Children's Home run by Autism Sussex Ltd in Bexley

Inspection report for children’s home: 1264841 1 Registered provider: Autism Sussex Ltd

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a charitable organisation on behalf of the local authority and provides short-break services for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There are currently 31 children accessing the service on a rotational basis.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There were four children staying at the home during this inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in December 2017.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 13 December 2023

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1264841 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/12/2023 Full Good 07/03/2023 Full Good 25/11/2021 Full Good 11/12/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1264841 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are enabled to build positive relationships with staff. Staff show care, compassion and warmth towards children. This helps children to settle into the home and have fun with other children when they visit. Parents are happy with the care provided and report that their children love to go to the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met well. Some of the children have complex medical conditions that require daily medication. Staff have a good understanding of the children’s individual needs and are guided by detailed individual care plans. Parents and professionals contribute to these plans and feel confident that the children are well cared for and that their health needs are supported.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress during their stay at the home. Staff understand children’s starting points and their individual needs and interests. They track children’s progress and create personal targets to help children achieve and develop when they stay at the home. Some children who are preparing to move into adulthood have a detailed skills programme to help them develop their independent skills. Staff celebrate successes no matter how small.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views and wishes are listened to on all aspects of their lives. Staff use appropriate methods of communication, such as visual aids, to help children to share their views and feelings. This empowers children to raise any concerns or worries they may have and gives them confidence that their opinions matter.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities both in the home and the community. They benefit from having good routines and structure to their day. Children are given opportunities to have new experiences and the home is fully equipped to meet the needs of the children. The soft playroom and sensory room ensure that children have access to a variety of activities, which they enjoy.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s bedrooms are personalised when they stay. Some decoration has been undertaken in parts of the home. However, some areas of the home still require improvements and there is a plan to complete the outstanding work, to ensure that children live in a warm and homely environment.

p.3

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

Children benefit from high staffing levels. Staff follow clear behaviour support plans, which help them to manage incidents and behaviour effectively. Staff work well with other professionals, including social workers, education staff and families. They attend professionals’ meetings to share strategies to work with children. Strong joint working Inspection report for children’s home: 1264841 4 with a team of relevant professionals ensures that children receive well-coordinated care and support.

p.3

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

Children’s complex needs and vulnerabilities are well understood by staff. Risk assessments are clear and detailed. They are informed by the children’s parents and professional networks to ensure that staff take the appropriate action when required.

p.4

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

Staff set consistent boundaries and routines for children when they visit. There is a clear reward system that promotes and encourages positive behaviour. However, consequences given to children are not always recorded. This does not ensure that there is appropriate management oversight or that children’s views about these consequences are monitored.

p.4

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

The admissions process for new children using the service has improved. Visits are completed as part of the assessment to ensure that only children whose needs can be met by staff are accepted. Children’s short breaks are arranged in advance. Arrangements are based on parents’ requests, taking account of the children’s needs, abilities and staffing required. Parents share updates about their children’s health and welfare with staff before they come to stay.

p.4

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

Staff manage children’s medication well. Arrangements for the safe administration of medicines are effective. Medication is only accepted into the home if it is prescribed, labelled and in the original packaging. There are clear audits to monitor the process. Since last inspection, no errors have been reported.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager and staff have high aspirations for the children in their care. They are focused on promoting children’s development and helping them to achieve their goals. Consequently, all children are making good progress with their social skills and overall development. Leaders and managers know children very well and carefully monitor their progress during their stay.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is dedicated, passionate and advocates endlessly to ensure that children lead positive and fulfilling lives. The registered manager challenges professionals to ensure that children’s individual care plans meet their needs. The registered manager has excellent oversight of the home and understands the children’s day-to-day experiences and the quality of care that they receive.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff feel well supported by leaders and manager. The staff team is very stable and no staff have left since the last inspection. Staff receive regular child-focused supervision and attend a range of relevant training to meet the needs of children who use the service. The majority of staff are qualified and new staff are enrolled to undertake their qualification in children’s residential care. This helps to retain staff and enables them to provide good care to the children in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 1264841 5 Excellent leadership is providing a clear and ethical direction. Diversity, equality and inclusion are promoted exceptionally well at the home. The home has been decorated to reflect the cultural needs of the children who use the service. There is a culture of high respect and celebration of different cultures.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers have addressed all the requirements and recommendations raised at the last inspection. There is meaningful management oversight of records, which are regularly reviewed. Internal and external monitoring systems are used to review the progress of the service. This excellent oversight contributes to the ongoing improvement and development of the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Feedback from professionals is very positive. They describe the quality of care provided to children as good and say that the support they provide is non-judgemental and supportive to children and their families. Professionals say that communication with staff is very good and that this results in a shared approach to providing children with good-quality care and support when the use the service. Inspection report for children’s home: 1264841 6

p.5

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that, for the children’s home to be a nurturing and supportive environment, that they continue to repair and decorate all areas of the homes’ interior. (‘Guide to The Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 15, paragraph 3.9)

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any consequences used to address poor behaviour are reviewed regularly with appropriate management oversight and that children are spoken to about it. (‘Guide to The Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 46, paragraph 9.38)

p.6

Information about this inspection

Inspector has 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: 1264841 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Autism Sussex Ltd, Sussex House, 19 High Street, Battle TN33 0AE

p.7

Inspector

Dorothy Thompstone, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1264841 8 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8