Children's home run by Cornerways Children’s Services Limited in Reigate and Banstead

Inspection report for children's home: SC014848 1 SC014848 Registered provider: Cornerways Children’s Services Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and run by a private company. The home provides care for up to six children. The service also provides individual children with support from therapists. There were three children living at the home at the time of this inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2020.

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 requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC014848 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/10/2023 Full Good 21/03/2023 Full Good 06/01/2022 Full Good 03/07/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC014848 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have developed positive and warm relationships with staff, who are attentive to their individual needs, wishes and feelings. Staff are dedicated and show genuine care. They have developed an understanding of the children’s unique identities, lived experiences and family stories, which are woven throughout their care planning documents and day-to-day care. This supports an inclusive culture in this home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and staff place heavy focus on the children’s emotional well-being and mental health. They work closely with child and adolescent mental health services and therapists to ensure that the children access appropriate professionals. These relationships ensure that the staff are working in the best way to support the children’s individual needs. Consequently, the children are better able to manage their challenging emotions and ask for help.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to attend activities and interests away from the home that help them to develop as individuals. For example, one child attends singing lessons, and another goes ice skating. As well as being fun activities, these provide opportunities for the children to build relationships outside of the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and staff ensure that the children have time with their families regardless of the distance. This support is creative and includes wider family, former children and friends. This helps the children feel connected and valued.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have clear and comprehensive plans, informed by local authority care plans. Staff clearly capture and track the progress made by the children. However, there is limited attention given to the children’s transition to adulthood. This is particularly relevant for one child, who currently has no assessment or plan for their transition into independence.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and staff work with a range of professionals to try and secure good-quality educational support for the children. However, none of the children are in school or have access to regular alternative provision. The children have little to no routines when they are not at school, which undermines any value staff try and place on children’s learning and development. This also encourages the children to spend extended periods of time in their rooms.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The physical environment is of a high standard and full of photos and personalised items. However, modifications made to the environment detract from the family feel of the home. There are door alarms on external doors that are in constant use, and board games and baking equipment are unnecessarily kept in locked cupboards. Inspection report for children's home: SC014848 4

p.3

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

Children share positive relationships with staff, full of warmth and good humour. As a result, the children feel safe and know they can share any concerns they have with staff, and they have confidence these will be acted on.

p.4

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

Staff and managers know the children well and have a thorough understanding of their risks and vulnerabilities. Staff continuously assess these risks and review plans to meet the changing needs of the children.

p.4

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

Staff follow missing from home protocols when children are identified as missing from home. However, on one occasion staff did not notice that a child had gone missing which led to delays in the missing from home protocols being followed. There was limited reflection and learning by managers following this incident.

p.4

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

Physical intervention is rarely used. The manager scrutinises the records of interventions used by staff. Managers always speak with the children and staff following the use of an intervention. There is a strong focus by staff on repairing their relationship with the child promptly.

p.4

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

When the children make allegations about staff, managers respond swiftly to ensure the children’s safety and well-being. External safeguarding agencies are consulted before thorough investigations are carried out. This results in timely, independent scrutiny of the plans in place to safeguard the children.

p.4

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

Staff have regular conversations with children to help them develop insight into risks. The quality of the recording of these conversations varies. The staff do not always set actions following these conversations. This makes it difficult to track the children’s progress and the effect of these conversations. Leaders have not identified this as an area for staff development.

p.4

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

Managers respond to safeguarding concerns in a timely and sensitive manner. The manager keeps detailed records of the actions taken. The children and staff are debriefed following incidents. However, opportunities to learn lessons are missed. Although leaders explore individual concerns, they have not analysed wider systemic issues.

p.4

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

Children benefit from an established, stable and caring team. The responsible individual and registered manager lead by example and have created a culture whereby the organisation’s model of care is embedded into every interaction the children have with staff. This creates consistency in care for the children.

p.4

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

The responsible individual and registered manager know the children well and speak passionately about the progress the children, past and present, have made. However, there are weaknesses in the leaders’ oversight and monitoring of the quality of care. Inspection report for children's home: SC014848 5 Leaders have a strong focus on maintaining relationships with partner agencies and professionals. One parent said that staff ‘have shown nothing but love to my children’ and that it feels that ‘they are part of the family’.

p.4

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

Staff say that they feel well supported by leaders. They have opportunities to review their practice through regular team meetings and group supervision sessions. Staff have concerns about the working hours and number of staff on shift, particularly when the children need extra support. This is affecting staff well-being and has resulted in a practice error.

p.5

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

Not all staff have completed their qualifications. Two members of staff have exceeded the time frame for completing the required qualifications. The manager has not taken appropriate action to ensure they are achieved.

p.5

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

Appraisals take place annually and offer a comprehensive review of staff well-being and progress. Staff supervision is equally of good quality; however, the frequency of supervision sessions remains inconsistent. This was a shortfall at the last inspection and remains so. This prevents leaders from quickly identifying themes around staff well- being, training and development.

p.5

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

Children are not always given medication in line with their identified health needs. There are shortfalls in the administration of medication. Staff do not consistently follow the medication protocol, resulting in medication errors. When errors do occur, staff are quick to seek appropriate medical support. However, leaders’ investigation of these incidents and subsequent oversight of medication administration are poor. Inspection report for children's home: SC014848 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

p.6

Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, staff must have supervision in line with the organisation’s policy.

p.6

Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 30 April 2025

p.6

Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

p.6

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 use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a) (2)(c)(d)(f)(h))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that children have clear routines and plans in place that encourage them to 30 April 2025 Inspection report for children's home: SC014848 7 reach their full potential and that there are enough staff on shift to implement these plans.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all staff are trained and competent to safely administer medication.

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they have enough staff on duty to manage emergency situations when they arise.

p.7

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that relevant units or qualifications are completed in a timely manner at an appropriate level. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 68, paragraph 1.4)  The registered person should ensure that the home is nurturing and homely, with modifications to the environment, including use of door alarms and locks, only made where this is intended to safeguard the child’s welfare. All decisions should be informed by a rigorous assessment of that individual child’s needs, be properly recorded and be kept under regular review. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)

p.7

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: SC014848 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cornerways Children’s Services Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Ashcombe Court, Woolsack Way, Godalming, Surrey GU7 1LQ

p.8

Inspector

Becky Paradise, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC014848 9 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.8

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.9

Inspector

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

p.9

Inspector

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

p.9