Children's Home run by Springfield Road Children’s Homes Ltd in East Sussex

Inspection report children‟s home: SC412296 1 SC412296 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

This privately owned children‟s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: Improved effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 The management team provides effective leadership enabling the staff to create a nurturing, family environment where the young people receive consistent care and develop a sense of stability and security. Inspection report children‟s home: SC412296 2  Through close, individualised support, the young people establish trusting relationships with the staff. Staff respond thoughtfully to young people‟s specific needs and young people trust in this.  The staff tailor support to promote young people‟s development, safety and welfare.  The staff are determined and persistent in protecting the young people from harm. They work collaboratively with the young people‟s social workers, the police and the local community to keep the young people safe when they leave the home without permission.  Care plans and risk assessments are detailed and comprehensive. The managers review these regularly to ensure that the guidelines for the staff

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Key findings from this inspection

promote positive outcomes and protect the young people from the potential of harm effectively.

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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 the Regulations.  The staff are not receiving an annual appraisal to assess their performance and fitness to carry out their roles.  Managers are not recording that gaps in a prospective employee‟s employment history have been explored and satisfactorily explained.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 25/08/2016 Full Good 06/01/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 17/07/2015 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: SC412296 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)) 01/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33(4)(c)) 01/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only employ an individual to work at a children‟s home if full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(2)(d)) 01/09/2017

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people, who have complex needs, experience individualised care within a nurturing environment where they have opportunities to learn to manage their emotions more appropriately and keep themselves safe. They develop warm, trusting relationships with the staff who are resilient and consistent in their approach, even during periods when the young people are displaying extremely challenging behaviour. A local authority support worker stated that the staff‟s approach „is bespoke, insightful, open to learning, patient, warm and child friendly‟. The young people benefit and make significant progress from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some of the young people are flourishing at school. One young person attends a mainstream school, has excellent attendance and has settled very well. A school report noted that she is „a credit to the school‟. The staff liaise closely with school staff and work hard to support young people who find engaging in education difficult. Inspection report children‟s home: SC412296 4 The staff encourage the young people to lead a healthy lifestyle and pay close attention to the young people‟s specific health needs implementing sensitive support, which promotes their improved health. The staff understand the complex emotional needs of the young people resulting from historical traumatic experiences and multiple placement breakdowns. Using a therapeutic approach through positive relationships, the staff help the young people to manage and regulate their emotions, develop self-awareness and improve their behaviour.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff recognise the importance of leisure activities to the young people‟s development. They encourage the young people to pursue their personal interests and participate in local community activities thus extending their social experiences, building their self-confidence and sense of identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The views of the young people are important to the staff. Through house meetings, key- work sessions and individual consultations, the young people put forward their opinions on day-to-day matters and decisions affecting their care and their lives. They are actively involved in their care planning and setting the goals they would like to achieve. The staff are proactive in advocating on behalf of the young people. They ensure that the young people have the benefit of an independent advocate when there is uncertainty around future placement plans and when indecision is affecting the well-being of the young person.

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

Nurturing the young people and developing warm and caring relationships is fundamental to the support the staff provide for the young people and central to protecting them from harm. Through close supervision from the thoughtful and consistent staff team, the young people develop a sense of safety, protection and trust in the adults who care for them. A support worker from a placing authority commented that he has seen „the young person thrive in their care‟. When the young people go through difficult periods of displaying challenging behaviour and putting themselves at high risk when out in the community, the staff are resilient, persistent and determined to protect them from harm.

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

Care plans and risk assessments are updated frequently and provide the staff with detailed information about the young people‟s specific needs and the risks they face. The staff have clear guidelines and strategies to give appropriate support to the young people, which assists their development and minimises the risk of potential harm.

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

Working collaboratively and effectively with the young people‟s social workers and the local police, the staff are very proactive in their approach to protecting the young people. There are incidents of the young people leaving the home without permission and the staff are aware of the risks of child sexual exploitation. The staff are resolute and tireless in following the young people, sometimes for long periods, to protect them and return them safely to the home. They liaise with the local shopkeeper and the staff in the library and pub to implement strategies to keep the young people safe. The managers take appropriate action when they consider the young people‟s behaviour to Inspection report children‟s home: SC412296 5 have become increasingly unsafe, communicating closely with the young people‟s social workers to ensure their safety.

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

Detailed behaviour management plans guide the staff to provide effective support. The young people receive thoughtful support to manage their behaviour. The staff use physical intervention as a last resort to protect the young people and others from serious harm when their behaviour is extreme and challenging. Staff record such incidents properly and managers closely scrutinise the reports to ensure safe practice. There is some evidence that managers discuss such incidents with the staff involved following the incident but records do not show that managers have undertaken a de-brief with staff and spoken to the young person on each occasion physical intervention has been used.

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

Recruitment processes are in place to protect the young people from unsuitable adults working with them. However, there is no evidence to demonstrate that gaps in a prospective employee‟s employment history had been explored and satisfactorily explained.

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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 also is the registered manager for another of the organisation‟s children‟s homes close by.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team is committed to providing a nurturing, family environment where the young people receive consistent care and a stable base, and develop positive relationships with the staff. The staff team shares this ethos and converts it into everyday practice. A member of staff commented that, „Staff and young people are made to feel part of the family.‟ Relationships between the young people and the staff are warm and trusting. A young person said, „Staff are kind and caring.‟

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers provide strong support for the staff through individual, reflective supervision and group supervision with a focus on improving practice, protecting the young people and implementing the home‟s therapeutic approach. A member of staff commented that the managers are always available for support and guidance saying, „We can call them in the middle of the night and they will always respond.‟ Training for the staff is comprehensive and they receive training and ongoing support to implement the home‟s therapeutic approach. The staff have not received annual appraisals to assess their performance and fitness to carry out their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers have an in-depth understanding of the young people‟s needs and the progress they are making. A local authority support worker commented that, „Staff are open to new ideas and psychologically minded in their approach. They are thoughtful in their approach and conscious of the young person‟s past and how it affects her present.‟

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Continuous monitoring by the managers ensures that the young people experience high Inspection report children‟s home: SC412296 6 standards of care. The staff update care plans and risk assessments regularly to meet the young people‟s developing needs. The managers use the monthly reports by the independent visitor constructively to address any shortfalls. They are keen to develop the care provided by the home to meet the young people‟s complex emotional and psychological needs. Currently, staff are undertaking training to implement the model of „Non-Violent Resistance‟ to manage and change difficult and challenging behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Social workers are positive about their relationship with the staff and the effective levels of communication which enable them to work together to protect the young people and promote positive outcomes. The managers are proactive in challenging ineffective responses from other services, including placing authorities, to ensure that decisions are made in the young people‟s best interests.

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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: SC412296 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Springfield Road Children‟s 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

Jan Hunnam, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC412296 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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