Children's Home run by The Cuckfield Care Consultancy Limited in West Sussex

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC066466 1 SC066466 Registered provider: The Cuckfield Care Consultancy Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private provider and is registered to care for up to six children. The home provides medium- to long-term placements for vulnerable children with emotional, social and psychological difficulties. At the time of the inspection, five children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

This registered manager has been in post since November 2024.

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This monitoring visit

A full inspection was carried out at this home on 3 and 4 June 2025. Serious and widespread concerns were identified at this inspection and the home was judged to be inadequate. Following the inspection, the provider was issued a restriction notice. This means that no new children can move into the home while the notice is in place.

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This monitoring visit

Following the full inspection, there has been a significant increase in safeguarding notifications. This indicated further deterioration in the quality of care and safety of children. As a result, an urgent monitoring visit was carried out prior to the draft report of the full inspection being shared with the provider. The purpose of the monitoring visit was to consider the immediate safety of children.

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This monitoring visit

Children are not safe living in this home.

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This monitoring visit

There are significant shortfalls in the ability of leaders, managers and staff to keep children safe from harm. The extent of children going missing from the home, harming themselves and misusing substances and alcohol have significantly increased. The safety plans that are in place to mitigate these high risks are ineffective, poorly informed and not robustly followed by staff. This is further Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC066466 2 hindered by not having sufficient staff to follow the safety plans that are in place. Furthermore, leaders and managers are not effectively supporting staff to reduce risks to children. Consequently, this further comprises children’s safety and undermines their progress.

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This monitoring visit

Some children continue to access and engage in misusing various drugs on a regular basis. This has resulted in serious harm and ill-health that required children to be hospitalised. Staff have been able to encourage one child to agree to engage with drug cessation services. However, staff have not been able to help other children overcome barriers that are preventing them from engaging with appropriate services.

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This monitoring visit

When children experience difficult emotions that lead to significant self-harm and suicide ideation, staff respond with care and ensure that children get the medical treatment needed. They also ensure that information is shared with mental health professionals. However, staff are not supported to regularly look for positive strategies to support children’s mental health needs and lower the risk of such incidents occurring. Staff also do not always follow agreed safety plans or missing from home protocols for children, resulting in a potentially avoidable incident for one child.

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This monitoring visit

Morale within the staff team is extremely low. While they aspire for children to have positive experiences, staff are fearful for the welfare of children and the potential for further serious harm.

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This monitoring visit

Managers are committed to the children that they care for. They are eager to learn and improve. However, a lack of adequate oversight has meant that they have not been able to identify practice concerns fully and respond to these effectively. As a result, practice in the home has continued to deteriorate and children are exposed to persistent risk of harm. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC066466 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/06/2025 Full Inadequate 09/10/2024 Full Good 17/07/2024 Full Inadequate 03/05/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC066466 4

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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 with 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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

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)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider must ensure that staff have the skills to identify and act accordingly when there is a safeguarding concern for a child, and that risks and risk mitigation strategies for all children to reduce the risks of harm are reviewed. 25 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC066466 5 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

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

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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

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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)(c)(f)(h)) 25 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that appropriate action is taken when a child raises an allegation, and that leaders and managers raise appropriate challenge to relevant safeguarding partners when their responses fall short. 25 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC066466 6 The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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 each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children’s care planning is informed by the relevant plans from children’s placing authorities and is updated to reflect children’s needs, and that children have positive endings when moving on from the home. 25 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(v)(viii)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all children are engaged in education or employment opportunities, or have a plan to return to education or employment without delay. 25 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 25 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC066466 7 within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure there is a record of any consequences used to support children’s behaviour and that managers have oversight of such records. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC066466 8 The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b)) 25 July 2025

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC066466 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Cuckfield Care Consultancy Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Ashburnham, Cuckfield Road, Ansty, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH17 5AG

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Inspector

Jay Shekleton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC066466 10 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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