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 Interim 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 close by.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/06/2017 Full Requires improvement 09/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/10/2016 Full Good 17/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC434573 2

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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

In order to meet the care planning standard, the registered person must ensure that children— 14 (a) receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home, in particular ensure that care plans are reviewed regularly to reflect the current situation and 24-hour plans are effective working documents. (Regulation 14(a)) 30/04/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive 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)) 30/04/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(b)) 30/04/2018

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Recommendations

 Any modifications to the home must only be made where this is intended to safeguard the child’s welfare. All decisions should be informed by a rigorous assessment of that individual child’s needs, be properly recorded and be kept under regular review. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page15, paragraph 3.10)  Staff should continually and actively assess the risk to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5) In particular, complete a risk assessment in relation to the provision of waking night staff.  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Recommendations

Inspection report children’s home: SC434573 3 In particular, ensure that the records of safeguarding concerns and feedback to young people are of a good standard.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has addressed some of the requirements and recommendations from the last inspection. The majority of staff have an appropriate qualification. Those who do not are currently enrolled on and completing the level 3 diploma. Staff clearly understand safe internet use policies. They educate the young people about the risks in the cyber world. Measures such as removing a young person’s phone to prevent access to the internet have been effective in keeping young people safe. Agreements are now in place with young people, and these are reviewed regularly with the young person, their parents and the local authority. One young person was putting himself at considerable risk when he was missing from the home. The number of missing episodes with regard to this young person had reduced because staff liaised closely with the local authority and police to provide a co- ordinated response. Staff implement the missing from home policy well. They

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

demonstrate a robust response in the event that the young person goes missing or absent without permission from the home. Staff do their utmost to locate the young person and remain in contact with him while he is missing. Records of actions taken, including when professionals and carers have been informed, have improved. Some requirements and recommendations have not been fully met. Care plans, behaviour plans and 24-hour plans have been devised to inform staff about the young people’s needs and how to address these. However, care plans are not updated to reflect changes in agreements or circumstances. These plans lack detail, they do not cover all aspects of the young person’s care, or strategies to use when managing challenging behaviour. Safeguarding policies and procedures are followed. Incidents are promptly reported to the local authority. Managers responded to a recent incident appropriately by providing

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

additional surveillance and supervision. However, the registered manager had not completed a risk assessment and guidance for staff undertaking waking night duties. There is a lack of clarity in regards to the expectations of staff working overnight. Records in relation to the safeguarding issue are not clear. Auditing of the investigation, including how this was fed back to the young person, was therefore compromised. One young person has had an alarm fitted to his bedroom door at the local authority’s request. The use of the device has not been risk assessed to ensure that it is in place as Inspection report children’s home: SC434573 4 a safety measure. Consequently, the use of this measure has no criteria to be reviewed against to ensure that it remains necessary. Supervision sessions are not undertaken in line with the organisation’s supervision policy. Irregular supervision meetings and appraisal processes mean that the ongoing needs of

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

the staff are not prioritised. Team meetings are not held regularly. This reduces the opportunity for staff to meet formally, to work as a team, to share information regarding the young people, and to develop the service. There is a warm, nurturing relationship between staff and young people, with humour playing a large part in interactions. Staff encourage young people to make good use of opportunities within the community. One young person attends the local scout group and has swimming lessons. The other young person plays football at the local football club. Staff promote positive contact with family and friends. One young person is now having increased contact in preparation for him returning home. A parent said, ‘The staff do an amazing job. Communication is brilliant.’ Good professional relationships between the home and partner agencies result in effective multi-disciplinary working to ensure the best possible care and experiences for

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

the young people. Staff work proactively with the young people’s schools to increase attendance and academic progress. The young people attend after-school facilities, which provides them with the opportunity to mix with their peers outside of the school environment. External independent monitoring visits take place monthly and are suitably challenging of care practice. The manager uses these reports and internal monitoring to evaluate the quality of care provided in the home. Leaders and managers have introduced new recording systems and are currently training staff in their use. Leaders and managers have a good understanding of the strengths of the home and the areas in need of improvement.

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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

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out Inspection report children’s home: SC434573 5 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’.

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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, Trafalgar House First Floor, Quarry Road, Newhaven, East Sussex BN9 9DD

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Timothy McIlwaine

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Inspector

Suzy Lemmy, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC434573 6 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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