Children's Home run by BREAK in Norfolk

Unique reference number SC060743 Inspection date 23/08/2012 Inspector Louisa Bayley Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 12/01/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Brief description of the service

This children's home is registered to provide care and accommodation for four children who have learning disabilities, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is owned by a registered charity.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements Adequate : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

Young people in this home benefit from high quality care delivered by an established and experienced staff team. Care plans are highly personalised, reflecting the uniqueness of each young person and their needs. As a result, young people make good progress in their education, health, emotional well-being and social development.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are positive about the care they receive. They feel assured that staff have their best interests in mind. They say staff work with them to help them take responsibility for their own safety and health. They feel listened to and valued.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people have good relationships with the staff team. They say they are confident in talking to members of staff if they have issues or concerns. Professionals working with the home say that all staff have a good knowledge and understanding of all of the young people’s needs. This helps to ensure that there is consistency of care, regardless of which staff are on duty.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff work hard to keep young people safe. There have been some challenging issues within the group dynamics, leading to distress and anxiety for some individuals. Staff have employed strategies to manage these challenges and sought guidance from external professionals in order to achieve placement stability for all young people.

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Overall effectiveness

The management team have used inspection outcomes and internal monitoring to identify strengths and weaknesses in the home. The management arrangements are robust and the team work well together to secure improvements in the home, which lead to improved outcomes for young people.

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Overall effectiveness

Shortfalls identified are: recording of restraint, the Statement of Purpose and young people’s records. These shortfalls are around recording and making sure that individual case files include specific records such as accidents and physical restraint.

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Overall effectiveness

Further areas identified for improvement are: ensuring all staff have regular supervision and offering young people a meeting with their placing authority following incidents of missing from care. The shortfalls and areas for improvement do not impact negatively on the outcomes for young people.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) keep under review and where appropriate revise the statement of purpose (Regulation 5 (a)) 05/10/2012

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Reg. Requirement Due date

17B (2001) ensure that within 24 hours of the use of any measure of control, discipline or restraint in a children's home, a written record is made in a volume kept for the purpose which includes all matters set out in 17B (3) (Regulation 17B (3)(f)(h)) 05/10/2012

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure records maintained in respect of each young person accommodated in the home include all matters specified in Schedule 3 with specific regard to accident records and physical restraint records. (Regulation 28 (1)(a)) 05/10/2012

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure that when a child goes missing and there is concern for their welfare, or at the request of a child who has been missing, staff arrange a meeting between the child and the responsible authority in private to consider the reasons for the child going missing (NMS 5.9)  ensure staff have access to support and advice, and are provided with regular supervision by appropriately qualified and experienced staff. (NMS 19.4)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are good .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people make good progress in developing their knowledge and understanding of their backgrounds. Strengths and difficulties questionnaires, extensive data collation, key working sessions and placement plans contribute to establishing individual perceptions of their identity. Staff use the information to help young people understand the reasons they are in care, and manage their responses. A young person said: ‘Staff have really helped me to build up my confidence.’ A parent said of their child: 'I am really proud of their achievements. I cannot praise the home enough.'

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people access the health services they need and are encouraged to take responsibility for making healthy choices. A young person said that key work sessions have focused on alcohol use, helping to promote awareness of the dangers of misuse. Emotional and psychological well-being is supported through close working with key health professionals and young people engage well. Staff meet with professionals such as psychiatrists, to help them to understand and manage individual’s psychological health. As a result, young people benefit from consistent approaches and increased staff knowledge of how to manage situations positively.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The home places emphasis on ensuring young people access appropriate educational provision. A member of the team has allocated responsibility to support access to education. A young person said that the member of staff: ‘has been a big part of my educational life.’ Achievements include good levels of attendance, completion of college courses, receiving commendations and gaining qualifications. Young people are supported in enrolling for college courses, arranging transport and accessing benefits and bursaries. The importance the home places on education means that young people develop aspirations to achieve educationally.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people make a positive contribution to the wider community. Examples are: attendance of community based clubs, participation in productions such as an ice show, participation in the Duke of Edinburgh gold award and voluntary work. They participate in a group set up for young people, by the organisation. This enables young people to represent their views and discuss issues and ideas about living in care. Young people are also involved in interviews for new staff. Consequently, they develop confidence in developing social networks and feeling that their contributions and views are valued.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Contact with friends and families is widely promoted and relationships are nurtured. Staff encourage friendships with young people outside of the home and welcome visitors, friends and family into the home. Parents say staff support them by collecting them so they can see their children. Staff have facilitated individual holidays for young people, along with a friend. This has been appreciated by those involved and further confirms staff commitment to promoting positive relationships and attachments.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people who are due to move on have benefitted from comprehensive transition planning. Staff work cohesively with other professionals to identify appropriate placements and to prepare individuals for positive disengagement. Individuals say they feel very well supported by staff in preparation for their next placement.

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Quality of care

Young people enjoy positive and constructive relationships with staff. They generally interact well with each other; however, there have been some difficulties between residents. Staff have been proactive in dealing with the issues and sensitive to the needs of all involved. The number of incidents has reduced following intensive work to stabilise the placements of these young people. External professionals have expressed their appreciation of the staff commitment to resolve issues.

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Quality of care

Staff consistently seek young peoples' views. Young peoples’ preferences and choices are discussed during key working sessions, in reviews and in general conversation. Staff make every effort to accommodate young peoples’ requests wherever possible. Examples range from décor within the home to trips, activities and holidays. As a result, young people feel valued.

