Children's Home run by BREAK in Norfolk

Unique reference number SC040191 Inspector Gwen Buckley Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Break Registered person address Davison House 1 Montague Road SHERINGHAM Norfolk NR26 8WN Responsible individual Hilary Bridget Richards Registered manager POST VACANT Date of last inspection 05/03/2014 2 of 10 Inspection date 08/05/2014

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Previous inspection inadequate progress Enforcement action since last inspection Two compliance notices were issued on 18 March 2014. A monitoring visit took place on 10 May 2014 and the compliance notices had been complied with.

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Overall effectiveness adequate

Outcomes for children and young people adequate Quality of care adequate Keeping children and young people safe adequate Leadership and management adequate

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Overall effectiveness

The home is going through a time of change and there are interim management arrangements in place. The staff team consists of well-trained dedicated caring staff who consider they are developing as individuals and as a team. A clear development plan is in place highlighting areas to be improved and how these are to be achieved. These improvements are yet to be embedded into practice.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people feel safe in the home and they are progressing at school. They feel valued and cared for and have good relationships with the majority of the care staff. Young people have friends in the local area who they visit and who can visit them. The previous Registered Manager has moved on and some young people are being supported to understand and manage their feelings over this. Visiting professionals are positive about the standard of care provided and report staff keep them up to date with events at the home.

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Overall effectiveness

Previous actions and recommendations have all been met, However there are areas for improvement highlighted at this inspection. These include staff deployment, fire 3 of 10 safety and independence assessment and planning. 4 of 10

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Information about this children’s home

This children's home is owned by a registered charity. The home provides long-term accommodation for up to four young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/03/2014 Interim inadequate progress 15/08/2013 Full adequate 18/02/2013 Interim good progress 14/06/2012 Full adequate

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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) ensure that at all times there are a sufficient number of suitably qualified, competent and experienced persons working at the home to meet the needs of the children (Regulation 25 (1)) 31/07/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) where the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to the children's home the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. This specifically relates to staff training and the frequency and times fire drills are undertaken. (Regulation 32 (1A)) 30/06/2014 5 of 10

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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 children are encouraged to participate in a range of positive activities t contribute to their physical and emotional health. This specifically relates to further developing the range of activities available to meet individual's interes as well as having the resources such as staff and transport to enable them to take place (NMS 6.3)  ensure children receive care which helps them to prepare for and supports the into adulthood, so that they can reach their full potential and achieve econom well being. This relates to the independence plans being grounded in an assessment of need (NMS 12)  ensure the registered person takes action to address any issues of concern th they identify or which is raised with them. This relates to the ineffective staff handover, where information was not shared with the oncoming team. (NMS 21.9) 6 of 10

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Young people build their confidence and self-esteem through the support provided by staff on a daily basis. Young people know staff want them to do well and have good relationships with some staff who they feel they talk with. The recent departure of the Registered Manager has had an impact of the young people with some finding the loss difficult to manage. Staff and interim managers are aware of this and they are supporting the young people through this.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Young people attend various education establishments and make progress according to their individual starting points. Activities provided to young people vary and young people say, while they do not mind some group activities, staff are not always available to take them to individual activities, especially at weekends and the car is needed. As a result, they say they tend to try to find their own things to do at weekends. Friends visit and stay overnight when appropriate and young people have friends in the local community helping them develop their feeling of self-worth.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Young people assist with tasks around the home and staff encourage them to develop their individual skills in different areas whenever possible. This includes voluntary work, changing bulbs, reading bus timetables and cooking for themselves and others. The work young people complete to develop their independence is kept in a file which they can take with them when they leave. Young people are encouraged to take part in fund raising events for differing charities. This supports young people to build their confidence and self-esteem. However, the independence training is not developed and planned from an informed assessment of need, which means that young people may not be meeting their full potential in preparation for the next stage of their lives.

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Quality of care adequate

A stable staff group ensures young people have staff caring for them that they know and trust. Care and placement plans are being improved and developed further. Newly implemented processes and the interim managers are helping staff to focus on the individuality of young people and how best to meet their needs. For example, new self-injury care plans are being introduced and staff training in how to implement these is planned. The communication systems in the home are not always effective. A request made in the morning by a young person to obtain ointment for a specific skin condition was not passed to staff coming on duty.

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Quality of care adequate

Administration and storage of medications are well managed and medication records well maintained with good monitoring systems in place. Risk assessments establish if young people can self-medicate helping young people to learn how to look after their 7 of 10 own medication.

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Quality of care adequate

Personal achievements are celebrated in the home. Staff are aware of the varying needs of young people and continually give praise for good behaviour, any progress made and when achieving things they have previously found difficult. Staff take an active interest in the lives of young people. They are encouraged to share events and take photos to maintain memory books. Young people have books called ‛journey books’ they share with staff daily and both use this to share their thoughts and feelings. Staff regularly use these books to praise young people for achievements, no matter how small.

