Children's Home run by West Sussex County Council in West Sussex

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC037454 1 SC037454

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by the local authority. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children. The overall aim of the home is to provide high-quality care in a warm and caring environment where the children are supported to come to terms with their past and current difficulties and begin to prepare for their future.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since November 2020. The registered manager was not present at this monitoring visit. The responsible individual was present throughout the monitoring visit.

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This monitoring visit

The home was inspected on 2 August 2022 and judged to be inadequate. There had been serious failings in practice relating to the safety and protection of the children living at the home. On 10 August 2022, Ofsted issued a compliance notice under Regulation 12: The protection of children standard. This notice specified four steps the provider must take to improve safeguarding practice in the home. The steps were to be completed by 11 September 2022. The purpose of this monitoring visit was to examine how effectively the provider has met the requirements of the compliance notice.

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This monitoring visit

The compliance notice required the provider to identify the risks to each child and to review and update the associated risk assessments. Leaders and managers were required to establish whether any children in the home presented a risk to other children living there and to specify what actions would be taken to prevent the children harming each other. The provider was also required to undertake a review of how staff managed a relationship that had developed between two children and specify any learning from this exercise. A review of staff training was to be undertaken and leaders and managers were to report on whether the staff have the necessary knowledge and skills to meet the needs of the children. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC037454 2 Step 1: Review known and identified risks to children and investigate any unidentified risks. Update the children’s individual risk assessments and specify the

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This monitoring visit

measures and strategies in place to mitigate these risks.

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This monitoring visit

The children’s individual risk assessments have been reviewed and updated, but the quality of these assessments remains variable. The risk assessment for a child who moved into the home five weeks ago did not clearly indicate the significant potential for the child to become criminally exploited. Consequently, the strategies for managing the risk were underdeveloped and did not provide the staff with clear guidance on how to keep the child safe.

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This monitoring visit

Other aspects of risk management have improved. For two children, new and emerging risks have been identified. The associated risk assessment for one of these children provided a detailed summary of the concern and clear instructions for staff to follow to mitigate the risk.

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This monitoring visit

Although there are still weaknesses in risk management practice, the responsible individual was able to demonstrate that steps have been taken to secure a multi- disciplinary approach in responding to potential child criminal exploitation.

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This monitoring visit

Overall, this step in the compliance notice has not been met.

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This monitoring visit

Step 2: Establish whether there are currently any children in the home who present a risk to their peers and report on what actions will be taken to address any harmful behaviours between children.

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This monitoring visit

To address this step, a review of each child’s impact risk assessment was undertaken. The purpose of this was to establish the compatibility among the children living at the home and whether any of the children could pose a risk to the other children. At the time of this monitoring visit, the implications of one child’s alleged behaviours had not been fully considered in the impact risk assessment. The associated individual risk assessment did not recognise the severity of the risk or provide clear and effective strategies for the staff to follow to reduce the risk.

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This monitoring visit

In another case, clear and decisive action was taken when it became apparent that one child may have influenced another child to engage in substance misuse.

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This monitoring visit

Overall, this step in the compliance notice has not been met.

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This monitoring visit

Step 3: Undertake a comprehensive review of how the relationship between the two children at the home was managed. Identify the learning from this review and report on how this learning will be implemented in practice.

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This monitoring visit

The authority’s quality assurance lead undertook a comprehensive review of how the relationship between two children who had previously lived at the home was managed. A detailed report of the findings from this review was then produced. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC037454 3 The report reflects on the protective measures that were in place to manage the children’s relationship and identifies areas for improvement. The learning from this review is clearly stated, along with the associated actions that will be taken.

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This monitoring visit

The quality assurance lead was able to give a full verbal account of progress on these actions. Of the six identified actions, three have now been completed and there is a timely plan for addressing the remaining three.

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This monitoring visit

This step in the compliance notice has been met.

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This monitoring visit

Step 4: Undertake a review of staff training, including contextual safeguarding, and report on whether all staff have the necessary skills and knowledge to meet the needs of the children currently living at the home.

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This monitoring visit

To meet this step, a detailed staff training matrix was completed. This identified some gaps in staff training needs, and action has been taken to address this. Additional training has also been provided in response to the concerns identified at the full inspection in August 2022. One member of staff reflected on how her practice will change following the recent training she has received.

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This monitoring visit

The staff have attended a comprehensive training course on contextual safeguarding. The staff spoken to at this monitoring visit were able to reflect on their learning from this course. The course also provided staff with some valuable resources that can be used to identify and respond to concerns associated with child criminal exploitation.

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This monitoring visit

A report relating to the individual and collective knowledge and skills of the staff team has not been produced. The focus has been on identifying gaps in training, rather than assessing and reporting on whether the staff have sufficient skills and knowledge to meet the children’s needs.

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This monitoring visit

Overall, this step in the compliance notice has not been met.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have responded positively to the need to improve safeguarding practice in the home. Some progress has been made, but three of the four steps in the compliance notice issued on 10 August 2022 have not been met. Ofsted will therefore consider whether any further action is required to ensure that safeguarding practice continues to improve.

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This monitoring visit

The provider’s response to the other requirements and recommendations made at the full inspection in August 2022 was not examined at this monitoring visit. Therefore, these are repeated in this report. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC037454 4

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 02/08/2022 Full Inadequate 25/05/2021 Full Outstanding 28/11/2018 Full Good 09/01/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC037454 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(ix)) 11 September

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)) 11 September

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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 that staff—

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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 6 November 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC037454 6 necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(vi)(b))*

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Requirement Due date

This is with specific reference to ensuring that children’s individual risks are identified and effective strategies are used to mitigate the risk, ensuring that there are effective strategies, which are implemented in practice, to prevent children harming one another, and ensuring that the staff have the necessary skills to safeguard the children.

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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 that staff—

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This is with particular reference to ensuring that staff notify managers when they are responding to a serious incident when children’s safety is at risk. 11 September

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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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 11 September Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC037454 7 lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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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)(a)(c)(d)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This is with specific reference to ensuring that impact risk assessments are always undertaken before a child moves into the home and that the assessment considers the likely impact on the children already living at the home and the child who will be moving in. 11 September

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (3)) 11 September Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC037454 8 The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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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)(e)) 11 September

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home provides a homely, domestic environment. This is with specific reference to ensuring that the home is well decorated and maintained. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15 paragraph 3.9)  The registered person must ensure that the staff identify and provide appropriate opportunities for children to develop themselves in accordance with their wishes and feelings and as part of the home’s plan for their care. This is with specific reference to ensuring that children’s weekly activity plans provide for a range of activities that will support the child’s needs and development. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 31 paragraph 6.4)  The registered person must ensure that the staff take a proactive role in supporting children to manage their well-being and health needs. This is with

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Recommendations

specific reference to supporting children to engage with relevant health-care providers, such as substance misuse workers and counselling services. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 34 paragraph 7.10)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC037454 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: West Sussex County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, West Street, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 1RG

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Inspector

Stephen Collett, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC037454 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 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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