Children's Home run by Cranmead Limited in East Sussex

Inspection report for children’s home: 2797976 1 Registered provider: Cranmead Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered in November 2024 and is owned and run by a private organisation. It provides care for up to two children who experience social, emotional and mental health difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since November 2024.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2797976 2

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improvement to be good

This area is judged as requires improvement, primarily due to shortfalls in practice, which mean that children have not received consistent responses to areas of identified need and risk.

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improvement to be good

Children’s relevant plans do not inform their care planning and support. Managers have not ensured that up-to-date copies of local authority care plans, personal education plans or education, health and care plans are available to the staff supporting children. The monitoring systems in place have failed to identify that care planning documents have not been obtained from the placing authority.

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improvement to be good

Children do not receive consistent support to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Managers do not provide clear guidance to staff on how to respond to ongoing or emerging health needs. Children, who may need advice, support, and guidance to make positive choices, do not receive a coherent response from the adults supporting them. Children are not consistently receiving support to tackle areas such as smoking cessation and healthy lifestyles. An inconsistent approach to these matters can present as permissive to the child involved and other children.

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improvement to be good

The home is clean, warm and welcoming. It is furnished and resourced well to meet children’s needs. Some areas of the home have been damaged or require redecoration. The manager has already identified this and has scheduled remedial work.

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improvement to be good

Children like living in the home. They can identify staff they can talk to, feel comfortable expressing their concerns, and know how to raise complaints. Children's meetings and one-to-one discussions support them in sharing their views on the care and support they receive.

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improvement to be good

Children are encouraged to develop new skills, hobbies and interests. They are encouraged to participate in new experiences, building positive memories and enjoying their time together. Children share their views on activities and know how to make requests when they wish to try something new. One child, with the support of staff, has developed a new interest in playing rugby and darts.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children in spending time with people who are important to them. They arrange and support children’s visits to their siblings, parents, previous carers, and friends. Staff and managers help children to maintain positive relationships with a range of people external to the home and understand the value of supporting lifelong connections. Parents and previous carers value the input and support given by the home in helping them maintain positive relationships with children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2797976 3 The home supports children in having positive introductions. Staff take time to get to know children individually, considering their interests and preferences when making plans to help them settle in the home. Children are encouraged to visit for dinner and sleepovers before they move in, which helps them to settle.

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improvement to be good

When children move into the home, managers take time to consider their needs and known risks. An impact assessment is created, taking into account the risks for individual children and the risks they pose to one another. However, when this assessment has identified risks and needs, managers have not taken action to ensure that staff have received appropriate training. For example, staff have not received training in online safety, physical intervention, and behavioural support. This has resulted in an incident where a child has been physically restrained by an untrained staff member.

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improvement to be good

Recordings of restraints and incidents are generally of a good standard. Staff record the appropriate details of the behaviours leading up to the intervention and their attempts to de-escalate the incident. However, records of the discussions that have taken place with children are not clear, and following the incident, children are not always spoken to by a person independent of the event, and children’s views are not always sought.

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improvement to be good

Challenges in relationships between children and staff are not appropriately identified. When there are indications that children and staff are not developing positive relationships, staff have not received support, advice and guidance to re-establish a positive rapport with the child.

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improvement to be good

When consequences are implemented with children, they are reasonable and proportionate to the behaviour displayed. They form part of a wider lesson and conversation to help children understand the consequences of their behaviour. For example, monetary consequences have been used to help children understand the financial ramifications of causing damage to the home.

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improvement to be good

Managers take appropriate action in response to staff practice concerns. Appropriate safeguarding partners are consulted, including the local authority designated officer. Advice and guidance are followed by managers when investigations are required, and managers promptly carry out the necessary investigations and share their learning with the team.

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

Managers have overlooked several shortfalls in staff practice and guidance. Monitoring systems to ensure good oversight of record-keeping have been ineffective in relation to improving the quality of records.

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

There have been several shortfalls in relation to staff support and training. New staff joining the home do not always receive appropriate training or induction before working Inspection report for children’s home: 2797976 4 with children. Managers have not identified an appropriate induction process to enable staff to understand their role and the ethos of the home. Staff have not been provided with appropriate opportunities for training or familiarisation with organisational policy or practice before working directly with children.

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

There are significant gaps in training areas that the organisation has identified as mandatory. This includes training in physical interventions and behavioural support. Furthermore, the home has failed to identify and implement child-specific training before welcoming children with specific support needs. Children who have come to live in the home have primary diagnoses of autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; however, staff have not received training to understand the effect on children’s day-to- day lives.

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

Staff receive opportunities to reflect on their work with children during supervision and reflective practice sessions. However, the frequency of supervision is not always maintained in line with company policy. Staff say they feel supported by leaders and managers and can access support when required.

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

There are appropriate processes in place to identify and recruit new staff members. The home has used agency staff to support children. Thorough pre-employment checks are carried out, and permanent and agency staff are vetted to ensure that they are suitable. Leaders and managers in the home are reflective and open to guidance on their areas of development. They have high aspirations for children coming to live in the home and are open to developing the home to ensure that it can consistently meet the needs of children with complex support needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2797976 5

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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

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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, managers should ensure that they appropriately assess risks for children, providing advice and guidance to the team that supports in their day-to-day decision-making.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, when challenges arise in relationships between children and staff, managers should ensure that they arrange children’s day-to-day care to safely enable children and staff to re-establish positive and safe relationships. 4 June 2025

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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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

promotes their welfare. 4 June 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2797976 6 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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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 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must implement reporting and recording systems that enable them to maintain oversight of supervision frequency, incidents, training, induction and staff support.

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Requirement Due date

When managers have identified areas for improvement or shortfalls in practice, they must ensure that they take prompt action to rectify and respond to the areas of improvement they identify.

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction;

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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. (Regulation 33 (1)(a) (4)(a)(b)) 4 June 2025

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. (Regulation 10 (1)(b)(c)) 4 June 2025

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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: 2797976 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Galloways Accounting, 28 Fourth Avenue, Hove BN3 2PJ

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Inspector

Georgia Carty, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2797976 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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