Children's Home run by Suffolk County Council in Suffolk

Unique reference number SC430022 Inspector Deirdra Keating Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Suffolk County Council Registered person address Suffolk County Council, Endeavour House Russell Road IPSWICH IP1 2BX Responsible individual Clifford Martin James Registered manager Lorraine Ann Ratcliffe Date of last inspection 24/02/2014 2 of 8 Inspection date 20/11/2014

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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

Young people receive individualised care in a home that organised well to meet their needs. Staff are dedicated and strive to provide young people with good role models and a clear style of parenting. Young people have formed good attachments with staff, promoting their emotional stability and building their confidence.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff promote young people’s safety well; incidents that place young people's safety at risk have significantly reduced. Staff share a collective approach to behaviour management helping young people benefit from consistent boundaries.

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Overall effectiveness

Improvements to the home are ongoing. The manager has improved record keeping and the overall cleanliness of the home. This provides staff and young people with a pleasant environment and a clear record of their daily lives. This inspection identified two minor shortfalls. These include records detailing the verification of references and upkeep of key worker records.

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Overall effectiveness

The manager has an insightful understanding of the strengths of the home and has future plans for further development. She has a clear vision for raising the quality of care with a continual focus on the experience of each young person.

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Overall effectiveness

There have been no concerns reported to Ofsted about this home. 3 of 8

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides medium- and long-term placements for up to seven young people who have emotional and or behavioural difficulties. The home is owned and operated by a local authority.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/02/2014 Interim good progress 18/11/2013 Full adequate 04/10/2012 Full adequate 08/05/2012 Interim satisfactory progress

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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 telephone enquires made to support written references are recorded and signed by the verifying member of staff (NMS 16.1)  ensure that all staff's work is consistent with the homes policies and procedures, this is in relation to maintaining a record of key worker sessions. (NMS 22.1) 4 of 8

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people are settled and established in the home. They sustain attachments building supportive relationships with staff that develop their emotional resilience. Young people benefit from support from a wide range of professionals, organised by the staff in the home. This has been instrumental in helping young people make positive changes in their lives and recognise their potential abilities.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people access therapeutic support helping them make connections between their feelings and behaviours. This helps young people learn how to understand and manage their emotions.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people all attend school and make good progress in relation to their individual starting points. Their achievements are recognised and celebrated by staff. This gives young people self-confidence and aspirations for their future lives. Daily structure and regularity of attendance has helped young people experience routine and stability. Young people make progress in all areas of their lives. A social worker said; ‘It’s down to the way they have parented him that’s made him who he is today.’

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people are encouraged and supported to spend time with families, significant adults and friends. Staff advocate for young people in making contact arrangements, they provide transport and help young people plan the logistics. Staff understand young people’s individual family dynamics, and fully recognise the difficulties some young people face. This holistic approach helps young people gain a sense of identity that reflects their backgrounds and experiences.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people are supported through transitions to and from the home. Consistent encouragement from staff has facilitated positive moves for young people who remain in touch with staff at the home.

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Quality of care good

Staff are competent and consistent in their care of young people. Enthusiasm and commitment to the role is abundant in the staff. Staff are genuinely concerned about young people and enjoy their roles. A warm tactile rapport exists between staff and young people. One member of staff said: ‘I love my job; I love the children and enjoy everything about coming here.’ As a result young people have made strong and lasting attachments with the key staff.

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Quality of care good

Staff actively involve young people in the running of the home. Young people are able to express choice and preference about décor, menus, activities and visitors to 5 of 8 the home. They are introduced to new staff, prepared for new admissions and fully involved in all matters affecting them. This encourages young people to share their views in the knowledge that staff will listen. Staff support young people to make complaints and listen to any concerns they raise. This has resulted in consideration being given to the suitability of some placements.

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Quality of care good

Placement plans are organised and provide guidance regarding young people's care, including their health, well-being and education. Staff provide individualised support and give young people quality time with key staff. However, some key worker sessions are not recorded and this could lead to inconsistency in the care provided.

