Children's Home run by The Cuckfield Care Consultancy Limited in West Sussex

Inspection report children’s home: SC066466 1 SC066466 Registered provider: The Cuckfield Care Consultancy Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This private children’s home is registered to accommodate up to six children. The home’s statement of purpose states that medium- to long-term placements are provided for vulnerable children with emotional, behavioural and psychological difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 7 December 2016.

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

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 requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC066466 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/04/2019 Full Outstanding 31/05/2018 Full Outstanding 25/07/2017 Full Good 15/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC066466 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in the home. Most children move on from the home to better outcomes. Children have progressed to placements in foster care and semi- independence as per their plans. Children are supported to work towards their independence, and staff ensure that children maintain contact when they leave. Not all the children’s relevant care plans are available to staff and, when they are, in some instances, the actions set out in these documents are not being carried out. For example, for one child, the identified actions to support them to maintain contact with a family member and visit a dentist have not been progressed. This means that, although children are making good progress, there are missed opportunities to further support them to reach their full potential.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff demonstrate commitment in the way that they provide care for the children. Children have benefited from a holiday in the provider’s caravan. They access the provider’s farm for educational and recreational purposes. Staff are creative in supporting a child with additional needs to ensure that their voice is heard. Feedback from parents and social workers is positive about the care that children receive. Where appropriate, children are supported to maintain contact with people who matter most in their lives. Children know that they are valued and cared for.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to celebrate their individuality. Staff are sensitive to children’s needs and support them to explore their identity. Staff engage children in learning and provide good information to help them to learn about the world and diversity. Children benefit from access to community youth groups to explore their identity, socialise and have fun. Children’s bedrooms are decorated to meet their needs, interests and identity. One child commented, ‘Staff have gone above and beyond to support me.’ Children feel safe to explore and celebrate their culture, race and gender identity.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have clear expectations and work hard to promote positive behaviours. Due to a rise in incidents since the last inspection, there has been an increase in sanctions being used. Staff involve children in deciding what they need to do to put things right. This helps them to understand that the sanctions are used to teach them rather than punish them. Staff also use rewards to promote positive behaviour. Children receive individual trips, money or extra one-to-one time with staff, depending on the nature of the behaviour being shown. Children reflect on their behaviour during key-work sessions, where staff talk with them about the reasons for their behaviours and support them to become more socially aware.

p.3

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

There has been a significant increase in the use of physical intervention since the last inspection. This is due to the admission of one child to the home having a negative impact on the behaviours of other children at the home. The behaviours Inspection report children’s home: SC066466 4 have led to staff being assaulted and damage to the home. Children have plans in place to reduce risks, and staff are aware of these plans. Incidents are recorded but these are not always reviewed by managers in a timely manner to ensure good oversight of practice. This means that any learning from incidents that could improve practice and help to reduce the number of further incidents is not always identified.

p.3

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

Children rarely go missing from the home. When a child goes missing, staff follow the child’s plans and make all reasonable efforts to locate the child. One child who has been missing on occasions has done so because he wanted to return to the area they consider home. The child went missing to be closer to friends and did not wish to return home due to the distance. Staff worked with the social worker to support the child through an independence programme to find a semi-independence placement near to this area. This removed his incentive to go missing and he is now living closer to his family, friends and support network.

p.4

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

Staff prioritise the safety and well-being of children. They develop trusting relationships with children, who feel able to share their concerns. Staff act promptly and effectively in response to any concerns that children may have. They work effectively in partnership with relevant safeguarding agencies to ensure that care practice is safe and that children are listened to. This has reduced the risk of harm to children living in the home.

p.4

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

Staff have not considered all the risks that children face in the local community. Risks associated with areas such as the local parks and train station have not been assessed. Health and safety risk assessments to prevent legionella have not been undertaken.

p.4

good

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated changing of restrictions have been difficult for staff and children. Children’s routines have changed, which means that they have spent more time at home due to schools being closed. This has been hard for staff to manage and has resulted in more behaviour incidents. As a result, three members of staff have moved away from the home, which has placed pressure on staff resources. This has led to an increase in the use of agency staff. The manager has stepped in to work on shift in order to fill the gaps. This has led to shortfalls in the monitoring of some areas, such as physical interventions, sanctions, and health and safety risk assessments. This has created gaps in recording, and opportunities to implement lessons learned have been missed.

p.4

good

The manager is knowledgeable about the children living in the home and has high aspirations for them. The manager ensures that staff are fully trained to meet the needs of the children in their care. All training is completed in a timely manner and gaps have been quickly identified and addressed. A culture of celebrating people’s individuality is promoted and this focus in evident in all aspects of the home. Staff are trained in supporting children with exploring their gender and cultural identity Inspection report children’s home: SC066466 5 and this training has ensured that children’s needs are at the forefront of their practice. This allows children to feel safe, valued and accepted in the home.

p.4

good

Staff feel supported by the manager and are committed to giving children meaningful experiences. However, supervision is not always carried out in a timely manner. For example, one member of staff only had three supervision sessions over an 11-month period of their employment. When supervision does occur, staff feel supported, and sessions provide them with a good opportunity to discuss their learning and development needs. Staff do not always have the opportunity to reflect on practice or the emotional impact on them when they have been involved in managing difficult incidents.

p.5

good

The manager generally follows safe recruitment guidance in their recruitment of staff. All permanent staff in the home have been appropriately vetted. However, this same scrutiny has not been applied to all agency staff. For example, the manager has not ensured that references for all agency staff are seen prior to them working in the home. This removes an important layer of scrutiny and undermines the manager’s ability to have oversight to ensure that only staff who are competent and suitable are permitted to work in the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC066466 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

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that sanctions, supervision of staff, location and health and safety risk assessments are reviewed in a timely manner. 7 October 2021

p.6

Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

p.6

Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c))

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered manager must ensure that they challenge professionals to ensure that they have all statutory plans for children and ensure that actions are completed in a timely manner. 7 October 2021

p.6

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— 7 October 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC066466 7 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.7

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(d))

p.7

Requirement Due date

The manager must ensure that there are sufficient staff to meet the needs of children.

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

p.7

Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

p.7

Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

p.7

Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (3)(b)(i)(ii))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that staff are given the opportunity to reflect after incidents and that records of the use of physical intervention are reviewed. 7 October 2021

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

p.7

Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(d))

p.7

Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that all staff, including agency staff, have undergone safer recruitment checks. 7 October 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC066466 8

p.7

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: SC066466 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Cuckfield Care Consultancy Limited

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Ashburnham, Cuckfield Road, Ansty, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH17 5AG

p.9

Inspector

Matt Nicholls, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC066466 10 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.9

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.10

Inspector

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

p.10

Inspector

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

p.10