Children's Home run by SureCare Residential Ltd in Essex

Inspection report children‘s home: 1256452 1 Registered provider: Surecare Residential Ltd

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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 run by a private organisation. It offers therapeutic care for up to five children who may have experienced trauma, neglect or abuse, and family or placement breakdowns.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager resigned from his post with effect from 31 July 2018. A new manager was recruited in July 2018, but is not yet registered with Ofsted.

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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

Date of last inspection: 6 December 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‘s home: 1256452 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/12/2017 Full Good 06/09/2017 Full Inadequate Inspection report children‘s home: 1256452 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

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child‘s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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a description of the measure and its duration;

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details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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the name of the person who used the measure (―the user‖), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (―the authorised person‖)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and 09/11/2018 Inspection report children‘s home: 1256452 4 within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv)) 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.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit which sets out, in particular, the independent person‘s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and the conduct of the home promotes children‘s well-being. (Regulation 44(1)(2)(a)(4)(a)(b)) 09/11/2018

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control and discipline are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 46, paragraph 9.36)  Regulations 35–39 detail the records that must be kept in children‘s homes. Case records must be kept up-to-date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. (‗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.  Regulation 40(4) requires the registered person to notify Ofsted and other relevant persons if one of the situations specified in regulation 40(4)(a)–(d) occurs. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 63, paragraph 14.10) In particular, notify the designated officer and Ofsted of any allegations made

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Recommendations

against staff by children.  The registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home‘s location and strategies for managing these. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 64, paragraph 15.1) Inspection report children‘s home: 1256452 5

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, the children who live at the home have positive experiences and make good progress. The children benefit from strong relationships with staff, who care about their well-being and meet their needs. The staff communicate consistently with the children in an open and honest way. The home has a welcoming and homely feel, and is decorated nicely throughout.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff understand the importance of education for the children, and prioritise children‘s school arrangements when they are admitted to the home. Positive rewards are used to encourage attendance. The staff take the children to and from school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children‘s views and opinions are gained from regular house meetings and key- working sessions. The manager consults the children, and staff negotiate solutions for issues that the children may have. The children feel listened to. They feel included in decision making and involved in planning their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A wide range of individualised activities that reflect children‘s interests are available. These include cinema trips, days out at the zoo, go-karting and meals out. The staff ensure that the children‘s health needs are met, and children help to choose a broad and healthy range of foods. Children are stimulated, busy, and learning about making good food choices.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home facilitates contact between the children, their families and friends. The positive relationships between the staff and children mean that children will speak about issues if any arise.

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

There are clear missing-from-home policies for each child, and staff are proactive in locating children. Missing-from-home episodes are rare, with just three since the last inspection. For one child, who was previously at high risk of harm, this is significant progress in comparison to his previous placement, from which he went missing frequently. The reduction in these incidents means that the risk level has reduced for him greatly.

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

The staff understand and value the importance of multi-agency work in meeting the children‘s needs. A social worker said, ‗I work closely with [the home]. Communication is excellent, they [the staff] keep me updated and undertake good risk assessments. They are inclusive of all professionals and have a holistic approach to caring for children.‘

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

There is significant progress for some children in reducing self-harmful behaviours. The Inspection report children‘s home: 1256452 6 relationships that children have with staff mean that children are able to develop their trust. A child said, ‗The staff are really lovely, everyone‘s different and you can be yourself. You can talk to the staff, I trust them which makes me feel safe.‘

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

The children know how to make a complaint. However, when a child made a complaint about two members of staff, the previous manager did not notify the designated officer or Ofsted about these complaints, but instead he conducted his own internal investigation. Although this was a low-level complaint, failure to follow safeguarding procedures meant that the child‘s safety could have been compromised. This inspection established that the staff are experienced and well trained, and understand effective safeguarding practice. They are clear about their roles and responsibilities in regard to safeguarding the children under the guidance of the new manager.

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

Some shortfalls have been identified. However, they relate in the main to recording and monitoring rather than actual practice. The shortfalls need to be addressed, but they have not detracted from the children‘s experiences and progress.

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

The staff de-escalate the difficult and challenging behaviour that the children sometimes display. Physical interventions are used as a last resort, with 14 recorded since the last inspection. However, the records are inconsistent; dates, times and other information are missing from the records checked. Failure to record accurate information about physical interventions places children and staff at risk.

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

Staff use positive incentives to encourage good behaviour. Positive consequences and sanctions are used equally. However, these measures are not scrutinised and analysed to assess whether they are fair.

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

The local area risk assessment provides a good level of detail and evaluates risks in the surrounding area in detail. However, the mitigation of risks within the grounds of the home is not sufficiently detailed, as outbuildings are not considered.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager changed his role in the organisation on 31 July 2018. A new manager has been recruited and has been in post for four weeks. This provided continuous managerial oversight of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff are well trained. Those staff who do not already hold a suitable level 3 qualification are enrolled to do so. They receive practice-led supervisions and appraisals in line with the organisation‘s policy. The staff feel supported by the home‘s management. The children are discussed at regular team meetings, and are at the forefront of activities at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from external professionals and children‘s families is very positive. An independent reviewing officer for one of the children said, ‗It is really positive how [the child] has moved on and made progress. She has made positive use of the resources Inspection report children‘s home: 1256452 7 available to her. She has great relationships with the staff, who clearly care about her well-being.‘

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children‘s files are detailed and concise. Risk assessments and behaviour management plans are up to date. Key-working sessions are regular, well recorded and evidence participation by children. Other case records are generally of a good quality. However, it is not always clear who made some records, or when they were made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Internal monitoring systems review and evaluate the quality of care provided by the home. Monthly external monitoring visits offer appropriate challenge and suggest actions for the manager to take. However, the independent visitor does not routinely seek the views of families or state if the children are effectively safeguarded and their well-being is promoted. As a result, the monthly reports do not give a complete picture of the care provided by the home.

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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: 1256452 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Surecare Residential Ltd

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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

Ricky D‘Arcy: social care inspector Inspection report children‘s home: 1256452 9 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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