Children's Home run by The Amicus Community (Arundel) Ltd in West Sussex

Inspection report children’s home: 1246834 1 SC1246834 Registered provider: The Amicus Community Arundel Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home is part of an independent children’s therapeutic community which is accredited by the Royal College of Psychiatrists. It provides therapeutic care for up to five children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted on 18 May 2012. He also manages the organisation’s other home.

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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: 16 October 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1246834 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/10/2018 Full Good 18/01/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 17/07/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1246834 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

A person may only manage a children’s home if– by the relevant date, they have attained– the level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 5 Diploma”). (Regulation 28(1)(2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the registered manager commences management training before April 2020. 01/04/2020

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must– ensure all records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37(1)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that records are easily accessible, organised and include the date when works are carried out; for example, actions resulting from a fire audit. 01/04/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 1246834 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Using the home’s chosen therapeutic approach, the staff provide good support and care for children. The warmth and the good quality of care that they receive help the children to feel cared for and to be able to make progress across areas of their lives. This includes, for example, their ability to form trusting relationships with peers and staff, to think about the consequences of their behaviours and to take responsibility for their actions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children receive high levels of support, guidance and therapeutic intervention. The staff work alongside the children and encourage them to talk about their previous and current experiences. The routines in the home create stability and consistency. Therefore, the children know what to expect on a daily basis, from morning routines, after-school routines and eating a home-cooked dinner every evening to having a sensible, well-planned and supported bedtime routine. The staff are calm and caring in their approach and in their interactions with the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s learning is an essential part of their development and is integrated into the therapeutic living approach in the home. All children have excellent attendance rates at the organisation’s school, located nearby. Each child has an education programme that is integrated into the child’s therapeutic placement plan and daily care programme. This provides consistency of care by all professionals. Communication between the home and school is embedded in daily practice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Play is an important aspect of the therapeutic approach delivered by the staff team. Many of the children arrive at the home unable to play or be creative either by themselves or with other children. Due to the young age of the children, play is seen as important and is included in the discussions and delivery of activities. Creativity is encouraged, with an emphasis on arts and crafts. Play is included in the children’s placement and therapeutic care plans and care-needs assessments. The children discuss, choose and suggest activities at their daily meetings and in their individual time with a member of the staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Meals are nutritious and well presented. Mealtimes are an important social time. Eating together is a valued part of the culture and routine of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and managers complete thorough pre-admission assessments. An external consultant child and adolescent psychotherapist and an experienced director, alongside the registered manager and the home’s staff team, undertake comprehensive assessments to ensure that they can meet the needs of the child. All referrals are carefully considered to ensure compatibility with the established group of children. Inspection report children’s home: 1246834 5

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

There is a strong safeguarding culture in the home. The staff have a good level of understanding and knowledge of what is required to manage risk and keep the children safe. Across the organisation, a dedicated team of safeguarding leads ensures that all concerns and allegations are referred to external agencies in a very timely manner. The safeguarding team meets weekly and uses chronologies effectively to complement good record-keeping.

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

The staff’s comprehensive understanding of each child’s vulnerabilities, behaviours and previous life experience is underpinned by guidance from specialist therapists. This enables the staff to provide an emotionally safe home. In turn, this helps the children to feel confident enough to explore their behaviours. Due to the children’s early life experiences, they often lack the strategies to manage and contain their emotions, feelings and behaviours. This can be seen in their disruptive behaviours. Over time, the children develop positive coping strategies and resilience and, as a result, the more challenging behaviours decrease.

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

The numbers of incidents of restraint have decreased significantly over the last year. There is a commitment to continually decrease the number of prone restraints, and the data shows this to be the case. Incidents of restraints are scrutinised by managers and therapists. This ensures that all restraints are assessed to establish whether they are managed appropriately and whether any actions need to be taken or behaviour plans changed. Children’s views are obtained after each incident to make sure that they feel safe and can reflect on the intervention. Information on the physical interventions used with each child is gathered on a monthly basis, and the data is used to explore any patterns emerging.

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

Appropriate sanctions are used to help the children to understand the consequences of their behaviour and their associated feelings. All sanctions are appropriate to the actual incident, the child’s specific needs and their level of emotional development. Where possible, the sanctions imposed are discussed with the child so that the reasons for them are clear. The aim is to enable them to think about the possible feelings and anxieties that underlie the behaviour that led to the sanction, and to find alternatives to the child’s disruptive behaviour. Any sanctions imposed are recorded. This record measures the sanctions’ effectiveness and usefulness to the child.

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

Health and safety matters are suitably addressed, but some records were not easily accessible during this inspection. However, these were supplied immediately following the inspection.

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

All members of staff who work at this home are subject to a thorough recruitment process, and this ensures that all necessary background checks are carried out prior to them starting work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Inspection report children’s home: 1246834 6 The manager is registered to manage two homes. Each home has a supporting manager. While extremely well qualified in the therapeutic field, the registered manager is yet to undertake formal management qualification training. This shortfall does not impact on the well-being of the children or the management of the home; however, it is a requirement of the children’s homes regulations. The responsible individual confirmed by the end of the inspection that the registered manager would start this qualification in the very near future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

This service is one of a few that is accredited by the Royal College of Psychiatry. Its quality improvement programme has been approved for use in therapeutic communities. Visits and inspections are welcomed, and action is taken when the need is identified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staffing is now more stable. A recruitment programme has had a positive impact. The staff receive mandatory and specialist training that is related to the home’s therapeutic approach. They are well supported through regular clinical supervision and line manager meetings. In addition, the staff attend a group supervision which is facilitated by senior leaders and receive group clinical supervision. The staff are provided with space to discuss and focus on the children, themselves and the therapeutic ethos of the home. The staff are extremely complimentary about the quality of supervision that they receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A consultant child psychotherapist contributes to all assessments of children’s needs and the corresponding placement and therapeutic care plans. Referrals are carefully considered, and consideration is given to how a new child will fit in with the established group of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The monitoring of the home’s procedures and practices by the registered manager and senior leaders is thorough. The development plan highlights areas for change and improvement. A few records showed that staff had failed to date and sign them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Overall, the staff’s approach to diversity and culture is to convey to the children the sense that difference is both enjoyable and enriching. Inspection report children’s home: 1246834 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 difference 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: 1246834 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Amicus Community Arundel Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: PO Box 79, Arundel BN18 9XA

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Inspectors

Liz Driver, social care inspector Kelly Monniot, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1246834 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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