Children's home run by Brighton and Hove City Council

Inspection report for children’s home: SC032315 1 SC032315 Registered provider: Brighton & Hove City Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A local authority runs this home. It is registered to provide care for up to five children with learning and/or physical disabilities. The statement of purpose explains that the home offers a short-break service.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since March 2007.

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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 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: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC032315 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/08/2021 Full Outstanding 14/01/2020 Full Outstanding 19/02/2019 Full Outstanding 23/01/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC032315 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, most children continue to visit the home for short breaks. Two children visit the home more regularly as part of a shared-care arrangement with this local authority. One child is currently living in the home. Staff say that these dynamics can be difficult to manage at times. For some children, they can find it difficult to adjust to the comings and goings of other children and their parents and carers. The registered manager recognises the impact that these arrangements have on children. She works with staff, parents and allocated social workers effectively to reduce this impact as much as possible.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager has started using a formal compatibility matching tool for new children being introduced into the home. This practice had not been completed for children who are living and staying in the home more regularly, and instead, staff review this practice in team meetings. This reflective work continues and staff proactively update children’s risk assessments to reflect any changes in how staff are working to support, promote and build on relationships with children. This is having a positive impact on children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, two new sofas have been purchased for the home. Children were consulted with, and the majority voted on having red sofas. This is one example of how children’s views are incorporated in the development of the home. A new children’s board displays the ‘golden rules’ and values of the setting, which children uphold. The sensory room and other sensory equipment are in good working order, and children make regular use of these facilities. The registered manager has plans for the redecoration of the building this year due to general wear and tear.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Lead support workers work proactively with educational providers. Teachers say that staff are interested and want to be informed of children’s current targets. These are then used to inform children’s individual goals at the home. When a child achieves a goal, staff celebrate this success and then sensitively develop the goals to help children achieve more. Feedback from educational providers is positive and recognises the progress that children make due to the joined-up approach that staff actively promote.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are plentiful communication resources in the home for children to use. Staff have created ‘pointer boards’ for individual rooms so that children can visually see what is on offer and available to them. Furthermore, staff consistently encourage children to share their views and express their emotions when they visit. For one child, this has been significant and helped staff to understand relationships and dynamics in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Lead support workers devise and develop individualised care plans for children. Plans are discussed and shared with parents and allocated social workers. This Inspection report for children’s home: SC032315 4 results in cohesive plans and consistent care. When significant incidents occur, lead support workers use this information to update relevant plans for children. As a result, staff knowledge of safe working practices for children is excellent.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have created personalised boxes for children. These are well equipped with supplies, providing children with a range of enjoyable activities and stimulation when they visit. Lead support workers are responsible for keeping these boxes organised and resourced. This helps children to feel valued, and staff use them positively to engage children in their interests.

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

Staff support children’s health needs well. Staff work in partnership with leading health professionals and are tenacious in requesting necessary information to make informed decisions. Regular appointments are attended, and children are making progress with healthy lifestyle choices. For example, one child continues to make significant progress in using the toilet appropriately. Staff’s approach increases children’s self-esteem.

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

The registered manager keeps restrictive practices for children under review. When necessary, equipment is suitably assessed by occupational therapists, and staff actively encourage plans for children to be as least restrictive as possible. For example, one child who was previously assessed as needing a high-sided bed moved into a standardised bed.

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

Staff record accidents that occur in the home with children. When patterns emerge, these are discussed in team meetings, and the registered manager escalates matters promptly to the premises team, which is managed by this local authority. However, the registered manager has not recorded her oversight of staff records in the reporting of accidents. The accident book does not prompt staff or managers to think about any actions or strategies to help prevent reoccurrences. This is a missed opportunity in demonstrating how risks are reduced for children once identified.

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

Staff who were spoken to as part of the inspection were clear on the safeguarding procedures for responding to concerns about the safety of children. Most of the time, child protection concerns are immediately shared with the relevant agencies, and the registered manager addresses any needed outcomes appropriately. However, on one occasion, a child’s allegation was not reported to the relevant professionals in a timely way. This omission has not impacted on the quality of care the child receives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are fundamental and used effectively in the home. Staff regularly discuss children and their care plans. The long-standing staff team brings a wealth of knowledge and experience that underpins its child-centred practice. Staff confidently and professionally challenge each other’s practice in a safe and transparent space. This approach continues to have good outcomes for children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC032315 5 The registered manager has created ‘all about me’ staff profiles for children. Staff have used photos and short sentences to explain a little about their families, likes and interests. The plan is for staff to sit down with children and share this with them. This approach will help to promote shared interests, while decreasing children’s anxieties about where staff go when they leave the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

One member of staff is using researched-informed practice to support staff to have a wider understanding of mental health and well-being for children. This is disseminated into team meetings, and an awareness board has been created. This is helping staff to reflect on their use of language with some children, providing staff with additional tools and strategies.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are clear on what to do in the event of a fire, and all children’s emergency evacuation plans are up to date and informative. However, two actions from a previous fire risk assessment in 2016 have not been completed, and they were therefore reinstated in a risk assessment carried out in September 2022 by a fire officer. The registered manager has completed most actions from the latest assessment; however, there is a significant delay with the outstanding actions being completed by the premises team, which is managed by this local authority. This demonstrates insufficient progress with completing the necessary remedial works.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager says that she receives regular and reflective supervision. However, she has not received her supervision notes from the responsible individual since October 2022. This is a missed opportunity for the registered manager to reflect on agreed actions before her next supervision and to consent to recorded information.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has met the previous requirements and recommendations from the last full inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: SC032315 6

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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 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

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 (1a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must keep an updated record of any actions completed following contractors’ assessments and clearly evidence steps in continually working towards outstanding actions. Furthermore, the registered person should consider interim safety arrangements while waiting for work to be completed, for example a review of the fire risk assessment and preventative measures when reviewing accidents in the home. 1 July 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

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(vii)) 1 July 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC032315 7

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Recommendation

 The registered person must ensure that a record of supervision is kept for the registered manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation 33(4)(b). It is good practice for a note of the content and/or outcomes of supervision sessions to be kept and to ensure that both the person giving the supervision and registered manager have a copy of the record. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraphs 13.3 and 13.4)

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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: SC032315 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Brighton & Hove City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hove Town Hall, Norton Road, Brighton BN3 3BQ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Alison Mills-Clarke

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Inspector

Kelly Monniot, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC032315 9 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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