Children's Home run by London Borough of Sutton in Sutton

Inspection report for children’s home: 2604750 1 Registered provider: London Borough of Sutton Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 9 October 2020 and is suitably qualified.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home.

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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 outstanding

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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: 13 September 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: 2604750 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/09/2022 Full Good 08/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2604750 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has a welcoming and family feel. The trusted and positive relationships between staff and children are a strength of this home. Children receive individualised and consistent care as reflected in their care plans and are supported well to make good progress in all areas.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are resilient, motivated and demonstrate a trauma-informed approach to the complex needs that the children can present. Staff demonstrate consistency and empathy when responding to concerns or when enforcing the house rules. This provides children with a sense of security and structure, which helps them to feel safe and settled at their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The input of a therapeutic support worker provides managers and staff with the space needed to reflect on their practice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to attend school. One child has improved attendance and has settled well at their current school following two previous school exclusions. The designated safeguarding lead for the school said that the communication and support from the home’s staff have been integral in maintaining positive progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to develop their self-care and independence skills, including doing their laundry and cooking. For example, one child has made significant progress around their personal hygiene. Their social worker said that the child is now taking pride in their appearance and they attribute this to the support of the staff, stating that they cannot praise them highly enough.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a warm and comfortable environment. They are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms. Moves into the home are well considered with management and staff ensuring that planned introductions and visits to the home take place.

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

Staff have a good understanding of children’s risks and vulnerabilities. Staff consider children’s history and experiences to inform their individualised care plans and risk assessments. Staff ensure that records of any developing risks, and strategies to reduce those risks, are kept up to date. Key-work sessions with children are of good quality and managed sensitively. Illustrated short stories that describe social situations are used to ensure that children with communication difficulties can understand key changes or updates to plans for their future care.

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

Safeguarding incidents are managed well. Effective and appropriate action is taken and management oversight is recorded. When children go missing from home, staff are proactive at making attempts to locate them, and the missing-from-care protocol Inspection report for children’s home: 2604750 4 is followed appropriately. Staff maintain regular contact with children and encourage their safe return home. There is close collaborative working with external stakeholders to help to better understand any potential contextual safeguarding factors to why children may go missing.

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

Restorative conversations are held with children to address incidents of concern. The management and staff work proactively with agencies and partners in response to safeguarding concerns. This ensures that information is shared and that a holistic approach and plan of support can be agreed to promote the child’s welfare and well- being.

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

The children’s guide includes a child-friendly summary on how to make a complaint. Children can contribute feedback at regular house meetings, through quarterly child- friendly surveys and in key-work sessions.

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

Staff are trained in de-escalation techniques. When physical intervention is used, it is as a last resort to ensure the safety of the child and others.

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

Managers take allegations and safeguarding matters seriously. They follow the home’s allegations and safeguarding procedures, and their responses to any concerns are swift. The home has established a positive and supportive working relationship with the local authority designated officer and training is provided regularly to all staff as part of the home’s core training offer.

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

Parents and professionals do not have any concerns regarding the safety and welfare of children. The staff’s effective communication further increases children’s safety and well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is led by an experienced and qualified manager. The manager knows the children well and demonstrates professional curiosity, empathy, affection and understanding towards the children living at the home. The dynamism and character presented by the manager are reflected in a highly committed, resilient and skilled staff team. Staff describe the management team as ‘exceptional’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers and leaders are aspirational and share ambitious yet realistic visions for future developments for the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are dedicated and committed to children living at the home. Team training days, regular team meetings, briefings and detailed shift handovers all take place and contribute to an informed staff team. This feeds into an open team culture where staff are supportive of each other and say that they feel like a family. Staff say that working in a healthy environment enables a positive workforce where they enjoy working together to achieve positive outcomes for the children in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive regular and good-quality supervision. The registered manager receives good-quality supervision from the responsible individual. The registered manager Inspection report for children’s home: 2604750 5 values this and both share ambitious visions for the future development of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff training is comprehensive and includes trauma-informed practice. The input of the therapeutic support in the home adds to staff’s knowledge and working practice in line with the home’s statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The management team has strengthened the home’s recording practices, and the manager has robust monitoring systems in place. This has helped to make sure that management overview and responses are shared and consistent to ensure effective care. Collaboration with involved professionals, such as education professionals, therapists and social workers, continues to improve outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is one minor area for development. The home’s workforce development plan is generic and lacks the necessary detail. Inspection report for children’s home: 2604750 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce-related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should include management and staffing structure and detail the processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction and probation and should detail the process and timescales for supervision of practice that are specific to the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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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: 2604750 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: London Borough of Sutton, Civic Offices, St Nicholas Way, Sutton SM1 1EA

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Inspector

Amanda Burrows, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2604750 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 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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