Children's Home run by Break Charity in Cambridgeshire

Unique reference number SC439153 Inspector Rachel Griffiths 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 Dean Rocky Mayes Date of last inspection 07/03/2014 2 of 11 Inspection date 19/11/2014

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Previous inspection good progress Enforcement action since last inspection None

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Overall effectiveness good

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

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Overall effectiveness

This home is judged to be providing a good service to children and there are clear signs of improvement since the last inspection. Of particular note is the progress young people make in education and training, in terms of their ability to form and sustain positive relationships and in terms of their self-confidence and self-esteem. As a result, young people’s life chances are significantly enhanced.

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Overall effectiveness

A key strength of this home is the consultation and engagement with young people in all aspects of the care provided to them. Young people are central to the running of the home and they are fully consulted during the preparation and review of their care plans. They are respected and they speak positively about the support they receive from staff. The positive relationships young people have with a consistent staff team are instrumental in improving their behaviour and keeping them safe. Young people’s safety is well supported. Young people say they feel safe and they are kept safe as a result of effective safeguarding practices being implemented by staff.

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Overall effectiveness

The management of this home is strong. The Registered Manager is very reflective in his approach. He demonstrates a detailed awareness and understanding of the strength’s and minor shortfalls of the home. He remains committed and focussed on his goal of improving the quality of care and outcomes for young people. This is 3 of 11 reflected in the home’s development plan.

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Overall effectiveness

Three requirements are made as a result of this inspection. These are in relation to staff training and in relation to consultation with parents and stakeholders within internal and external quality assurance systems. These shortfalls are not currently having an impact on the safety and well-being of young people. 4 of 11

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for four children or young people with emotional or behavioural difficulties. It is owned by a registered charity.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/03/2014 Interim good progress 05/11/2013 Full good 06/02/2013 Interim satisfactory progress 31/07/2012 Full good

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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) The registered person shall ensure that all persons employed by him receive appropriate training, supervision and appraisal (Regulation 27 (4)(a)) 30/01/2015

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) The independent person, when carrying out a visit, shall interview, with their consent and in private, such parents and relatives of young people accommodated in the home as appears necessary (Regulation 33 (8) (a)) 30/01/2015

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) The system referred to in paragraph 1 (The registered person shall establish and maintain a system for (a) monitoring the matters in schedule 6 at least once every 3 months: and (b) improving 30/01/2015 5 of 11 the quality of care provided in the children's home) shall provide for consultation with children accommodated in the home, their parents and placing authorities (Regulation 34 (3) ) 6 of 11

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people make good progress in a number of ways as a result of living in this home. A social worker commented in respect of a young person: ‘Their progress has been in relation education and training, relationships, socialisation, confidence, self- esteem and in the development of their independence skills.’ Young people are thus given a good opportunity to reach their full potential.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

All young people are fully engaged in full time education or training. Attendance is excellent and some young people’s progress exceeds expectations. A social worker said: ‘This young person had not stayed in school before. Since living here, they have maintained excellent attendance at school and college. Before they were on the fringes of criminal activity and now they are successfully completing an apprenticeship.’ Young people’s successful engagement in education and training enhances their sense of achievement and their opportunities and choices in adult life improve significantly.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

All young people make good progress in respect of their health. Their physical health is enhanced by attending routine health checks, undertaking regular physical activity and eating a healthy diet. They develop improved self-care skills and start to really take pride in their appearance. This assists young people with the development of personal relationships. It also helps young people feel good about themselves and helps raise their self-esteem.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people participate in a good range of activities and benefit from engaging in new experiences in their local community while living in this home. A young person commented: ‘My life is much better now. I do not feel the odd one out. I get to do lots of activities such as bowling, swimming, ice-skating and going to the gym.’ Young people also have the opportunity to undertake voluntary work at the organisation’s charity shop. Such experiences enable young people to make a positive contribution to their community and feel an integral part of it. This helps build self-confidence and self-esteem. It also assists them to develop social skills as well as contributing to more positive physical and emotional health and well-being.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

