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

Inspection report children’s home: SC036501 1 SC036501 Registered provider: Springfield Road Children’s Homes Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is operated by a private organisation.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 29 November 2016

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Improved effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people develop strong and meaningful relationships with staff who continuously show that they not only care for them, but care about them. Young people benefit from the intensely nurturing, individualised approach and Inspection report children’s home: SC036501 2 make significant progress in all aspects of their lives.  Staff understand each young person’s specific needs and tailor support to promote their development, safety and welfare. Young people are learning how to keep themselves safe. Young people who previously placed themselves in situations where they were in danger of exploitation, no longer demonstrate such high-risk behaviour.  Young people feel valued and respected. They know that their views and opinions are important and that staff respond to concerns they raise.  Effective partnership working with other professionals and young people’s families benefit young people.  A strong management team works cohesively, leading the staff team with

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Key findings from this inspection

energy and dedication so that young people have opportunities to succeed and fulfil their potential.  Social workers are impressed by the progress young people are making which exceeds their expectations.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Records of physical intervention are not fully compliant with regulations.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/11/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 17/05/2016 Full Good 05/01/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 12/05/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC036501 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet 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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that, within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person"), has spoken to the user about the measure; and, within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(b)(i) and 35(3)(c)) 28/07/2017

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people living in the home make significant progress. Through consistent, predictable and nurturing support, young people thrive and learn how to keep themselves safe. Staff recognise and respond to the diverse needs of young people, tailoring the support so that each young person has opportunities to develop in their own unique way. Social workers acknowledge the progress young people make at the home and how well staff understand and address young people’s specific needs. A social worker commented, ‘This is the best placement for the young person.’ Young people’s progress is exceeding their hopes and expectations. Young people recognise with pride the progress they are making. One young person stated that their behaviour has improved, ‘Because staff help me think about what I am doing’. Strong, warm-hearted relationships between staff and young people create the foundation for stability and security so that young people feel emotionally contained,

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

begin to listen and change their behaviour. A young person assertively stated that the home ‘is the best’ and scored it ten out of ten. Staff are ambitious for young people to succeed in education and support them to achieve and fulfil their potential. When there are difficulties with school attendance, staff work successfully in partnership with education staff, the young person’s social worker, and their parent to support the young person to attend. Close monitoring of young people’s health needs ensures that their specific needs are identified and met. Staff support young people to establish healthy eating patterns and Inspection report children’s home: SC036501 4 engage in physical activities so that they may benefit from a healthy lifestyle. Staff carefully observe young people’s emotional and psychological health and ensure that they have access to specialist assessment when required. Detailed support strategies

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

guide staff to provide sensitive, protective assistance when young people show signs of emotional distress. With this focus on their emotional well-being, young people are beginning to express themselves appropriately and manage their emotions with consequent improvements in their behaviour. Young people’s views are important to staff. Young people’s meetings are a forum for them to express their opinions on day-to-day matters such as activities, menus and other issues affecting their experience of living in the home. Through individual, frequent key work sessions, young people have opportunities to raise any concerns and discuss their care plans. Staff take their views seriously and take action. A young person voiced concerns about inaccuracies in their care plan and staff promptly amended the content to the young person’s satisfaction. Young people are aware of the complaints procedure and use it as a way of making their views known. Complaints are followed up and

