Children's home run by Rubicon Children and Family Services Ltd in Lewes

Inspection report for children’s home: SC403905 1 SC403905 Registered provider: Rubicon Children and Family Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and is registered to provide care for up to five children. The home specialises in supporting children who may have a diagnosis of moderate learning disability, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or autism, and who may have experienced trauma, neglect and/or abuse. At the time of the inspection, five children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

In this report, the staff are referred to as ‘adults’, as this is the term which is used in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2019.

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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: 28 February 2023

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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: SC403905 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/02/2023 Full Good 05/07/2021 Full Good 02/10/2019 Full Good 05/03/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC403905 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience well-planned care from adults who are attentive and familiar with their needs. As a result, children develop positive relationships with adults and make good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The activities and clubs that children access help them develop their social lives, stay physically fit and build their confidence. Children speak about the fun they have had on beach walks, learning to swim, going to youth and football clubs, enjoying a caravan holiday and having local days out. They also benefit from having fun and time to relax at home. The designated playroom offers a quiet space for children to play with their toys and games, while the lounge is a busy hub for group activities, house meetings and communal meals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children spend time with people who are important to them. Family work takes place to help children maintain positive relationships with their families. This collaboration can support children to understand their histories and experiences. In one example, a child was supported by adults and family members to create a ‘road map’ of their life to help them make sense of their experiences. Clinical oversight and reflective supervision for adults ensure that children’s relationships are well understood, and interventions can be sensitively directed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend educational settings that are well suited to their needs. There is regular communication between the home and children’s schools. Children are eagerly welcomed home by adults after their day at school and are keen to talk about what they have been doing. When children have not accessed education before moving in, they are helped to establish a good educational routine and supported to enjoy learning again.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Adults advocate to improve children’s health and support them to understand what they can do to maintain emotional well-being. Bespoke support packages have been sourced so that children can access timely and impactful therapy, as well as support with speech and language. One parent spoke positively about their child’s progress stating, ‘He has come on in leaps and bounds.’ The parent is particularly pleased about the improvements in the child’s self-confidence, ability to do things for himself, and his speech.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Adults use their initiative and knowledge of children to encourage consistency in their daily routines and support the development of their independence skills. For one child, this has enabled them to improve their commitment to maintaining good personal hygiene. For another child, adults have helped them to build confidence to attend social engagements, such as youth club, independently. These outcomes are achieved through careful planning and effective use of incentives. The social worker for one child told the inspector that adults have helped the child to ‘develop their independence skills within safe limits’. Inspection report for children’s home: SC403905 4 Careful consideration is given to the compatibility of children living together in the home before they arrive. Plans take account of the preparation required for children already living at the home, to reduce the likelihood of any instability. While the

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

needs of children living in this home are particularly diverse, there is a culture of understanding and partnership between children that is modelled by the adults.

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

When children are struggling and there is emotional or behavioural tension, adults are confident at sensitively intervening and offering opportunities for redirection. Dynamics between children are sensitively managed and discussed both in group and individual forums. These opportunities enable children to become more confident about discussing their emotions and navigating conflict. Consequences such as reflective discussions are regularly used in a sensitive and restorative manner. As a result, children learn to understand their emotions and behaviour.

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

Managers respond to safeguarding incidents in line with their ethos of learning and development for adults and children. They carry out thorough investigations and take positive steps to reduce the risk of future harm. There is clear guidance cascaded to adults through various forums. Adults demonstrate knowledge around risks, vulnerabilities and required changes to practice.

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

Children are encouraged to understand their own risks and vulnerabilities. Children’s meetings are well attended and support children’s development of important emotional management skills. For one child, adults have used role play to practise social situations to reduce anxiety in specific situations. This has been successful in reducing behavioural incidents and has strengthened the trust between this child and their care givers.

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

Protocols for managing safeguarding incidents and allegations about adults are clear and collaborative. There is effective communication and good working relationships between the home and the professional network, including the local authority designated officer and children’s social workers. When allegations are made, managers make arrangements to ensure that children are safe, and information is shared appropriately. Risk assessments for adults are carried out to determine whether additional measures are required and to consider any learning that protects children’s welfare.

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

Children are consulted after physical restraint is used to keep them safe. Their views are recorded and used to inform future practice. Where children are less able to verbalise their feelings, adults support them to improve their speech and develop alternative ways of gaining their views effectively. An example of this is one child using visual representation to elaborate when they do not feel able to speak about their feelings.

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

The systems for administering and recording medication promote safe practice. Medication errors are rare. When they occur, there is swift and appropriate action Inspection report for children’s home: SC403905 5 taken by managers to evaluate and address learning needs. Procedures in place to identify such errors function well and ensure swift resolution.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers understand the importance of children being looked after by a stable group of adults. Managers try to ensure that when agency staff are employed, they are familiar adults who know how to meet children’s needs. Recruitment has been successful in recent months and the home is nearly fully staffed, which has enabled the home’s manager to reduce reliance on agency staff. Adults are recruited safely and are well supported in their probation to achieve the objectives of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision is timely, sensitive and specific. Adults say that they feel supported and that leaders show a commitment to the development of adults’ skills. Adults respect the registered manager and describe an open and reflective culture in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers advocate on behalf of children and offer challenge to their professional colleagues to secure child-centred outcomes. On one occasion, the registered manager held a regrouping meeting with professionals to reaffirm working relationships and ensure that approaches to a child’s care were aligned. This meant that the child received more-consistent messages from all adults providing care and additional support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have a sound understanding of attachment principles and apply this to their engagement with children and in their oversight of children’s journeys. The registered manager provides useful evaluation to inform and review records created by adults and encourages a trauma-informed approach when considering observed behaviours. This evidence is weaved into children’s care plans and informs decisions made when organising their care arrangements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is responsive to feedback from independent professionals and takes on guidance from other sources to generate improvements to the home. The manager also carries out thorough and regular audits to provide additional layers of oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager knows the children well and demonstrates a deep commitment to children’s well-being and them achieving positive outcomes. Efforts are made to create an inclusive environment for children and adults alike. However, this could be enhanced by adults developing greater awareness of how to ensure that children can remain connected to their heritage and identity.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers understand their responsibility in relation to safeguarding and notifying the regulator about serious incidents. However, there are occasions when there are cumulative incidents, or changes in behavioural patterns, which are not notified. This inhibits the regulator’s ability to monitor the managers’ response. Inspection report for children’s home: SC403905 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they consider the frequency of incidents and judge whether their cumulative effect makes notification appropriate even if in isolation each event would not warrant this. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.11)  The registered person should support adults to improve skills of cultural competence that enable them to actively support each child to achieve their potential and explore their identity. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.5)

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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: SC403905 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Rubicon Children and Family Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Clarke Brownscombe, 2 St Andrews Place, Southover Road, Lewes BN7 1UP

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Inspector

Tash Williams, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC403905 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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