For some young people, their relationships with family members improve while living in this home. This has resulted in levels of contact increasing and young people enjoying regular overnight stays with family members. A parent commented: ‘Staff have helped our relationship develop and I really look forward to seeing my son.’ A social worker said: ‘Staff have managed contact really well and have helped the young person maintain his relationship with family members.’ Family relationships are very important to young people. It helps them to understand their heritage and it helps to improve their sense of identity. It also provides an opportunity for young people to have an improved family support network in the future. 7 of 11 Young people are prepared for their eventual move to independence and adult life while living in this home. Young people learn to cook, clean, budget and meet their own personal care needs. Increased confidence in these areas and improved life skills

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Outcomes for children and young people good

assist young people greatly when they move on to the next stage of their lives.

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Quality of care good

Young people enjoy very positive relationships with staff. One young person said: ‘I absolutely love the staff, all of them. They are people you can really attach too.’ Observations of staff demonstrate that they are extremely supportive and caring. A social worker commented: ‘The home’s strength is the security and stability it provides young people. Young people have very good relationships with staff, the staff are strong advocates and they are really committed to young people.’ The positive relationships young people enjoy with a stable and committed staff team provides them with a secure emotional base from where they can develop.

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Quality of care good

Staff provide good support to young people in respect of their health and educational development. Young people learn about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. One young person said: ‘We get lots of really healthy and nice food.’ Another said: ‘I used to drink alcohol a lot and I do not anymore.’ In terms of education, young people are encouraged to participate fully in the school or college curriculum. An education professional commented: ‘The most impressive thing for me is that staff always have the very best interests of young people at heart. Staff attend football matches and open events and take a great interest in young people’s education.’ Young people are encouraged to meet and exceed their educational targets and their achievements are celebrated. Consequently, young people start to believe in themselves, resulting in raised self-esteem and confidence.

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Quality of care good

Young people are fully respected in this home. They know how to complain. Their views are continually sought regarding the day-to-day running of the home during weekly young people’s meetings, during link work sessions and through attending a section of staff team meetings during the school holidays. Young people feel strongly that their views are listened to. This helps them to feel valued and blossom as individuals.

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Quality of care good

Young people’s care plans are of a good quality. They are regularly reviewed and provide staff with clear guidance on how to meet young people’s individual needs. Young people write their own versions of their care plans. This ensures that their needs, views and preferences are fully incorporated into their plans. Consequently, not only are young people’s individual and diverse needs well met, they are also motivated to work towards the goals of their care plans.

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Quality of care good

Medication administration and storage procedures are good. Medication is stored securely and is consistently administered. Detailed recording demonstrates that 8 of 11 young people are always given their medication in accordance with their prescription and it is recorded when young people have refused to take it. A recommendation made in respect of this at the last inspection has been met.

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Quality of care good

The home is maintained to a good standard. It provides a very comfortable and homely environment in which young people can thrive. Young people’s bedrooms are well equipped and individualised. Young people are proud of the space that they have created and value their own private environment. Communal areas within the home are decorated with young people’s certificates, artwork and many photographs of young people enjoying a wide range of activities and experiences. This demonstrates how much fun young people have while living in this home. It also reminds young people how proud staff are of them and this helps further improve their self-esteem.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people consistently say they feel safe and they are safe living in this home. One young person said: ‘It feels like a safe place to live. The staff really care. I can talk to them about anything.’ An emotionally safe and secure environment provides young people with a strong sense of safety and well-being.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Good safeguarding procedures implemented by staff, good staffing ratios and work undertaken with young people in respect of potentially risky behaviours further enhance levels of safety in this home. For example, in respect of bullying, a young person said: ‘There is no bullying in this house. I could tell staff if I was worried about anything.’ Proactive enforcement of the home’s anti-bullying policy helps to promote an environment of mutual respect and acceptance between peers within the home.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

