Children's home run by Rubicon Children and Family Services Ltd in Lewes

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:

 Young people who previously engaged in risk-taking behaviour reduce or even cease this behaviour. This is because they gain insights and a better understanding of their vulnerabilities. This helps young people to make better decisions.  Relationships are a key strength in this home, and the effective engagement by staff enables young people to become resilient and sustain strong bonds over time.  Young people understand and gain a sense of their own development and progress. This is because staff reinforce with them the progress that they have made, and how this has benefited them.  Behaviour management strategies are effective, and enable young people to reflect on how their behaviour affects others. As a result, they have developed effective coping mechanisms to regulate and manage their behaviour.  Staff promote young people's education. They help young people to understand the importance of learning and how this will shape their futures.

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The children's home provision is good because:

This has resulted in young people who are motivated and eager to learn.  Staff feel well supported by effective supervision and group sessions with a qualified psychologist. This enables them to develop their practice, understand complex behaviours and work more effectively as a team.  Staff are committed and motivated in their caring roles, and appreciate the importance of helping young people to learn to take control of their lives.  Staff value the registered manager and they said that she is child centred and supportive. They respect the objective and constructive guidance she gives, along with the confidence that she expresses in their performance. Staff say that this increases their self-confidence and enthusiasm to develop professionally.  Systems to ensure that relevant information, particularly care plans and risk assessments, is updated and readily available need to be monitored more closely.

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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 ‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

(2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (a) that staff— (i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child's relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; 10 August 2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Work closely with the placing authority to understand the child's relationship history and then the impact that the child's arrival may have on the group living in the home. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 38, paragraph 8.3.)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that there is effective care planning and strong working relationships between the staff of the home and the placing authority, which are essential to the success of placements. Care plans should be seen as forming the basis of their care, and be available to staff and young people. This is in respect of ensuring that care plans are visible and available to staff. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.2.)

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Information about this children's home

This home is privately owned and is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five young people with emotional or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.5

Recent inspection history

15 March 2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

p.5

Recent inspection history

24 February 2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

p.5

Good

Staff and young people build effective relationships that enable them to talk freely and openly, which is a key strength of this home. Staff understand the young people well. They recognise young people’s vulnerabilities, and this enables them to support young people’s needs.

p.6

Good

Young people help to write their individual plans, and therefore understand them. These provide negotiated and achievable goals. Young people are able to express themselves assertively, although this has not always been the case. Young people have developed their confidence and increased their self-esteem through the sensitive guidance provided by staff. One young person who rarely expressed opinions now speaks with assurance, and appropriately challenges others. Young people who previously used anger and conflict to express themselves now find suitable ways to voice their opinions.

p.6

Good

Young people all praised the staff. One young person said, ‘I used to become violent and so angry. Now staff can see when I am becoming angry, and they distract me and help me to calm down.’ Several were able to reflect on how they have improved and progressed. Another young person said, ‘before I came to this home I would often place myself at risk by going missing. I haven't run away since I moved in. That's got to be good, hasn't it?’

p.6

Good

Not only do young people make good progress, but, crucially, they appreciate how they have moved forward. This has been highly significant in their development, because they learn that their progress is down to them. They know that they are succeeding, and they continue to invest in themselves.

p.6

Good

Staff have instilled within young people the ability to look at themselves more objectively. Young people are beginning to harness some of their more explosive emotions and to manage their behaviour appropriately. This is a key factor in their progress, and will enable them to have greater levels of choice and control over their adult lives.

p.6

Good

All young people have individual education plans to support their learning. Some of the young people are in special schools and some are receiving home tuition. Young people are engaging in their education effectively and, considering their complex needs, their ability to focus on education is quite remarkable. They understand the importance of their education and value their learning. One young person said, ‘I know the importance of getting my GCSEs; I want an education because I want a good job.’ Another young person said, ‘I have to travel a long way to school and I have to get up very early, but staff help and support me.’ This young person has just been awarded the headteacher’s award for achievement and being top in her year group, and was rightly very proud.

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Good

Young people benefit from careful placement decisions. The manager considers whether the home is right for the young person, and if the staff have the skills and experience to meet their needs before placements are offered. The manager and staff always meet with young people prior to their admission. One young person said, ‘It was so nice getting to know the staff before I came. I felt less worried and saw friendly faces when I arrived.’

p.7

Good

Staff members meet as a group to assess a young person’s needs prior to placement, discuss the strategies for meeting them, and consider the impact the admission will have on those living in the home. As a result, unplanned endings are rare. Young people typically settle well because pre-placement planning has ensured that suitable care strategies are in place. However, these assessments are not always captured clearly in the home's documents; this limits learning and practice development.

p.7

Good

All young people receive support from child and adolescent mental health services, and a qualified counsellor is commissioned by the home to provide extra support to complement the community services. Young people's physical health is well supported by their attendance, at the agreed frequency, with the GP, optician and dentist. Young people gain understanding of the importance of health, thorough discussion and guidance from staff, and learn to take greater levels of control and responsibility for themselves. As a result, they pay closer attention to personal hygiene and diet.

