Children's home run by Springfield Road Children’s Homes Ltd in Eastbourne

Good

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

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The children's home provision is good because:

 There are excellent supportive relationships between the young people and members of staff. Relaxed young people are seen to enjoy the company of staff.  Young people make excellent progress in their lives, especially when bearing in mind their starting points. Excellent attendance at school and development of life and social skills are examples of their celebrated progress. They receive good support from staff that cares for them.  Young people’s self-esteem and confidence grows considerably. Effective monitoring and scrutiny of care plays by managers ensures that young people are meeting their goals and targets.  Liaison with stakeholders, such as parents and social workers, is very good. Close contact is maintained with everyone concerned in the young peoples’ care to ensure that they are kept up to date and included.  Young people’s historically poor attendance at school has risen to 100% due to the high calibre support provided by members of staff.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people receive excellent support from a settled and experienced staff team. This provides stability for them. As a result young people feel safe. ‘I would give this home ten out of ten’ a young person said.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard, with regards to the home providing clear feedback to complainants, the registered provider must:

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Requirement Due date

(2) (g) (ii) feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received. 30/09/15

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Information about this children's home

The home is privately owned and is registered to accommodate up to three young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home can admit young people in an emergency as outlined in the statement of purpose

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

16/12/2014 CH - Interim improved effectiveness

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people living in the home are

Relationships between the young people and members of staff are trusting and warm. Interactions observed show that young people are able to relax with members of staff, discuss their opinions and feelings and to go to them for help and advice. One young person said ‘the staff, no matter what, are always there for you’

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people living in the home are

Consistent, well trained and committed staff members provide the young people with safe boundaries and routines. They clearly know the young people very well and they value the relationships they have developed. This leads to stability for them which in turn provide a safe and nurturing environment. Staff delivery of high quality bespoke care plans support and enables young people to make excellent progress. This is with particular regard to their education attendance and development of independence skills.

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people living in the home are

Emphasis is placed on positive aspects of the young peoples’ lives and there is true enjoyment of their success and progress. Staff members genuinely delight in young peoples’ achievements.

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people living in the home are

The impact of detailed and carefully thought through care plans enables young people to make significant progress. Young people understand their care plans and are involved in their development. This helps them to feel involved and empowered and to make great strides forward. ‘I can manage it when I get angry now, I don’t need to kick off’, is a comment from one young person.

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people living in the home are

A wide range of activities designed to meet each young person’s interests is available. Activities which the young people have chosen include street dance, youth club, computer club and cycling. This enables the young people to develop confidence, social and independence skills to a significant degree.

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people living in the home are

Attendance at school is 100% for the young people in the home. This is remarkable, especially when considering their very poor attendance at school when they first came to the home. Staff members maintain high quality and close liaison with the education providers. Prompt support is available to assist young people in their educational placement if and when required. This enables young people to maintain their high levels of attendance and achievement. The staff team promote the value and importance of education and young people benefit considerably as a result of this. Young people respond to the staff team’s enthusiastic and educative approach to leading healthy lifestyles. This includes eating healthily and taking part in exercise. Each young person has an established health care plan that is implemented. Staff members maintain close communication with health professionals to ensure that young people’s needs are met. For example, staff liaise with doctors and

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people living in the home are

psychiatrists if they feel that medication routines and doses need to be reviewed.

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people living in the home are

Young peoples’ views are central to the running of the home. They are involved in the recruitment of new members of staff and this helps them to feel that they have a say in where they live. They also influence matters such as menus, activities and the choice of holiday venues.

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people living in the home are

Young people understand the complaints process and are confident that staff listens to them. They also have access to an independent advocate if they wish. The young people have not made formal complaints, choosing instead to settle any issues of concern informally by talking with members of staff. One young person commented that, ‘They’re around all the time and we can chat to them when we want to’.

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people living in the home are

Young people receive particularly excellent support, to maintain contact with their families, especially if this contact can be stressful and challenging.

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Good

Young people say that they feel safe living in the home. They are confident that they can discuss any issues with members of staff. They say that there is no bullying where they live. Excellent use of mediation meetings resolves disagreement and conflicts. This ensures a settled atmosphere and maintains the culture of respecting each other’s’ views.

