Children's home run by Southern Adolescent Care Services Ltd in Crawley

Inspection report children’s home: SC038522 1 SC038522 Registered provider: Southern Adolescent Care Services 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 staff at this home care for up to five children who have experienced adverse circumstances in their past, resulting in them having a range of difficulties, particularly where this relates to attachment disorders.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted on 15 March 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 outstanding

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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: 22 January 2019

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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: SC038522 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/01/2019 Full Good 13/12/2017 Full Good 16/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 09/11/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC038522 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(v))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they receive a conclusion to any safeguarding referral which has been made to a local authority about a child living at the home. 14/02/20

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Recommendations

 Regulation 19(2) details sanctions that are prohibited in behaviour management. Any sanctions used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. In some cases, it will be important for children to make reparation in some form to anyone hurt by their behaviour and the staff in the home should be skilled to support the child to understand this and carry it out. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, pages 46–47, paragraph 9.38) Inspection report children’s home: SC038522 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team works together effectively and successfully to support children to enjoy life and to achieve success. Children’s progress includes them: engaging better with education; a reduction in them going missing; better physical health, and developing a greater ability to make their views known.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff’s ability to build strong relationships has resulted in children wanting to remain living here, which several have done for some time. One child said that her relationships with the staff had helped her to change because she trusts them. She said that they had ‘stuck with her through a lot of things’. A parent said in an Ofsted questionnaire, ‘It’s a home, not an institution. The adolescents are made to feel comfortable and secure.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff balance well their support for children to develop their own identity and also to maintain positive attachments to others who they live with. Children are encouraged to develop friendships of their own and build positive relationships with the other children living in the home. Given that the children have such diverse interests, this can be challenging. However, staff continually look for ways that children would like to do things together and make sure that these happen regularly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Healthy lifestyles are promoted well by staff. Home-made meals which cater for a range of dietary needs are part of everyday life. The staff closely monitor children’s mental well-being and ensure that health plans are up to date.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Therapeutic services are an integral part of the organisation’s provision. The diversity of therapeutic services supports, such as art, music and individual therapy sessions, helps children to engage with therapy in some way. This has assisted children who previously would not attend therapy sessions to do so. Children’s improved engagement is helping them to reflect on their past experiences and how these currently affect their lives. The manager described how different one child was after their weekly sessions and was therefore making sure that the child attends.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are regularly sought, which helps them to feel listened to and valued. A recent questionnaire about how each child viewed Christmas helped the staff to plan how to support children’s needs at what can be a challenging time for children who are not living with their families.

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

Children say that they feel safe here. A professional also wrote in an Ofsted questionnaire that the staff: ‘…work hard trying to ensure the safety of the residents and where this is tested, they appear willing to learn and develop their practices to try and prevent the same issues arising again.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC038522 5 No safeguarding referrals have been made since the last inspection. The manager has tenaciously ensured that an ongoing referral was progressed by appropriate safeguarding agencies. However, she has not ensured that a full conclusion to the concern was received. This omission has also not been identified by the organisation’s monitoring procedures. The manager immediately acted to rectify this error during the inspection.

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

Staff support children to recognise the things that they do well and help them to develop more positive responses to the things that children find challenging. The staff skilfully plan what to discuss in one-to-one meetings with children and use both impromptu and organised time well to ensure that these occur regularly. A well-written, child-friendly letter of each discussion is put in a memory book. The child therefore has a record which they can refer to with staff while they live here and keep when they leave. This provides a meaningful record for children of their achievements and how the staff have helped them.

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

One child said that he liked it at this home because staff compromise. He said that this attitude had helped him to listen and take on board what staff say. It is an example of how well staff involve children in decisions about their lives and the positive impact this has on children.

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

Risk assessments and strategies to keep children safe are well written and reflect children’s current and previous needs. A regularly monitored, easy-to-read chart helps the staff to quickly identify how a child’s levels of risk are changing. The chart helps staff to swiftly consider whether the strategies in place for an identified risk are effective or need reviewing.

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

Staff generally follow a restorative approach to managing children’s difficult behaviour. However, where this behaviour relates to damage to property in the home, some staff indicated that they would automatically give a child a financial fine. The manager challenges staff if they do not follow a restorative approach. However, staff’s comments to the inspector did not demonstrate that this was embedded in all their practice.

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

Leaders and managers operate a well-organised and detailed recruitment procedure which supports good practice. The director in charge of recruitment understands well the differing needs that potential new members of staff may have, using an appointee’s previous work and life experiences to plan the focus of their first months of induction and training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is a thoughtful and reflective practitioner who demonstrates excellent knowledge of children’s needs and how to meet these. She uses her knowledge very effectively to support the team to develop clear plans which help children to progress well. She is making good progress in completing her leadership and management Inspection report children’s home: SC038522 6 qualification and has received positive feedback about her work, which has been awarded high praise from her assessor.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The well-considered, research-based six-monthly reviews about the quality of care which the manager conducts result in an analytical and evaluative report. Conclusions from these reports result in positive changes to children’s care. For instance, following the last report, improvements have been made to how the staff support and monitor children’s health.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers also continuously strive to improve the services provided. They have recently organised for a tutor to be attached to each of the organisation’s homes. The tutor’s positive relationship with one child has already increased the child’s engagement with education and this is assisting him to re-enter full-time education.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff support meetings are regular and effective. There are a range of meetings which are used well to support individuals’ development, maintain good teamwork, understand children’s progress and to review how to adapt their care to best suit children’s changing needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff training programmes cover a wide range of appropriate subjects that are tailored to differing staff members’ roles and responsibilities. Staff speak positively about their training opportunities and can identify how training has made a positive difference to their care and understanding of children’s needs. Managers monitor effectively how well each staff member completes their qualification. This has helped to maintain a motivated, inquisitive and reflective team whose members work together well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff work well with other professionals, providing appropriate challenge where necessary. One professional reported in an Ofsted questionnaire: ‘I have a professional and friendly relationship with the management and staff at the home and this allows for good communication and trust, to allow for a good working relationship.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC038522 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: SC038522 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Southern Adolescent Care Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Room 8, Worth Corner, Turners Hill Road, Pound Hill, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 7SL

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Shasheen Norton-Laver

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Inspector

Ruth Coler, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC038522 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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