Children's Home run by SureCare Residential Ltd in Essex

Inspection report for children's home: SC384018 1 SC384018 Registered provider: SureCare Residential Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run home provides care for up to four children who may have experienced significant trauma and have behavioural and social difficulties. There is a school on site that is run by the organisation. The inspector only inspected the social care provision.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2021. She was on annual leave at the time of the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 17 October 2022

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC384018 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/10/2022 Full Good 19/01/2022 Full Good 31/10/2019 Full Good 05/12/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC384018 3

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improvement to be good

Four children are currently living at the home. Since the last inspection, one child has moved in and one child has moved on from the home.

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improvement to be good

Children’s progress in education is inconsistent. Three children attend school daily and are making progress, however one child has no routine or structure. The child’s weekly planners are blank and there are not enough informal learning opportunities. As a result, the child has disengaged and lacks motivation. This is preventing them from reaching their full potential.

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improvement to be good

The staff support the children to attend dental and health appointments. However, one child’s health needs are not fully supported. One children use vapes and there is no strategy in place to manage this and help children to understand the health risks.

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improvement to be good

The staff have not effectively planned for a child’s emerging independence. Staff do not help children to build a range of skills for adulthood. This limits children’s life chances.

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improvement to be good

Although the staff have developed positive relationships with children, the records indicate that staff do not respond in a compassionate way. The record of a house meeting says staff told children that, ‘when they are rude, staff may be rude back’. This is not a professional way to talk to children and has not been identified by the manager as such. When a child asked for a bandage to be reapplied, the staff failed to respond with warmth or comfort. This led to the child becoming upset and an incident took place. The child was then restrained and injured. This is harmful for the child and could have been prevented.

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improvement to be good

The home does not provide the service described in the statement of purpose. Therapeutic strategies to support children are not in place and practice is not based on any therapeutic discipline.

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improvement to be good

Communal areas of the home are clean and tidy. However, carpets in children’s bedrooms are stained and the walls need cleaning or redecorating. This fails to provide children with clean and pleasant bedrooms that are well maintained.

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improvement to be good

Children keep pets, including a snake, gerbils and a hamster. This provides children with responsibilities and teaches them animal care.

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improvement to be good

Children take part in a range of enriching activities such as horse-riding, theatre school and dance school. They enjoy these activities and take pride in videos showing their talents. Children have visited the beach, local farms and seasonal events. One child went on holiday with a family member, which was planned by staff. Photos of activities and holidays provide meaningful childhood memories. Inspection report for children's home: SC384018 4

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improvement to be good

A child made an allegation that they were hurt during a restraint. A second restraint took place with the same child the next day which caused them physical injury. The manager reviewed both incidents and failed to identify the allegations or the injury or report these to the local authority designated officer (LADO). This means there is a lack of independent scrutiny.

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improvement to be good

Bullying can be a problem at the home. All of the children say that they have at times, felt bullied. One child has experienced this more than others, which was evident during the inspection. Following a complaint made by the child, an investigation into the bullying took place. The manager’s evaluation states that the child’s behaviour led to the bullying. This minimises the child’s feelings and the impact of the bullying. The manager has not taken sufficient action to reduce bullying and to support children to understand harmful behaviours.

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improvement to be good

One child has six hours agreed free time each day. Details about the child’s time away from the home are unclear. The child has access to money from unknown sources and acquires vapes. The staff have shown a lack of professional curiosity about the money and the child’s activities. This fails to consider contextual safeguarding concerns and leaves the child at potential risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

There have been several incidents of children self-harming. These are dealt with appropriately and safety plans are devised in partnership with mental health partners. This helps children to feel safer during a mental health crisis.

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improvement to be good

Children rarely go missing from the home. When they do, staff follow children and report them missing to police. Return home interviews are requested by the manager and these take place. This means that triggers to children leaving the home are reviewed to reduce further incidents.

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improvement to be good

Recruitment checks are thorough and provide appropriate employment histories for new staff. Fire safety checks in the home are regular, ensuring that staff and children are aware of the action to take in the event of a fire.

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good

The manager is suitably experienced and has achieved her level 5 qualification.

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good

Monitoring undertaken by the manager lacks scrutiny. This means that serious issues, such as bullying and a concern following a restraint, have not been identified. Referrals to external safeguarding partners have not always been made. Despite layers of quality assurance, these concerns have been missed by the wider organisation. Inspection report for children's home: SC384018 5 Information in children’s records shows that staff, including the manager, do not respond to, or talk about, children in an informed way that takes their needs into account. Trauma-informed training has taken place with the team. However, there are staff practice issues that are not identified or dealt with in supervision sessions or team meetings.

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good

Induction for new staff is comprehensive and includes a competency tracker that maps the skills of each member of staff. This provides new staff with guidance on their induction progress and learning.

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good

The manager ensures that there is good transition planning for the children. One child had a positive move into semi-independent accommodation. A party was held for another child who is due to leave the home and she will be given a memory book when she leaves.

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good

One social worker praised the communication from staff as ‘brilliant’. When talking about a child, another social worker said, ‘She has continued to thrive.’ Inspection report for children's home: SC384018 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 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

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

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(iii)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that allegations arising from restraint are referred to the LADO and bullying is identified and dealt with.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that children have clear risk assessments and are kept safe when they are away from the home. 16 December

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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;

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 16 December Inspection report for children's home: SC384018 7 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;

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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))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the manager supports the staff to use a trauma-informed approach.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that staff practice issues are identified and dealt with in relevant forums.

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(iii)(iv)(v)) 16 December

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met; 16 December Inspection report for children's home: SC384018 8 children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that vaping is clearly risk assessed and managed.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same; de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them;

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Requirement Due date

and that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(viii)(ix)(x)(xi)(xii)(xiii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that trauma-informed practice is embedded in the team. 16 December Inspection report for children's home: SC384018 9 Ensure that key-worker sessions are child-focused and based on children’s needs.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure staff respond to children sensitively, to prevent escalation of incidents.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that bullying is dealt with and that victims of bullying are recognised.

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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;

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)) 16 December

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children’s bedrooms are decorated and maintained to a high standard. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7) Inspection report for children's home: SC384018 10

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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: SC384018 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: SureCare Residential Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Old Snap Factory, Twyford Road, Bishop’s Stortford CM23 3LJ

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Inspector

Hannah Phillips, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC384018 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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