Children's Home run by Crusoe Care Limited in East Sussex

Inspection report children’s home: SC434573 1 SC434573 Registered provider: Crusoe Care Limited 06843979

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. Accommodation is provided in a single-storey bungalow located in a residential area. It is owned by a private company that has one other small children’s home located very close by.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None Inspection report children’s home: SC434573 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home requires improvement to be good because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 The registered manager does not monitor the quality of record keeping. Staff did not record a thorough assessment prior to a young person moving into the home. A care plan and behaviour plan were not completed and a review of the placement did not occur within timescales stated in the statement of purpose.  Staff do not review one young person’s placement plan regularly.  Staff have not reviewed the safe use of the internet agreement made with a young person; the agreement document could not be located.  Staff do not consistently record risk assessments regarding the risk of child sexual exploitation and radicalisation.  Staff do not have regular supervision or team meetings to enable them to reflect on their practice and share information.  Senior staff are not on duty during each shift as stated in the statement of purpose.  Young people’s missing from home records do not consistently evidence action

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Key findings from this inspection

taken to locate the young person.  The registered manager does not update policies or include risks related to lone working in the community. The registered manager did not seek agreement in respect to this matter.

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Key findings from this inspection

 One young person who has recently moved into the home has settled in well and has made good relationships with staff.  Young people make good progress and work towards achievable targets and rewards.  A young person had a successful move back to his family home.  Staff support young people’s school attendance and access to after-school clubs. Young people enjoy an active lifestyle.  Young people access therapeutic services. Staff make good use of therapist consultations to help them to respond to young people’s emotional needs. Inspection report children’s home: SC434573 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/10/2016 Full Good 17/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 12/05/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC434573 4

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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

12 In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure –

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Requirement Due date

(2) (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;

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Requirement Due date

(e) that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. 07/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

13. In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person must –

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Requirement Due date

(2)(a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose. 07/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

14. In order to meet the care planning standard, the registered person must ensure that children –

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Requirement Due date

(a) receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. 07/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained –

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma. (Regulation 32 (4) ((a) (b)) 07/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive Inspection report children’s home: SC434573 5 practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4) (b) (c)). 07/08/2017

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Recommendations

 Records must be kept detailing all individual incidents when children go missing. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.31) In particular, this should include evidencing steps taken to search for the young person and detailed logs of attempts to contact them.

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improvement to be good

Young people’s experiences of moving into the home are positive. One young person was able to visit the placement prior to moving in. An informative children’s guide included the necessary information regarding routines, rules and expectations. Staff are making good relationships with him, and he has responded positively. As a result, he has settled in well. The staff consulted with professionals regarding the young person’s needs. However, a thorough assessment was not completed prior to the move. The registered manager is unable to evidence how he made decisions regarding the impact on the young person already placed.

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improvement to be good

Care plans are not in place for all young people and are not subject to regular review. Staff have not reviewed one young person’s placement in accordance with the company policy. Agreements made in regards to day-to-day decisions affecting the young people’s lives have not been updated. The registered manager has not ensured that there are signed consents in place to cover medical emergencies and placement agreements. This compromises the staff’s ability to respond to the young people’s needs consistently, review their needs and respond effectively in an emergency.

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improvement to be good

The inspector observed positive interactions between staff and the young people. Staff undertake regular key-work sessions to address any areas of concern. Staff record these as observations along with recordings of significant events. However, formal house meetings between staff and young people have not taken place, missing an opportunity for a formal, recorded communication between young people and the staff. Inspection report children’s home: SC434573 6 Young people receive a high level of supervision to ensure that their specific social, emotional and physical needs are met. They make good progress and work towards their agreed goals. They have earned rewards for this, for example watching a football match at Wembley and attending wrestling matches. Young people enjoy a range of activities, both in the home and in the community. They are encouraged to join local groups to pursue their hobbies. Young people have quality time with staff, and they enjoy

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improvement to be good

communal activities such as fishing. The home presents as having a family feel. Young people support each other, mirroring the good role-modelling of the staff, who genuinely care about the young people.

