Children's home run by SureCare Residential Limited – The White Trees Group

Inspection report children’s home: 2525634 1 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, which is run by a private organisation, provides care for up to five children. The home’s overall aim is to offer support through therapeutic services to children who have experienced trauma. The registered manager has been in post since 18 April 2019.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2525634 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

This is the first inspection. Inspection report children’s home: 2525634 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 health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being. (Regulation 10(1)(b)) 31/07/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (‘the Level 3 Diploma’); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a 30/09/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 2525634 4 home after 1 April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1 April 2014, 1 April 2016. (Regulation 32(1)(2)(a)(b)(3)(d)(4)(a)(b)(5)(a)(b)) Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4. (Regulation 37(1)(2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that visitors sign out of the home. 31/07/2019

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint 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) In particular, scrutinise the records of sanctions used at the home.  The registered person must challenge (under regulation 5(c)) any placing authority that asks them to accept a child in the absence of a complete and current relevant plan, as the expectation that a placement of a child without the necessary information would go ahead (in circumstances other than an emergency) is inadequate in relation to their role. It is essential that homes understand what will be required of them before they accept responsibility for a child’s placement, to avoid disruption and instability for the child in future and for other children at the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including

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Recommendations

the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.5)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are making good progress in all aspects of their development. Staff know the children well and have developed positive relationships with them. Consistent care has helped children to develop their self-confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff enable children to influence their day-to-day care experiences. They listen to children and give them opportunities to talk about their care, such as recreational Inspection report children’s home: 2525634 5 activities and food choices. One child particularly enjoys helping staff to prepare the evening meal, learning skills and techniques that will benefit her in adult life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide a nurturing environment. They recognise that routine and boundaries provide stability and security. This has been vital in helping the children to manage any anxieties and frustrations in a calmer way. An external professional said, ‘The boundaries that the staff have put in place have led to great improvements. [The child] was smoking, using drugs and drinking alcohol, going missing and was very aggressive. Now, all that has stopped.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health is well maintained through the prompt registration with core health services such as the doctor, dentist and optician. The children have a better understanding of the importance of being healthy and of making good lifestyle choices. However, one child’s health plan needs further improvement to ensure that her individual needs are being fully met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care and support planning are well organised, detailed and helpful. Records contain good information and provide a unique picture of each child. The staff understand the children well and use their knowledge carefully to think about what events and behaviours mean, so that they can help children to progress. However, a local authority has not provided an up-to-date care plan for one child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff enable the children to engage in community and in-house activities. Children enjoy board games, quizzes, crabbing, trips to theme parks and bowling, and a summer holiday to a caravan park on the east coast is planned. These experiences give children a sense of belonging in the community and helped increase their self-confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who move into the home settle quickly. The transitions are gradual, with opportunities for children to visit the home prior to moving in. This provides them with an opportunity to build relationships with the staff who will be caring for them and to meet the other children who already live at their new home.

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

Physical intervention has not been necessary. Risk assessments and behaviour management strategies are well planned. Staff know what to do when children get angry and frustrated. They provide consistent care and encourage the children to talk about their feelings and emotions. Staff enable the children to feel safe and secure. Children build trusting relationships with the staff and talk to them about their past experiences. This helps children to build emotional resilience. Children told the inspector that they feel safe living at this home.

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

Staff help the children to explore areas of risk and negative behaviour. This work is mainly effective. Children make progress towards reducing negative behaviours, such as going missing from the home and aggression. When children go missing, staff look tirelessly to return them home safely. Positive behaviour is consistently reinforced. The staff strive to work consistently with children. As a result, the incidents of one child Inspection report children’s home: 2525634 6 going missing from the home and their high risk-taking behaviour have significantly decreased since they moved into this home.

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

Behaviour management plans and risk assessments provide staff with clear instructions in what approach and measures to take if a child presents with negative behaviours. Staff’s early intervention and de-escalation skills help to restore calm when situations arise. However, staff apply sanctions inconsistently. Inconsistent use of sanctions can cause confusion for the children and the staff.

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

The monitoring of incident records, together with regular discussions in team meetings, provides staff with an opportunity to reflect. However, de-briefings on sanctions are not always recorded.

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

Staff deal with disclosures and other serious incidents promptly. They follow procedures and liaise well with other agencies. This demonstrates to children that the staff prioritise their safety. However, visitors to the home often fail to sign out.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The experienced registered manager works well with the new deputy manager to provide effective leadership and oversight. Managers are committed to making positive changes to children’s lives at this home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works well with other professionals who are involved with the children. Records reviewed during this inspection showed a high level of communication and compliments. All parties feel well informed of the children’s needs and the progress that they have made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team comprises longstanding and newer members. The staff work closely with a range of health, education and social care professionals. This provides a consistent and joined-up approach to children’s care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular supervision and support, enabling their personal and professional development. A multitude of resources and research is available to help inform staff’s practice. The staff receive regular training on a variety of issues that affect the children. However, some staff have not achieved a relevant level 3 qualification within the required time frame. Some records of staff members’ qualifications are not held on their files.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An independent person provides monthly monitoring reports. The information contained in the reports gives a good overview of the home, the staff and the children who live there. Inspection report children’s home: 2525634 7

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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: 2525634 8

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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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Inspector

Cathy Russell, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2525634 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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