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Good

Good fire safety systems serve to protect young people and staff, enhanced through regular checking of equipment and fire drills which involve the young people.

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Good

Staff have an excellent understanding of young peoples’ abilities and vulnerabilities. Thorough and detailed risk assessments outline the measures needed to keep them safe. Staff implements these strategies effectively.

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Good

All members of staff have received training in e-safety. They are sensitive to the potential dangers associated with internet access and have ensured that young peoples’ awareness is also high. This is achieved through key regular work sessions.

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Good

Each young person has a behaviour management plan that identifies and provides for the strategies to support young people to maintain positive behaviour. They learn to manage their anger and frustration. One young person states that members of staff know ‘what makes me tick’. As a result, episodes of challenging behaviour have reduced and incidents of restraint are rare in the home.

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Good

Members of staff use reparation rather than imposing sanctions if a young person misbehaves. For example, a young person will help to repair any damage they have caused or perform an additional chore in order to put right other behaviour. This means that they can address their behaviour positively and make amends.

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Good

Incidents of young people going missing are very rare. Individual protocols which are compatible with local police guidance, prescribe the action for staff to follow and these are implemented when required. Consequently, when young people are absent without permission staff search areas, maintain telephone contact and persuade the young people to return.

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Good

Managers implement a comprehensive and thorough recruitment system. All required checks are undertaken and verified. This ensures that only adults with safe backgrounds are able to work with the young people.

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Good

All members of staff know who to inform if they have concerns about a young person’s wellbeing. All have received safeguarding training. They know what signs to be alert to in case any of the young people are at risk of sexual exploitation. Information is shared promptly to relevant agencies and this ensures that they are investigated and addressed. The staff vigilance further promotes young peoples’ safety.

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good

The Registered Manager has been in post since the home opened in 2002. She has over 35 years’ experience of working with young people and is suitably qualified to carry out her role. Her deputies are also very experienced and have achieved relevant qualifications. There is strong leadership and the team shares a common ethos. This in turn leads to consistency in care and a safe structure for the young people.

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good

Members of staff are aware of the home’s statement of purpose and what they are aiming to achieve for the young people. This further ensures that there is a common drive and direction for the whole staff team and that the young people benefit from having their progress nurtured and developed.

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good

The stability and consistency of care has ensured that young people living in the home are able to develop trusting and warm relationships. Young people are unanimously positive about the standard of care.

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good

All staff members receive both individual supervision and take part in group supervision with an external therapist. This is particularly useful for members of staff who report that they are able to reflect upon their effectiveness and team work. They are also able to examine how working with young people who can be challenging, can impact on their feelings and practice.

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good

Managers effectively monitor the quality of care in the home and actively seek the views of the young people, parents and social workers. This ensures that managers can promptly address any identified shortfalls. An independent visitor further supports monitoring of practice by carrying out monthly reviews of the home. This scrutiny consolidates the good quality assessment of care and practice. For example ensuring that care plans and other key documents are updated and relevant.

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good

Feedback from other agencies about the quality of communication and the working relationship with the home is good. The youth justice team identified a ‘high standard of joint working’. A placing social worker comments that ‘staff offer excellent care.’

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good

While the home is adept at communicating with stakeholders and other agencies, it does not always evidence how it has pursued any issues which it has identified and is attempting to rectify. For example an integration plan for a young person at school was in place, but the home did not have a copy of this and therefore was not aware of all the details. This has not had an impact on the young person and the young person is achieving full school attendance. Members of staff are not aware of how the school is managing the young person’s integration back into their peer group. Therefore they cannot fully assist school staff and the young person in this process.

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good

A complaint made against the home by an external stakeholder has been robustly investigated, with the issues identified suitably addressed. Although this has had no impact on the wellbeing of young people, the home cannot demonstrate how or if the complainant is satisfied due to its lack of record-keeping in this regard.

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good

Prompt notifications of significant incidents ensure that young peoples’ safety and welfare is protected as a result of effective exchange of information. One social worker has recorded in writing that she is pleased with the manner in which the home follows the appropriate child protection procedures.

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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

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

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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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