Children's Home run by West Sussex County Council in West Sussex

Inspection report children’s home: SC037454 1 SC037454 Registered provider: West Sussex County Council 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 accommodate up to five young people, irrespective of gender, who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is owned and managed by the local authority.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None. Inspection report children’s home: SC037454 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is outstanding because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Strong leadership and management ensure that young people receive a consistently high standard of care which meets their individual needs.  The registered manager is skilled, inspirational and highly supportive of staff and young people.  The home provides outstanding care, delivered by a highly competent and skilled staff team, which enables young people to make excellent progress over time, particularly in areas of keeping safe, anger management and trusting adults who can support them.  Young people are extremely well supported to engage in education, therapy and contact with their families. The multi-professional decision-making approach is effective and is recognised as an exemplar to other homes within the local authority. Agreed actions are delivered by a strong team of staff who apply consistent boundaries and messages.  The staff are excellent at building trusting relationships with the young people. As a

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Key findings from this inspection

result, young people begin to listen to and follow advice from adults whom they trust. This has an impressive impact on young people in changing their behaviours.

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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

 The regularity of fire drills taking place needs to match the frequency stated in the home’s fire safety guidance.  Continue with the review of the sanction policy and the effectiveness of sanctions imposed.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 07/12/2016 Full Outstanding 10/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 03/11/2015 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC037454 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people receive excellent care that starts with a focus on successful relationship building. Staff provide a supportive, nurturing environment where young people develop a sense of stability and belonging, and soon develop trusting relationships with the staff. As a result, young people are better able to address the challenges that they face and are able to respond positively to staff guidance and support. Staff support young people to change risky behaviours, such as going missing, and help them improve their ability to manage their anger and take good care of their health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The excellent quality of care provided is delivered by an experienced team of staff who work together, ensuring that care is consistently delivered and follows clear and known boundaries. The staff sensitively confront and continually support young people to understand the impact of their negative and risky behaviours. This approach has a positive impact on the young people in changing their behaviour. Incidents of challenging behaviours are managed very well and they decrease, therefore the need for physical intervention is reduced. Innovative thinking and the application of new behaviour management strategies have seen excellent outcomes for young people. In particular, the introduction of a coloured card system enables each young person to better understand staff guidance and manage their emotions, and prevents the escalation of negative behaviours.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home accommodates young people who have high-risk behaviours. Detailed planning, joint-working protocols with a wide range of professionals, high-standard risk assessments and care plans enable the staff to fully understand young people’s individual needs and how to respond to them. The staff’s practice in meeting a wide range of needs is outstanding.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home sets a high benchmark in relation to multi-agency working. One professional commented, in relation to missing children procedures, ‘once again, this home leads the way’. Young people’s behaviours are discussed in multi-professional meetings that benefit from a wide range of expertise, including the missing person’s coordinator, child sexual exploitation professionals and charities, mental health professionals and educational lead professionals. As a result of this multi-agency working, joint decision- making and sharing of risk assessment and behaviour management plans, risks such as sexual exploitation are managed extremely well and in a coordinated manner. This means that all professionals are consistently giving the same message and response to the young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff demonstrate a high awareness of young people’s needs, often being one step ahead of negative behaviours. They are quick to assess and put in place supportive practice that, on many occasions, prevents the young person’s behaviour from escalating. The staff prioritise the importance of communicating with the young people, and they are listened to and their views and opinions taken seriously. Young people participate in group and individual meetings, including key-working sessions, and are Inspection report children’s home: SC037454 4 supported to positively engage in debriefing sessions following incidents. A priority for staff is to support young people in making safe decisions when out in the community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people have access to a range of health professionals. The staff are able to identify and refer young people to the most appropriate health professional. They then provide support for young people to manage their health issues, some of which can be lifelong. Trained staff safely administer medication and first aid. Training, monitoring and auditing of the medication records are outstanding and robust. This means that medication errors are rare.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff fully encourage young people in decision-making about their lives. Individual support plans have been introduced since the last inspection. These are very child focused, and they enable young people to have a clear say in their care and know what their individual targets are. As a result, young people feel listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The registered manager is confident in challenging professionals, if necessary, to ensure the best possible opportunities for the young people. The registered manager is clear about the needs that he and his staff team can meet and those they cannot, and works closely with colleagues to ensure the best placement for young people.

