Children's Home run by Treehouse Educare Limited in West Sussex

Inspection report children’s home: 1241023 1 Registered provider: Treehouse Educare Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by an organisation which also runs a school that is located on the large site. It provides care and accommodation for up to 14 young people who have an autism spectrum disorder in four houses. It is in a semi-rural location within easy reach of local facilities and services. The manager was registered with Ofsted on 26 June 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 requires improvement to be 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: declined in effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1241023 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/03/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 24/07/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 27/02/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1241023 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

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; help each child to understand how to keep safe; and that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(b)) 01/11/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. The requirements are that— full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1)(3)(d)) 01/11/2018

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Recommendations

 Children must be consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Due consideration should be given to the child’s cognitive ability in the development and implementation of any consultation processes. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)  Staff need the knowledge and skills to recognise and be alert for any signs that might indicate a child is in any way at risk of harm. The registered person should Inspection report children’s home: 1241023 4 ensure that skills in safeguarding are gained, refreshed and recorded in the home’s workforce plan. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.12)  Effective care planning and strong working relationships between the staff of the

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Recommendations

home and the placing authority are essential to the success of placements. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.2) Specifically, to ensure that plans and targets are effectively reviewed and monitored.  All staff must have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. This appraisal should take into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and children in the home’s care. As part of the performance management process, poor performance should be addressed by a timely plan to bring about improvement. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)  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)

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Recommendations

occurs, or if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home which the registered person considers to be serious (40(4)(e)). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help young people to develop essential life and personal skills. They positively promote and support young people in their preparation for adulthood. As a result, young people make good progress while living at the home. They develop skills and strategies that enable them to self-regulate and to manage their emotions and feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff form positive relationships with young people, who then seek staff advice, help and guidance when needed. Staff are knowledgeable about each young person’s needs, hobbies, interests, likes and dislikes. Staff support young people to form and maintain positive relationships with their family and friends through well-planned and managed contact.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Plans detail young people’s targets with short- and long-term goals, but staff do not clearly record or monitor young people’s progress. However, young people can describe the achievements and progress that they make. Staff have regular one-to-one sessions with young people that help to develop relationships, provide essential instruction and give young people an opportunity to talk about things that matter. These sessions lack a Inspection report children’s home: 1241023 5 clear plan, structure and are not linked to targets.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are well supported to attend education and staff assist them to consider and explore further education opportunities. Staff support young people to meet their physical and emotional health needs. They refer to other services, including specialists when required. Young people are encouraged to engage in a healthy active lifestyle.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff involve young people in choosing and planning activities. A recent holiday was a highlight for all. Young people’s views and requests are sought in the regular house meetings, but subsequent meetings do not evidence that young people are updated about outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Those moving into the home are well supported and prepared for transitions through considered child-focused plans.

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improvement to be good

Young people said that they feel safe and secure at the home. They seek assistance when anxious and raise concerns with staff when needed. Staff have a good understanding of the risks that young people face and offer support and advice to the young people to help keep them safe. Staff’s knowledge and understanding has not been tested and they do not have an up-to-date knowledge about local risk factors.

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improvement to be good

Allegations have been reported and referred to others as required, but on one occasion, managers began to investigate a concern without clear direction from relevant professionals. Records provide clarity about actions, steps and outcomes to concerns raised, with robust analysis of information reviewed and investigated. Managers have not notified Ofsted of allegations as required.

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improvement to be good

Although there have been no episodes of young people going missing since the last inspection, managers have reviewed and updated the policy to reflect local police processes. They have not ensured that young people’s plans provide practical details, actions and guidance for staff to follow if an incident of going missing occurs.

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improvement to be good

Staff support young people to take assessed risks that enable them to develop essential skills that promote their ability to keep themselves safe. Risk assessments give basic strategies to manage and minimise risk. Specific risk assessments that detail how to support those who are at risk of self-harm are weak. They do not provide clarity about interventions, strategies and actions to be followed by staff. This does not promote a consistent response and staff have not always utilised all known information. The records in the home contain helpful information and guidance, but it is spread over many documents and not collated, limiting its usefulness.

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improvement to be good

Staff are trained in restrictive physical interventions but rarely need to use them. Staff use their knowledge and relationships to support young people to become calm. Inspection report children’s home: 1241023 6 Incidents are recorded, and staff gain young people’s views, feelings and thoughts within a debrief. Managers monitor and evaluate records, though these would benefit from more scrutiny to ensure that staff review practice and the effectiveness of strategies. Staff rarely give young people sanctions, but when this occurs, records reflect this.

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improvement to be good

The home’s safer recruitment process has improved and developed, but one file viewed lacked evidence that a full employment history had been sought and explored.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The appropriately qualified registered manager has had a positive impact in the home since his arrival in April 2018. The staff team has settled, and turnover of staff has reduced, with staff reporting a positive, caring working environment. Staff are nurturing, motivated and aspire for those in their care, supporting young people to achieve their best.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The monitoring and evaluation of practice has improved. The manager has clarity about the home’s strengths and weaknesses and plans are regularly reviewed and updated to reflect how areas of weakness will be addressed. He utilises the findings from the regular independent scrutiny of the home. This is reflected in the development plan. One house requires some urgent development and decoration, and this is due to start.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision, but records lack evidence of regular discussions about safeguarding practice and knowledge. Records do not clearly detail actions and outcomes and they do not evidence staff being held to account for their practice. Staff have not had their practice appraised or reviewed as required this year, but there are plans for this to happen in September. Managers have plans to provide supervision training to all staff who supervise others.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff complete a wide variety of online training courses appropriate for their roles. Managers are exploring some specific training to be provided face-to-face for staff. Staff are enrolled on the required qualification or are new to 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. Inspection report children’s home: 1241023 7 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

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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: 1241023 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Treehouse Educare Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Boldings Brook, Dorking Road, Warnham, Horsham RH12 3RZ

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Inspector

Amanda Maxwell: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1241023 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 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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