Children's home run by East Sussex County Council in Lewes

Inspection report for children’s home: SC068179 1 SC068179 Registered provider: East Sussex County 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

The home is operated by a local authority. It provides care for up to four children who have experienced trauma, disrupted development, loss and/or multiple placement moves.

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Information about this children’s home

There were three children living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since August 2012.

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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

Date of last inspection: 18 December 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC068179 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/12/2023 Full Outstanding 23/03/2023 Full Outstanding 23/06/2021 Full Outstanding 04/09/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC068179 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a safe, spacious and well-decorated home that is warm and inviting. Their bedrooms are decorated to reflect their personal interests, creating a homely atmosphere that supports their sense of security, belonging and self-expression. For example, one child’s room features a theme of a specific trainer brand, while another has a fox theme.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress. Two children attend school. When children are struggling to engage with education, this is explored and alternative measures that are in line with their needs are considered. For example, children have been able to sit their GCSE exams in the home to ensure that they are in an environment that supports and aids their success.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children well. This is because they take time to understand the children’s needs and behaviours. Consequently, children receive support that contributes to their progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to gain independence in readiness for adulthood. One child cooks their own dinner, budgets their money and does their own weekly food shopping, which they are proud of.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the children’s needs. This allows them to offer support tailored to each child. For example, one child, who had been anxious about getting on a public bus, received support to overcome their fear and was able to get on the bus successfully after months of struggling. This achievement helped to boost the child’s confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are listened to. For example, one child’s views relating to information- sharing were respected and decisions were made in line with their wishes and feelings. This encourages children to express themselves and build trust with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children engage in a range of different activities that they enjoy and are in line with their interests. This has included a holiday abroad and to a holiday park, bingo nights, bowling, a train trip to Edinburgh and a house concert. Children are also encouraged to have friends over to the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff maintain contact with children who have moved on from the home. For example, they continue to take one child horse riding as this is an activity they enjoyed and highly valued. Inspection report for children’s home: SC068179 4

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

A positive culture of safeguarding is established in the home. Staff understand their roles and responsibilities. They frequently update their safeguarding knowledge through discussions in team meetings, reflective discussions and supervision sessions.

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

Staff value multi-professional working to best support children. A professional from the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) attends team meetings regularly. They support staff through reflective practice and relevant training to better understand the children’s needs.

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

Staff build and maintain trusting relationships with children and their family members. This has been key in keeping children safe. For example, staff work collaboratively with parents to locate children when they go missing from home. Parents can freely contact staff regularly when they have worries and concerns. Therefore, there is a coordinated approach from professionals as well as parents to best support children.

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

When children go missing from home, this is dealt with swiftly in the children’s best interests, and safety is at the core of decision-making. When children return home, they are shown that staff care through supportive discussions.

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

Incidents are well managed. Appropriate actions are taken by staff to support children and ensure that there are relevant safeguards in place. All recordings are well written and child centred.

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

Recruitment processes are effective. This ensures that only suitable individuals work at the home and provide care for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by an experienced registered manager and deputy manager. Managers know the children well and have high aspirations for them. Managers know and understand the home’s strengths and areas for development. They are reflective of how they have managed some incidents and identify the lessons that they have learned from the experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Senior leaders and managers are supportive of staff and each other. This has created a positive work environment where staff can learn and develop.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported by managers. They receive regular effective supervision and opportunities to reflect on practice, which they value. Staff enjoy working with children and in the home. One staff member said, ‘I absolutely love my job,’ and another described the manager as a ‘great manager’. Inspection report for children’s home: SC068179 5 Staff receive relevant training to support them in meeting the children’s needs. However, not all staff complete the specific training relevant in meeting the children’s individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals is mostly positive. One professional attributed a child’s progress to the support they are receiving from staff. Communication with staff is described as excellent. However, another professional indicated that while the home offers good support, there are challenges in meeting one child’s specific needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC068179 6

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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: SC068179 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: East Sussex County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, St Anne’s Crescent, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 1UE

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Inspector

Chido Mangava, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC068179 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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