Children's Home run by Crusoe Care Limited 06843979 in East Sussex

Inspection report for children’s home: SC484302 1 SC484302 Registered provider: Crusoe Care Limited 06843979 Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is registered to provide care for up to two children with social and emotional difficulties. Children receive one-to-one support from staff. The home is privately owned by a company that operates another children’s home and supported accommodation in the area.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in 2011.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC484302 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/05/2021 Full Good 19/02/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 17/04/2019 Full Good 29/08/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC484302 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children said that they enjoy living at the home. They share close bonds with staff and each other, as inspectors heard laughter throughout the visit. Children know their routines and staff use the one-to-one support they provide to give children help with homework, independent skills and activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Careful planning ensures that care and consideration are taken by staff when new children join. Staff reflected on the admission of a child that did not go well, and from this they improved the process. This resulted in a positive experience for the next child joining the home. However, some aspects of the move that were important to the child were not arranged on time, though staff did address this quickly when it was identified.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children well, including their likes and interests, and can talk about the progress children have made. Staff recognise and celebrate children’s achievements. Children told inspectors they are proud of their achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who have left the home in the last year have mostly done so in a positive manner. The organisation has a semi-independent home which is used as a positive stepping stone for children to further improve their independence skills, continue education and maintain relationships with staff. This allows children to better prepare for adulthood.

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

Staff are skilled in protecting children from harm. The home is a calm environment and children benefit from significant staff support. There have been no incidents of children going missing from the home, no use of physical intervention and no consequences for unwanted behaviour.

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

Children feel able to seek staff support when required. Children have meaningful relationships with the staff, who sensitively explore any behaviours resulting from heightened emotions and seek to understand what the triggers may be, helping children identify strategies to remain calm. Children are greeted warmly when they come home from school. There have been no complaints or allegations of harm.

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

Children are supported to display socially acceptable behaviour. They participate in setting realistic goals and meaningful rewards. This has resulted in children supporting neighbours, clearing communal spaces and participating in a local BBQ.

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

Previously, children have faced risks, including online, and staff have collaborated closely with specialist agencies, such as the police and youth offending teams, to help reduce risks. This helps children to better understand the risks and develop Inspection report for children’s home: SC484302 4 strategies to manage these. However, one risk assessment did not include all known risks for a child.

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good

The registered manager and responsible individual are heavily involved in the running of the home and are committed to the children they care for. Plans are in place for the registered manager to move to a more strategic role within the organisation and a new manager, who has been with the organisation for 16 years, is due to begin in early 2023.

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good

Despite this, there are areas of the home that have lacked oversight and leaders have yet to address all shortfalls found at the last inspection. The registered manager has yet to complete any further professional development.

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good

Several administrative tasks have not had any effective oversight from managers. For example, staff could not find up-to-date care plans and risk assessments. Although staff could talk knowledgably about the children and their needs, they could not provide evidence to support this knowledge. Leaders have shown a lack of professional curiosity when recruiting new staff, and did not explore the full working history of one new member of staff. Leaders acknowledged these shortfalls but have not identified an effective system to provide better oversight.

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good

Staff receive regular supervision and team meetings. These sessions are child- centred and consider carefully how staff meet each child’s needs. On one occasion, leaders invited the local authority designated officer to attend, to enhance staff knowledge. However, in general, these meetings and supervision sessions do not explore safeguarding themes sufficiently to help improve staff understanding.

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good

Leaders are clear about the strengths and weaknesses of the home. They know what the staff team is skilled at, and most children have made progress because of the care they have received at the home. However, the uniqueness of the home is not clear in the home’s statement of purpose and the use of professional language in the home is a barrier to enabling children to feel comfortable in their home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC484302 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, the 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 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.

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a) (2)(h)) 25 March 2023

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider is an individual, the individual must undertake such continuing professional development as is necessary to ensure that the individual has the skills needed for carrying on the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must undertake such continuing professional development as is necessary to ensure that the registered manager has the skills needed for managing the home. (Regulation 29 (1) (4)) 25 March 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children develop the skills to have positive relationships with others. Specifically, children should know when they will next see or speak to their family members. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 38, paragraph 8.6)  The registered person should consider the use of language in the home to create a more child-friendly environment. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.4)  The registered person should ensure that supervision of staff practice includes ensuring that individual adults in the home are engaged in the safeguarding culture of the home and understand what they would need to do if they found other staff misusing or abusing their position to the detriment of the safety of a Inspection report for children’s home: SC484302 6 child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality

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Recommendations

standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.14)  The registered person should ensure that the home’s statement of purpose is child-focused, indicating how the home provides individualised care to meet the quality standards for the children in its care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.5)

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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: SC484302 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Crusoe Care Limited 06843979

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Crusoe Care Limited of 25 Clinton Place, Seaford, East Sussex BN25 1NP

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Timothy McIlwaine

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Inspectors

Matt Nicholls, Social Care Inspector Michael Simmonds, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC484302 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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