p.7

Good

Young people say that they feel safe in this home. Two young people spoke about how they had previously placed themselves at risk, and how they have learned through discussions with staff how to avoid such situations in the future. Young people and staff work together to complete risk assessments that are focused and targeted. Through this, and one-to-one working, forming trusting relationships and open dialogue, young people are more able to understand their vulnerabilities. They gain insight, and have a greater awareness of the times and situations when they may be at risk. Some risk assessments had not been updated to take account of incidents and changes in behaviour. This means staff are not able to take the necessary action to reduce risk.

p.7

Good

Young people know that they are vulnerable when they go missing. Some, who were frequently absent prior to moving into the home, have reduced this behaviour significantly. Others have ceased their episodes of going missing altogether.

p.8

Good

Staff understand the importance of young people expressing themselves in an appropriate and measured way, and encourage them to make their views and feelings known appropriately. Regular meetings between young people and staff facilitate this, and staff support young people who might need more help.

p.8

Good

Effective behaviour management strategies focus on discussion and cooperation. This reduces the need for as the use of sanctions, and instead encourages negotiation. One young person said, ‘The rules are fair and staff try to talk to you and calm you down.’ Another young person said, ‘Staff are always talking to me and can see when there times when I'm finding things difficult.’ Physical intervention is uncommon, because staff successfully de-escalate situations through the close working and trust that they have established with the young people. During the inspection staff were observed offering care and support to calm a young person down effectively was observed.

p.8

Good

The registered manager places great emphasis on ensuring that only those people suitable to work with young people are employed within the home. Recruitment and interviewing practices are thorough and well organised. For example, applicants consider scenarios and situations, in order that their relevant skills, knowledge and understanding are assessed.

p.8

Good

The registered manager and staff understand the importance of working as a team, and team meetings regularly focus on establishing team cohesion. Effective team building results in a staff group that is stable, providing young people with consistency and familiar faces. Staff come from a range of backgrounds and possess a wide range of skills in social care. These differing skills are valued by the registered manager and are viewed as complementing the team’s resources. Staff say that this also provides them with a wide and varied source of experience and information on which to draw. Judgement grade

p.8

Good

The registered manager has been appointed within the last year, and is already developing practice within the home. She is undertaking training to develop solution-focused therapy. This is supported by a commissioned psychotherapist and will be disseminated to the staff. The registered manager is described by her staff as a strong and effective leader who puts young people first, and who is supportive of staff development and learning

p.9

Good

The manager is approachable and visible to the young people. She chairs all their house meetings, and young people help to develop and shape the home. At the managers request young people have redesigned the homes young person’s guide. They have an increased role in staff recruitment, writing questions and evaluating the candidates’ suitability. Young people feel connected to how their home is managed.

p.9

Good

Young people’s files are, in the main, well-managed and up-to-date. Young people are able to read them and gain an understanding about their time in the home. Staff members are sensitive and considerate in recording events. These records provide an accurate and thoughtful account of the young people's lives for them to read and reflect upon. One young person’s local authority care plan had been mislaid and, this, along with out of date risk assessments, had not been identified and addressed by monitoring systems.

p.9

Good

Supervision is effective, and staff say that it inspires them to be motivated and effective in their roles. They use supervision to consider more complex situations and, reflect on their practice. Supervision relationships are described as trusting and supportive, enabling staff to be open, and to share any matters that may affect their work. One staff member said, ‘Supervision allows me to take an overview of my work. I am able to be honest, and supervision can be appropriately challenging.’ Another said, ‘Supervision sometimes offers timeout, an opportunity to look at my practice, consider my training needs and professional development.’

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Good

Group supervision from a qualified psychologist helps staff to understand some of the more complex needs of the young people and to develop effective approaches. In one example, staff had learned more effective de-escalation techniques for when a young person had been signalling their need for attention.

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Good

The home continues to develop services for young people. There is an open forum in which young people, staff and stakeholders take part in the home’s development planning. The quality assurance assessment undertaken by the registered manager and independent visitor is also used to identify areas for improvement. Recent developments include:

p.9

Good

 membership of a wildlife trust for the whole home, which affords interesting and educational activities for the young people

p.10

Good

 the employment of a qualified teacher to work with young people who are to be home tutored

p.10

Good

 establishing a sensory room and a home tuition room  the introduction a reward scheme. The home is well maintained in all areas, although it has recently suffered some minor damage. Regular maintenance and refurbishment is undertaken, and any damages repaired, within the rolling programme. The house is pleasant and homely, and young people said, ‘It is just like home’. Young people proudly showed their bedrooms, which are highly personalised and decorated to their choice. One young person commented, ‘I never have to lock my door, because the other young people wouldn't come in without permission.’

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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. 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 children looked after is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements

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What the inspection judgements mean

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 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 ‘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 0300 123 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, work- based 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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