Children's Home run by Treehouse Educare Limited in West Sussex

Inspection report children‟s home: 1241023 1 Registered provider: Treehouse Educare Limited

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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 14 children and young people who have learning disabilities. It is located in a semi-rural location within easy reach of local facilities and services. There are three large houses on the site in which young people can live, plus a school which is owned by the organisation. The home has recently changed its registration category and it did not accept admissions for two months during the changeover.

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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

Date of last inspection: 27 February 2017

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Good Inspection report children‟s home: 1241023 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 home has recently reopened with a new team of staff; the team is in its infancy.  Young people have recently arrived at the home and evidence to show they are making good progress is not yet available.  Managers have not formulated detailed and thorough risk assessments, impact risk assessments or plans for staff to follow.  Managers have not gained the documentation that is required to inform assessments and plans prior to a young person‟s admission to the home.  Managers have not yet established systems and processes for evaluating the quality of care provided.  Leaders have not ensured they have all of the required evidence to show that good safer recruitment processes and systems are in place.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Leaders, managers and staff are motivated and aspire to rectify areas of weakness.  Young people are supported to settle into the home; they are developing positive relationships with staff and peers.  The home is homely and welcoming, enabling young people to feel safe and relaxed.  Staff offer a structured day of activities for young people to engage in.  Young people have good attendance in education.  Staff support young people to address their healthcare needs.  Family members and external professionals all report that staff keep them up to date and well informed about young people‟s progress.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/02/2017 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: 1241023 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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard 1) The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

(d) and that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child‟s health. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(d)) 01/11/2017

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‟s home that— (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— (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. (Regulation 13(2)(a)) 01/11/2017

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Requirement Due date

Fitness of workers (1) The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children‟s safety. The requirements are that— the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and (d) full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the 01/11/2017 Inspection report children‟s home: 1241023 4 individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 32(1)(3)(c)(d)). Employment of staff (1) The registered person must— (a) ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction; (b) ensure that each permanent appointment of an employee is subject to the satisfactory completion of a period of probation; and (c) provide each employee with a job description outlining the employee‟s responsibilities. (Regulation 33(1)(a)(b)(c)) 01/11/2017

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person‟s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person‟s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

(a) children are effectively safeguarded; and (b) the conduct of the home promotes children‟s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

(5) The independent person‟s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person‟s report to

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Requirement Due date

(a) HMCI; in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 44(4)(a)(b)(5)(a)). 01/11/2017

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Requirement Due date

Review of quality of care (1) The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

(2) In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

(a) the quality of care provided for children; (b) the feedback and opinions of children about the children‟s home, its facilities and the 01/11/2017 Inspection report children‟s home: 1241023 5 quality of care they receive in it; and (c) any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

(3) After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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Requirement Due date

(4) The registered person must— (a) supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45(1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(3)(4)(a)) Statement of purpose If a home has a website, the registered person must ensure that a copy of the statement of purpose is published on that website unless the registered person considers that such publication would prejudice the welfare of children in the home. (Regulation 16(4)) 01/11/2017

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Recommendations

 The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child‟s assessed needs as recorded in the child‟s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. The Statement of Purpose is an important document in the process of care planning as it sets out the needs of children the home is set up and equipped to care for. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 56, paragraph 11.4)

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improvement to be good

The home has recently reopened after a period of closure. This was to enable the change in registration of the home to the current registration category of children who may have learning difficulties.

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improvement to be good

Young people have recently arrived at the home and staff are supporting them in the Inspection report children‟s home: 1241023 6 initial stages of settling into the home. Staff support young people to personalise and choose the decoration for their bedrooms as well as supporting them to gain an understanding of life at the home. The young person‟s guide provides information and advice about the routines of the home. The day-to-day manager plans to review this to ensure that it reflects the ethos of the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff complete planned transitions for young people that create opportunities for them to visit the home before moving in, and to begin to establish relationships with staff and peers. Staff analyse information and assess the needs of those arriving at the home. They have not consistently completed the pre-assessment and planning for each new arrival to the home nor have they completed detailed impact risk assessments exploring all of a young person‟s known needs and risks. Staff did not gain all of the required documentation from the placing authority at the time of admission.

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improvement to be good

Staff support young people to address their basic physical and emotional health needs with referral to other agencies if required. They have advocated on behalf of young people to ensure that other agencies meet their statutory duties. Staff have swiftly gained healthcare support for new arrivals to the home, ensuring that there is continuity in service provision. Staff have not yet gained specific medical advice to formulate clear plans and protocols to follow when a young person is prescribed „when required‟ (also known as „PRN‟) medication.

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improvement to be good

Young people attend the school on the site of the home. Staff support young people to transition between settings each day. There is good communication and consistency of approach between the home and school. Those who have not been in education for a period of time are beginning to establish positive routines of daily attendance. Those who have just arrived at the home are initially engaging in daily meaningful activities.

