Children's home run by Cornerways Children’s Services Limited in Reigate and Banstead

Inspection report for children’s home: SC014848 1 SC014848 Registered provider: Cornerways Children’s Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and run by a private company that also runs a school. The home provides care for up to six children. The service also provides individual children with support from therapists.

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Information about this children’s home

There were five children living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since August 2020.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC014848 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/03/2023 Full Good 06/01/2022 Full Good 03/07/2019 Full Good 18/12/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC014848 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a clean and comfortable home that is decorated and furnished to a high standard. Bedrooms are personalised to reflect children’s interests and hobbies and they are involved in decisions about decor and furnishings in the communal areas. One professional wrote, ‘The ambiance and tranquillity of the placement is excellent. It is always calm whenever I visit. The young people appear settled and happy.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are looked after by kind and caring adults who know them well. Staff are ambitious for the children and understand the progress they are making. There is a genuine passion and commitment to supporting children to fulfil their potential. Children feel safe in the home and confident to raise any concerns or worries. One staff member said, ‘The children are treated with respect, which is important to me, and they are given the best care. The are listened to, and their views and opinions are always taken on board.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have clear and comprehensive plans, which are informed by local authority care plans. Progress is clearly recorded and tracked. Children working towards independence are supported with independent living skills and transition plans. One young person who has reached 18 years old remains living at the home awaiting suitable accommodation. Assessments and plans have been reviewed and updated to reflect this. The manager is in regular contact with the team responsible for future support and housing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to access the resources and support they need to meet their physical and emotional health needs. Staff have regular consultations with a therapist who provides advice, guidance and reflection on how best to support the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to reach their potential at school and are making progress from their starting points. They are encouraged to explore future education or employment options. An education professional confirmed that the team was quick to respond to suggestions and access resources for a child who went on to achieve excellent GCSE results. There is effective communication with education professionals when children experience difficulties at school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to enjoy various after-school activities, such as yoga and swimming. They also enjoy days out, including visits to local parks, art galleries and adventure parks. This helps children build their self-esteem and confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s plans to see their families are fully supported and families have been able to visit the home when this has been agreed as part of children’s plan. Inspection report for children’s home: SC014848 4

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

Safeguarding processes are managed well and there is a strong emphasis on children’s well-being and care. A social worker acknowledged this by saying that, when safeguarding issues have arisen, the team has ‘always dealt with these sensitively, professionally and with a hefty dose of child-centred practice’.

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

The physical environment is safe. Health and safety checks are carried out at the planned frequencies and the manager and staff know the locality well.

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

Staff understand safeguarding policies and procedures. They know how to raise concerns and who to contact for immediate advice or support.

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

Staff work in a therapeutic way to help children with their feelings and to manage their behaviours. Children’s progress and successes are celebrated. As a result, incidents of children being physically held are low and this is as a last resort. When this does occur, there is clear management oversight of incidents with the staff and child involved.

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

Recruitment procedures lack consistent curiosity and vigour. Specifically, occupational health medical opinions are not routinely sought following significant self-disclosed medical information. The leaders agreed to review and update the relevant files as a priority.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team knows the children well and speaks knowledgeably about the strengths and weaknesses in the home. There are plans in place to continually develop the team and the service. The registered manager responds to recommended actions from the independent person’s monthly visit and uses these as an opportunity to reflect on and further enhance practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children benefit from a stable staff team caring for them. This provides children with consistency and a sense of security.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Morale is high and staff feel supported by the manager and responsible individual. One staff member said, ‘It feels like we are part of a big family.’ Another said, ‘The staff and management team are excellent; they support each other and are all child- centred.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff said that they are supported through regular team meetings and informal supervisions with the management team. A particularly busy period since the last inspection has led to a shortfall in monthly staff supervisions and timescales for annual staff appraisals not being met. This prevents the manager from quickly identifying training and development needs of staff. The manager is working to address this with support from the responsible individual and has placed a high emphasis on overdue supervisions over the coming months. Inspection report for children’s home: SC014848 5 Staff receive a range of training, which they say is helpful and relevant to their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are good relationships with other agencies, who speak highly of the home and its management. One professional said, ‘The staff stay in regular contact and any calls to the placement are answered immediately. The staff are always helpful and knowledgeable about the young people.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager responds effectively to serious incidents and informs the regulator appropriately. This means the previous requirement has been met. Inspection report for children’s home: SC014848 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 registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d)) 15 November

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)(c)) 1 December 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC014848 7

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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: SC014848 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cornerways Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Ashcombe Court, Woolsack Way, Godalming, Surrey GU7 1LQ

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Inspector

Mike Simmonds, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC014848 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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