Beacon House Therapeutic Services And Trauma Team

Inspection report for adoption support agency: Beacon House Therapeutic Services And Trauma Team 1 Beacon House Therapeutic Services And Trauma Team Beacon House Psychological Services Ltd Ground Floor, The Old Hospital, Chapelfields, Ardingly Road, Cuckfield, West Sussex RH17 5JR Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this adoption support agency

Beacon House Therapeutic Services and Trauma Team is jointly owned by the responsible individual and finance director. The service operates from a large building in Cuckfield.

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Information about this adoption support agency

The agency provides adoption support services to children, adults and families. The agency also offers other services that are not registered by Ofsted. These include therapeutic services to the public and professional and organisational consultation and training services.

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Information about this adoption support agency

The agency, including the manager, was registered on 18 September 2020. At the time of this inspection, the agency was working with 109 adoptive children and their families and 34 adopted adults. In the past 12 months, 116 adoption support packages were commissioned by a local authority.

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outstanding

How well children, young people and adults are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The adoption support agency provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the adoption support agency contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for service users. Inspection report for adoption support agency: Beacon House Therapeutic Services And Trauma Team 2 Date of last inspection: 30 November 2021

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for adoption support agency: Beacon House Therapeutic Services And Trauma Team 3

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

This agency provides excellent support to children and their families. Since the last inspection, leaders and managers of this service have worked closely together to drive improvements. They have focused on areas for development and have ensured improved safer recruitment and continuous training for staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

The therapeutic input delivered is exceptional and makes a significant difference to children’s lives. One child who previously refused to go to school has now re- engaged with education. This child said, ‘Without them [their therapist], I would not be going to college.’

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

The agency is extremely child-focused. The children are at the centre of all that the agency staff do and the entire team is therapeutic in their outlook. The sense of this is immediately clear on entering the building. Reception and administrative staff know the children and their families well. They know the best way to welcome them and make them feel comfortable. They are alert to different anxieties and how to reduce these. This attention to detail is embedded throughout agency practice and ensures consistency in support. One parent said, ‘We are very fortunate to have access to this agency.’

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

The wide range of therapeutic services available meets the varied and complex needs of the children and their families. The matching of therapists to children is meticulous. This involves children in choosing the type of therapeutic medium that they receive. For example, one child expressed that they needed therapy that involved a creative form of expression. This child receives drama therapy. As a result of the high-quality therapeutic support and the child feeling valued, the child has made exceptional progress from their starting point.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

Assessment reports for the adoption support are of a high standard. The detailed reports provide clarity on the work to be done. The assessment involves children and their families, and their views and opinions are recognised in the report.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

The agency provides wraparound support to the family. Sometimes this means that parents identify that they would benefit from help with their personal experiences of trauma. In such situations they can access support. Some parents describe the agency as a ‘lifeline’.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

The support provided by agency staff helps families achieve remarkable progress. Therapists’ attention to detail is exceptional and they work well with partner staff in the agency. For instance, the extensive transition plan for one child involved several people in the service. This enabled the child to access the therapeutic input needed. Therapists organise rooms in a way that encourages children to relax. As a result, the children are quickly able to take advantage of the therapy session. Inspection report for adoption support agency: Beacon House Therapeutic Services And Trauma Team 4 The therapists are attuned to the children and their families. One parent said that their family life was improved and now had ‘real joy’. They attributed this to the skill of the therapist to understand and help the child and the family as a whole. Another parent said that their child has developed empathy because of the support

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

The service goes over and above expectations to ensure that children and their families receive an exemplary service. Parents speak positively about the accessibility of staff, including outside of office hours. They said that they feel emotionally held and incredibly well supported. The wide range of online resources provided by the service has helped one parent provide their child’s school with information about how to work with the child. Consequently, this child is better able to manage their anxieties and has an improved experience at school.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

The manager and staff build superb working relationships with each other and with external professionals. Relationships with social workers and commissioners reflect a strong commitment to working together. Professionals are impressed by the quality of the service and how they are kept informed of any developments. Their comments about the agency included: ‘The work that they do is thorough,’ ‘They have well-trained therapists,’ and ‘They are a centre of excellence.’

