Children's Home run by SureCare Residential Ltd in Essex

Inspection report for children's home: 1256452 1 Registered provider: SureCare Residential Limited

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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 privately run and provides care for up to 5 children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The home was registered with Ofsted in June 2017.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2020.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children's home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1256452 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/05/2025 Full Good 03/04/2024 Full Good 29/01/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/12/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 1256452 3

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Summary of findings

Children have made exceptional progress from their starting points. The staff follow an extremely well-embedded therapeutic model of care. Children benefit from excellent care from committed staff.

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Summary of findings

This environment is warm and nurturing with high-quality décor. Staff talk about the children with love. The staff are incredibly proud of the children's achievements.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers are highly skilled and inspirational. They hold the children at the centre of every decision made about their care and welfare.

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Summary of findings

Professionals provided unanimously excellent feedback about the quality of care, communication and overall positive impact on the children's lives. They recognise the care for each child as being personalised, nurturing and love led.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Since the last inspection, one child has moved on from the home in a planned way. At the time of this inspection, 4 children were living in the home. All the children contributed to this inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff create an extremely stable foundation in which children have made expectational progress from their starting points, particularly in their safety, education and social skills. Children have excelled because of the stable networks of people around them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff develop deeply trusting and mutually respectful relationships with the children. All 4 children have lived at this home for a significant period. Staff understand children's past experiences. They are genuine and authentic in their approach. Staff take their roles in children's lives very seriously. The children recognise that the staff prioritise their needs, surrounding children with stability and nurture.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff follow an extremely well-embedded therapeutic model of care, which is threaded into staff practice and captured in the children's records. Staff are highly skilled at adapting their approach to ensure that children's unique needs are met. The children recognise the progress they have made and are incredibly proud of themselves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff work tirelessly to secure the best possible opportunities for children. Staff are aspirational for the children and have supported children to engage in activities and hobbies of their choice. One child has a pet rabbit. Staff have helped the child to learn the skills to ensure that their pet receives dedicated care. Children regularly attend horse-riding, football and social clubs. Staff offer their support to the organisers of these clubs. This helps children to feel a strong sense of community. Leaders and managers Inspection report for children's home: 1256452 4 have organised a holiday for all the children this summer. This will be their first experience of travelling abroad. As a result of these new experiences, children's self- esteem, confidence and social skills have significantly developed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff understand the importance of education. They create clear routines and structure that support children to engage with their education in a meaningful way. This has meant that children have consistently high levels of attendance. The staff work closely with education providers and offer advice and support to manage challenges that children face at school. This has meant that support at school and the home is provided to the child in a consistent way. One child said, 'The home is perfect.'

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

Children's vulnerabilities are exceptionally well understood and are significantly reducing from their starting points. Highly effective planning minimises these vulnerabilities inside and outside the home.

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

The specialist therapeutic team offers ongoing training to staff. In addition, the therapeutic team, along with staff, carry out assessments with children to inform their care. This allows for highly personalised care that suits children's individual needs and significantly influences their progress.

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

Staff work closely with external agencies, taking an integrated approach in supporting children with their health and wellbeing. This extends to children having access to a private GP, who has helped expedite additional needs assessments for children.

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

Children are supported to manage their behaviours using creative and child-focused methods, underpinned by research-based practice. Children benefit from an environment where positive behaviour is actively reinforced and celebrated. Consequences are rarely used by staff. When used, consequences are relevant and relate to the child's behaviour. This home has a strong restorative culture, which has helped children to identify ways they can demonstrate strong emotions in healthier and safer ways.

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

Input from the home's therapist supports staff to communicate with children in a purposeful way that children understand. For example, one child was supported by staff with education around substance misuse. This approach, alongside detailed engagement sessions, helped them to stop using substances. The child can reflect on this and their progress.

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

Incidents of restraint are incredibly rare and only used as a last resort. Children and staff are given the opportunity to reflect on incidents and are provided with child-focused aftercare. All interventions are reviewed by the manager and safety management plans are updated.

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

When there have been incidents of children going missing-from-home, staff have responded in line with the child's protocol to help find and return children as soon as possible. Managers work proactively and effectively with external agencies. This multi- Inspection report for children's home: 1256452 5 agency response helps to reduce these risks. As a result, incidents of children going missing from home have significantly decreased.

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

Concerns relating to staff conduct are incredibly rare. When they do happen, they are managed sensitively and quickly. Leaders and managers work collaboratively with social workers and the local authority designated officer to ensure that children are kept safe. The manager identifies learning points and addresses these with staff promptly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is highly skilled and described by staff and children as being inspirational. The manager has a clear vision and a strong desire to achieve positive outcomes for children. She is supported by an experienced and unquestionably committed senior leadership team who are equally enthusiastic about their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers enjoy spending time with the children. Children see the managers as incredibly important people in their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Detailed reviews of children's experiences, along with their feedback, are regularly obtained and actioned regarding further improvements. This helps to support the manager's extensive knowledge of children's lived experiences and needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff feedback describes the excellent support given by leaders and managers and a positive morale in the team. Leaders and managers have created an extremely reflective culture, driving continued professional development. New staff benefit from excellent inductions, which include comprehensive training. Existing staff are provided with ongoing professional development. The staff value the focused and quality supervisions based on the home's therapeutic approach.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers, including the larger operational team, use highly effective systems for auditing and monitoring records. Leaders and managers can evidence exceptional progress for all children from their starting points.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Children's plans include a comprehensive overview of their lives. The aims of their placements are clear. The children's plans are written in an extremely child-focused way. The staff take the time to fully capture the children's wishes and feelings in the plans. However, one local authority did not provide a child with a clear transition plan before they moved on from the home. Leaders and managers missed an opportunity to escalate this with the local authority. Inspection report for children's home: 1256452 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that they challenge local authorities where there is no clear transition planning for children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.9)

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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 Home's (England) Regulations 2015 and the 'Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards'. Inspection report for children's home: 1256452 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider: SureCare Residential Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: The Old Snap Factory, Twyford Road, Bishops Stortford CM23 3LJ

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Inspectors

Lexi Mitchell, Social Care Inspector Anda Roddy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1256452 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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