Children's Home run by SureCare Residential Ltd in Hertfordshire

Inspection report children‘s home: SC470645 1 SC470645 Registered provider: Surecare Residential Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides care for up to four children who have experienced significant trauma in their lives. It is one of a small group run by an independent provider. A psychologist offers direct psychological support to the children alongside consultation for the staff. The provider also operates a school. The manager was registered with Ofsted for this home in February 2018.

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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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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‘s home: SC470645 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/03/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 03/05/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 21/02/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 24/05/2016 Full Good Inspection report children‘s home: SC470645 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

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (―the Level 3 Diploma‖); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b)(5)(a)(b)) 31/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children‘s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (1)(2)(a)) 31/08/2018

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Recommendations

 Regulations 35–39 detail the records that must be kept in children‘s homes. All children‘s case records (regulation 36) must be kept up to date and stored securely while they remain in the home. Case records must be kept up to date Inspection report children‘s home: SC470645 4 and signed and dated by the author of each entry. Children‘s case records must be kept for 75 years from the date of birth of the child, or if the child dies before the age of 18, for 15 years from the date of his or her death. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 62, paragraph 14.3) This is with particular regard to ensuring that records consistently make clear who has completed them and when.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last full inspection, a new manager has overseen significant improvements at the home. As a result, children are now receiving a consistently good-quality service.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and the staff have good relationships and they get on well. Children who have had numerous placement breakdowns have settled well. Consequently, the children are developing a sense of stability. A child said of her key workers, ‗I don‘t trust anyone in this world, but I have been able to start to trust them.‘

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children attend school. The staff work with schools to overcome barriers to learning. The staff attend parents‘ evenings, and they go to school performances. The children‘s attendance is good. As a result, the children are making academic progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff have a good understanding of the children‘s health needs. They support the children to attend health appointments. This enables the children to receive support that they have previously refused.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children make good progress with their independence skills, both emotionally and practically. They grow in confidence and develop new skills. A parent said, ‗[Child] is doing so well. [Child] has gained so many new abilities. The transformation is just unbelievable.‘

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children enjoy their time at the home. They participate in activities that they are interested in. The staff help the children to explore new interests and to access community-based resources such as youth clubs.

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

The children are becoming increasingly safe as a result of the support that staff provide. Risky behaviours are reducing.

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

The children get on well with the staff, and the children said that they can share their concerns with the staff. The staff ensure that children have access to an advocate when necessary. Advocates described the staff as proactive. Inspection report children‘s home: SC470645 5 The manager is making changes to improve risk assessments. The assessments identify the risks and the actions that will be taken to mitigate them.

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

There has been a considerable reduction in physical interventions. There have only been two since the interim inspection. In between the last full inspection and the interim inspection, there were 28 physical interventions.

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

No children have gone missing since the last inspection. Staff are aware of the process should a child go missing. The staff have a good understanding of individual children‘s vulnerabilities.

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

The manager ensures that staff understand the safeguarding procedures. This enables staff to take appropriate action when safeguarding concerns arise.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has had a significant impact on the quality of the home. She has overseen considerable improvements. She is highly regarded by children, staff and professionals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has an aspirational vision for the home. The staff recognise this, and it motivates them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team has a comprehensive understanding of the plans for the children. This knowledge enables good monitoring of progress and engagement with professionals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff work well with external agencies. When issues occur, they are resolved quickly and in a way that is in the children‘s best interests. A social worker said, ‗The manager has managed incredibly well. She is open and honest. The staff have been incredibly helpful and supportive. They have understood [the child‘s] needs.‘

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has made the necessary notifications to Ofsted. As a result, this regulatory requirement is now met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team advocates well for the children. The team is unafraid to challenge services. This results in improvements for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff and manager routinely consult the children. Formal and ad hoc meetings take place. The children are positive about the managers, and the children feel listened to.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are sufficient staff to support the children. However, a significant number of staff are unqualified. This includes one member of staff who has been working at the home for over two years.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff receive regular supervisions. The staff reported feeling supported and well managed. The manager has introduced a development plan for each member of staff. This provides a good overview of the staff‘s professional development and progress. Inspection report children‘s home: SC470645 6 An independent person visits the home each month. The manager describes these visits as helpful and contributing to improvement. However, the independent visitor does not seek the views of families. As a result, their views and opinions are absent.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Case records are generally of a good quality. However, it is not always clear who has completed some records or when they were recorded.

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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: SC470645 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Surecare Residential Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Spirare Limited, Mey House, Bridport Road, Poundbury, Dorset DT1 3QY

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Inspector

Ashley Hinson: social care inspector Inspection report children‘s home: SC470645 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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