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improvement to be good

Young people’s emotional well-being is a priority. They receive the health services that they require, including specialist mental health support services. Staff benefit from regular consultations with the young people’s therapist. This enables the staff to gain the insight to support the young people. They have created a ‘worry box’. Young people use this to post letters recording their feelings. This has been effective in reducing anxiety and challenging behaviours.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager and staff prioritise education. Both young people attend education and make good progress. There is a close working relationship between school staff and the residential staff. Staff respond to any concerns from teachers by discussing these with the young people during key-work sessions. Both young people attend after-school clubs organised by the school, enabling them to socialise with their peers. The head of care at this provision reports, ‘The staff communicate with us well; we have daily contact. They do good work with the boys.’

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improvement to be good

Staff support young people to make positive moves from the home. One young person, who made good progress here, had a successful move home. Staff helped him to prepare by working on all aspects of his care, including his self-care and independence skills, prior to the move. Staff celebrated his move by going out for a meal with him and his peer. Staff supported the other young person to express his feelings of loss, which helped him to manage his emotions positively.

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improvement to be good

Safeguarding training includes child sexual exploitation and whistle-blowing. One young person’s risk of child sexual exploitation and radicalisation is clearly recorded in a risk assessment. However, the other young person’s records do not evidence assessment of his level of risk. The registered manager has not regularly updated safeguarding policies. This does not inform staff about changes in policy or the law.

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improvement to be good

Staff teach young people how to use electronic internet-based devices safely. The staff supervise young people while they are using the internet.

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improvement to be good

Staff are trained in de-escalation techniques to defuse situations. Physical interventions are rarely used. A behaviour management plan is not in place regarding one young Inspection report children’s home: SC434573 7 person’s responses to physical intervention. This compromises staff’s ability to manage his behaviour consistently and effectively.

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improvement to be good

Young people rarely go missing from the home. Since the last inspection, this has occurred twice. Staff responded effectively in one incident by following the home’s protocol and procedure. However, recording of another incident did not demonstrate whether staff actively looked for the young person.

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improvement to be good

The use of restorative justice and appropriate consequences in response to any misbehaviour help young people to take responsibility for their actions. One young person has earned additional free time, at his request, in response to his level of maturity and ability to take responsibility for himself.

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improvement to be good

An informative location review is in place. External agencies, including a police officer and the Local Safeguarding Children Board, have been consulted. This ensures that young people and professionals have the necessary information regarding any risks in the area. The home has links with the police community support officer, who visits the home to give young people advice and guidance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager has suitable qualifications and experience to fulfil his role. He has a level 4 qualification in leadership and management. He is also the registered manager for a second home operated by the company. He manages his time supporting both homes and forms good relationships with both of the young people living here. The ethos is of a family-run home with clear boundaries, routines and consistent care. The young people are cared for in the evening by staff who sleep here overnight. The statement of purpose states that there will always be a senior staff member on duty. However, on the day of the inspection there were no senior staff members caring for the young people. While the staff present were competent and experienced in dealing with the young people, this was not consistent with the company policy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has engaged well with staff; he has created a positive home culture, and his knowledge of the young people is drawn upon by staff. A staff member spoken with by the inspector said, ‘I feel supported by the manager and responsible individual. One of them is always available.’ Staff reported that morale was good. All staff work across both homes and know the young people well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager has developed good relationships with professionals and partner agencies. A positive relationship with local authorities ensures that staff share information relating to the young people’s care plans. The team manager for one young person said, ‘There is good communication. The young person is making steady progress at his pace.’ The registered manager did not seek agreement with a social worker in regards to staff lone working in the community. Policies about this do not include all potential risks. Inspection report children’s home: SC434573 8 The registered manager recognises the importance of sharing knowledge during debriefs and daily feedback. However, staff do not have regular supervision in line with the home’s supervision policy and statement of purpose. The related requirement from the previous inspection has not been met. Supervision records were not available on request

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

during the inspection. There was only one recorded team meeting since the last inspection; the quality of this recording was good. Staff do not have protected time to discuss the impact of their roles and share their knowledge regarding the young people and their needs. The staff do not have the opportunity to work together to develop the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager and responsible individual are committed to improving the service and ensuring that they address the issues raised. The external visitor produces regular quality assurance reports. These are valued by the manager and registered individual and contribute to raising the quality of the service.

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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 differences 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 whom 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: SC434573 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Crusoe Care Limited 06843979

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: c/o Shoreline Accountants Ltd, 1 st Floor Trafalgar House, Quarry road, Newhaven, East Sussex BN9 9DD

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Timothy McIlwaine

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Inspector(s)

Suzy Lemmy, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC434573 10 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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