Children's home run by Anderida Adolescent Care Ltd in Eastbourne

Inspection report for children’s home: 1228919 1 Registered provider: Anderida Adolescent Care Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and operated by a private organisation. It provides care for up to 2 children who experience social, emotional and mental health difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since March 2020.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 16 October 2024

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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: 1228919 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/10/2024 Full Outstanding 23/08/2023 Full Outstanding 01/11/2022 Full Good 15/03/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1228919 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are responsive to children’s emotions. They offer a safe space for children to explore their thoughts and feelings. Positive relationships help children make sense of the world and feel safe and secure. One child said, ‘For me, this isn’t a placement; it’s my home, and staff are my family.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported in having positive experiences inside and outside the home. Hobbies and interests are explored; children are encouraged to think widely about activities they would like to try, and staff make all reasonable efforts to ensure that they can. As a result, children have had unique experiences, including active pursuits, such as bungee jumping and overnight stays, and they look forward to planned trips.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s identities and cultural needs are meaningfully recognised. Staff spend time researching individual children’s cultural festivities to ensure that they are recognised and celebrated. They take time to explore children’s cultures, as well as share food and learn their language. Creative approaches, such as changing the language on the television and watching with English subtitles, help children maintain their first language while still benefiting from shared experiences. When talking about the support they receive from staff, one child said, ‘They don’t always get the traditions perfect like someone from my culture would, but they really try and get better at it each year.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is a priority. Children are making positive progress in their education. Staff work closely with professionals to build on children’s educational experiences. One child, who has experienced extended periods without education, is now working towards their GCSEs, has been interviewed, and has successfully obtained a scholarship for a private sixth form. Another child is progressing in building up their educational timetable and has been able to take examinations in core subjects.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to access advocacy services. Staff support them in expressing their wishes and feelings in relation to their care planning. Children know how to make complaints and receive appropriate support to raise concerns if they are unhappy with any aspects of their care. As a result, children feel heard.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is clean, and overall, it is furnished and decorated in line with children’s tastes. However, there are areas of the home that need refurbishment and maintenance. In addition, managers have not recognised that some items in the home are detracting from its homeliness. Children have commented that some items, including storage cabinets and display boards, make the home feel institutional.

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

Staff work closely with professionals when they have concerns about children. They take swift action to share relevant information with professionals. Staff are dutiful in following Inspection report for children’s home: 1228919 4 up on referrals they have made, making contact for regular updates and ensuring that children know what actions have been taken. When new safeguarding risks emerge, managers request strategy discussions and meetings with professionals to review children’s plans.

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

Children are helped to understand risks and how they can keep themselves safe. They are encouraged to take risks appropriate to their age and stage of development. One child said, ‘They let me make mistakes and don’t hold it against me.’ They attributed their ability to stay safe while in the community to the non-judgemental approach used by staff. Children feel that staff trust them to make the right decisions and safe choices.

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

On one occasion, the manager failed to explore comments made by a child to assess whether children were at risk. Potential concerns in relation to a staff member were not shared with the local authority designated officer (LADO), and, as a result, they have not been appropriately investigated. Once this issue was identified during the inspection, managers promptly ensured that the LADO was consulted.

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

There is a significant level of duplication in the home’s recording, which can create a challenge in tracking actions taken. Managers review incidents in a timely manner. However, reviews are being used as a checklist, and managers are failing to evaluate the effectiveness of practice. As a result, learning from incidents is not consistently being used to inform ongoing practice in the home.

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

Risk assessments are unclear. They are presented as an ongoing chronology of incidents but do not include any assessment or guidance on how to address current needs. Despite this, staff know the children well. Their ability to build effective relationships with children has supported them in skilfully keeping them safe. As a result, there have been no incidents of restraint or children going missing from the home.

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

Leaders and managers are child focused and committed to offering stability to children. The registered manager is confident and has high aspirations for the children in her care. Although there have been changes in the staff team, the manager has been able to create consistency and stability for children. As a result, children have continued to achieve positive outcomes.

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

Managers are keen to advocate for children and ensure that their needs and entitlements are fully met. They empower children to advocate for themselves and understand how to escalate their concerns if they do not receive timely responses.

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

Supervision is frequent and effective. It helps staff reflect on their practice and the evolving needs of children. Team meetings are used to help staff collectively consider the impact of their work. Staff feel valued and able to access support whenever it is needed. Inspection report for children’s home: 1228919 5 There is a reflective and open learning culture at the home. Staff receive a combination of mandatory and specialist training that is relevant to their role and the children’s needs. Managers are swift in identifying new training, research and information that are relevant to the children at the home. As a result, staff have the skills and understanding to respond to children’s identified needs.

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

There is a significant focus on routine monitoring rather than areas that most affect children’s experiences of the home. Management oversight of care planning and incidents at the home does not feed into ongoing planning and development. Records do not yet provide clear guidance for staff.

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

Systems used to evaluate care are repetitive and detract from the quality of what is reviewed. They do not consistently help the manager consider the feedback of staff, children and professionals when making improvements to the care and support offered at the home. The independent person is not consistently communicating with staff, professionals and children. Reports show minimal insight or evaluation of daily support for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 1228919 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 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)) 12 March 2026

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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

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)(f)(h)) 12 March 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets children’s needs. In most cases, children’s homes are homely, Inspection report for children’s home: 1228919 7 domestic environments. The garden spaces, bathrooms and flooring should be maintained at an acceptable level of repair and decoration. Any unnecessary signs, padlocks and display boards should be removed to ensure that the furnishings are domestic and homely for the children who live at the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 1228919 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Anderida Adolescent Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Neville Mews, 6a Neville Road, Eastbourne BN22 8HR

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Inspector

Georgia Carty, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1228919 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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