Children's Home run by Surrey County Council in Surrey

Inspection report children’s home: SC040642 1 SC040642 Registered provider: Surrey County Council

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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 owned and run by a local authority. It provides care and accommodation for young people aged 15 to 18 who have emotional and behavioural needs. A suitably qualified manager has been registered with Ofsted since 2014.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 10 to 11 December 2019

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 21 November 2018

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC040642 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/11/2018 Full Good 05/12/2017 Full Good 28/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 27/07/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC040642 3

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Recommendations

 It is good practice for a note of the content and/or outcomes of supervision sessions to be kept and to ensure that both the person giving the supervision and staff member have a copy of the record. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.4)

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Recommendations

In particular, ensure that actions arising from supervisions have clear timescales and are revisited to ensure that they have been met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people benefit from unconditional care and love delivered by experienced and dedicated staff. They describe a genuine sense of belonging and one young person described staff who ‘never give up, despite how much I mess up.’ Relationships between the young people and the staff were observed to be warm and based on mutual respect. One young person said, ‘I feel truly cared for, for the first time in a long time.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people moving into, and leaving, the home is well planned. The registered manager and her team scrutinise referrals and glean as much information as possible to inform detailed assessments during the matching process. Ongoing support is offered to young people who are leaving the home. As a result of this thorough planning and support, the young people experience successful and appropriate moves to their future placements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

A creative approach to supporting education removes barriers for young people who previously refused to engage with learning. The young people are accessing a good range of education establishments, which complement their personal interests. Some are also working, and one has succeeded in securing an apprenticeship.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff encourage the young people to lead healthy lives. Some are taking greater responsibility for their healthcare and others are learning to manage their more complex ongoing health needs. Specialist help is provided for the young people and bespoke training for the staff team to enable a cohesive approach to managing complex needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

A restorative approach is used to enable the young people to participate in learning from mistakes. Plans are discussed between the young people and the staff to agree ways forward. As a result, the young people are learning to negotiate and agree solutions. Inspection report children’s home: SC040642 4

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

A well-established safeguarding culture is underpinned by skilled staff. Contextual safeguarding is evidenced in the daily activities of the staff. They manage complex and high-risk dynamics, where they tirelessly encourage the young people to make safe choices. Wherever possible, they disrupt situations where the young people are at risk of exploitation. The staff collect the young people from their activities each night to ensure their safe return. As a result, incidents of going missing have reduced as the young people are choosing to return with the staff each night to the secure base of the home.

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

The staff’s knowledge of the young people and the local risks is exemplary. Regular meetings within the professional network enable information-sharing that is used to inform safety plans and risk assessments. Frequent updates to these safety plans ensure that staff are working with the most up-to-date information. This results in staff delivering focused, proactive care that reduces risk and ensures the young people’s safety.

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

Preparing for independence is a key skill of the staff at this home. A training apartment and individual flat provide the young people with experiential learning environments, with the safety net of support on hand. The pragmatic approach of the staff means that the young people’s independence adjusts in line with their ability. Together, they agree ways to move forward. Consequently, the young people are achieving their goals and become better equipped to deal with life’s challenges.

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

Highly valued mentors provide the young people with additional positive influences. Young adults who once lived at the home are frequent visitors to the home. They also provide a useful reflective narrative to the young people. The multiple layers of safe, consistent and reliable messages have supported the young people to make some difficult, but positive choices. Some have returned to the home after periods of time away. Others have stepped away from dangerous friendships. Consequently, they are learning to make informed choices.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager holds incredibly high aspirations for the young people in her care. She will accept no less than the best that she can provide for them. Her passion and dedication are shared by her staff, who find her to be an ‘inspirational leader’. The young person-focused ethos and vision of excellence are threaded through actions of the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Regular supervision and annual appraisal ensure that staff have the time and space to reflect on practice. However, records are variable and commonly do not set clear and timely actions. Staff state that they are clear about the objectives of the home’s statement of purpose and confident in delivering care in line with them. An ethos of striving for excellence is a common theme among the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Students from a university are working on placement at the home. This is providing Inspection report children’s home: SC040642 5 opportunities for research-based practice which the registered manager uses to inform development plans. She has also used social learning theory to help the staff understand the dynamics of the young people’s behaviours. The cohesive team approach results in consistent care and clear methods of working across the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Comprehensive monitoring systems, and clear lines of accountability, provide an accurate overview of the service. The effectiveness of the service is scrutinised and reviewed. Feedback from the young people and key stakeholders is welcomed and used to guide development plans. Streamlining of the recording has resulted in clear records that provide another layer of safeguarding, as the young people’s movements around the home are clearly accounted for.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The physical environment of the home is superb. The young people have chosen much of the decor, which is stylish and incredibly homely. The young people’s bedrooms and individual apartments are spacious and well kept. Routine servicing of equipment and regular emergency procedure checks further ensure that the premises are safe.

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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: SC040642 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Quadrant Court, 35 Guildford Road, Woking, Surrey GU22 7QQ

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Inspector

Sarah Olliver, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC040642 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 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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