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Quality of care adequate

Young people report that they know how to complain and state the staff take action to help them. They have different ways to be heard. They feel staff listen to them and all say they have someone they can talk with if they are unhappy or want changes in the home. They have a ‛grumbles’ book they can use if they have issues they want to talk about that do not constitute a complaint and then know they can now put issues on the staff team meeting agenda.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Staff have a sound knowledge of child protection issues and reporting procedures should they have any concerns. Child protection practice is good and visiting professionals feel staff know the young people well which helps protect the young people. Posters displayed and actions taken by staff ensure the young people know that staff will take action to protect them and bullying will not be tolerated at the home. Staff are very aware of the differing vulnerability of the young people and take action to keep them safe. Young people say there is a little bullying but staff will address this with them and they feel safe at the home.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Young people have individual behaviour management strategies in place when required. Social workers report that staff are now more consistently setting and maintaining boundaries. They are open to working together and developing the care planning to keep young people safe. The interim managers are implementing a change to practice to ensure it meets individual needs. This is to ensure the young people are busy with activities they enjoy and rewarding good behaviour in a more formal way. Staff have appropriate guidance which they put into practice should a young person go missing or are absent. Visiting professionals state the staff manage what can be very challenging behaviour well and keep everyone up to date with events.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

No restraints have been used since the last inspection and sanctions are seldom used. When sanctions are used the views of young people are recorded. Rewards are given to young people for various things for example, supporting young people who may have had a difficult time and have managed themselves well in certain situations or if they make an effort to help peers or staff. New record books for restraints and 8 of 10 sanctions have been introduced which capture all the required information as stated in regulations.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Staff recruitment processes ensure all required checks are undertaken prior to a member of staff starting. Young people are consulted about the décor in the communal areas in the home and also their bedrooms. Some young people have assisted in the painting of the home and furniture as a result they have a pleasant place to live that is to their taste. Equipment is tested and checked at regular intervals, which ensures a safe environment.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Fire procedures in the home are not robust. Although fire drills do take place the staff have not established that the young people are able to get themselves out at night nor are they clear what is expected practice should a young person refuse to leave the building. The managers are aware of the need to assess young people to establish if they need personal emergency evacuation plans.

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Leadership and management adequate

The home is going through a period of change. The Registered Manager has left and two Registered Managers from other homes the company operates are providing cover. External and internal monitoring takes place and reports show that action is taken to address any issues raised. There is a development plan in place, which shows the management team are aware of the strengths and weakness of the service. The plan sets out clear objectives to improve the service by focusing on the individuality of the young people and the development of the staff group. The staffing rota shows that at times there are as many staff working in the home when the young people are at school as there are at weekends. While this allows for shopping and paper work to be done, this does not ensure that staff are in sufficient numbers to meet the individual needs of young people on a regular basis.

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Leadership and management adequate

The Statement of Purpose sets out the aims and objectives for the home and is available on the internet. Two recommendations and eight actions raised at the last inspection have been met. As a result medication administration and recording systems have improved. External monitoring and fire risk assessments have improved and the need to ensure young people who raised concerns or make complaints are heard and responded to quickly.

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Leadership and management adequate

When young people leave the home staff are aware of the importance of positive endings to help young people move on. Young people continue to keep in touch with staff at the home which shows the strength of trust and friendship that has been developed.

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Leadership and management adequate

All staff in the home are well trained to care for young people and meet their individual needs. The staff work well with the local health professionals to ensure specific training is provided to staff for those young people who have specific health 9 of 10 needs or conditions. A first aid trained member of staff is always on duty and all permanent care staff have a relevant nationally recognised qualification or are on the course. The induction process for new staff is being reviewed in readiness for new starters.

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Leadership and management adequate

Staff report improved support through supervision in recent months. They consider this is helping them to develop as professionals and become more effective in caring for young people. Staff report that the new team meeting structure puts the needs of the young people first and feel this is a very positive development. The meetings enable both young people and staff to bring issues for discussion. As a result, both staff and young people feel managers listen to them and make changes to practice which improves the care provided and the ability of staff to understand and support young people with very differing needs.

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Leadership and management adequate

Significant events are reported to Ofsted and placing authorities. Records are stored securely and contribute to a history of the young person’s life at the home. Social workers consider the home provides a good standard of care and a staff group that knows the young people well. The staff team consists of a range of positive role models, both male and female and of differing age groups. The staff group reflects the local population and the young people being cared for. Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Leadership and management adequate

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Judgement Description

Outstanding A service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Good A service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Adequate A service that only meets minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Inadequate A service that does not meet minimum requirements.

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Information 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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Information 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 framework of inspection for children's homes.

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