A children’s home run by West Sussex County Council has been praised for its good work and the progress its young people are making.

Breakwater in Shoreham has been given an overall rating of Good by Ofsted following a two-day inspection in December 2022.

The council said the rating means all five of the county council’s children’s homes in West Sussex are currently judged to be either Good or Outstanding by Ofsted.

Breakwater supports up to six children aged 12 to 18 who have social, emotional and mental health needs.

The report said children were well supported by skilled staff who are attentive to their needs, children’s mental health and emotional wellbeing are given priority, staff support children to maintain relationships with those who matter most to them and the effectiveness of leaders and managers is good.

In the three months since the December inspection took place, West Sussex County Council said it has worked to address some areas the inspectors noted in the report which require improvement in the way children are helped and safeguarded at Breakwater.

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Concerns in the report included: “Children are not effectively safeguarded at night. For example, waking night staff are not located to observe where children are at night. Children told the inspectors that they sometimes sit on the landing outside their bedrooms at night to talk without staff knowledge.

“Strategies to manage conflict between children are not consistently effective.”

Jacquie Russell, cabinet member for Children and Young People, said: “We’re working hard to ensure that every child in West Sussex has the opportunity to fulfil their potential while keeping them safe from vulnerable situations.

“I’d like to congratulate staff at Breakwater and thank them for their ongoing dedication and hard work.

“We are never complacent when it comes to caring for vulnerable children and we are already taking action to make the improvements identified.

“The county council is investing significant funding in our in-house residential provision which has seen the renovation of Breakwater alongside two of our other homes to date. We are about to commence refurbishing our other homes, to offer a range of accommodation and support to meet the varying needs of our children across the county.”