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outstanding

Children and families feel safe because of the strong safeguarding culture. All staff keep the needs of the children at the forefront of everything they do. This means that safeguarding arrangements are effective, and children stay protected from harm and abuse. Staff know and follow the agency safeguarding protocols. The manager ensures consistent and effective working together with other professionals to safeguard children.

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outstanding

Staff are alert to difficulties in families. Family work is based on therapeutic parenting, better understanding of adoption and how to support children who have experienced severe trauma. Staff build trusting relationships with children and families which help them work in partnership throughout safeguarding referrals. Staff support families navigate complex and difficult situations which do not meet the threshold for safeguarding referrals.

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outstanding

Children and their families feel safe and secure in the therapeutic space. Therapists are observant to children’s verbal and non-verbal communication and quickly tailor their responses accordingly. This has helped children feel safe enough to explore their life story and gain a better sense of their identity.

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outstanding

Therapists provide children and their families with therapeutic strategies to manage risk. As a result, children feel better equipped to manage the world around them and families feel better able to care for and support their children. Inspection report for adoption support agency: Beacon House Therapeutic Services And Trauma Team 5 Meticulous records of any concerns noted are kept. The good-quality auditing by leaders and managers means that information is accessible, and responses are effective.

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outstanding

There are strong safer recruitment practices in place and thorough suitability checks are undertaken. Ongoing checks on therapists’ relevant licences to practice are maintained. The manager ensures that only those who are of suitable character and have the appropriate skills and qualifications to work with children and their families are employed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers are aspirational for the children and families. They have high expectations of what children and their families can achieve. This is through the support, therapy and consultation that they provide. They ensure that high- quality adoption support leads to consistently good outcomes. The multidisciplinary team provides holistic support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers have clear and effective mechanisms in place to review the support package and the progress that children are making. Children and their families drive the therapy given and are fully involved in the review process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers nurture positive and effective professional relationships. This includes effective liaison with education and health professionals. This effective partnership approach promotes the best possible outcomes and ensures that children and their families feel well supported and cared for.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff feel extremely well supported. They are proud of their work and say that it is a ‘privilege’ to work for this agency. A strong and effective induction process is in place. Leaders and managers track probation periods closely and tailor support to the staff’s individual needs. The rigorous recruitment, induction and support of therapists and staff shows the value placed on ensuring the best provision for people who use the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers provide a well-received and respected learning environment. Training is of an exceptional standard. Staff receive regular internal and external clinical and practice-based supervision that is reflective. A strength of the service is the body of knowledge and experience in the staff group. Staff share this in many ways that helps them all to grow and develop.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers have excellent oversight of the service. Consistent monitoring means that they quickly identify areas for development and work to improve them. Significant developmental work has led to the recruitment of therapists to meet the specific needs of the children referred to the service. Additionally, there has been improvement in children’s participation in the service. Inspection report for adoption support agency: Beacon House Therapeutic Services And Trauma Team 6 Research-informed practice is a significant strength of the agency. This runs through all the work that staff do. The agency provides free access to a wide range of high-quality online resources relating to adoption, child development, trauma and therapeutic approaches. The access to these resources is not exclusive to users of this service and potentially benefits children, families and professionals nationally.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers make the therapeutic environment welcoming and inclusive. They ensure that all children and their families receive a service that is respectful and meets their particular needs. They ensure that children and families receive extremely high quality support irrespective of neurodiversity, age, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, culture and diversity. Children and families value the pervasive celebration of difference, which helps them feel safe, secure and comfortable in the wraparound support they receive. Inspection report for adoption support agency: Beacon House Therapeutic Services And Trauma Team 7

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, young people and adults, using the social care common inspection framework.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the adoption support agency, how it meets the core functions as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with The Adoption Support Agencies (England) and Adoption Agencies (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2005 and the national minimum standards. Inspection report for adoption support agency: Beacon House Therapeutic Services And Trauma Team 8

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Adoption support agency details

Registered provider: Beacon House Psychological Services Ltd

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Adoption support agency details

Registered provider address: Ground Floor, The Old Hospital, Chapelfields, Ardingly Road, Cuckfield, West Sussex RH17 5JR

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Adoption support agency details

Responsible individual: Dr Shoshanah Lyons

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Inspectors

Vevene Muhammad, Social Care Inspector Joanna Heller, Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report for adoption support agency: Beacon House Therapeutic Services And Trauma Team 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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