Children's Home run by SureCare Residential Ltd in Essex

Inspection report for children's home: 1256452 1 Registered provider: SureCare Residential Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately operated and provides support, education and care for up to five children who may have experienced neglect, abuse or trauma that has left them vulnerable.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2020.

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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: 5 December 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: 1256452 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/12/2022 Full Good 23/08/2021 Full Good 05/09/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 14/08/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 1256452 3

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, four children have moved into the home and three children have moved out. At the time of the inspection, five children were living at the home.

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improvement to be good

During the inspection, some staff acted towards children in a manner that lacked nurture. One staff member was distracted when a very young child was bouncing on a trampoline. Another staff member responded to a child in a way that lacked warmth. This means staff are not always sufficiently emotionally connected with children.

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improvement to be good

On one occasion, a staff member failed to respond appropriately to a child. The staff member was in the lounge with the child, using a laptop. When the child was seeking attention from the adult, the staff member told the child that they ‘have work to do’ and that if the child did not give them space, they would have to leave. This led to the child becoming upset and they were later restrained. This is not a therapeutic response to a child and demonstrates that some staff do not always have the self-awareness to recognise how their behaviour can affect children.

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improvement to be good

Children’s educational progress and engagement are mixed. Two children have made progress and attend school full time. However, two other children are only in school part time and one child has no school place. Staff do not have structured plans that engage the children creatively in nourishing or enriching informal learning opportunities. This limits children’s progress in their learning.

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improvement to be good

The home is not sufficiently well maintained. Carpets in some children’s bedrooms are stained. One child has a stained weighted blanket on their bed. Bathroom floors are unclean and laundry is not organised. The staff offices look disorganised, with cigarette filter tips and empty medication blister packs on the floor. This lack of care and attention does not provide a therapeutic environment for children to live and thrive in. The state of the environment also gives an inconsistent message to children, who are told to keep the home clean and who face consequences if they do not comply.

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improvement to be good

There is confusion among the manager, therapy team and staff about the neurodiversity and associated needs of one child. There is a lack of clarity regarding the child’s diagnosis. Furthermore, the neurodiversity of children and how this presents for them individually is not made clear in risk assessments, placement plans or behaviour management plans. This means staff do not have clear guidance on how to support the children in their care effectively.

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improvement to be good

Children regularly see their family members. Staff ensure that the children rebuild and maintain family relationships. Staff support all children’s visits to see their family members, including those who live some distance away. Staff recognise that these Inspection report for children's home: 1256452 4 family connections are crucial and play a significant role in the children understanding their identity.

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improvement to be good

Children are encouraged to spend time with staff and their views are sought in house meetings. Staff record examples of ‘you said, we did’ when children have made a request that staff have been able to carry out.

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improvement to be good

Children experience a wide range of positive and meaningful activities. They have been to the theatre and museums. Children also take part in weekly clubs, such as horse-riding and dance classes. This helps to increase children’s self-esteem. Children also have pets. This enables them to build emotional connections and take age-appropriate responsibility for the animals.

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improvement to be good

Children are not always kept safe. When two young children went missing, staff took appropriate action to report them missing to the police. However, when one of the children called the home in the middle of the night to ask to be picked up from a location 15 minutes away, staff refused to do so. Records show the child was told that they would ‘have to wait till morning’. The child’s social worker said they were not aware of this. When staff went to collect the children in the morning, they were not there and remained missing for a further 10 and a half hours. Staff inaction directly prolonged a missing episode overnight, increased the risk of significant harm to the children and left them in situations that were unsafe and dangerous, with one of the children reporting feeling unsafe with drunk men nearby.

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improvement to be good

After children have returned from missing-from-home incidents, they are not always provided with someone independent to talk to. Return home interviews are often carried out by staff from the home. This means the opportunity for children to speak openly about the home and explore any potentially linked reasons for going missing has not been consistently provided.

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improvement to be good

A young child has been restrained on several occasions. These restraints have been proportionate to the immediate risk. However, there has been no age-appropriate preparatory work done to explain to the child what restraint is and the reasons why staff might need to use it. This means the child has been restrained without having full understanding of what was happening.

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improvement to be good

Self-harm is dealt with appropriately by using relevant health services. Staff ensure that safety plans are in place and that these are followed. Children are able to tell staff when they have self-harmed in order that the correct treatment can be sought. This has helped to reduce self-harm risks for children.

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improvement to be good

Leaders have ensured that the correct checks have been carried out on newly recruited staff. This reduces the potential for inappropriate staff to be working at the home. Inspection report for children's home: 1256452 5 The location risk assessment has involved police and the local authority to ensure that all local risks have been shared.

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good

The manager is suitably qualified and experienced. She is supported by an assistant manager.

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good

Monitoring is carried out. However, on several occasions, poor practice and a lack of therapeutic responses to children were not identified. Despite knowing that staff refused to collect a child when they were missing, which left them at risk of harm, leaders and managers have not sufficiently addressed this with staff. This limits accountability and opportunities for learning and improvement.

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good

Further examples of poor practice have not been identified by leaders and managers. Therefore, leaders and managers have not always provided staff with guidance as to acceptable and therapeutic ways to respond to children. This does not support staff to provide the therapeutic service outlined in the home’s statement of purpose.

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good

The risk assessment process to determine whether children can live together as a group is not meaningful. Strategies to mitigate risks related to new children moving in are identical for three children who each have different needs, risks and vulnerabilities. For example, one of the children is considerably younger and the process has failed to appropriately consider this. Consequently, the need for training in areas such as supporting primary school age children and the child’s cultural background has been overlooked. The process has also failed to identify the need to provide the resources a much younger child requires.

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good

Staff have benefited from some training. However, some important topics have not been covered in training, such as children missing from care. This does not help staff to be fully equipped to work with the needs the children have.

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good

Leaders and managers have created strong relationships with external partners such as children’s social workers and independent reviewing officers. This ensures that there is a joined-up approach to meeting the children’s needs. This has led to external professionals providing positive feedback.

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good

Staff are dedicated and committed and want to provide positive outcomes for children. Staff feel supported by the management team and staff morale is high. Inspection report for children's home: 1256452 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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(iii)(v)(vi)) 1 March 2024

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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; and

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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

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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child.

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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 1 March 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 1256452 7 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)(c)(f)(h))

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)) 1 March 2024

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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

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

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably; 1 March 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 1256452 8 provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home; (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(iii)(iv)(vii)(viii)(c)(i)(ii))

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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: 1256452 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: SureCare Residential Ltd

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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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Inspectors

Hannah Phillips, Social Care Inspector Deirdra Keating, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1256452 10 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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