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

Inspection report children’s home: SC068179 1 SC068179 Registered provider: East Sussex County Council

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a local authority. It provides care and accommodation for up to four children of the same gender. The statement of purpose states that the home provides stability and support and ongoing intensive individual attention for children who have experienced trauma, disrupted development, loss and multiple placement moves.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in 2012.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 23 January 2018

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC068179 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/01/2018 Full Good 03/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 24/08/2016 Full Good 27/01/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC068179 3

p.2

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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (3)) In particular, ensure that the record confirms that the child is satisfied with the outcome of their complaint. 05/10/2018

p.3

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. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4) In particular, ensure that sufficient consideration is given to assessing the risks associated with children coming to live at the home in relation to the risks associated with children already living at the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Through nurturing, consistent, individualised care, children develop trust in the staff and respond to their help and support. Staff understand the effect of early childhood experiences on children’s ability to develop and maintain relationships. Staff provide sensitive and insightful support for children who have complex needs. Some children make exceptional progress in many aspects of their lives.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are committed to supporting children’s education. Some children’s school attendance has dramatically improved. Close communication with school staff and the virtual school ensures that children have educational opportunities appropriate to their needs. Staff effectively support bespoke and creative education programmes. Inspection report children’s home: SC068179 4 Children have access to a range of activities that extend their social experiences and develop their confidence. Children are making friends for the first time, engaging in community group activities and pursuing their particular interests. These achievements represent significant progress. Staff celebrate children’s success, increasing their self- esteem and belief in themselves.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are important to staff. Staff provide opportunities for children to put forward their ideas and suggestions about day-to-day matters through group discussions and individual consultations. Children use the complaints procedure to more formally state their opinions. The registered manager responds appropriately, but it is not clear from the records whether the child is satisfied with the outcome of their complaint.

p.4

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

Through knowing the children very well, staff are able to recognise and respond to their developing needs. Staff understand the importance of children increasing their independence and taking appropriate risks as they become young adults. As a result, children are learning how to keep themselves safe and understand the risks they face.

p.4

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

Staff are skilled at identifying potential risks in relation to individual children. They respond effectively and immediately to situations where they identify that children may be at risk of harm. Plans to reduce risk are reviewed at least monthly, are understood by staff and reduce the potential of harm to children.

p.4

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

Positive and meaningful relationships between staff and children enable staff to work effectively with children. One-to-one support through key-work sessions is sharply focused on children’s specific needs. These sessions address issues identified in the child’s plans. Plans are reviewed frequently to ensure that the support that staff provide is relevant to children’s current needs.

p.4

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

Physical intervention is rarely used. There have been occasions when internal doors have been locked as a safety measure when children are displaying extremely challenging behaviour. The registered manager monitors such incidents closely to ensure that restricting children’s access to common areas is necessary and proportionate.

p.4

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

Staff respond appropriately and apply agreed procedures when children leave the home without permission. The registered manager works proactively with external agencies to ensure that appropriate safety plans are in place to protect children. Children are gradually reducing such high-risk behaviour. They are responding to the support offered by staff and returning to the home at agreed times.

p.4

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

There was a period recently when children displayed extremely challenging behaviour. It is not clear that sufficient consideration has been given to assessing the risks associated with children coming to live at the home in relation to the risks associated with children already living at the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC068179 5

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is a qualified social worker and uses her wide-ranging experience effectively in supporting staff to improve outcomes for the children. She understands the needs of the children extremely well. With this detailed knowledge of the children, she is able to provide valuable guidance for the staff to promote children’s development.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff team is resilient, passionate and motivated to support children. Even when faced with prolonged periods of challenging behaviour the staff remain committed to supporting children to improve their behaviour, develop and achieve their full potential. Staff not only care for the children, but care about them.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are positive about the training they receive. Recent training in therapeutic parenting is particularly appreciated by staff. It is embedded in practice and continuously reinforced in weekly team meetings by a therapist from the Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS). Training is relevant to the needs of the children and enables staff to gain skills to meet the children’s very complex needs.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive regular supervision that is reflective, focused on the needs of the children and the staff’s emotional responses to supporting the children. With the help of the LACAMHS therapist and guidance from managers, staff continuously seek to understand the meaning of children’s behaviour and the impact of children’s past experiences on their behaviour and development.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager and the staff understand the importance of working proactively with children’s families. Staff are persistent and committed to building relationships with families with the aim of improving and sustaining children’s relationships with their relatives. Close communication with families and constructive support is helping to keep children safe and reintegrate children into their family support network.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Monitoring of the home is rigorous. Thorough, detailed monthly reports from an external visitor and comprehensive internal monitoring drive continuous improvement. Development plans are focused on ensuring that staff meet the needs of children and safeguard them.

p.5

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. Inspection report children’s home: SC068179 6 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

p.5

Information about this inspection

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: SC068179 7

p.6

Children’s home details

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

p.7

Inspector

Jan Hunnam, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC068179 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

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

p.8