Children's home run by Sunbridge Childcare Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2686524 1 Registered provider: Sunbridge Childcare Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to four children who may have emotional or social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in July 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a manager in post who is not yet registered.

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Information about this children’s home

The inspector spoke to the four children who were living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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This monitoring visit

On 10 and 11 January 2023, the children’s home was judged inadequate as significant breaches in regulations relating to the leadership and management standard were identified. At a case review on 12 January 2023, it was agreed that compliance notices under regulation 12 and 13 would be issued.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was carried out to review the provider’s response to meeting the steps identified in these compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

During this visit, Ofsted identified further significant shortfalls in safeguarding practice due to ineffective leadership and management arrangements. The provider failed to provide Ofsted with assurances that they could keep the children safe.

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This monitoring visit

Children are not safe living in this home. They have experienced harm, and their overall experiences are poor. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2686524 2 The provider’s inadequate leadership and management arrangements have resulted in children suffering harm. This is due to the poor responses by staff to safeguarding concerns.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders have failed to ensure that the staff understand their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. The staff do not respond appropriately when the children report that they are in crisis. Children who have informed staff that they intend to take their own life, have not been checked on. In addition, children who have returned to the home while under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol have not been monitored or received appropriate support.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has failed to provide the staff with clear plans on how they should keep the children who use ligatures safe. Ligature points have not been identified and, therefore, not addressed. Some staff do not know that ligature cutters are available, and others do not know where they are kept. Staff do not conduct regular welfare checks throughout the day and night. This has resulted in one child finding and using a ligature point in their bedroom at night, which the staff were not aware of.

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This monitoring visit

The staff do not have clear strategies on what action they must take to safeguard the children. Children have suffered harm as staff do not consistently follow the children’s risk assessments and plans. One child has been provided with the means to purchase items that they have then gone on to use to cause significant injuries to themself.

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This monitoring visit

The children are not protected from harm. The staff do not conduct room searches of the children’s bedrooms in line with children’s plans. This failing means that some children continue to smoke and have access to lighters, which they have used to set fires in their bedroom. In addition, this oversight means that children who are known to self-harm, continue to have access to items that they have used to cause significant injuries to themself. This has resulted in one child needing hospital attention on at least two occasions.

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This monitoring visit

The children are placed at risk of harm due to inadequate health and safety arrangements. Leaders have failed to ensure that the home environment is safe. The conditions of the children’s bedrooms are extremely poor. In one child’s bedroom, there were a number of bottles that contained urine, and a box of faeces in their wardrobe. Other children’s bedrooms were dirty and had a number of items of mouldy cutlery.

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This monitoring visit

The children are not provided with the physical necessities to live comfortably. Children’s mattresses were seen to have blood and urine stains. Children’s pillows and duvets were heavily soiled, and children’s bedding was dirty.

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This monitoring visit

Poor supervision arrangements for the children have resulted in children being harmed. Children continue to have access to items that they to use to cause significant injuries to themselves. The staff have failed to act and intervene appropriately to prevent these incidents. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2686524 3 Ofsted has lost confidence in the safeguarding and protection of children, and the leadership and management arrangements of the home.

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This monitoring visit

Following this monitoring visit and the significant shortfalls identified, a decision was made to immediately suspend the registration of the home at an urgent case review on 6 March 2023. During a further case review, Ofsted took the decision to issue three compliance notices under regulations 6, 12 and 13. In addition, the provider has failed to meet a number of requirements that were issued at the last full inspection on 10 and 11 January 2023. These have been restated. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2686524 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/01/2023 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2686524 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them 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

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(vii) (c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the home is safe, furnished and maintained to a high standard, and ensure that high standards of cleanliness are upheld throughout the home to meet the needs of the children. 9 April 2023

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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—

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Requirement Due date

that staff— 9 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2686524 6 assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) 2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the children have up-to-date and relevant plans, which identify their risks and the steps that the staff should take to better protect the children. The registered person must ensure that all those working in the home understand and act in accordance within their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. In addition, the registered person must ensure that systems are in place to identify and address potential ligature points, and that staff know how to respond to children who are at risk of harm to themselves.

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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— 9 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2686524 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

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)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure effective and prompt oversight of all serious incidents, including but not limited to, accidents, incidents, missing from home episodes and any other significant events that involve the children. Furthermore, the registered person must ensure effective oversight and analysis of the day-to-day care and support that the children receive, ensuring that practice is in line with the children’s relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration; 30 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2686524 8 details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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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”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that consequences used to manage negative behaviour are fully recorded in accordance with the regulation.

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Requirement Due date

An individual may only carry on a children’s home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (5).

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Requirement Due date

satisfy the requirements in paragraph (5)(a) to (c). (Regulation 26 (1) (7)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the responsible individual maintains accurate and up-to-date records and makes it explicitly clear when they have amended any records. 30 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

A person may only manage a children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

the person is of integrity and good character. (Regulation 28 (1)(a)) 30 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2686524 9 In particular, the registered person must ensure that the registered manager maintains accurate and up-to-date records and makes it explicitly clear when they have amended any records.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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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 (a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider must ensure that they escalate their concerns to the director of children’s services of the child’s placing local authority when key documents, such as health assessments, local authority looked after care plans and personal education meeting minutes, are not received within a reasonable time frame. 30 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider must ensure that the children’s case records include a copy of their local authority looked after care plan, health assessments and the minutes of their personal education plan meeting. 30 April 2023

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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

there is any other incident relating to a child, which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 30 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2686524 10 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

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the needs of the children are fully considered before they move into the home. In addition, the registered person must fully consider the needs of the children already living at the home and any other factors, such as recent incidents. 30 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: 2686524 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sunbridge Childcare Limited

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Inspector

Claire Webster, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2686524 12 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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