Children's home run by Sunbridge Childcare Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2686524 1 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 experience social and/or emotional 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 were no children living in the home at the time of the visit.

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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 regulations 12 and 13 would be issued.

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This monitoring visit

On 6 March 2023, Ofsted carried out a monitoring visit to review the provider’s response to meeting the steps identified in these compliance notices. 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

As a result of the significant shortfalls, a decision was made to immediately suspend the registration of the home on 6 March 2023. Ofsted also issued three compliance notices under regulations 6, 12 and 13. In addition, several additional requirements were issued.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was carried out to monitor the provider’s compliance with the emergency suspension notice and its progress in meeting the compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has complied with the emergency suspension notice, and no children have been living in the home. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2686524 2 There has been no registered manager since 9 February 2023. Other than an acting deputy manager, there are no other staff employed to care for children. The provider has a plan in place to address this.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has yet to improve the home conditions and the arrangements to ensure that the children are provided with an environment that is clean, nurturing and maintained to a good standard. The compliance notice issued under regulation 6 has been reissued.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has yet to improve the leadership and management arrangements to ensure that the safeguarding arrangements for children are effective. Therefore, the compliance notices issued under regulations 12 and 13 have been reissued.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has developed several new systems to support the monitoring of the safe operation of the home. However, the provider has yet to embed these systems, and there has been no management oversight in the home since 6 March 2023. The new systems and documents aimed at improving the safeguarding arrangements for children cannot be tested for effectiveness as currently there are no staff, children or registered manager at the home.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has not improved the home environment, and the condition of the children’s bedrooms remains poor. Physical necessities for children to live comfortably are still absent. Children’s mattresses were still observed to have blood and urine stains. Some bedrooms did not contain sufficient bedding, duvets and pillows.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has failed to improve the health and safety arrangements in the home. Repeated health and safety concerns were raised during this visit, such as broken furniture, damaged windows, holes in communal walls and damage to the fire doors. In addition, the stairway banister is loose and in need of repair.

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This monitoring visit

The overall presentation of the home remains poor, and areas of the home remain unclean. Furniture was seen to have dried food stuck to it, and one carpet had large stains and burn marks. Communal walls and ceilings remain heavily stained. The provider shared plans to replace furniture and redecorate the home.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has missed an opportunity to identify how it intends to train new staff in its workforce and home development plan. This oversight prevents those who may use the service from being assured that the staff are all familiar with all the children’s known and emerging risks and know how to respond when significant safeguarding incidents occur.

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This monitoring visit

The registered provider has an action plan to continue the improvement work in this home. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2686524 3 Following this visit, the compliance notices under regulations 6, 12 and 13 have been reissued.

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This monitoring visit

The requirements previously issued under regulations 5, 14, 26, 28, 35, 36 and 40 were not reviewed during this visit. For this reason, they are reissued.

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This monitoring visit

The emergency suspension notice remains in force until 28 May 2023. 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; and

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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. 14 May 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— 14 May 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

*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—

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Requirement Due date

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; and

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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)) 14 May 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2686524 7 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;

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Requirement Due date

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”)— 8 September 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2686524 8 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. 8 September 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))

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Requirement Due date

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. 8 September 2023

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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; and 8 September 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2686524 9 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.

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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; and

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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. 8 September 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)) 8 September 2023

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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 arrangements are in place to— 8 September 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2686524 10 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.

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject of 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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