Children's Home run by Sunbridge Childcare Ltd in Sunderland

Inspection report for children’s home: 2767802 1 Registered provider: Sunbridge Childcare Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the first inspection since the home registered in January 2024. The manager also registered with Ofsted in January 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, four children were living at the home. The inspector spoke to all four children at this inspection.

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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 outstanding

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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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2767802 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff immerse themselves in children’s culture and ensure that children feel loved and valued for who they are. As a result, children develop a strong sense of belonging. In addition, diversity is embraced and celebrated within the home. Staff support children to understand and accept themselves and promote the understanding of difference in educational ways. This supports all children to make better sense of the world around them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child said ‘I now feel comfortable and confident in my own skin. The staff have taken time to listen to me and understand how I feel. They have also helped the other children understand. I am proud of who I am.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have good relationships with staff and enjoy spending time with them. The relationships between children and staff are respectful, meaningful and resemble those of a family. Children laugh, play games, tell staff their worries and approach staff for a hug. One child said, ‘The staff are amazing, they are my family. Another child said, ‘They are sound, they let me just be a kid.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to have confidence in their abilities and showcase their talents for the good of others in the home. For example, one child creates artwork for décor in the home, while other children enjoy cooking, organising events and keeping the home clean and tidy. Children enjoy their responsibilities and their actions inspire each other.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education and learning are a high priority for children. Staff ensure that children are well-prepared before they join a new education provision. Staff are persistent in their efforts and creatively engage children in learning opportunities. This is a significant achievement for some children as they have not attended formal education for a considerable period.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health and well-being needs are prioritised. Children are registered with local health provisions and staff encourage children to attend routine health appointments. When children require more specialist support or assessments, staff access these without delay. Consequently, children receive the right support at the right time to promote their physical and emotional health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s family members and professionals speak highly of the quality of care provided. Communication is good and increases during significant events to ensure that all relevant people know the children’s progress and are involved in decision-making. One parent said, ‘They are worth their weight in gold, I couldn’t ask for better people to look after my child.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of opportunities that brings them joy and provides new experiences. For example, they go abroad on holiday and visit theme parks. They Inspection report for children’s home: 2767802 3 support their favourite football teams, go to local clubs, and try new hobbies such as pottery painting. Children recently enjoyed putting their baking skills to the test with an in-house ‘bake off’.

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

Children’s safety is consistently at the centre of staff’s practice and staff have a good understanding of the children’s specific needs and vulnerabilities. Staff follow clear risk management plans to protect children from harm.

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

Clear protocols and procedures are in place for when children go missing from the home. This ensures that staff take appropriate action by actively searching for children and working closely with the police, as well as the family and friends of the children. This ensures their safe return. Furthermore, significant incidents are reported to the appropriate authorities.

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

Children benefit from regular, high-quality discussions, which are focused and form part of the wider risk reduction measures to protect children. Staff help children to explore difficult emotions and find safe strategies to express them. The manager welcomes external input from specialists, such as psychologists to shape the direction of these discussions. These also enhance staff’s understanding of children’s adverse childhood experiences and trauma.

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

Multi-agency working with external professionals is a strength. This approach promotes the full involvement of the professional network around the child. There is excellent communication and joined up working between all the adults that care for the children. This approach is having a significantly positive impact on children’s progress and development. One professional said:

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

‘It is very unusual to see a change in direction of a child being so unsafe to where they are now in such a short time. The team are engaging, receptive and communication is brilliant, they know my child very well, because of [name of home] I have better hopes for the future. They are the pinnacle of residential care for children.’

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

Staff are creative in using resources to understand how children are feeling. One of many examples involve staff using a ‘banish negative thoughts’ toolkit with a child to help them to express their feelings and anxieties. This resulted in the child being able to seek the support they needed, they became calmer and better able to regulate their emotions.

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

Children’s positive behaviour is recognised and rewarded. Staff are skilled in using a variety of de-escalation strategies to help children manage their emotions. They do not give up on children when things get difficult staff take a restorative approach to respond to unwanted behaviours. Inspection report for children’s home: 2767802 4 Physical intervention has been used to protect children and others from harm. This is related to one child during a period of crisis. The action of staff on more than one occasion significantly supported this child. When incidents occur, the manager ensures that children and staff are involved in reflecting on the incident. Senior leaders provided additional well-being support for staff involved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is managed by an effective leadership team that is committed to improving outcomes for children. The manager is child focused and the deputy manager is equally ambitious for children. Their combined leadership has shaped the home’s positive culture taking it from strength to strength since opening. Complemented by the stability and skill of the staff team, the home is a nurturing environment where children flourish.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders are conscientious and ambitious for both the children and staff team. The careful and considered approach to opening the home, including the recruitment of the manager and staff team, has been pivotal in the success of the home. Leaders are proud and celebrate the team’s success. They motivate and reward staff, who share their vision to continually improve children’s lived experiences. Morale in the home is high.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The leadership team has spent time building effective working relationships with external agencies. The team knows that partnership working is key to effective care planning for children. Professional feedback from external agencies is overwhelmingly positive and highlights the hard work and commitment of leaders and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager seeks to overcome any barriers, to make a difference to the children’s lives. She is focused on children remaining safe and experiencing a positive family life. The manager challenges decision-making and advocates on behalf of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager, with support from the responsible individual, tenaciously challenge and advocate for children. The manager’s dedication, along with the commitment and resilience from the staff team, ensured that one child was able to move on in a planned way to a specialist home. The team has been commended by external agencies for doing all they could to promote a positive and safe home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The team has faced some challenges since the opening of the home. Through these difficult times, leaders have remained resolute in their support for the staff and children. Leaders have provided consistency and stability, which has been valued by the staff and reinforced their continued commitment to the children and to delivering exceptional care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager promotes continued learning in the staff team. She develops useful resources to meet children’s ever-changing needs. The manager delivers this learning in team meetings and during individual staff supervision sessions. Inspection report for children’s home: 2767802 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: 2767802 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sunbridge Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 5 Cedar Grove, Wallsend NE28 6PR

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Inspector

Claire Webster, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2767802 7 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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