Children's Home run by HeadStart Residential Care Ltd in East Sussex

Inspection report for children’s home: 2690173 1 Registered provider: HeadStart Residential Care 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 by a private company. The home is registered to care for up to five children with autism, learning difficulties, communication needs, and/or social and emotional difficulties. There were four children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 14 November 2024 and is suitably qualified. The manager was absent during the 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 requires improvement to be 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: 2690173 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/08/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2690173 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last full inspection in August 2023, one child has moved into the home in a carefully planned manner. Managers, along with the positive behaviour lead, visited the child prior to the move. Additionally, staff worked closely with familiar staff from the child’s previous setting, sharing valuable information and replicating strategies and support. This collaborative approach provided continuity of care and helped the child settle in quickly and successfully. A social worker praised the transition, describing it as ‘absolutely amazing’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have made a significant effort to personalise the children’s bedrooms. Each child has their own en-suite and lounge area, providing them additional space. Staff encourage children to take pride in their personal spaces. For older children, staff implement appropriate routines to promote independence, such as changing their beds, cleaning their bathrooms and mopping floors. Staff actively support children in achieving these tasks, aligned with the goals outlined in their care plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The shared lounge for the children requires notable improvement to create a more welcoming and inclusive environment. The registered manager has devised a clear development plan to address this, and some work has already begun to improve the space.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend the provider’s on-site school full time, and their attendance is excellent. This reflects significant progress for the children, supported by the staff’s encouragement and commitment to their education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have established positive, trusting relationships with children. This is evident through the staff’s understanding of the children’s body language, verbal cues and non- verbal expressions. Children know that staff are there to support them and provide engaging, fun activities. Staff read to children, play puzzles and provide interactive engagement, which creates a warm and stimulating atmosphere.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are attuned to what motivates children and plan meaningful activities to promote their happiness and enjoyment. This is captured in numerous photographs, which feature in newsletters celebrating children’s experiences. For some children, these include first-time adventures, such as boat trips, theme parks and go-karting, which add to their personal growth and joy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and leaders are aspirational for children and prepare them to experience life beyond the home and school. For instance, children are supported to visit local barbers and youth clubs, developing their sense of inclusion in the community. A staff member commented, ‘Activities are individualised, and the children thrive from this.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2690173 4 Children benefit from annual speech and language assessments. These are reviewed three times a year to provide a thorough understanding of their communication needs. These assessments guide staff in using children’s preferred communication methods and aids. Recently, staff attended specialist communication training and use it effectively with children. However, staff do not have access to all children’s communication aids, and there are gaps in staff’s knowledge and skills regarding the use of some communication aids. This leads to inconsistent practices in supporting some children

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One young person in the home is 18 years old and plans to leave later this year after completing their school year. However, their future educational arrangements and living situation have not yet been finalised. For another child, who is aged 17, leaders were unable to provide pathway planning documents. While staff are advocates for securing the right provisions for children moving on, the lack of planning leaves children with less time to adjust and prepare for their next steps in life.

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

Staff help children to develop their social, emotional and independent living skills, following the goals outlined in their individualised care plans. These targets are incentivised and logged daily, enabling managers to track progress and monitor the outcomes of each child’s achievements. A particular strength of the staff is their understanding of body language and their ability to reinforce positive behaviours. These methods are building the children’s confidence and helping them to develop better strategies for managing difficult emotions and feelings.

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

Children’s health needs are well managed through collaborative efforts between managers and healthcare professionals. Each child has a tailored health plan. For one child, this is overseen by a healthcare specialist to meet their specific needs. Staff maintain accurate and detailed records of routine appointments and consistently follow up on statutory health assessments to ensure that the children’s well-being is prioritised.

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

Since the last inspection, there has been one allegation against a staff member. Leaders acted swiftly to safeguard the child and the staff involved, conducting a full investigation in collaboration with the local authority’s designated officer. This transparent approach demonstrates the leaders’ strong safeguarding culture and commitment to keeping children safe.

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

Efforts have been made to reduce unnecessary restrictions placed on children. The number of staff supporting one child have been decreased. For other children, restrictive harnesses have been removed, and children have more access to communal areas. Managers regularly review children’s records to ensure that risk-reduction strategies are appropriate and reflected in their care plans. However, leaders and managers were unable to provide written consent from the child’s placing authority for the use of audio monitoring in children’s bedrooms. While there are no immediate concerns, this has not been formalised with key professionals. Inspection report for children’s home: 2690173 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Following an assessment of the children’s sensory needs by the school’s occupational therapist in July 2024, recommendations were made to help children manage their emotions and feel more comfortable, and it identified sensory equipment to be used. However, these recommendations have not been fully implemented. Additionally, clear guidance is not provided to staff on how to use equipment that was previously provided to children, such as weighted blankets and vests. This lack of clarity affects the consistency of the sensory support provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Since the last full inspection, there have been key leadership changes. The manager is now registered with Ofsted, and a new head of care has been appointed. The deputy manager, who took on her role in January 2024, demonstrates a clear passion for her work and a strong commitment to children. She has a good understanding of the children’s needs and was able to highlight areas of progress while expressing a clear vision for continued improvement in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Managers have established a focused workforce development plan, which is regularly updated to reflect the staff’s needs and areas for growth. This plan has been integrated with the home’s quality of care action plan to drive improvements for both staff and children. For example, staff have received specific training to fully understand the children’s diagnoses. This training was delivered by someone who works closely with the children in the linked school, making it highly relevant and personalised. Staff report that they found the training beneficial, particularly as it allowed them to ask specific, child- focused questions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff supervisions are conducted in a timely and effective manner, offering reflective spaces to discuss the children’s needs, staff dynamics and specific safeguarding issues. These sessions focus on professional development and ensuring the well-being of both staff and children. As a result, the requirement set at the last inspection regarding staff supervision has been successfully met. Inspection report for children’s home: 2690173 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 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

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

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; and

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Requirement Due date

provide children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(vi)(vi)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff are provided with personalised recommended resources from in-house therapy reports.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, managers should work effectively with children’s placing authorities to ensure that children receive good and timely multi-agency pathway planning to prepare children, and gain their views on, adulthood and leaving care. 1 May 2025

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who engage with them. 1 May 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2690173 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff, help each child to express views, wishes and feelings. (Regulation 7 (1)(b) (2)(a)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff have access to children’s assessed communication resources, and are skilled and equipped in helping children to use these daily.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

and 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 that staff meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children’s individual behaviour support plans reflect how staff use children’s communication aids, specific communication methods and therapy-assessed recommendations, to help support children. 1 May 2025

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Recommendation

 Any home using CCTV or other monitoring equipment should have a written policy describing how this will support the safeguarding and well-being of those living and working in the home in accordance with regulation 24. Homes must gain consent to any monitoring or surveillance by the placing authority in writing at the time of placement. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.16) Inspection report for children’s home: 2690173 8

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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: 2690173 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: HeadStart Residential Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 30-34 North Street, Hailsham BN27 1DW

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Scott Fasciolo-Barnes

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Inspector

Kelly Monniot, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2690173 10 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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