Children's home run by East Sussex County Council in Lewes

Inspection report children’s home: SC068179 1 SC068179 Registered provider: East 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 operated by a local authority. It provides care and accommodation for up to four children. The statement of purpose states that the home provides stability and support and ongoing intensive individual attention for children who have experienced trauma, disrupted development, loss and multiple placement moves.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since August 2012.

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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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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 good

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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: 4 September 2019

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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: SC068179 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/09/2019 Full Good 14/08/2018 Full Good 23/01/2018 Full Good 03/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC068179 3

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outstanding

The children who live at this home usually make excellent progress across all aspects of their lives. The children build positive relationships with the staff, which enables them to develop a greater sense of stability and security. As they become more settled, the children begin to reflect on past traumas. The care and support they receive at the home gradually increase the potential for them to overcome the negative emotional impact of these experiences.

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outstanding

The high standard of care that the children receive is enhanced by them having prompt access to a range of specialist services to address their physical and emotional well-being. This results in the children’s needs being assessed and understood by the staff caring for them. The staff take a sensitive approach and are generally successful in encouraging the children to engage with specialist services, even when they are reluctant to do so. An independent reviewing officer for one child at the home said the child had ‘come on leaps and bounds’, particularly in terms of their social and emotional well-being.

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outstanding

The staff receive training in a therapeutic parenting model of care, which is fully implemented in practice. The staff speak enthusiastically about the benefits of this approach. Excellent examples were seen of how the staff use play, activities and communication styles to encourage the children to express their feelings and manage their anxieties.

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outstanding

The children’s individuality and identity are valued, and the staff support the children to respect diversity. For example, sensitive discussions take place regarding children’s development and their emerging sexuality. Although the children’s wishes and feelings are clearly respected, there has been one case where a child was not reminded of the home’s complaints procedure when concerns were raised.

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outstanding

The children at this home are supported to have fun and enjoy themselves. During the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, the managers and staff went to exceptional lengths to keep the children entertained and positively occupied during the school summer holidays. A highly creative approach was taken to ensure that a ‘staycation’ had all the activities a child would enjoy if staying away from home at a holiday resort.

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outstanding

The children’s educational progress is currently varied. One child is making excellent progress while others have disengaged. This is not a reflection of the staff’s commitment to promoting educational attainment. The managers and staff are proactive in ensuring that the children have the type of educational provision that will best meet their needs. The current situation is more a reflection of the complex challenges that some children at the home are currently facing. Inspection report children’s home: SC068179 4 The staff are skilled at building working relationships with the children’s family members and former carers where it is appropriate to do so. They demonstrate a strong commitment to ensuring that time with family members is a safe and enjoyable experience for all concerned. This approach has resulted in some children experiencing improved relationships with some of their family.

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outstanding

There is a strong safeguarding culture embedded across all areas of practice. Over time, this ensures that there is a decrease in behaviours that could result in children coming to harm. For example, some children have significantly reduced the number of times they go missing from care and others have been able to speak about traumatic events from their past.

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outstanding

Much of the progress that children make can be attributed to the trusting relationships that staff build with them. The quality of these relationships gives children the confidence to share their worries and concerns. When children have spoken about past abuse, staff have responded in a highly sensitive and skilled manner. The staff follow clearly defined child protection procedures and comprehensive records are kept of the actions being taken.

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outstanding

The staff have a detailed understanding of the vulnerabilities and associated risks for each child. This knowledge is used to develop strong risk management strategies. Risk assessments reflect any concerns regarding the potential for a child to come to harm. For example, the emerging concerns regarding a child’s use of the internet have been analysed and clear guidance for staff to follow has been included in the risk assessment. This approach, which is supplemented by educating the child on internet safety, has resulted in the risk being managed effectively.

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outstanding

The response to children who go missing from the home is detailed and thorough. Partnership working with the local police missing person’s team is well established. Two police officers commented on the effectiveness of information-sharing, communication and the safeguarding measures implemented at the home. One child is currently at high risk of going missing from care. Despite a consistent approach by staff when a child goes missing, there is not always an immediate positive effect on reducing the number of episodes. However, managers and staff are tenacious in their efforts to reduce missing-from-home incidents over time.

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outstanding

The staff maintain clear expectations and boundaries regarding behaviour. Children develop the skills needed to manage their anger and frustration more effectively. This results in a reduction of confrontational and destructive behaviour. The children do not currently have individual behaviour management plans, and the strategies for helping children to maintain positive behaviour are contained within risk assessments and care plans. However, this approach is currently under review.

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outstanding

Physical interventions to manage behaviour are kept to a minimum. Since the last inspection in September 2019, all interventions have consisted of locking the kitchen Inspection report children’s home: SC068179 5 door for a limited period to prevent children causing harm by using kitchen implements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed well by an experienced manager, who is supported by an effective deputy and a highly competent staff team. The staff feel well supported and they receive good-quality supervision. They also benefit from having regular meetings with a child and adolescent mental health services consultant, who advises on how the complex needs of the children can be met through day-to-day practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are good processes for monitoring the quality of care being provided, including monthly practice audits, children’s file audits, and management oversight of the therapeutic work being undertaken with the children. One shortfall was identified regarding the monitoring of restraint practice. Currently, managers are not evaluating the effectiveness of the restraint measure being used, which consists of locking the kitchen door.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has reflected on how the admission of one child has caused some anxiety among the children who were already living at the home. She demonstrates good insight into the potential for children’s progress to be severely hampered if a new admission is not compatible with the children who are settled at the home. The registered manager clearly has skills needed to make sound judgements in terms of who should be admitted and will advocate strongly to ensure that the progress being made by the children is not compromised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is good management oversight of the care planning process. Care planning takes account of the individual circumstances of each child and how they will manage in a group living situation. Children are involved in these processes, which provides them with opportunities to reflect on the progress they are making and contribute towards setting goals for the future. There is wide consultation with other professionals involved in the children’s lives, and with parents and former carers where appropriate.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s policies and procedures are kept under regular review. This helps to ensure that staff practice in the home reflects any new challenges or changing circumstances. When it recently became apparent that substance misuse was becoming an issue for a child, leaders and managers developed a bespoke policy to address the challenges this was presenting. This demonstrates how leaders and managers are adaptable and will amend staff practice to try and achieve the best outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have high aspirations for the children. They take account of emerging research concerning the needs, wishes and feelings of children in residential care. This has resulted in children being consulted on such matters as the appropriate use of language in their care plans. Managers are also effective in identifying the need for additional staff training, particularly where this is likely to have a positive impact on how effectively a child’s specific needs are being met. Inspection report children’s home: SC068179 6

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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

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(vii)) 9 August 2021

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children are made aware of the complaints procedure and be reminded of it as necessary. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.13)

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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: SC068179 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, St Anne’s Crescent, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 1UE

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Inspector

Stephen Collett, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC068179 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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