There is not high incidence of young people going missing from this home. However, there are some unauthorised absences, albeit for short periods of time and with young people usually remaining in telephone contact with staff during these periods. Regarding periods of missing or absence, staff are clear what to do in each individual circumstance and follow agreed plans to ensure young people are safe. They take positive actions such as telephoning known contacts, searching the local area and visiting any addresses known to be frequented by the young person. The home also has good and regular contact with the local police who visit the home regularly. This enables young people to get to know the police as a positive and supportive resource.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of the home’s safeguarding and whistleblowing policies. They have all undertaken safeguarding training and they understand how to respond should a young person disclose any form of abuse to them or should they have concerns about the practice of other staff. Staff have not however received any formal training in respect of child sexual exploitation. Although 9 of 11 this is not a current issue in this home, risks associated with this have been apparent in the past and could well be in the future. A lack of training in this area has the potential to limit the effectiveness of practice in this area.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Behaviour is very well managed in this home without recourse to sanctions or physical intervention. There have been no physical interventions since the last inspection and only three sanctions. This is a testament to an embedded ethos of proactive behaviour management and effective de-escalation of potentially challenging situations. Young people are motivated by positive incentives which are offered in return for positive behaviour. Regular reviews of young people’s risk assessments, which incorporate behaviour management strategies, ensures that young people’s plans remain effective in assisting young people in self-regulating their own behaviour.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The home is a physically safe environment. All health and safety checks are undertaken on a regular basis. Fire drills take place during the day and night and all young people have received fire training. Safety equipment in the home is checked at regular intervals. This contributes to young people’s safety and well-being.

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Leadership and management good

The Registered Manager is experienced. He has been the manager of this home since it opened in 2011. He holds the required equivalent management qualifications required by the Children’s Homes Regulations 2001.

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Leadership and management good

The management team are motivated and committed. Their enthusiasm and high standards filter down to the staff team. Staff share the managers vision of ensuring the quality of care and outcomes for young people continue to improve. Staff morale is good and a cohesive and experienced staff team ensure that young people are consistently well supported.

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Leadership and management good

The home’s Statement of Purpose provides clear and accurate information to parents and placing authorities about the care, support and services the home offers. Young people are provided with good information about the home before they move in via a comprehensive young people’s guide.

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Leadership and management good

Staff feel well supported by the management team. A member of staff said: ‘There is very low sickness in this home. I feel this is a reflection of how valued and supported we feel by our managers.’ Staff attend regular team meetings which discuss practice issues. They also receive regular formal supervision which is recorded in detail. Productive team meetings and regular good quality supervision ensures that practice in monitored. It also provides scope for further improvements in the delivery of care.

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Leadership and management good

All staff are well trained in mandatory areas such as safeguarding, first aid, fire safety and physical intervention. The majority of staff however, have not participated in 10 of 11 more specialised non mandatory training in respect of a wide variety of issues that affect young people they are working with. For example, despite autism and child sexual exploitation being issues which do or could potentially effect young people living in the home, staff have not undertaken any formal training in these areas. While this is not having an impact on young people at the present time, this limits staff understanding and insight into such issues and has the potential to limit the effectiveness of practice. To his credit, the Registered Manager has recognised this shortfall and plans are in place to provide additional training for staff in these areas.

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Leadership and management good

Managers and Leaders effectively monitor the progress young people make while living in this home. Detailed monthly progress reports enable social workers, parents and carers to see what young people have achieved over time educationally, behaviourally, emotionally and socially. Reports produced in consultation with young people for ‘Looked After’ reviews are also of a high quality and demonstrate the progress young people are making. A particular strength of the home is also how young people are involved in the production of their own journey books throughout their time living in the home. These are of a very high quality. Not only do they serve as a reminder to young people of the fun times and experiences they have had, they ensure that young people have a clear record of their progress. This enables young people to reflect on their achievements and feel proud of them.

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Leadership and management good

The home ensures that the required internal and external quality assurance checks are undertaken and sent to Ofsted within the timescales set out in the Children’s Homes Regulations 2001. These checks identify strengths in the home as well as minor shortfalls. The repots do not however show sufficient evidence of consultation and feedback from parents and / or stakeholders. While not presently impacting on the welfare of young people, this has the potential to limit the homes capacity for improvement in the future. Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Leadership and management good

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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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