Children's Home run by Springfield Road Children’s Homes Ltd in East Sussex

Inspection report for children's home: SC412296 1 SC412296 Registered provider: Springfield Road Children’s Homes Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and run by a private organisation. It provides care for up to five children who may have social, emotional and mental health needs. There were four children living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC412296 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/03/2024 Full Good 28/09/2022 Full Outstanding 21/04/2021 Full Outstanding 25/04/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC412296 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, two children have moved in and have been helped to settle quickly. One child has moved out, following intensive support to help them manage difficult relationships which were making them unsafe. Children like living in the home and have developed strong relationships with staff, built on genuine care, empathy and respect. These relationships have helped children to build confidence, understand their experiences and make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to make progress and develop independent living skills, with support tailored to their learning needs and personal journey. Managers and staff are realistic about the challenges children face, while continuing to encourage children to develop and ‘dream big’. This means that children feel valued and have the confidence to try new things.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Support for children to access education is proactive, with some children making really good progress. One child has been supported with a successful transition to college. One child is starting to engage positively in home tutoring, which is a huge step for them. When children have experienced difficulties, managers work in partnership with school staff to ensure that their individual needs are met. As a result, children receive bespoke support which offers them the best possible opportunity to succeed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain positive relationships with the people who are important to them. Managers and staff value relationships with families and involve them as much as possible in children’s lives. One child who is not able to see their family regularly has support to understand why this is and to find ways to stay in touch with them. Another child is being helped with a longer-term plan to return home to live with family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are invited to explore activities and enjoy holidays and adventurous days out. They are encouraged to give their ideas, share their interests and find ways to make new friends. However, children have mixed success in taking part in activities and they are not consistently encouraged to keep considering different experiences or offered a different range of options to try.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming and was beautifully decorated for Christmas. Children’s bedrooms are personalised and kept to a good standard of tidiness. Children enjoy spending time in their rooms and are also comfortable and relaxed in communal areas. However, there is some damage in children’s rooms which needs repair, and the managers plan to address this. Inspection report for children's home: SC412296 4

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

The plans to guide staff on how to support children and keep them safe are individualised for each child and staff know how to respond if concerns arise. Managers and staff help children by understanding their anxieties. They are reassuring, allowing children space and time while setting appropriate boundaries. Children have trusted adults they can talk to if they are worried and are helped to learn from their experiences. As a result, children are making safer choices, the number of incidents is low and there has been no use of restraint.

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

Children currently living in the home rarely go missing. If children do go missing from home, staff are proactive in following them and staying in contact. When there are concerns that a child may be at risk of exploitation, they liaise closely with multi-agency professionals to ensure that children are found. Follow-up action is taken to keep them safe and provide them with a stable base, to prevent further risk.

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

Staff understand the risks that using the internet may pose to children. Managers and staff respond quickly when there are potential risks and make extensive plans with the wider professional team to reduce risks going forward. Children are supported to learn how to use the internet safely, considering their age and understanding. This approach means that children are helped to be safe online, as part of a risk-based approach towards independence.

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

Systems for medication management are effective and there is a detailed policy for staff to follow. When there have been minor recording errors, these have been addressed effectively by managers. Records are monitored to ensure they are completed correctly, and there is good-quality administration and recording of medication.

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

Children are helped to ensure their health needs are met. Some children have made progress with this, for example, one child who struggled to attend routine health appointments is now able to have blood tests to monitor their health condition. However, information about one child’s health needs and the support they need was not recorded in their care plans. Therefore, it is not clear about what support and monitoring systems should be in place to help them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have detailed knowledge of the children’s histories and speak passionately about ensuring that support is shaped around their individual needs. A high level of care and attention is paid to how children have been impacted by previous trauma and experiences. This informs the development of child-centred plans that help staff provide effectively structured support that is adapted to each children’s unique way of learning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported and are highly valued by managers, who encourage them to develop and progress. Supervisions give staff the opportunity to talk about ideas for the children’s care and appraisals offer a formal space to talk about their role and training Inspection report for children's home: SC412296 5 needs. Staff like working in the home and are immensely proud of the care given to children. One member of staff said, ‘I truly have never been happier in my place of work.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Arrangements for addressing practice concerns are good. When complaints involve allegations, managers act on issues raised and consult with the relevant agencies. Appropriate follow-up action is taken to investigate, establish the facts and ensure that staff can reflect on practice. Follow-up actions and outcomes are recorded and communicated to the wider professional team around the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers work proactively with external professionals, and this makes a real difference to the children’s progress. When children need additional help, managers make referrals to request the appropriate assessments. When help for children is delayed, managers escalate this to find alternative avenues of support, while ensuring that care is adapted to meet children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers engage effectively with the independent person who visits the home monthly. Feedback is valued and acted on for the continual development of the service. Managers recognise that this system could be improved by inviting families to speak to the independent person to offer them the opportunity to talk about their children’s care. Inspection report for children's home: SC412296 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must monitor children’s bedrooms for damage and ensure they are maintained to an acceptable standard.

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Requirement Due date

Also, they must ensure that there is clear information and guidance in care plans for how to meet children’s identified health needs. 28 February 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are regularly offered a wide range of activities both inside and outside of the home and are encouraged to participate in those activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.5)  The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent monitoring to ensure continuous improvement. In particular, the independent visitor should seek feedback from relatives of children, where they consent and it is appropriate. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24) Inspection report for children's home: SC412296 7

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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: SC412296 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Springfield Road Children’s Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 5 Cornfield Terrace, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN21 4NN

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Inspectors

Shirin White, Social Care Inspector Sadia Akhtar, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC412296 9 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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