Children's Home run by SureCare Residential Ltd in Hertfordshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC470645 1 SC470645 Registered provider: Surecare Residential Limited

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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 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.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 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

Date of last inspection: 17 January 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained 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

17/01/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 04/07/2018 Full Good 05/03/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 03/05/2017 Full Requires improvement to be 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

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who–

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ─ ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to ─

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the home is maintained to a good standard throughout. 30/08/2019

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make excellent progress socially, emotionally and in their education. The staff work hard with other professionals to achieve this. A consistent and motivated staff team has good, trusting relationships with the children and understands their individual needs and behaviours. Good interactions were observed throughout the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education attendance is high. Staff understand the importance of education and proactively support the children to attend school. Children were able to recognise their progress in education since moving into the home and were proud of their achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Regularly reviewed, individualised, child-centred placement plans guide the staff effectively. Children, parents and social workers have the opportunity to contribute their Inspection report children’s home: SC470645 4 views to children’s care planning. The adults involved in the children’s lives have a clear understanding of the children’s plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have regular key-work sessions. These are child-led and enable the children to reflect on their wishes and feelings. Staff record any actions and outcomes. Children said that they find these sessions helpful because staff listen to and help them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The main lounges at the home are decorated to a good standard. However, parts of the home need deep cleaning. The kitchen floor needs replacing and parts of the home need redecorating. Some children’s bedrooms need redecorating and dining room chairs need replacing. The upstairs shower sill has mould around the tray. These shortfalls detract from the homely atmosphere.

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

Children said that they felt safe living at the home because staff look after them well. Children can speak to staff if they are worried or upset and they know that staff will help them. Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding and have attended all relevant training, which equips them to work safely with children.

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

Parents and social workers said that staff work with children to teach them how to keep themselves safe and make them aware of who to speak to if they are feeling worried or unsafe.

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

Staff challenge unwanted behaviours and reinforce boundaries. Staff have reflective conversations with the children after an incident to help them to understand their actions and find more appropriate ways of managing their thoughts and feelings. These effective strategies help children to manage their behaviours and reduce the frequency of incidents.

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

Children have comprehensive individual risk assessments. These are reviewed and updated after an incident, which supports the staff to work consistently and to keep children safe.

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

Physical interventions have decreased because staff have been able to look at patterns and trends and put plans in place to help children during potentially difficult times. Children are debriefed by staff after an incident, and this is followed by a key-work session. These discussions help children to understand behaviours and have supported them to regulate their behaviours.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and deputy manager are passionate about their work and are inspirational. They clearly want the best outcomes for the children. This enthusiasm is mirrored by the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are firmly at the centre of all practice at the home. The manager ensures that Inspection report children’s home: SC470645 5 the home has a positive ethos and culture. The manager and deputy work well together as a team. Together, they empower staff to speak openly and honestly with the children. This helps the children to understand past traumas and to move forward.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that all supervisions are up to date. The staff spoken to said that their supervision helps them to work with the children effectively and contribute to developing the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff value the children and listen to and act on the children’s wishes. Staff seek children’s views consistently during house meetings and key-work sessions, and through consultation forms.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager confidently raises issues with external professionals if she feels that actions or proposed actions are not in the best interest of the child or fail to safeguard the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has met one requirement, and the recommendation from the last inspection has been met. One requirement is repeated.

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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 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Surecare Residential Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 13a Apton Road, Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire CM23 3SP

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Inspectors

Trish Palmer, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC470645 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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