Children's Home run by Bramley Care Limited in Surrey

Inspection report children's home: SC028505 1 SC028505 Registered provider: Bramley Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home caters for children who have a history of exhibiting sexually harmful behaviours and who require specialist support. Every child must agree to engage with the home’s therapeutic services in order for them to come here.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager of the home was registered with Ofsted in 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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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: 28 January 2020

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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: SC028505 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/01/2020 Full Good 20/06/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 19/02/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/10/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report children's home: SC028505 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living at this home experience care from staff who are committed to meeting their needs and preparing them for the future. Children’s life chances are improved because of the progress they make.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Once children have left school, staff support them to select education placements which provide the greatest chance of success. As a result of proactive support from staff, one young person who has recently left the home is pursuing a career in hospitality. They were also successful in reaching the final stages of a national cookery competition. Achievements are celebrated, which makes children feel valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is meaningful joint working between the care and therapy teams. Children receive individual and group therapy. This provides them with safe opportunities to explore their early life experiences. Regular key-work sessions also take place and there are some examples of how they help children reach their goals. However, there are missed opportunities to consistently demonstrate how individual key-work sessions support children’s overall care plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children develop warm relationships with staff and there is mutual respect. One child described the staff as firm but fair. Children turn to staff for support and enjoy their company. This leads to a relaxed atmosphere and a positive lived experience for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are committed to maximising opportunities for children to spend time with their families. Social workers spoke highly of the practical and emotional support provided by staff to promote contact. During the inspection, the registered manager altered staffing plans for the weekend in response to a child seeking to change the date of his next home visit. This flexibility ensures that children can make the most of opportunities for family time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The independent reviewing officers for two of the children commented positively about opportunities children are given to learn skills for life. During the inspection, one young person was encouraged to cook their own meal and make a health appointment for themselves, despite some reluctance. They were proud of the positive results. This sensitive support enables children to become more confident about their ability to live independently in the future.

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

Impact assessments are rigorously completed. Children usually move to this home from one of the organisation’s other homes, which means that they are familiar with some of the other children and the staff. This knowledge allows the registered Inspection report children's home: SC028505 4 manager to undertake a detailed examination of the child’s needs alongside those of children who already live at the home, which results in careful matching.

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

Children are given opportunities to demonstrate that they are becoming increasingly safe at home and in the community. There is a well-planned free-time programme, and progression to the next stage is agreed following discussion with therapists and placing social workers. One child told the inspector that they are never tempted to abuse the free-time programme because they understand it would have an impact on future opportunities. However, risk assessments do not demonstrate that rigorous scrutiny of the risks has taken place, and care plans are not updated to reflect children’s current needs. Consequently, the documents do not reliably inform staff about the measures they need to take to ensure children are safely making progress.

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

Due to the positive relationships enjoyed between children and staff, the use of physical interventions and sanctions is rare. One young person proudly told the inspector that their behaviour has improved dramatically since living here. All the external professionals consulted during the inspection described children as being happy and safe.

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

Safe recruitment practices are understood and implemented by the manager and staff responsible for this area of practice. Only agency staff who are familiar with the home are employed to work here, and checks are carried out to ensure the agency has fulfilled its responsibility to make sure staff are safe to work with children. This reduces the potential for unsuitable adults to be employed at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is fully involved in the children’s lives. He is very clear about the progress children are making and has high aspirations for what they can achieve. His commitment to listening to children means that their views are integral to all decisions about the day-to-day running of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff attend supervision and team meetings at agreed intervals. They spoke positively about the way they use these forums to discuss children’s current needs. However, minutes of the meetings do not reflect any in-depth discussions. As a result, these records do not demonstrate how the manager is making sure that staff know how to meet children’s needs in line with their care plans and risk assessments.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager works closely with other professionals. The social worker for a young person who has recently left the service described how the registered manager made sure that thought was given to how they could access professionals who could continue to help them safely explore their sexuality when they moved to a new area. Proactively advocating for children in this way increases their sense of security. Inspection report children's home: SC028505 5 The staff speak positively about the training they receive. They are encouraged to evaluate how it equips them to work with the children in their care. As a result, children receive care from well-informed staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The new independent visitor is providing an increased level of scrutiny of the quality of care provided to children. Consequently, reports now contain evaluation and an analysis of the impact of the care that children receive. Inspection report children's home: SC028505 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

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—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)) 31 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered manager must ensure that records of staff supervision, team meetings and key-work sessions demonstrate focused discussions about supporting children in line with their care plans and risk assessments. 31 August 2021

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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: SC028505 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bramley Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Nicholas House, Riverfront, Enfield Essex EN1 3FG

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Inspector

Helen Simmons, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC028505 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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