Children's Home run by Sans Soucie Children Services LTD in Surrey

Inspection report for children’s home: 2745551 1 Registered provider: Sans Soucie Children Services LTD

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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 private company and is registered to provide care for up to four children who have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The home has not had a registered manager since April 2024.

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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: requires improvement to be good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2745551 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/06/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2745551 3

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inadequate

This home has been judged inadequate due to failures in help and protection and leadership and management.

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inadequate

Staff are inconsistent in their responses to the children’s behaviours. The staff do not set clear boundaries and expectations for the children to follow. Staff do not encourage the children to behave appropriately, and when the children do not follow social rules, this goes unchallenged. Staff are not operating as effective role models to the children. One professional said that they were concerned that staff were not able to meet the children’s behavioural needs. Consequently, the children are not making progress as they are not developing positive relationships with each other or staff.

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inadequate

The manager has created an institutional environment. The television in the lounge is housed in plastic casing, and the cutlery and crockery are all plastic. The decisions to make these modifications were made more than six months ago without a review. Staff have not undertaken any education with the children to help them manage their emotions and return to living in a homely environment.

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inadequate

The children live in a hazardous environment. The manager has not ensured that damage to the home is rectified promptly. Some damage has not been addressed for several weeks.

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inadequate

Staff are not aware of one child’s full medical diagnosis. This affects the staff’s ability to fully support the child with their medical needs. The manager, who is aware of the child’s medical diagnosis, has not advocated for them to receive the medical support that they require. This is affecting the child’s well-being and their opportunities to have positive experiences away from the home.

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inadequate

Children have education placements. However, one child has sporadic school attendance, and one child engages from home on a part-time basis. The staff do not promote education routines for children, and they have not explored with one child their reasons for not wanting to attend school.

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inadequate

Children participate in some activities that they enjoy. They have gone bowling and visited theme parks and arcades. The children have also enjoyed local activities, such as walks in the forest and feeding the ducks.

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

Staff do not provide consistent responses to the children’s concerns about their welfare. In one example, a child told police that they did not feel protected by staff Inspection report for children’s home: 2745551 4 from bullying. The manager did not recognise this as a serious concern about staff practice so had not shared this with external professionals. Staff have not explored the child’s feelings or supported them adequately.

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

Staff do not fully understand all safeguarding processes. Consequently, there is a lack of action when safeguarding concerns arise. For example, when staff have witnessed poor practice from other staff, these concerns have not been raised. This puts the children at risk of harm.

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

Staff understand some of the children’s risks but do not respond appropriately to keep the children safe. When the children experience difficult emotions, staff do not always intervene effectively. Leaders provide inconsistent guidance to staff as to when they can use physical intervention, and staff do not use physical intervention in line with their training. This has resulted in the children causing significant damage to the home and elsewhere.

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

Management oversight of incident records is poor. It is difficult to understand the context of some of the situations from the information in the reports. There is no evidence of follow-up work with the children. There is also no evidence of supportive or reflective work with staff after incidents to improve their practice or ensure their well-being.

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

Staff’s responses when the children are missing from home have improved since the last inspection. Staff look for the children when they are missing and go to great lengths to locate the children and return them home safely. The manager confidently challenged a child’s local authority when they did not arrange for the child to speak to someone independent when they returned home. However, not all staff are fully aware of the process that should be followed to ensure that children have access to someone independent after they have been missing. This limits the children’s opportunities to discuss any concerns or worries they may have. The manager has not notified Ofsted when serious missing-from-home episodes for the children have occurred.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There is a manager in day-to-day charge of the home. The manager has applied to register with Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has poor oversight of the home. Monitoring and reviewing systems are not robust, and shortfalls are not identified. As a result, the care is ineffective for the children and some serious incidents were not notified to Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager gains limited feedback from the children about the quality of the care that they receive. Children’s records are poor, and some are incomplete. Consequently, the manager does not have a clear view of the care that children receive, and records would be unhelpful to children who may wish to view them later in their life. Inspection report for children’s home: 2745551 5 The manager and senior leaders have not ensured that children receive adequate support or that the home is operating in accordance with the statement of purpose. Staff do not have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of the children, and only a small number of staff have been enrolled on the required childcare qualification. This negatively affects the quality of care that the children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has not provided frequent supervision for new staff. Supervisions are not reflective, and staff do not receive feedback on their practice. This means that inexperienced staff are not receiving adequate guidance or regular opportunities to develop their practice. However, staff do speak positively of the manager and the support that they receive from him.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager and responsible individual are confident to challenge local authorities when this is required. When responses have been below expected standards, senior leaders have appealed these decisions. Inspection report for children’s home: 2745551 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 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

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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)(a)(c)(e)(f)(h)) 10 August 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

that staff— 10 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2745551 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

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;

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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; and

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure staff respond when the children voice concerns regarding their own welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff and senior leaders follow procedures in relation to allegations made by children.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff are fully aware of the procedures regarding return home interviews when a child has been missing from care.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure staff protect children and use physical intervention to prevent serious harm or damage.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure any damage to the home is promptly repaired.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

mutual respect and trust; 10 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2745551 8 an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(v))

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children’s lack of access to medical support is appropriately challenged.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff are aware of children’s health needs. 10 August 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure staff receive supervision in line with the organisation’s policy. 1 September

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or 1 September Inspection report for children’s home: 2745551 9 a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual—

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Requirement Due date

does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period; or

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Requirement Due date

works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part-time basis. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b) (6)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)(e)) 1 September

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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 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. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(b)) 1 September

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2745551 10

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s records are kept up to date. In particular, the manager must ensure that all records, including risk assessments and support plans, are updated with relevant information that is consistent and guides staff to deliver effective care and support for children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)  The registered person should ensure that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to be engaged in suitable structured activities that promote an education routine. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)

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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: 2745551 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sans Soucie Children Services LTD

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 5 Paris Parklands, Railton Road, Guildford GU2 9JX

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Inspector

Louise Webling, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2745551 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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