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improvement to be good

Staff support young people through daily structure and routines. During inspection inconsistencies in practice and lack of clarity about plans of approach were observed among staff. Young people were unclear about which staff to seek guidance or permission from regarding decisions or activities due to unclear boundaries and inconsistencies in staff‟s approach. Staff offer a wide variety of activities in and out of the home. These have included visits to places of interest, swimming, local walks, shopping, baking, art and craft, story writing, playing board games and movie nights. Young people help to care for the chickens on the site and for the home‟s two guinea pigs. The location of the home offers a wide variety of opportunities and outside activities within the safety of the grounds.

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improvement to be good

Young people are developing independence skills through assisting with daily chores like laying the table and assisting staff with completing laundry. Staff encourage and provide reminders to young people about personal care routines. Young people‟s confidence grows as they develops new skills.

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improvement to be good

Young people are starting to have a voice in the home and this is being encouraged through the weekly house meetings and planning the weekly menu and activity plan. Staff share plans and assessments with young people and seek their views prior to Inspection report children‟s home: 1241023 7 reviews and meetings.

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improvement to be good

Young people are beginning to feel safe and secure at the home; they are forming relationships of trust with staff, and seek their support and guidance when worried or upset.

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improvement to be good

Episodes of missing are well managed through a collaborative and coordinated approach. Staff actively seek young people and request the support of additional agencies in line with young people‟s individual plans. However, the written plans created to support the recent arrivals to the home do not detail the specific individual approaches and responses required.

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improvement to be good

There have been no safeguarding concerns, allegations or complaints in the home since the previous inspection. Staff have a clear understanding of the home‟s safeguarding procedure should an event occur. Newly appointed staff have completed online safeguarding training, but their knowledge and understanding of risk factors has not yet been assessed.

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improvement to be good

Staff are trained or are to be trained in the home‟s preferred approach to behaviour management. There have been no physical intervention or challenging incidents recorded in the home since before the last inspection. Managers are formulating positive handling plans for each young person that staff will follow if and when the need arises.

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improvement to be good

When the home was open under its old registration, sanctions and consequences were given. These were reparative in their nature and the young person‟s views were sought regarding these. Staff have rewarded young people‟s achievements through verbal praise and certificates. Staff do not currently formally record these achievements.

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improvement to be good

Staff are beginning to complete risk assessments, but these do not fully explore or detail all known risk factors and the strategies used to minimise or manage risk. One impact risk assessment did not consider the impact of one young person‟s risks on others already residing in the home.

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improvement to be good

Managers have not robustly monitored and assessed the environment to ensure that it does not pose any risk. The area around the home is very slippery and hedges are overgrown. There were low-level risk factors in the home that had not been addressed or managed; these included chemicals not locked away.

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improvement to be good

Medication is stored as required and thorough records underpin its administration. Staff complete a detailed training programme which includes a test of their knowledge and understanding once completed.

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improvement to be good

Managers have not consistently followed safer recruitment practices, with records lacking Inspection report children‟s home: 1241023 8 evidence of completed healthcare questionnaires and copies of interview notes.

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

A newly appointed day-to-day manager is managing the home. She has applied to Ofsted to become the registered manager. The team is in its infancy and staff are not always consistent in their approach, but they are beginning to establish themselves as a team. The managers are also developing their knowledge and understanding of managing and leading this type of home.

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

The team is very small and currently carrying vacancies; leaders and managers have a continual recruitment drive in place to address this. Managers currently rely on daily agency staff to supplement staff numbers.

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

Staff have received effective supervision since the start of their employment. This provides opportunities to review practice and explore areas to develop. Staff also access a wide variety of online training specific to their role. Newly appointed staff complete a short induction into the role and the home. There are not currently any shadow opportunities or more frequent supervision incorporated into this process. Due to all staff being new to the role, no one is enrolled on the required qualification, but leaders plan to arrange this once staff complete their probation periods.

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

The manager has established a regular weekly team meeting to support the staff in establishing and developing their practice and knowledge.

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

The home‟s statement of purpose is not available on its website. Staff are aspiring to practice in the manner described in the statement of purpose.

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

Managers have not fully addressed the requirements and recommendations set at the previous inspection. Leaders and managers sourced a new independent visitor for the home, but reports are still not sent to Ofsted. Records of visits to the home viewed during inspection did not detail the visitor‟s opinion about the quality of care provided to promote young people‟s welfare and if they are effectively safeguarded.

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

Leaders and managers have completed health and safety checks of the home, but they have not evaluated, monitored or assessed the quality of care provided by the home. They have not gathered this information as part of a review of the premises since it opened.

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

The manager is developing effective relationships with others outside of the home; parents and professionals report that she and the staff keep them well informed and updated with regard to young people‟s needs and progress. This has enabled parents and others to be fully involved in the planning and decision-making processes.

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Information about this inspection

Inspection report children‟s home: 1241023 9 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: 1241023 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Treehouse Educare Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Boldings Brook, Dorking Road, Warnham, Horsham RH12 3RZ

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Post vacant Adela Smetanova application in progress

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Inspector

Amanda Maxwell: social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: 1241023 11 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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