Children's home run by West Sussex County Council

Inspection report children’s home: SC037447 1 SC037447 Registered provider: West Sussex County Council 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 accommodate up to 16 children aged between five and 18 years old with a learning disability. This is a local authority home that provides short- and long-stay accommodation.

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Information about this children’s home

A suitably qualified manager has been registered with Ofsted since March 2007.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 9 December 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on our website.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account outstanding

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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Overall experiences and progress of

Date of last inspection: 2 September 2019

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC037447 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/09/2019 Full Outstanding 07/01/2019 Full Good 08/08/2017 Full Good 17/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC037447 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people:

Children live in a home where they are respected and loved. Staff display genuine fondness and enjoyment of each child’s unique personality, foibles and strengths.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people:

Children thrive on the support and nurture provided. The thought and consideration shown to them, combined with the detailed knowledge of their needs, means that some children make spectacular progress. For example, staff have been instrumental in helping a child to attend school after an absence of over three years.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people:

Another child was successfully supported to understand why she needed an operation and what this would involve. This process was an exemplar of skill and patience, combined with close work with parents and medical staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people:

Other examples of significant progress include successful toilet training for a child after a lifetime of incontinence and the developed use of verbal and sign language by children previously considered unable to achieve this. Staff support for a child experiencing the changes and effects of puberty displayed a particularly high standard of skill.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people:

The planning of transitions is also a strength of this home. Children have been closely and sensitively supported with significant changes in their lives such as moving in to the home on a full-time basis or returning for short-term stays after a considerable time away. Additionally, the registered manager’s knowledge of each child has ensured that the impact of new admissions, and the changing dynamics that these can cause, are fully considered and thoroughly planned for. This ensures continuity, safety and stability for the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people:

All children have placements at school. Staff work tirelessly to help them attend and to adjust to different routines, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Close communication has helped both the school and the home to provide any extra support needed for the children. On occasions, some schools have had to shut unexpectedly and staff have managed to sensitively and carefully help the children cope with this break in their expected routine.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people:

Children develop friendships and enjoy interactions with each other. This helps them to develop social skills and enjoy group activities. Staff are skilled in considering which children are most appropriate to live with each other and are focused on supporting children’s social and emotional development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people:

Children are encouraged to have a voice and a say in how their home is run. Staff learn how they prefer to communicate and how each child may have their unique way of making their needs and wishes known. There is use of augmented communication methods and, importantly, these are underpinned by staff knowledge Inspection report children’s home: SC037447 4 of each child’s adaptations of these and nuances in their behaviours and vocalisation. As a result, children can have an influence on their care routines, activities, decor, menu and preferred method of communication with their parents.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people:

The impact of the recent COVID-19 pandemic has been fully considered by the staff and managers. The use of social stories and careful explanation has helped to lessen the impact of the restrictions. Staff have successfully implemented safety measures to manage the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic skilfully and sensitively. The approach has taken into consideration the different levels of understanding of the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people:

Members of staff have developed strong working partnerships with parents. Some have been isolated and exhausted by the pressures of looking after a child with complex needs at home. Parents have confidence in the staff and the children reap the benefits of these supportive and respectful relationships as they encourage trust, shared strategies and close communication.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected:

Children’s needs and their vulnerability are fully understood by the staff who care for them. Their safety is seen is as precious and, subsequently, strenuous efforts are made and detailed plans implemented to keep them safe and secure, both physically and emotionally.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected:

Members of staff have an intimate and profound knowledge of each child’s personalities and behaviours. Consequently, they implement strategies and routines which keep children safe. At the same time, this enables children to develop their confidence and skills at a level commensurate with their understanding and knowledge of the world they live in.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected:

Behaviour support plans are created using information from professionals such as psychologists, teachers, social workers and parents. Staff are seen to be patient and understanding when supporting children and approach any new activities and trips with a can-do attitude. This helps children to take calculated risks and broaden their experiences and enjoyment. For example, children are supported to attend clubs, outings and community-based activities, when previously these have been seen as too risky or overwhelming for the children.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected:

There are clear individual protocols for staff to follow if a child goes missing. These emphasise the child’s vulnerabilities and risk assessments are very clear as to what support and supervision children need in order to prevent them being put at risk. As a result, staff practice in this area is conscientious and effective.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected:

Staff know what to do and who to inform if they have any concerns about a child’s well-being or safety. This knowledge has been implemented in practice, with staff showing awareness and diligence when addressing any concerns. Consequently, Inspection report children’s home: SC037447 5 children have been kept safe. Staff have been instrumental in arranging wider services from other agencies to support carers and children in their own homes.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected:

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: Outstanding.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected:

There was a restructuring of the staff team completed recently. This involved some key staff changing managerial roles. This process has been implemented successfully and unanimous feedback from all members of staff is that at no point was the quality or continuity of care of the children in any way affected.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected:

All staff receive regular supervision and all report excellent support from their colleagues and managers. Members of staff have also continued to receive training during the restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and this has ensured that they have the necessary knowledge and skills to provide excellent care to the children.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected:

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on face-to-face training has been recognised. Nevertheless, it has also been seen as an opportunity to use alternative training methods so that staff development is not compromised.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected:

The staff team makes concerted efforts to help each child to grow and increase their abilities. They seek every opportunity to help children to develop to their full potential, no matter what the barriers or circumstances.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected:

There is a culture embedded in this home which ensures that children are valued and loved, and their achievements are a proud source of joy for the staff, the children’s parents and social workers.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected:

Each child’s needs are known and met to an excellent standard. Efforts made by the staff, underpinned with their detailed knowledge of each child’s character, strengths and vulnerabilities, ensure that plans are carefully considered and then implemented in practice.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected:

Staff at all levels work closely with parents and professionals. This promotes collaborative working and a shared sense of purpose. If needed, the manager will advocate strongly on behalf of children to ensure that their feelings and opinions are listened to.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected:

The registered manager is aware of the staff team’s strengths and weaknesses and in what areas she wants to drive improvement. There are ambitious plans for the continued refurbishment of the home following completion of the initial stage of this work.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected:

Additionally, the management team implemented measures to protect the children living in the home during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have now started to broaden the services available again. For example, they have increased the capacity of the short-term service. This has been done in a careful and measured manner, with the well-being of the children seen as paramount throughout. Inspection report children’s home: SC037447 6

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: SC037447 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: West Sussex County Council, County Hall, West Street, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 1RQ

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Inspectors

Paul Taylor, Social Care Inspector Stephen Collett, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC037447 8 to 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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