Children's home run by West Sussex County Council

Inspection report children’s home: SC037452 1 SC037452 Registered provider: West Sussex County Council

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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 six-bedded children’s home is owned and operated by a local authority. The service provides care and accommodation for young people who may 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

Date of last inspection: 23 November 2016

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC037452 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people make good progress while living in the home. They enjoy excellent relationships with staff, which focus on understanding behaviour and what it communicates. This has resulted in a more strategic approach to negative behaviours.  Young people are all engaged in education or are seeking employment. Young people who until recently struggled to engage in education now attend regularly. Staff are relentless in their quest to ensure that young people receive a good education.  Joint working is embedded in practice throughout all aspects of young people’s care. Professionals are positive about their experiences of working with the home and the impact that joint working has on young people’s progress.  Young people are supported to understand what a safe situation is and what positive relationships are like. This has led to young people recognising who are real friends and which of their relationships may be potentially damaging.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The acting manager has re-energised the staff team. Staff are incredibly positive and their confidence has increased. Staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities, and take pride and ownership in their work.

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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

 Staff receive regular supervisions, but the records lack detail on areas explored and how actions from staff’s appraisals are being monitored and reviewed.  The home’s statement of purpose is outdated and contains incorrect information. It is not reflective of the service currently provided and requires a review.  Young people’s in-house care plans are not reflective of individual culture or identity beyond young people’s religion or ethnicity.  Staff recruitment records lack detail on when or how references have been verified.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Inspection report children’s home: SC037452 3 23/11/2016 Full Requires improvement 21/09/2016 Full Inadequate 23/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 09/12/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC037452 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

Keep the statement of purpose under review and where appropriate revise it. (Regulation 16(3)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, update the document to reflect current practice in the home and up-to-date guidance and regulations. 18/08/2017

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Recommendations

 Children should be supported to express themselves as individuals (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.21). In particular, use young people’s in-house care plans to demonstrate their individuality and identity.  The registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1). In particular, seek verbal verification of references to ensure they are provided by a person with the responsibility to do so from within the applicant’s former workplace.  A record of supervision should be kept for staff, including the manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation 33(4)(b) (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3). In particular, ensure that the record

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Recommendations

is a thorough enough account to be useful in planning staff development and contributing to their appraisals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make good progress while living in the home. The staff have been re- energised in their approach to care since the acting manager has been in post. This has led to some excellent relationships being formed with young people, which focus on understanding behaviour and not being risk averse. This has resulted in a less Inspection report children’s home: SC037452 5 confrontational and reactive approach to concerning or negative behaviours, as young people are being given the opportunity to express themselves and work through their concerns. Young people see the home as theirs; one girl proudly showed her bedroom to the inspector; another showed her pet fish and talked about her emerging plans to decorate her room.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s views are actively sought through weekly group meetings, which are comprehensively minuted, and through, good-quality key-work sessions. Young people’s views are integral to the running of the home and they are afforded as much choice as is possible. Where their wishes cannot be met, the reasons are fully explained. Young people are engaged in formulating their in-house plans, and work alongside staff to consider how their needs can best be met and how they could respond if they are anxious or upset. Young people know how to complain and who to complain to, although there have been no formal complaints since the last inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are all engaged in education, or are seeking employment. One young person has recently secured a challenging job in a call centre and, as a result of her experience, is now seeking employment in other fields. She has been extremely responsible with her wages, including paying back money she had borrowed from the home, unprompted. This exemplifies the excellent social learning achieved here. A young person who really struggles with engaging in education, often staying in his room all day, has recently changed schools, and is now attending much more regularly. The headteacher at his school was complimentary about the staff regarding their joint working with the school, and the fact that they have ensured that he is now attending. Staff are relentless in their mission to ensure that young people do not see staying at home instead of attending school as an acceptable option.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are engaged in a range of activities, including attending military college, being on the care council, and arts and crafts within the home. Staff are taking time to get to know two recently placed young people to further expand their interests and experiences. All young people will be going on holidays or breaks over the summer holidays, including a spa break and camping. No young people currently wish to attend any religious observance. However, one who has been exploring her faith does not have this detailed in her care plan. While staff treat each young person with dignity and respect, nuances beyond ethnicity or religion are not included in young people’s plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Those who have recently moved into the home are welcomed and encouraged to see it as their home. Placement planning has significantly improved and only those the acting manager feels staff can help and support are accommodated. Joint working with key partner agencies ensures that comprehensive plans for each young person’s care and protection are formed by the professional team supporting the young person. Recently placed young people are still forming relationships with the more established members of the group. Staff support them discreetly and actively engage in discussions with young people in order to monitor relationships and ensure that they remain appropriate.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are supported to understand what a healthy lifestyle is, and what this means for them. All are encouraged to eat a varied diet with plenty of fresh ingredients, Inspection report children’s home: SC037452 6 while expanding their pallet by trying new foods and flavours. A young person was seen cooking with staff, and smelling and tasting different spices and sauces. Those who are cooking independently are directed away from ready meals and encouraged to include fresh vegetables in their meals. Smoking cessation support is available in addition to drug and alcohol support should this be necessary. Young people have access to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) and sexual health specialists alongside routine medical treatment. A young person who had previously refused has recently been supported to be inoculated, following input from a key worker. A CAMHS worker has strong links with the home and meets with key workers to consider young people’s

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

behaviours and needs and how best to support them physically and emotionally.