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

resolved, demonstrating to young people that their opinions are important, that they are listened to and respected. Young people benefit from staff’s understanding of their particular needs. For young people who are reluctant to pursue new activities and venture out of the comfort zone of the home, staff strike the right balance in encouraging them to extend their social experiences, but not to the extent that they refuse to participate. Young people gradually develop self-confidence to become more independent and take more responsibility for themselves. Staff engage in meaningful dialogue with young people, helping them to appreciate different points of view as they move towards young adulthood. A social worker remarked that staff ‘are able to open the young person’s world’.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Extremely positive relationships are at the heart of all practice in the home. Staff and young people enjoy being in each other’s company in a warm and friendly environment. Young people speak very favourably of staff and how they can talk to them about anything. Also, young people get on well together, even though ‘we are very different’, as a young person commented. Staff are intensely proud of young people’s achievements, want the best outcomes for them and strive to provide them with opportunities to develop and improve their future life chances. Staff not only care for young people, but care about them and are passionate about supporting them as any ‘good parent’ would. These trusting relationships, along with structure and clear boundaries, help young people to feel safe. They know that the priority for staff is to support them to keep themselves safe. Staff understand the particular risks relating to each young person.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Current risk assessments provide clear guidance for staff to reduce risk. Key work sessions address concerns staff have, enabling young people to develop an understanding of keeping themselves safe. Young people are involved in negotiating strategies to protect them. A young person has a contract in place where they have Inspection report children’s home: SC036501 5 agreed the basis for using a mobile phone, the internet and social media. Staff monitor their use daily, but a young person explained that ‘it’s only to make sure that I am keeping myself safe’. Consequently, young people develop their awareness of e-safety and show great maturity in keeping to the agreed rules. Detailed and comprehensive care plans focus on young people’s individual needs. Staff involve young people in setting their goals through child-friendly care plans so that they are fully engaged and can celebrate their achievements and progress. Well-thought-out

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

strategies guide staff in meeting young people’s emotional needs when they are in a low mood, worried or upset. From the foundation of positive, trusting relationships, young people are able to show their feelings, discuss their concerns, listen and accept the support offered. Physical intervention by staff to manage young people’s behaviour is extremely rare. There has been only one recent record of physical intervention. Recording of this incident is not fully compliant with the regulations. It does not include a record of the de-briefing with staff (after the event), nor confirmation that the young person has been spoken to about the incident. Through staff’s nurturing, consistent emotional support, young people with a history of going missing, and placing themselves in situations where they were in danger of exploitation, no longer put themselves at such high levels of risk. There have been no incidents of young people being reported as missing. Staff balance the need to protect

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

through close supervision, with appropriate support to help young people develop their independence skills, building their confidence and social awareness, and become able to access the local community safely. A robust recruitment process helps to protect young people from unsuitable adults working with them. All checks on prospective employees are undertaken before they commence working at the home. Systems are in place to check all health and safety matters. Appropriate fire safety checks are routinely applied.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has been in post since 2002. She has a wealth of experience from working therapeutically with young people and has qualifications in systemic family psychotherapy and child-focused systemic practice. Supported by a skilled and experienced management team, she is also the registered manager for another of the organisation’s children’s homes close by. The management team shares a conviction of the importance of developing relationships with young people and this ethos is translated into staff practice. Warm, trusting relationships are the foundation of the successful individualised support they provide. Social workers are impressed by the significant and positive effect the support is having on young people. One social worker commented that a young person, who had previously broken down numerous placements, is making good progress. They said that, ‘Staff have a handle on the young person’s behaviour and, with their therapeutic

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

approach, behaviour is significantly improving.’ Another social worker commented that, ‘Staff understand the young person and understand their particular needs, and support Inspection report children’s home: SC036501 6 the young person in every way.’ Training for staff is comprehensive and staff are working towards the required qualification. Managers provide effective support for staff through individual supervision and team meetings with a focus on reflective practice, safeguarding and practice issues. Managers are particularly sensitive to the effect young people’s behaviour may have on staff and their subsequent interactions with young people. Managers continually monitor young people’s progress. Staff update care plans and risk assessments regularly to meet young people’s developing needs. Monthly reports by an independent visitor are rigorous and identify shortfalls. Managers respond promptly with

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

a commitment to high standards of care and improving outcomes for young people. They have plans in place to develop the home. Currently, managers are completing training in non-violent resistance to manage and change difficult and challenging behaviour. Staff work positively and effectively with other professionals and young people’s families. A social worker commented that, ‘Communication is of the highest quality’. There is effective and close liaison with young people’s families whenever possible, which helps young people to benefit from a consistent approach. In a social worker’s words, ‘We all work together to support the young person.’

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: SC036501 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Springfield Road Childrens Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 5 Cornfield Terrace, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN21 4NN

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Inspector

Janet Hunnam, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC036501 8 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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