Children's Home run by Rubicon Children and Family Services Ltd in East Sussex

Inspection report for children’s home: 2666309 1 no

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Registered provider: Rubicon Children and Family Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home is registered to provide care for up to four children, aged between eight and 18, with social and emotional difficulties.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

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

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2666309 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is the home’s first inspection since their registration in December 2021. The three children living in the home have moved in at different points during this period.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience nurturing and loving care from staff. Staff interactions with children are respectful, open and consistent. This provides children with a secure base to develop positive and safe relationships and helps them make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

New children are given the opportunity to visit the home and to meet the other children and the staff. Staff work well with parents and professionals to ensure that children’s moves are sensitively managed. Consequently, children benefit from careful and effective early care planning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress at school and their achievements are celebrated. Staff recognise the importance of structure and routine. For one child, this has enabled them to be more focused, and, as a result, the child is making considerable academic progress. For another child, they have been able to engage in home tutoring following a long period away from any formal education. Consequently, children are supported to meet their future goals and ambitions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to engage in varied activities and to develop friendships outside of the home. For example, staff arranged a birthday party for one child, who was able to invite their friends from school. Another child has been helped to join a street dance group. These opportunities help children to develop their social skills and to broaden their experiences. As a result, children are developing positive memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to have positive relationships with each other. For example, staff arrange key-working sessions to support children to understand the impact that their behaviour has on each other. One child said, ‘Staff help us get on and be nice to each other.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with all health professionals to ensure that children’s health needs are managed effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported when leaving the home. For example, when a child’s complex needs could no longer be safely managed, a bespoke care plan was put in place to support the child until they were able to move. This reduced the impact on the other children and enabled the child to have a positive ending when they left the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a lovely environment. The children are consulted in the decorating of their bedrooms and the home. For example, there is a photograph wall that the Inspection report for children’s home: 2666309 3 children have helped to design. This supports the children to invest in the home and their environment.

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

The safeguarding of children is prioritised. Managers demonstrate good safeguarding practice by following clear procedures when incidents occur. Leaders and managers consult other professional agencies effectively.

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

Staff responses to children going missing from care are strong. Staff maintain links with children who are missing from the home and implement risk assessments and protocols effectively. Staff provide key-work sessions for children to share any worries or concerns they may have. However, managers do not routinely ensure that children are offered a return home interview by an independent person.

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

Staff know children’s behaviours well, and consequently use techniques to avoid children’s behaviours escalating. As a result, the use of physical intervention is kept to a minimum and children are supported to develop resilience.

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

Managers have not developed a protocol to guide staff on managing a child’s allegations. Although staff take effective action in most instances, the lack of a protocol means that not all situations are subject to review, to determine if the threshold of referrals are met. This has the potential for being able to report errors when allegations are raised and then retracted.

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

There are gaps in the registered manager’s monitoring of recruitment records. For example, one member of staff’s application form did not include their education or qualifications. The shortfall in monitoring runs the risk that omissions can go unnoticed, and this could potentially lead to the employment of unsuitable adults working with children.

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good

The registered manager is passionate and holds high aspirations for the children. Staff speak positively of the manager’s support and guidance. However, there is a lack of structure within the roles and responsibilities held between the registered manager and the house manager. This has resulted in inconsistent oversight and monitoring of the home.

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good

The registered manager is aware of her safeguarding responsibilities. She works with professionals and acts on their advice. One social worker said, ‘Staff were so dedicated and committed, [and] even when the child was at their most challenging, they always kept them safe.’ However, there have been occasions when managers have not reported notifiable incidents to Ofsted. This has resulted in a failure to meet their regulatory responsibilities. Inspection report for children’s home: 2666309 4 Leaders and managers monitor and review the home’s statement of purpose. However, the admission criteria does not reflect the needs of some of the children who have moved into the home. Consequently, children’s individual needs are not being thoroughly considered in key documents. The registered manager’s lack of oversight of the statement of purpose risks staff being unclear about the home’s intended aims and objectives.

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good

Staff, overall, receive good training that reflects children’s needs. However, on one occasion, there was a lack of assessment into the staff’s skills to meet a new child’s health needs. This was a missed opportunity to give staff a better insight into a medical condition and how this might impact on the care of the child.

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good

Staff are motivated and energetic and want to provide the best care for children. Staff speak positively about their induction to the home and how they have been involved in the ongoing development of the home.

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good

Staff are provided with regular and reflective supervision, which is enhanced by team meetings and key-work supervision that is led by the home’s therapist. Managers have developed a positive culture of open communication through different forums, such as team meetings and child-focused meetings. This results in the staff focusing on what matters the most to children.

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good

Leaders and managers work in partnership with other professionals. For example, they have made appropriate challenge to professionals when significant information has not been shared as part of the admission process.

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good

External feedback is positive. The level of communication maintained between children’s social workers and managers is good. This results in professionals working together in the best interests of children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2666309 5

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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 registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child — is instigated; or

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that regulation 40 notifications are appropriately made. 31 August 2022

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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.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 31 August 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2666309 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Recommendations

 The registered person must keep the home’s Statement of Purpose under review, indicating how the home provides individualised care to meet the Quality Standards for the children in their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.5)  The registered person must ensure that good employment practice is maintained. They must ensure that recruitment of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61 , paragraph 13.1)  The registered person must ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  The registered person must ensure that the policy on protection of children

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Recommendations

includes arrangements in relation to dealing with allegations. This specifically relates to a child who makes allegations and then retracts them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.19)

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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 for children’s home: 2666309 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Rubicon Children and Family Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Clarke Brownscombe, 2 St. Andrews Place, Southover Road, Lewes BN7 1UP

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Louise Whichelow-Ellis

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Inspector

Rebecca Fisher, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2666309 8 regulates and inspects 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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