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

Young people’s actions and demeanour show that they feel safe in the home and they were observed approaching staff to talk about worries and concerns, as well as to spend time with them. Relationships appear warm and nurturing, including appropriate physical contact, such as hugs or a hand on the shoulder, when young people are comfortable with this. A young person hugged a member of staff, who had been chased by a seagull, in a genuinely caring manner, concerned for her well-being, demonstrating reciprocal and natural relationships.

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

Staff are confident that they can carry out their responsibilities with regard to protecting young people, and transfer training and guidance into practice. Safeguarding concerns are responded to swiftly, and are reported to partner agencies, including the safeguarding designated officer, as needed.

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

Staff have a good understanding of risks young people may be at in the community and online. Young people are supported effectively to understand what a safe situation is and what positive relationships are like. A young person who moved into the home with significant concerns in relation to exploitation in all forms now has a much stronger understanding of relationships. She said that ‘staff show they care’ by wanting her to be safe.

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

Joint working and shared responsibility with partner agencies help to protect young people through a cohesive response to issues that are of concern. Should a young person be missing, individual plans guide staff on how to respond, including looking for them in known locations and listing contacts they may be with, and sharing this information with the police.

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

Young people have the opportunity to form strong relationships with staff from partner agencies, to enable them to talk about and share what their issues may be. A young person’s youth offending worker commented that she is able to challenge the young person on some issues that others cannot, but that other professionals are able to discuss other issues with the young person. This appears to have really benefited the young person, who now remains in contact when she is missing, and will share more readily who she is meeting in the community so that staff are able to protect her, while Inspection report children’s home: SC037452 7 recognising that she is approaching adulthood and may soon be living independently.

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

Risk assessments are thoughtful and allow young people to take age-appropriate risks in line with their current presentation. They are live documents which are reviewed whenever a new concern arises, or if there is a change in behaviour or need. They link clearly with care plans to ensure that all staff share a consistent approach.

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

Behaviour management within the home is now more organised and less risk averse. This allows young people to work through what may be upsetting them and enables staff to feel comfortable with allowing incidents to come to a natural conclusion whenever possible. This has led to a significant decrease in restraint, with none recorded since the last inspection. Sanctions are fair and proportionate and reflect how the young person can make the situation right, or learn from their behaviour. Liaison with CAMHS is leading staff to consider more fully what the behaviour is showing and how to respond with greater effect.

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

Young people do not raise bullying as a concern in the home. Staff observe peer relationships and are conscious of power imbalances within the group. They are aware of the age gap between the oldest and youngest, and ensure that this is not used as an opportunity to bully, while also reminding the older young people of their responsibility to talk and act in an appropriate manner when in the younger ones’ company.

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

Young people are protected from avoidable risk through regular checks of the building and safety equipment. Staff recruitment is sound, although records lack detail of when or how references have been verified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has been without a registered manager since February 2017. An extremely experienced manager from another home in the organisation has been managing the home in the interim. A new manager has recently been appointed and is in the process of applying to be registered with Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The acting manager has re-invigorated the staff and encouraged them to explore and use the skills they already had to greater effect. All staff spoken to were incredibly positive about the input from the acting manager and their confidence in him was clear. Staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities, and commented on how there are now specific areas they are responsible for. They have relished the opportunity to learn new skills and take ownership for their work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have access to a wide range of training opportunities beyond what is mandatory. They say they are supported to learn new skills and share these with the team. They can access managers and senior staff at any time and receive regular supervisions. However, the records of these lack detail on areas explored and how actions from staff’s appraisals are being monitored and reviewed. Additionally, safeguarding is not a standard agenda item. Inspection report children’s home: SC037452 8 The quality of care is regularly monitored through detailed reports provided by the independent visitor in line with regulation 44. Feedback from the visitor is welcomed and acted upon swiftly. Monthly checks of records, young people’s files and the building ensure that there is constant evaluation by staff, which can feed into six-monthly evaluations in line with regulation 45.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s statement of purpose requires review, as it is outdated and contains incorrect information. It is not a true picture of the service currently provided, which has dramatically improved since the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Young people’s needs are held central to practice within the home. Their plans are regularly reviewed by key workers, senior staff, partner agencies and the young person themself. Records are evaluative, and demonstrate goals and achievements, no matter how small. If it is considered that a young person is not thriving or progressing, managers share this with the placing authority and hold meetings to consider strategies to support the young person, or find more appropriate placements for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Joint working is embedded in practice throughout all aspects of young people’s care. Various professionals spoken to were positive about their experiences of working with the home and the impact that joint working has had on young people. The acting manager will actively challenge professionals if he feels a young person is not receiving the service they should, or if there are delays in receiving reports following meetings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An initial development plan was compiled by the acting manager with a focus on improving the care for young people and increasing staff skills. He recognises the shortfalls identified as a result of this inspection, and acknowledges these are areas yet to be addressed.

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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: SC037452 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: West Sussex County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, Tower Street, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 1QT

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Inspector

Jennie Christopher: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC037452 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 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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