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

Safeguarding policies, procedures and practices are of a high standard. The staff take all necessary steps to protect young people from harm or abuse. The home works with a wide range of professionals in managing highly risky behaviours. Current individual risks vary considerably. The manager and staff have a thorough understanding of individual risks. The joint working carried out for those young people who are at risk of being sexually exploited is commendable and ensures that responses are consistent. The home’s expertise in working with challenging young people, in particular young women experiencing sexual exploitation, has been praised by local authority leaders. The staff are aware of and follow planned responses to incidents where young people may be at risk. The staff are consistent in their responses to risky behaviours. Over time, this has led to a significant decrease in individual risky behaviours such as self-harming,

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

drug taking, going missing from care and aggression. Staff are effective in managing conflict. They are able to defuse evolving incidents and work together as a team to support each other in achieving positive outcomes. Detailed behaviour management plans guide staff to provide effective support. The young people receive thoughtful and sensitive support to manage their behaviour. The staff use physical intervention only as a last resort. The staff will use refocusing techniques rather than restraint, whenever possible. The manager is currently reviewing the home’s sanction policy and the effectiveness of the sanctions permitted. The home has proven success in the use of restorative justice practices rather than sanctions when it is felt that young people will engage. The staff receive child protection training and some receive advanced training. Additional training includes e-safety, ‘Prevent’ duty and combatting child sexual exploitation. The

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

manager maintains excellent links with safeguarding professionals. These links ensure Inspection report children’s home: SC037454 5 that good partnership arrangements are in place to help to keep young people safe. Young people live in a safe environment with all necessary health and safety checks in place. Young people take part in fire evacuation drills and know what action to take in the event of a fire. However, the frequency of fire drills is not clearly identified in the home’s written procedures, and this is being addressed by the manager. The home is undergoing significant redecoration. There is a plan for all works that have been agreed, including new bathrooms. Recruitment procedures are of a very high standard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has 14 years’ experience of managing a children’s home. He holds suitable qualifications and continually expands on his knowledge. The registered manager’s expertise is sought in regards to the future development of children’s services across the county and providing support to other homes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is extremely well supported by two assistant managers, one of whom has been instrumental in developing recording systems that have been shared and used as examples of excellence across the county. In the manager’s absence, the home maintains its consistent high standards. The registered manager identifies talent within his staff team and nurtures staff development. Together, the registered manager and two assistant managers form a strong leadership team and the home is managed effectively at all times. There is a culture of positivity at the home and a strong sense of team working.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The monitoring of the service is highly organised and of a high standard. Both internal and external audits take place on a very regular basis. This ensures that all records, such as care plans and risk assessments, are up to date. Audits also enable the manager and assistant managers to monitor the quality of care effectively and address any issues quickly. Since the last inspection there has been a new independent visitor, who visits every month. Areas identified for attention as a result of these visits are discussed with the registered manager and considered for review. Reports provide an independent and objective review of the home and its practices.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Young people know how to voice their views and opinions and how to make a complaint. Numbers of complaints are extremely low. The registered manager responds in a timely manner to any complaints that he receives, with clear outcomes. The staff understand the whistle-blowing procedures, although they have not been used.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

One of the many strengths of the home is the staff’s commitment to, and passion for, improving the lives of the young people whom they care for. During challenging times, they work together as one team. Staff feel very much supported and praise the leadership of the home. Staff want to work at this home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager knows the home’s strengths and areas for development. His development plan for the next year is clear and includes the ongoing redecoration of the home, new Inspection report children’s home: SC037454 6 bathrooms and continually updating policies and procedures. In addition, he aims to continually review practices to ensure that they are suitable for the changing needs of the young people.

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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 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: SC037454 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: West Sussex County Council, Director of Social Services, County Hall, Tower Street, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 1QT

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Inspector

Liz Driver, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC037454 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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