socially and managing money. Risk assessments are regularly reviewed to take account of any changes. Risk assessment show the excellent progress young people make with their individually identified risks.

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Outstanding

Staff apply a calm and skilled approach to defuse developing incidents. Young people respond well to the clear boundaries, to the point of ensuring new young people adhere to the boundaries as well so the calm and nurturing environment is not disrupted.

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Outstanding

The Registered Manager and the staff team are very well-informed of the need, should it arise, to ensure police responses to any serious incident involving young people are appropriate. Collaborative working results in restorative justice measures being implemented wherever possible, with very successful outcomes.

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Outstanding

The Registered Manager leads on safeguarding and child protection and is supported by a deputy manager in his absence. Both have undertaken suitable training delivered by the local authority to ensure correct measures are followed. He has developed professional and effective links with safeguarding agencies. These links ensure good partnership arrangements in keeping young people safe. Young people say they feel safe as the staff really do care about them and support them to make safe decisions. They also say that the staff are always there to provide support if things go wrong.

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Outstanding

Young people live in a safe environment where all health and safety checks are carried out. Young people know what to do in the event of a fire as they experience regular fire evacuation drills. Recruitment arrangements are robust. Only those adults assessed as suitable to work with young people are appointed. Young people are very involved in the recruitment of staff; interviewing applicants and feeding back to the Registered Manager on their views and opinions of the prospective applicants.

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Outstanding

The Registered Manager has 12 years experience of managing a children’s home and of working in partnership with various professionals in a multi-agency capacity to support looked after children. He holds suitable qualifications and continually looks to extend his expertise. Within the local authority he delivers training, including to the police, around how not to criminalise young people. He also maintains a high profile in the local authority in reviewing policies and practice across other services. Feedback from a range of professionals, staff, young people and their families confirm the extremely positive impact he has on the home and in enabling young people to make excellent progress in their lives. In addition, he encourages and promotes individual staff to take on specific roles to develop their careers.

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Outstanding

The Registered Manager is supported by two highly effective deputy managers who together form a strong management team. This ensures the home is effectively managed at all times. The staff team have great respect for the Registered Manager and feel confident in his management of the home. There is a culture of positivity with high expectations of the young people and staff. The management team lead by example and know their strengths and areas they wish to develop.

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Outstanding

Monitoring of the service is highly organised, robust and of an excellent standard. The Registered Manager and his deputies regularly monitor the quality of care provided. As a result they have a thorough understanding of activities within the home, the young people and staff performance. Records are maintained to an extremely high standard and allow for analysis of information. An independent visitor provides an objective review of the home and its practices. Any recommendations are acted on.

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Outstanding

The staff team receive regular training, supervision and appraisals that allow them to identify their development needs. A robust system, overseen by the deputy manager, ensures all staff are up to date with their mandatory training. Staff have the opportunity through de-briefs, including with a clinical psychologist, to reflect on practice issues. Staff members say they enjoy working at the home, with the vast majority having worked there for over 5 years.

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Outstanding

The statement of purpose meets the required standard. It contains clear information that enables professionals to have an overview of the service when making placement decisions.

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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.

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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

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What the inspection judgements mean

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

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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

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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 .

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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,

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

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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

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