Children's Home run by HeadStart Residential Care Ltd in East Sussex

Inspection report children’s home: 1275500 1 Registered provider: Headstart Residential Care 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

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children, including children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since the home opened on 4 September 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 19 to 20 September 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

Date of last inspection: 15 November 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/11/2018 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1275500 2

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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 enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff help each child to— develop the child’s interests and hobbies; participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child’s interests and preferences. (Regulation 9 (1)(2)(a)(I)(ii)) 30/11/2019

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that— the health and well-being needs of children are met; children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff help each child to— achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans; understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(ii)) 30/11/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— undertake appropriate continuing professional development. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)) 30/11/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 1275500 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for by empathic and committed staff. Leaders and managers make child-focused decisions, such as recognising a child’s need to be the only child accommodated. Careful planning by leaders and managers helped this child to move from one of the organisation’s homes to another.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between the staff and children are nurturing and respectful. Staff are supported to develop their skills in understanding the emotional needs of the children. This includes the introduction of a new therapeutic model of care. As this is not yet embedded in practice, it is not possible to evaluate the impact of this. Staff understand that children communicate their feelings through their behaviour, which has presented as challenging at times. Through their caring and resilient approach, the staff have supported the children well. However, advice and support from specialist health professionals has not been sought for one child. This is a missed opportunity to provide the staff with specific and relevant guidance to help them in meeting this particular child’s needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is prioritised by staff for the children. The learning needs of two children informed the registered manager’s decision-making to move them to the other home in the organisation. This enabled both children to engage in the on-site education. Staff work well with the in-house educational provision to provide a bespoke learning plan, with one-to-one tuition, for one child. This meets their individual needs with a clear plan for re-integration back to school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s needs are well understood, and staff are tenacious in their efforts to engage them overall. However, despite these efforts, one child did not develop a range of interests outside of the home. This is particularly important in relation to providing opportunities to spend time with other children and in helping the child to develop their sense of self. Staff have supported this child to spend quality time with their family. This supports their identity. Support from a mentor, accessed by the social worker, has been really positive for one child. Staff are enabling this to continue.

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

Staff demonstrate a clear understanding of contextualised safeguarding for each child. Effective risk management plans are followed to address risks to children associated with being missing from home. Staff have applied their learning from training in child criminal exploitation to their practice. Together with effective work with professionals in children’s services and the police, this helps to maintain the children’s safety.

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

The registered manager has been a strong advocate for a child where there were significant risks identified. This informed the decision for the child to move to the home. The child’s ongoing risks have been thoroughly understood and the registered manager Inspection report children’s home: 1275500 4 has provided very detailed guidance to enable the staff to keep the child safe. However, this has been continually reflected on by the staff, due to the impact of the safeguards in place. Staff, working with the child’s social worker, have continued to review the safeguards to ensure that the child’s rights are being respected.

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

Support to staff has been strengthened through safeguarding discussions in the regular individual supervision provided to them. Children’s safety is also integral to the training that staff receive and the support that staff provide. This has been important due to significant periods of a high level of risk identified for one child. Staff joining the home have been well supported to understand these risks. Safer recruitment practice is followed for the vetting of new staff, although records do not always reflect this, due to the information not being available in one place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is passionate and focused. Together with the committed team of staff, children are at the centre of their decision-making, which is focused on the best interests of each child. The registered manager has successfully led a period of significant change management within the home. This was based on a good understanding of both the children’s individual needs and the staff supporting them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The changes made within the home have been possible due to the effective leadership of both the registered manager and the responsible individual. Consultation with staff was undertaken well and some staff chose to move over to this home from another. This included a deputy manager moving to the home to support the staff team. Staff feel well supported and valued by the management team and the responsible individual. This is demonstrated by one staff member sharing with the inspector that they ‘love’ working at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Requirements and recommendations from the last inspection have been met. The registered manager, supported by the responsible individual, has introduced a new model of therapeutic care. However, the emotional health needs of one child were not fully understood by all staff. Specific training in emotional well-being is recommended to ensure that the child’s holistic needs are fully met. This is in the context of the new therapeutic model yet to be embedded in practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and responsible individual support staff’s learning and development. This is through the training and the development opportunities provided, with this including a member of the team having been promoted to manage the home. There is an effective transition plan for the change in management arrangements. The registered manager, together with the responsible individual, has planned this well. There has been appropriate consultation with the team of staff. There will be ongoing peer support to the new home manager once in post. Inspection report children’s home: 1275500 5

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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: 1275500 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Headstart Residential Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Aequitas, Unit 1, Swanwood Park, Gun Hill, Heathfield, East Sussex TN21 0LL

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Inspector:

Maria Lonergan, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1275500 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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Inspector:

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Inspector:

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Inspector:

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

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