Children's home run by Southern Adolescent Care Services Ltd in Crawley

Inspection report for children's home: SC038522 1 SC038522 Registered provider: Southern Adolescent Care Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned home registered to care for up to five children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has not had a registered manager since May 2022.

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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

Date of last inspection: 17 October 2022

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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: SC038522 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/10/2022 Full Good 03/11/2021 Full Good 29/07/2021 Full Inadequate 07/01/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC038522 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress while living in the home, learning to feel self-worth through the positive relationships that they have formed with staff. Parents and social workers comment positively about children’s placements and the staff’s skills in supporting children. Children say that they like the home, and those who have moved on often call to speak to staff, who they continue to have strong relationships with.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel listened to and valued. They share their views though formal meetings, but also at any time in general discussion. Children’s views inform the planning of the day and activities, which are wide and varied. Favourite activities are spending time walking dogs at a local animal rescue centre and caring for horses at a nearby stables. Children rarely make complaints, but on two occasions, records did not include suitable detail of the action taken or the outcomes of the investigations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend school and staff remain in close contact with education professionals, to ensure consistency and support. Those who are not in education are engaged in a range of activities set out in their daily planners and through access to tutors. Staff understand the barriers to engaging in education and advocate for children through liaison with the virtual school and social workers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children learn about healthy lifestyles and understand what this means for them. One child had drawn up a menu to aid her healthy eating plan and was praised by staff for the thought that had gone into this. Staff encourage children to take part in physical activity, through activities in the home and local area.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Close working with child and adolescent mental health services and children’s therapists means that children can explore their emotional well-being. One child has used art therapy sessions to paint a mural on the doors to an outbuilding, which they are very proud of. When needed, children have access to sexual health or drug and alcohol services. Joint working with these teams has led to the formulation of safety plans for children and supports them to be safer.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, three children have moved on from the home. One child moved in a meticulously planned way to semi-independent living, and two children returned to family, but these moves were not planned. There have been detailed reviews of why the two placements ended, and any lessons that could be learned have been included in planning for when other children may move into the home in the future. It was noted that, for one child, some information was not sought from the placing authority, leading to gaps in knowledge. For another, while all information was sought, the child’s needs differed greatly to those stated in the pre- placement information provided. Highly detailed pre-placement assessments reflected all the relevant needs of the child and how the group would live together. However, the assessments do not specifically show that the needs of the child have Inspection report for children's home: SC038522 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

been matched to the skills and knowledge of the staff team and whether any additional training is required.

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

Children say that they feel safe in the home and that the staff look after them. Children are confident around staff and are comfortable raising sensitive issues with them. Staff understand children’s individual risks and vulnerabilities, supporting them to be safer. During a period of concerning behaviour, the staff responded quickly and effectively, drawing on professional support from within the wider organisation and statutory agencies. Children were seen talking to staff about their relationships, with staff providing a suitable level of guidance and advice.

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

Joint working with safeguarding partners is a particular strength. The managers and staff liaise effectively with partner agencies, challenging when they feel responses are weak or slow. They report all safeguarding concerns to partner agencies and to Ofsted, with clear records of all actions taken.

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

Staff understand that children’s behaviours are a form of communication. They seek to understand what the child is communicating and help them to work through any issues. Physical intervention is very rarely used, and consequences focus on reparation. Staff support children to look at other healthier ways to express how they are feeling and are aware of children’s mood and presentation. They have had training in specific needs such as self-injury and exploitation and help children to recognise when they may be at risk.

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

On occasion, children go missing from the home. Staff follow individualised plans to follow the child and often successfully encourage them to return. Joint working with specialist police officers means that children benefit from a joined-up approach when they are missing. Staff are also updated about risks in the local community.

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

The home is currently being redecorated. The manager has an ambitious renovation and maintenance plan and is seeking to secure funding. While redecoration is making the home look brighter and fresher, there are several areas with mismatched wall coverings, defunct motion sensors and an excess of wire trunking. This gives the home an unloved feel. In addition, some external unsecured wires could become a safety risk. The removal of fire extinguishers to the office as a safety measure was not included in the fire risk assessment. This was rectified during the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has been without a registered manager since May 2022. The previous manager did not register. The current manager has worked at the home since April 2023. They have applied to register with Ofsted. The manager is well liked and respected by the staff team and is seeking to improve all aspects of care for children. Most of the shortfalls identified in relation to oversight and information in records were issues before the new manager started at the home. Inspection report for children's home: SC038522 5 Staff are confident in their roles and feel valued by the manager. They say that they are learning new skills. Staff have the training that they need to look after the children. Supervision is a space for reflection and learning and includes consultation with the organisation’s psychotherapist. Staff find this particularly useful in understanding children’s needs and how their own practice impacts children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Joint working with all partner agencies is a particular strength of the home. This has led to some excellent joined-up plans for children, to help them progress and keep safe. The manager is confident in challenging poor or delayed responses, with the focus firmly on the children’s welfare, safety and outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager monitors children’s progress effectively through regular reviews of their plans. Goals and targets are clear and in line with those agreed in statutory reviews. Children are helped to reach their full potential. The manager makes good use of the reports produced by the independent visitor and welcomes the insight and challenge to continually improve the service. Inspection report for children's home: SC038522 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, 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 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

In particular, when deciding to place a child, that all relevant information has been sought from the placing authority; and there is a clearly recorded rationale that staff have skills and training to meet the needs of the child, and that the children who live in the home will not have a detrimental impact on each other. 31 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home. (Regulation 25 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that risk assessments and plans are clear on the change in location of fire extinguishers when they are relocated. 31 August 2023 Inspection report for children's home: SC038522 7 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)) 31 August 2023

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home is well maintained and decorated, in line with the expectations of a domestic setting. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: SC038522 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Southern Adolescent Care Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Maybrook House, Second Floor, Queensway, Halesowen, West Midlands B63 4AH

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Michelle Callard

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Inspectors

Jennie Christopher, Social Care Inspector Tony Waite, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC038522 9 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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