Children's home run by Brighton and Hove City Council

Inspection report for children's home: SC032315 1 OFSTED USE ONLY

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SC032315 Registered provider: Brighton and 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 home is run by a local authority. It is registered to provide care for up to five children with learning and/or physical disabilities under short-break arrangements.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were staying for short breaks.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since March 2017.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 14 January 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC032315 2 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/01/2025 Full Outstanding 20/02/2024 Full Outstanding 29/03/2023 Full Good 04/08/2021 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children's home: SC032315 3 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children access a spacious home in which they can relax, play and explore. There are many activities for them to enjoy, both inside and outside the home. To help the children feel comfortable and cared for on arrival, staff prepare their rooms with photos of the people who matter most to them. This creates a familiar space for children, where they can feel at home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress in line with their individual goals. They receive consistent, tailored support, with clear routines in place. As a result, children are making progress in their communication, confidence, relationships and health. Children who have started to access the service more recently are settling in well, and progress is already evident, such as learning to manage feelings and emotions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well managed. Staff advocate for children to ensure that their health needs are met. For example, staff raised concerns with health professionals and advocated for the parent, which led to adjustments being made to the child’s feeding plans. The staff recognised that they would not be able to care overnight for a child with particular complex needs, but they ensured that he was able to access day services.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are listened to and respected. Children help to make choices about their daily routines. Staff are familiar with each child’s way of communicating. They use social stories, pictures, apps and other communication systems to help children understand and share their thoughts. Feedback is encouraged, with child-friendly compliments and complaints forms and annual surveys with parents and carers. As a result, children feel involved, confident and happy in their environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in a wide variety of enjoyable activities that match their interests, including swimming, days out to places of interest and attending drama and musical theatres. In the summer months, staff have held fests and summer parties in the garden, which the children have enjoyed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are well supported when moving on. Transitions are carefully planned with professionals to ensure that arrangements run smoothly. One young person entering adult provision was helped through visits, social stories and staff presence, making the change easier. This thoughtful support ensures that children maintain important relationships, continue their care and move confidently into the next stage of their life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff give children the right support for their needs, offering one-to-one care and safe spaces to share feelings. Routines are adapted to help with school and daily life, while strong communication with families keeps care consistent. As a result, children feel safe and included. Inspection report for children's home: SC032315 4 OFSTED USE ONLY

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

A positive culture of safeguarding is established in the home. Staff recognise the value of multi-agency support and parental involvement to ensure that children are safe. Safeguarding concerns are recorded and reported appropriately to social workers, parents and carers.

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

Incidents are recorded, and management oversight is clear. Parents and relevant professionals are kept informed as necessary. Accidents are recorded clearly, and children receive appropriate care when injuries happen. The manager provides feedback and highlights areas for improvement when required. This ensures consistent practice, good oversight and a safe environment for children.

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

Medication is managed well, with clear procedures and strong oversight. Errors are rare, but when they do happen, they are handled well, with parents informed and staff retrained. Staff refresh their knowledge through annual reviews, competency checks and training.

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

Staff build nurturing relationships with children. Children are comfortable with staff and feel able to seek support from them. Staff use calm approaches in their day-to-day care of the children. As a result, the children settle well into the home, and parents report that their children enjoy their stays.

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

Staff are suitably experienced, and turnover is low. Consequently, children receive care and support from consistent and familiar staff.

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

Staff know the children well, and they work well together in supporting children. They show good preparation before each shift by reading children’s files to ensure that they understand their needs. Handovers are used well to plan support and to share any concerns. As a result, children receive well-planned support to meet their needs and enjoy their experiences during their time at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by an experienced manager who provides child-focused leadership and is committed to ensuring that children receive high-quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager strives to ensure that each child’s needs are met to a high standard. They advocate for children and families and maintain a child-focused ethos in their decision- making. Their advocacy led to a review of an assessment completed by a social worker, which resulted in the home being able to increase the support that they can offer.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive supervision regularly. However, some staff do not feel supported or valued by the manager and do not have confidence in their decision-making. Staff are supportive of each other. However, staff morale is low. Changes to the level of support Inspection report for children's home: SC032315 5 OFSTED USE ONLY

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

offered to children have increased workloads for staff, and these changes have contributed to the low morale.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers maintain highly effective working relationships with external professionals and partner agencies. Since the last inspection, leaders and managers have made efforts to improve relationships between the home and children’s social workers. Staff from the home have met with social workers to improve communication and to ensure that support is better aligned.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from parents and professionals is mostly positive. Parents describe strong, trusting relationships with staff and praise their careful attention to medical and social needs. Communication is clear and consistent, and staff respond quickly to any safeguarding concerns. One child’s parent said, ‘He comes home singing, smiling and clapping his hands. This is a sign to us that he feels safe and secure.’ Inspection report for children's home: SC032315 6 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Recommendation

 The registered person should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. In particular, ensure that staff feel valued and supported in carrying out their roles. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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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: SC032315 7 OFSTED USE ONLY

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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: Town Hall, Norton Road, Hove BN3 3BQ

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Inspector

Chido Mangava, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC032315 8 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspector

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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