Children's home run by East Sussex County Council in Lewes

Inspection report children’s home: SC373958 1 SC373958 Registered provider: East 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 home is operated by a local authority. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children who are experiencing complex life and developmental challenges.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since November 2016.

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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

Date of last inspection: 6 September 2017

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC373958 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/09/2017 Full Outstanding 24/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 08/09/2016 Full Good 01/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC373958 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children experience warmth and attentiveness from highly skilled staff who understand their complex needs. They enjoy excellent relationships with staff who know them very well. Individualised and insightful approaches help the children to manage their emotions and keep themselves safe. In a nurturing, welcoming and stable home, children feel safe and respond to high-quality care from staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff work effectively with school staff and with the virtual school to ensure that children have positive educational opportunities which are appropriate to their needs. Children benefit from this collaborative approach. One child is attending school regularly after a significant period of non-attendance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Managers and staff are ambitious for children. They know children’s long-term plans, focus on their particular interests and plan support to help each child achieve their potential and move on successfully from the home, whether it is to live with their family or to live in supported living accommodation. The staff’s effective and significant outreach work benefits children after they have left the home. The registered manager has recently helped one young person who has left the home find employment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Professionals from external agencies comment positively about the constructive way in which managers and staff work with them to plan the children’s care, keep them informed and safeguard children.

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

The registered manager and the staff know the children extremely well. With the help of a systemic therapist from the child and adolescent mental health service, the staff analyse children’s behaviour and agree approaches to protect the children and help them develop. Care plans and risk assessments are current and frequently reviewed, and guide staff in reducing risks for children. When children are at risk from self-harm behaviour, the registered manager compiles specific safety plans using the specialist expertise of external professionals.

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

Staff use key-worker sessions effectively to address issues identified in children’s plans and risk assessments. These sessions help children to develop an awareness of how to keep themselves safe. Through the positive relationships staff have with the children, and their thoughtful and sensitive care, children respond and their behaviour improves.

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

Staff respond effectively when a child leaves the home without permission. They apply agreed procedures to safeguard the child and ensure their safe return. Children are reducing the number of incidences of being absent from the home without permission through the intense work by the staff. Inspection report children’s home: SC373958 4 Staff understand the importance of helping children to develop their independence and balance the associated risks with measures to keep them safe. Consequently, children have opportunities to build their confidence and social awareness and develop decision- making skills.

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

The staff are extremely resilient and work cohesively and consistently with the children. The systemic therapist working with the staff spoke highly of their ability to continue to look beyond the children’s behaviour, even when faced with prolonged periods of challenging behaviour, and implement a therapeutic approach effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager leads the staff team with skill, passion and enthusiasm, instilling an aspirational attitude that helps children to achieve the best outcomes and improve their future life chances. He leads by example, spending time with the children on building positive relationships, and understands the children’s needs extremely well. Based on this detailed knowledge of the children, he is able to provide effective guidance for staff so that they are able to safeguard the children and promote their development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Training is carefully focused on the needs of the children. Staff have undertaken therapeutic parenting training and this approach is now embedded in their practice. A systemic therapist attends a team meeting each month, reinforcing and advancing their learning in relation to the specific needs of the children. Children benefit from this increased understanding of their behaviour and the therapeutic approach to their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff and the registered manager receive frequent, effective supervision. These one- to-one sessions are part of the structured appraisal process which ensures that staff receive regular reviews of their practice, training and development so that they can maintain high-quality care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The managers and the staff understand the importance of working proactively with children’s families. They build relationships with families and work with them to help keep children safe and enable children to make sustainable connections with their relatives. Managers understand the long-term plans for the children and effectively oversee the support that is provided by the staff in order to enable children to achieve their goals. Some children have successfully returned to live with their families.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC373958 5 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: SC373958 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: East Sussex County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, St Anne’s Crescent, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 1UE

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Inspector:

Jan Hunnam: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC373958 7 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:

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

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