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Quality of care

Young people know how to make complaints and are confident that staff deal with them and respond to them positively. They are aware of who they can speak to if they are not happy with the outcome, however, they have not felt this necessary.

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Quality of care

Young people are cared for in line with their care plans and staff work cohesively with other professionals to support individualised care. Young people are encouraged to contribute to their reviews and some chair their own reviews. This empowers individuals to feel part of the planning process and able to express their views and wishes about their care.

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Quality of care

Each young person has two key workers. The home’s education officer also supports them. Staff attend school and college days, parents’ evenings and attend reviews and meetings in schools. This promotes staff understanding of individuals’ potential, stage of educational development and the support they require at home to help them progress.

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Quality of care

External professionals say that staff are creative in working with young people, using a wide range of skills and strategies to engage them and support their development. Activities are highly individualised and designed to engage all young people, including those with a history of reluctance or non-engagement. Staff have taken individuals, who have expressed interest in the ideology of protestors, to London to meet with and talk to the protestors. Other activities have included researching family history in the archives at the library, ice skating, coarse fishing, youth groups and Guides. This means that young people are able to access a range of experiences that may otherwise have not been available to them. Culture and diversity has been a focus in the home, with emphasis on developing individuals’ awareness of other cultures. Themed events have taken place and have been highly successful. Young people are involved in planning the next event, taking

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Quality of care

account of their own cultural background.

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Quality of care

The home is very well presented. It is maintained well and the furnishings and décor provide a welcoming, relaxed and homely environment. The bathroom has been completely renovated, with regard to young peoples’ wishes. It is now fully functional and well used.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service is good at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people say they feel safe and can identify adults they can talk to if they have concerns or worries. They say that bullying has occurred in the home but staff take it seriously and take action to prevent further incidents. Bullying incidents have been documented. The manager has involved placing authorities to raise awareness of the issues and implemented plans and strategies to counteract bullying. The needs of all young people have been considered and professional advice sought to help understand and mediate the situation. Consequently, there has been a significant reduction in negative interactions and considerable improvement in group dynamics.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There have been five incidents of missing from care since the previous inspection. Incidents are documented and key work sessions focus on the risks of going missing. Staff discuss incidents with individuals to establish triggers and look at how future incidents can be avoided. Work takes place around promoting individuals’ awareness of keeping safe. Alcohol misuse and sexual health are discussed, helping young people take responsibility for their own safety. There is no record of meetings being offered between young people and placing authorities following incidents of missing from care.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Risk assessments and risk management strategies are in place for all young people. Triggers for behaviour and likely responses are identified. Staff meet with external professionals to develop their understanding of why young people present certain behaviours, and how they can be positively managed. Staff are sensitive to individuals’ needs. They work proactively to ensure attention is equally shared and that each young person receives quality time with staff. This helps to dissipate jealousies and improve social interaction between individuals. Staff communicate well to share information on successful approaches, to provide a consistent response to behaviour. This supports young people to understand boundaries and develop feelings of security.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Restraint is very rarely used. However, restraint records are not complete and do not record young people’s views or the effectiveness of the restraint. As a result, issues that could inform future practice are not explored. Staff working in the home are subject to vetting and checks prior to taking up employment. This contributes to young people’s safety.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Health and safety checks, including fire evacuations, are up to date. Consequently, young people live in a safe environment.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are good .

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Leadership and management

A permanent Registered Manager effectively and efficiently leads the home. The staff team are well established and have a wealth of experience. Consistent staffing means that young people are able to develop strong attachments and trusting relationships with the adults looking after them.

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Leadership and management

The manager has made some significant improvements in the home. Previous requirements and recommendations have been addressed. Equality and diversity promotion has been given more emphasis. Monitoring of the quality of care is much more robust and identifies areas for improvement. Consultation with young people, parents and external professionals has been introduced. This helps staff to understand the views of others on the quality of care, and inform action plans. Regular monthly monitoring takes place by the manager and independent visits give another perspective on the quality of care. New systems have been introduced which help monitor progress and outcomes for young people, demonstrating the impact the home has had on their lives. Journals and photograph albums have been set up for young people, documenting their time living in the home and enabling them to take memories with them when they move on. There is a development plan in place,

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Leadership and management

addressing areas for improvement that lead to improved outcomes for young people.

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Leadership and management

The Statement of Purpose is clearly set out, however, the address for Ofsted is incorrect and some staff details are out of date. Placing authorities are clear about the aims and objectives of the home and positive about the care provided.

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Leadership and management

The staff team receive good quality training, to enable them to meet the needs of the young people. They receive supervision however, this has been infrequent for some staff.

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Leadership and management

Staff are supportive of young people in contributing to their reviews. They help them complete questionnaires that explore their views on the care they receive and wishes for future care plans. Staff are tenacious in chasing up overdue reviews, care plans and meeting minutes from the placing authority. Records for young people are clearly written and provide a helpful picture for them when they choose to access them. Some records, such as accidents and restraints, are not kept on young peoples' files.

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Leadership and management

Significant events relating to the protection of children are notified to the relevant authorities and appropriate procedures are followed. This contributes to young people’s safety.

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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About this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the Inspections of children’s homes – framework for inspection (March 2011) and the evaluation schedule for children's homes.

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