Children's Home run by SureCare Residential Ltd in Essex

Inspection report children's home: 1256452 1 Registered provider: Surecare Residential Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to five children aged between nine and 17 years. The home offers care to children with a range of complex needs including emotional and behavioural difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2020.

p.1

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.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 21 October 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 5 September 2019

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 1256452 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/09/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 14/08/2018 Full Good 06/12/2017 Full Good 06/09/2017 Full Inadequate Inspection report children's home: 1256452 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There were five children at the home at the time of the inspection. Staff have supported one child to return home to their family since the last Ofsted visit. This included supporting the child at home during the early stages of their return. One child moved into the home recently.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are supporting children to make good progress in all areas of their development. Staff know the children well, including the people and things that are important to them. Staff are guided by well-written care plans that are easy for children to access and read. As a result, children enjoy predictable routines and a settled environment in which they thrive.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend education and are making good progress from their starting points. One child now attends school after refusing education for two years before moving to the home. Two children have recently completed their GCSEs and have plans for attending college. Staff helped the children to celebrate their achievements in memorable ways.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to enjoy good mental and emotional health. Children are supported to access the therapy that they feel comfortable with. For one child, this included staff organising animal therapy which was designed specifically to meet this child’s preferences. Children confide in the manager and staff about their feelings. This has contributed to a reduction in incidents of children self-harming.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are working with external health professionals to monitor some children’s weight. Staff are offering children healthy food options. However, some children are regularly choosing to snack on the less healthy foods that are available. As a result, they are not eating a nutritious diet.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff place a strong emphasis on enjoying activities and they play with the children. They recognise that this has supported the positive relationships that they have built with the children. Children helped to choose and plan the activities for the school summer holidays. These include trips to the beach and theme parks. Children have also accessed activities based on their individual likes, such as driving experiences and the theatre.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have diverse identity needs. Staff help children to learn about their culture and to feel proud of who they are. Staff have identified local groups that meet children’s identity needs and support children’s attendance at them. Staff are sensitive to children’s differences and are proactive in educating children that bullying and discrimination will not be tolerated.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents are wholly positive about the care offered to their children and the communication that they have with the staff and manager. Inspection report children's home: 1256452 4

p.3

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

There are minimal incidents at the home. This is testament to the trusting relationships that staff have built with children.

p.4

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

Missing-from-care plans are in place for all children. Children do not regularly leave the house without permission but when this does occur, staff act quickly to return them safely. One child who regularly went missing from care has not had any incidents of going missing since living at the home. This is an excellent outcome and one that the child feels proud of.

p.4

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

Staff are clear and consistent with setting boundaries for children. Staff support children to review their behaviour management plans each month. Through this process, children have learned how to name their feelings, learn what they can do to help themselves when they are feeling emotional and to have a say in how they want staff to support them at these times. As a result, children are developing the skills that they need to manage their emotions and conflict in a more positive way.

p.4

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

There is a structured system in place for planning and engaging children in key-work sessions. Key-work topics are targeted and support children to achieve their longer- term aims as well as being used to address any emerging issues of concern. During these sessions, staff help children to explore their feelings and learn about their own safety.

p.4

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

Staff only use physical intervention to keep children safe. The manager ensures that children and staff have the opportunity to reflect on the incidents and learn from them.

p.4

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

Staff are familiar with children’s risk assessments and what measures to follow to reduce the risks of online abuse and incidents of self-harm, aggression and exploitation. One child seeks a high level of physical affection and proximity to staff. However, this child’s risk assessment lacks clear guidance for staff on how they should respond to ensure that the child receives the nurture that they need in a safe way.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a strong leader who has clear expectations of staff and children. She has embedded a culture at the home that means children and staff enjoy a sense of safety.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows the children well, including their hopes and wishes. She ensures that children’s views are heard and recognises when independent advocacy is needed.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager maintains good oversight of practice and paperwork. She has designed systems that encourage staff to continuously reflect on and develop their practice. Inspection report children's home: 1256452 5 These include shift evaluation forms which require staff to work together as a team after each shift to identify what worked well and what could be changed to achieve a better outcome. Staff said that this system has improved communication and helps achieve consistency of practice across the staff team.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has an effective system for tracking staff training. Additional training needs are identified by the manager and met. This includes bespoke restraint training for staff to meet the assessed needs of a child joining the home. Staff are also guided by the home’s psychologist, who contributes to team meetings. Staff receive regular, good-quality supervision that helps them to recognise the strengths that they bring to the team.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager consults with the people and professionals who know the children best, when planning for children to move in or move on from the home. These plans ensure that children are welcomed into the home sensitively and help children to experience positive endings.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager regularly updates the home’s statement of purpose. However, this has not been sent to Ofsted as required. An updated copy was provided during the visit. Inspection report children's home: 1256452 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 29 October 2021

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff have the relevant skills and knowledge to help children understand, and when necessary, work to change negative behaviours in areas of health. In particular, help children to eat healthy food. (‘Guide to the to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.18)  The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively address the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. In particular, the provider should ensure that, when needed, children’s risk assessments provide clear guidance for staff in relation to responding to sexualised behaviour. (‘Guide to the to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

p.6

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: 1256452 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Surecare Residential Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Old Snap Factory, Twyford Road, Bishop’s Stortford CM23 3LJ

p.7

Inspector

Paula Edwards, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 1256452 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8