Children's home run by Brighton and Hove City Council

Inspection report for children’s home: SC032315 1 SC032315

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Registered provider: Brighton & Hove City Council

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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 run by a local authority. It is registered to provide care for up to five children with learning and/or physical disabilities under short-break arrangements.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were staying for short breaks.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since March 2017.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 20 February 2024

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC032315 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/02/2024 Full Outstanding 29/03/2023 Full Good 04/08/2021 Full Outstanding 14/01/2020 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC032315 3

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outstanding

The children receive exceptional care from knowledgeable and committed staff. One parent said that ‘staff are really attentive’ and they feel that their child is at the centre of staff practice.

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outstanding

Staff have excellent relationships with the children. They work hard to build up trust and support the children in developing their communication skills and talking about their emotions. One child, who was having difficulties in expressing their feelings, benefited from well-thought-out care, conversations and reassurance. They are now able to communicate their feelings with others, and their emotional well-being has improved.

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outstanding

Staff pay special attention to the children’s bedrooms when they come to stay. Staff thoughtfully place the children’s personal items, along with pictures of their families, in their rooms. The children have also chosen the colour schemes throughout the home, including the bedrooms. This attention to detail makes the home welcoming and inviting for the children.

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outstanding

The children make excellent progress in their education. Staff encourage the children to use symbols and numbers in line with their plans. Staff help the children to develop independence skills, such as cooking. They use communication aids to help the children understand how to be safe in the kitchen. Staff keep the children’s goals under regular review and celebrate their achievements. This helps children to make continued progress.

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outstanding

Staff carefully plan activities for the children, so they have a fun and enjoyable stay. The staff involve the children in choosing activities. They offer a range of activities inside and away from the home. The children have enjoyed trips to the safari zoo and to theme parks. The children rate the outings using stars to help staff understand if they enjoyed the activity.

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outstanding

The children have positive, personalised introductions to the home. For example, staff went above and beyond to support one child to prepare for their first stay. The family was also understandably anxious. To ease these anxieties, an overnight stay with the parent and child in the home was arranged. This reassurance enabled the child to gradually build up to increased overnight stays.

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outstanding

Staff are skilled in meeting the complex health needs of the children. Before children come to stay, managers ensure that staff have the most up-to-date training and Inspection report for children’s home: SC032315 4 information from parents and specialists. This excellent partnership working enables staff to provide consistent care when the children stay. An occupational therapist said the staff have ‘taken great care’ to get to know a child and their family and ‘meet their needs in all aspects’.

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outstanding

The staff have a positive approach to helping the children understand the rules of the home. Staff remind the children of the ‘golden rules’ using communication aids. The staff have regular conversations with the children to help them develop insight into social rules and their emotions. Staff use restraint very rarely. When it has been used, the manager has good oversight, reflection occurs and lessons are learned.

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outstanding

Some restrictions are used with the children. These restrictions include the use of specialist safety equipment on the children’s beds. The staff carefully assess the complex needs of the children to see if restrictions are needed to keep them safe. These assessments are completed under the guidance of specialist health professionals. The staff keep these assessments under constant review. This ensures that any restrictions are appropriate and used to ensure children’s safety.

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outstanding

There have been no incidents of children going missing from care. Due to the vulnerabilities of the children, there are well developed ‘missing plans’ in place to ensure a quick response from staff should this be required.

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outstanding

Staff carefully plan the children’s stays. Staff thoughtfully consider the children’s needs to ensure that the most vulnerable of children have a safe and positive stay. Information from all professionals and parents is carefully cross-referenced. Consequently, staff fully consider risks between the children, and each child has an enjoyable stay.

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outstanding

The staff use audio monitors for some children. They assess the use of these in the children’s plans, and their use is agreed with social workers and parents. However, there is no overarching policy outlining good practice for the use of these devices. This has no impact on the high quality of care that children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff describe the manager as ‘amazing’ and say that they are well supported. The staff team is very stable, with several staff having worked at the home for a long time. Staff talk enthusiastically about the children that they care for. They are passionate about the achievements of the children. The manager values the strengths of individual staff members and supports staff to develop their skills and practice. This support ensures that children receive the best standard of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has meticulous monitoring processes in place. This drives a strong, reflective culture which ensures that staff practice is continuously developed based on lessons learned. The manager ensures that staff have the most up-to-date training and develops plans to reflect the most up-to-date guidance. Inspection report for children’s home: SC032315 5 The manager promotes an open culture with families and professionals. The children’s families, including their siblings, are invited to visit the home as part of introductions. The staff host an annual Christmas party, which brings families together to share experiences and meet with staff. Staff hosted their first summer club this year, which offered additional opportunities and day activities for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff ensure that the children are at the heart of any decisions that are made. They are creative in finding solutions to gaining the children’s views. Staff work with families and other professionals to balance the care needs and wishes of the children. For example, staff worked closely with other professionals and parents when one child wanted to spend more time out of their wheelchair. They adjusted the child’s health routines to enable this to happen safely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Complaints are rare. When any have arisen, the manager has been quick to respond to these to ensure an appropriate outcome. Inspection report for children’s home: SC032315 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that there is a written policy describing how monitoring equipment will support the safeguarding and well-being of those staying at the home, in accordance with regulation 24. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.16)

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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’.

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Information about this inspection

The inspection started on 14 January 20225. An inspector returned on 26 February 2025 to gather additional evidence in line with Ofsted inspections and visits: deferring, pausing and gathering additional evidence policy. Inspection report for children’s home: SC032315 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Brighton & Hove City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hove Town Hall, Norton Road, Brighton BN3 3BQ

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Inspectors

Karen Flanagan de Martinez, Social Care Inspector Mark Dawkins, Social Care Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report for children’s home: SC032315 8 and inspects 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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