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Quality of care good

Staff fully support young people’s education. They work closely with external agencies to identify barriers to education and overcome these. As a result the majority of young people attend mainstream provision with excellent rates of attendance. This helps young people achieve academically and build positive peer relationships outside the home.

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Quality of care good

Staff provide a range of activities for young people. These reflect young people’s preferences, characters and abilities. Young people are actively engaged in local facilities enabling them to make connections with the local community.

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Quality of care good

The purpose built home is well appointed and provides ample space for young people to live communally. The house is decorated to a good standard, and provides a clean and welcoming environment. Young people value their surroundings and bring their friends back to the home.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people appear relaxed and comfortable in the home. Surveys indicate that young people feel safe and easily identify staff they can approach with any concerns. Group dynamics in the home are occasionally volatile and on one occasion young people shared concerns about this with the manager. However, staff have an active presence and take a responsive approach minimising the impact of any such incidents. Placements are considered carefully and this generally ensures personalities and risks are compatible enabling young people to feel safe and relaxed in the home.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The number of incidents of missing from the home has reduced significantly for individual young people. Police report a significantly reduced impact on their time. The staff work extremely well with external agencies to educate young people and minimise potential risks associated with young people gong missing. This preventive approach has educated young people, helping them take joint responsibility for their personal safety. Young people are learning about internet safety. Staff alert young people to the dangers of social media using a resourceful and creative approach. This helps young people see the dangers of sharing personal information via media and 6 of 8 social networking sites.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Staff promote positive behaviour and challenge young people appropriately. Sanctions following unwanted behavioural incidents are appropriate and link to the event. Young people share their views in regard to any interventions. This helps young people understand the consequences of their behaviours and reflect on their actions.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Recruitment is robust and includes checking procedures for new staff. These include verbal verification of references from previous posts. However, there is no record of these discussions and no signature of the staff member carrying this out. This could lead to information about previous roles not being made clear. Safeguarding is embedded in practice. Staff are trained and competent in their knowledge about how to manage allegations, disclosures and safeguarding concerns. As a result young people are protected from potential harm.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The home is maintained well and hazard prevention is good. The manager has undertaken a risk assessment of the local area and risks posed to young people within the community. This gives staff and young people an understanding of potential risk and enables staff to work with young people and outside professionals to mitigate against identified risks.

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Leadership and management good

The manager of this home commenced in post in October 2012 and became registered with Ofsted in January 2013. She has accumulated experience in managing the behaviours of children with complex emotional and behavioural needs. This is supported by a social work qualification and a commitment to ongoing professional development. This is shared by staff and is central to developing culture of the team.

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Leadership and management good

The manager has high aspiration for the home and works consistently to drive improvement. Previous shortfalls have been addressed; cleaning is more robust and there is steady and sustainable improvement to the quality of care provided. One staff member said:’ The home has improved massively. I am supported in everything I do by the management and outside agencies. This joint working has been developed by the manager.’

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Leadership and management good

The Statement of Purpose gives a true overview of the facilities offered by the home. It provides placing authorities, social workers and parents with a clear picture of the home.

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Leadership and management good

Internal and external monitoring of the home is robust and provides an extra safeguard to young people. The manager is robust and thorough in her monitoring, and provides a useful critique of staff practice and records. This has cultivated a 7 of 8 team that are reflective and work well together to improve the home.

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Leadership and management good

A key strength of the home is the established staff team who enjoy the collective effort of working as a team and communicate well. Staff also work extremely well with a wide range of external professionals. Staff are adept in utilising professional expertise and knowledge. This supports young people’s welfare, promotes their safety and actively addresses barriers to education. A social worker said; ’There is good multi-agency working; the staff are great with the family and me. I am very positive about my young person’s experience in the home. There is nothing negative to say.’ Another said; 'It is really beneficial to have such positive working relationships with the home.'

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Leadership and management good

Young people’s files are clearly organised demonstrating outcome areas and guidelines for their individual care. New systems of recording and filing have improved practice and provide a clear chronology of events.

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Leadership and management good

The overall management of the home is highly efficient and centred around young people’s lives. This has driven improvements that include better outcomes for young people and good morale amongst the staff team. 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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