Children's Home run by Brighton and Hove City Council in Brighton and Hove

Inspection report for children’s home: SC044880 1 SC044880 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 local authority children’s home provides short breaks and longer-term care for children aged between eight and 18. According to its statement of purpose, the children have severe or moderate levels of learning disabilities, as defined in their education, health and care plans.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were staying at the home for short breaks. One young person and two adults live long term in accommodation separate to that used for short breaks.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since June 2013.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC044880 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/04/2024 Full Good 16/05/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 04/05/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/06/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC044880 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The service is judged inadequate primarily due to the management arrangements for the home. There has been insufficient management capacity to provide oversight of safeguarding practice and the day-to-day care for children. In addition, a young adult living in a flat separate from the main accommodation has a range of needs that at the time of the inspection, were observed to be beyond the ability of staff to provide safe and suitable care. This young adults’ care is provided by an external organisation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The living conditions for one young adult are not safe. The young adult lives in a flat that is separate from the main accommodation. Conditions in this flat are unsanitary and in a state of poor repair. This poses significant health and safety risks and is not conducive to promoting the young adult’s well-being and sense of security. A compliance notice has been issued to urgently address these concerns.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

There is a lack of sufficient permanent staff at the home. This means that children experience care from a high number of different staff and do not always have a consistent experience of care. Staff reported the staffing instability has negatively affected the progress of some children, leading to a noticeable decline in some behaviours.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The provider has not been able to successfully support children to move on to appropriate adult placements. This means that the two young adults have stayed in the home for long periods. Whilst the placement has been able to meet the needs of one of these young adults, it is not an appropriate placement given their age.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s wishes and feelings are not consistently incorporated into the development of the service. After incidents have occurred, children’s thoughts and feelings are not sought. Staff have the option to use social stories to enhance children and young people’s understanding. However, staff are not currently using these social stories to help children better understand and be involved in decisions or choices.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Most children are generally supported well in terms of their health needs. However, on one occasion, staff failed to provide suitable care for a child who had an injury. As a result, the injury got worse, and this was not detected by the staff looking after the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s progress is mixed. Core permanent staff speak positively about children and maintain positive relationships with the children and young people they support. This helps staff understand their needs. As a result, these children and young people are happy and making some progress. One parent noted that their child’s increased confidence was due to the support received from staff.

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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC044880 4 There are widespread failures in relation to safeguarding in terms of staff practice, management oversight and record-keeping. This places children at risk of harm.

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

Safeguarding procedures are not followed regularly. For example, a serious allegation about a staff member was reported to the local authority designated officer (LADO), although at the time of the inspection the investigation could not be found.

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

Leaders and managers do not consistently review incidents. When incidents are reviewed, the records lack detail and do not explore any areas for learning. As a result, staff are not receiving the necessary guidance from managers to ensure the safety of children and young people.

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

Safeguarding records are not clear or comprehensive. Records are handwritten and difficult to read. There are no records to show how allegations or concerns have been handled. A staff member said that one child made repeated allegations about staff. However, this was not documented and there was no evidence to indicate that these allegations had been acted on.

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

Children and young people’s initial risk assessments are well recorded and identify areas of vulnerability and safety plans. However, these assessments are not updated in response to emerging concerns.

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

One young adult is occasionally monitored using camera surveillance. However, leaders and managers do not have oversight of its use and cannot ensure it is being used appropriately. Furthermore, the registered managers have not confirmed that staff from an external organisation, who are supporting the young adult, are suitable to work with children and young people.

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

Annual fire safety checks of the home are conducted by fire professionals. However, the recommended high-priority actions have not been completed within the required timeframes.

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

There are a number of long-term permanent and bank staff that know the children well. These staff have positive relationships with children and young people and are able to help children when they are anxious. This helps children to cope and often avoids behaviour incidents from escalating.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Since the last inspection, there has been insufficient management capacity to provide support to staff or effective oversight of the day-to-day care. The registered manager has been working part time for an extended period and has been on sick leave since February 2025. An acting manager was appointed, but also only on a part-time basis. The provider has recruited a new full-time manager, but this person was not in post at the time of the inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: SC044880 5 Leaders and managers do not have sufficient presence within the home. Therefore, they do not know the children and young people well. Staff said communication between staff and leaders is poor. They report that they are not informed, involved, or consulted on key decisions about the home. Staff commented that this made it difficult for them to communicate with parents using the short-breaks service. Some planned short breaks

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

have been cancelled due to staffing shortages.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff morale is low. They do not feel supported and listened to. Supervisions are not taking place regularly in line with the organisation’s policy. One staff member said they had received two supervisions in the last year. In addition, annual appraisals are not completed for staff or managers and this is a missed opportunity to support their learning and development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The statement of purpose of the home has not been updated to reflect staff and management changes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do not always work well together as a team to support the children. There are some tensions between individuals in the team and the manager noted that this has caused some newly hired staff members to leave the home. This has contributed to instability and a lack of consistent care for the children. One staff member resigned during the inspection, citing a lack of support and not being heard by managers when they raised concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

A review of the quality of care provided to children is not being carried out. Key documents essential to the development and improvement of the service are not being updated or reviewed. This prevents managers and leaders from assuring themselves that children are receiving high-quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Feedback from parents was mixed. Some parents said their children looked forward to staying at the home, while others expressed concerns about their children’s difficulties in settling, as well as issues with staff practice. Inconsistent management was reported to negatively affect the quality of communication. Parents also raised concerns about the impact on children’s behaviour when planned stays were cancelled.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Feedback from social workers was positive, commending staff’s communication and their ability to build positive relationships with children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC044880 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 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. ]

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the living conditions in flat C are safe and suitable.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 20 May 2025

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe; Inspection report for children’s home: SC044880 7 have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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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 effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home. (Regulation 25 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that actions deemed high risk from the fire risk assessment are addressed. 15 April 2025

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and 6 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC044880 8 use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (2)(a)(b)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that there is sufficient management capacity to provide oversight of the day-to-day care and safeguarding practice.

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Requirement Due date

Leadership and management, supervisions and appraisal

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff and managers receive regular supervision and annual appraisals. 2 June 2025

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard

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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

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best 30 May 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC044880 9 interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. (Regulation 7 (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children’s views are sought regularly on decisions about the home and after incidents.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report").

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and 6 May 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC044880 10 make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b)(c) (5))

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the statement of purpose should reflect the management changes, children living at the home and staff working at the home. 20 May 2025

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: SC044880 11

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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

Chido Mangava, Social Care inspector Sonata Brisley, Social Care inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC044880 12 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted Inspection report for children’s home: SC044880 13

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