Children's Home run by West Sussex County Council in West Sussex

Inspection report children's home: SC037454 1 SC037454 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

This home is operated by the local authority. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children. The overall aim of the home is to provide high-quality care in a warm and caring environment where the children are supported to come to terms with their past and current difficulties and begin to prepare for their future.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been registered with Ofsted since November 2020.

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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 20 October 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on the Ofsted 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 good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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Overall experiences and progress of

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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Overall experiences and progress of

Date of last inspection: 28 November 2018

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: good Inspection report children's home: SC037454 2 Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/11/2018 Full Good 09/01/2018 Full Outstanding 09/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 07/12/2016 Full Outstanding Inspection report children's home: SC037454 3

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outstanding

Every child in this home has made significant and meaningful progress. For some children, their progress has been remarkable, particularly when taking into account their past histories and experiences of trauma and disruption.

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outstanding

Children thrive within a culture of respect for, and appreciation of, their individual character and needs. They benefit from close trusting relationships with the staff who care for them. These relationships have often developed over significant periods of time. This home provides stability and safety, which has helped children to move forward and take advantage of the opportunities which are available to them. One child spoken to said, ‘I’m happy here. This is the best home I’ve lived in by far.’

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outstanding

Communication with stakeholders is a strength. Members of staff ensure that everyone who is important in each child’s life is involved in planning, sharing concerns and celebrating their success. This leads to a wide feeling of trust and a strong sense of working together to the benefit of the child. ‘They [staff] have been nothing short of amazing,’ reported a social worker for one child.

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outstanding

Staff promote the value of education and learning. All children attend education and staff provide whatever support is necessary to help them to attend and make progress. This includes direct support in school if needed. Consequently, all children have made progress and some have gone on to take exams and gain college placements. These achievements represent significant gains for children when bearing in mind their starting points.

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outstanding

Children’s emotional needs are closely monitored and supported. When needed, staff and managers will advocate for the children so that they receive appropriate support from therapists and children and adolescent mental health services’ staff. As a result of this determination and advocacy children have made significant steps in developing and implementing strategies which have strengthened their resilience and ability to problem solve.

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outstanding

Children’s views are valued, promoted, appreciated and enjoyed by staff and managers. Children are involved in recruiting new members of staff and develop their own care plans and support strategies. This approach helps them to feel they have a meaningful voice and influence in the direction their lives are taking, as well as having an important role in deciding how their home is run.

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outstanding

Transition planning, whether moving on from the home or moving in, is sensitively managed. The managers and staff ensure that each child is ready to move at their pace and in a way which they find manageable. The child’s views are paramount during this process. There is a strong emphasis on, and understanding from staff, Inspection report children's home: SC037454 4 acknowledging that any chance of success in the home is only achievable if the child feels welcomed and safe. This close collaboration with the children helps to underpin their trust and feeling of acceptance.

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outstanding

Children moving on to independence and adulthood are guided and nurtured during this journey. Practical advice, such as budgeting and cooking, is readily available. Importantly, the wider life skills, such as conflict resolution, tolerance and identifying which relationships are appropriate and safe, are also taught and embedded. This ensures that the children are more confident and able to look after themselves independently.

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

Staff have excellent insight into each child’s strengths and vulnerabilities. Staff use this knowledge to help the children identify risks and implement strategies to address these. As a result, children’s self-awareness develops significantly, and they can use the skills and knowledge they have developed to keep themselves safe. Examples of success include a reduction in the use of harmful substances and the ability to self-regulate emotions at times of distress.

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

Each child develops individual protocols and plans with members of staff that set out the steps that need to be taken to help them manage their emotions or what to do if they go missing. This approach means that the children are invested in taking steps to increase their safety and be responsible for their actions. Consequently, episodes of going missing are rare and incidents involving children being very challenging and disruptive are very unusual.

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

Children benefit immensely from the calm and measured approach of staff. This helps children to reflect on challenges and frustrations and to develop more positive strategies to manage these. Staff are positive role models for the children, who experience a culture of respect and tolerance. This underpins an embedded expectation that there are positive ways to resolve differences and frustrations while respecting others.

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

Despite the restrictions the COVID-19 pandemic has placed upon face-to-face training, staff have continued to keep up to date with safeguarding training, using online courses. All members of staff know what to do and who to report to if they have concerns about a child’s welfare.

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

Staff communicate closely with all stakeholders and share any concerns about children’s safety. This means that collaborative plans can be swiftly implemented or amended if need be. This has worked effectively in practice and has enabled children to feel cared for and safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager provides calm, insightful and reflective leadership. He is supported by experienced and knowledgeable senior members of staff who act as Inspection report children's home: SC037454 5 positive role models to the less experienced staff. While the staff team has experienced significant changes in structure and a growth in recent recruits, this has been skilfully managed and has not had an impact on the quality of care provided to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager knows the strengths and weaknesses of the staff team. Support is planned and given to those who need help in their growth and development. All staff receive regular supervision and training so that they have the knowledge and skills to provide the care the children need.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Careful planning for the arrival of children new to the home and thorough analysis of the changes in dynamics this brings, has meant that there has been no disruption to the progress the children are making. Consequently, children come to live in a home where there is an established culture of respect and a strong community feeling of mutual support and tolerance of difference. This is a significant strength of this home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is thorough monitoring and auditing of key records which ensures that plans are updated and continue to be relevant. On one occasion, the narrative of an incident was missing an update. Cross referencing with other records showed that the child involved was kept safe, however, the recording was not up to the standard needed. A recommendation is made to ensure this is addressed. Inspection report children's home: SC037454 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. This is with reference to ensuring that records are up to date and contain all information required. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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’.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: West Sussex County Council

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Paul Taylor, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC037454 7 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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