Children's Home run by Norfolk County Council in Norfolk

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people are able to form secure relationships with staff.  Staff provide consistency and support for young people so that they can feel a sense of belonging.  Staff and the registered manager have a good understanding of the young people as individuals to help them identify and meet their needs.  Staff listen to young people and take an interest in their daily lives.  Staff and the registered manager promote education and further education for young people, advocating on their behalf when necessary.  Young people make good progress in relation to their health, including emotional health.  Staff provide emotional support and nurturing for young people. They help young people to identify and let them know when they need this support.  Staff promote young people’s contact. Young people enjoy having their family visit them at the home for special occasions.  Staff recognise and celebrate young people’s successes and achievement.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people become increasingly safe in some significant areas of their lives. Staff identify areas of risk and take strong action to manage and reduce it.  There are some strong fire safety processes, but not all of the action points from the fire risk assessment had been fully and evidently addressed.  While records are mostly clear and comprehensive, one young person did not have an up to date placement plan and some entries in sanctions and restraint records were not sufficiently clear.

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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 (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes a description of the measure and its duration. This relates to restraint records including detail of the method of restraint used and clarity over whether sanctions were used or proposed. (Regulation 35(3)(a)(iv)) 13/11/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the requirements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and any regulations made under it are complied with in respect of the home. This relates to ensuring that all actions arising from the fire risk assessment are addressed and recorded as such. (Regulation 25(2)(b)) 27/11/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child. This relates specifically to placement plans. (Regulation 36(1)(a)) 27/11/2015

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Information about this children's home

This home provides emergency and time-limited residential care placements for up to two young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is owned and operated by the local authority.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

26/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

p.5

Good

Overall, the young people who live in this home make good progress based on their starting points. They build secure relationships with staff that provide consistency and support. One external professional commented on the way staff have not given up on a young person as previous placements have. They also referred to the stability that a young person is experiencing due to the care provided by staff and their wider relationships. The positive relationships and stability of placement help young people to build trust and develop a positive self- esteem.

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Good

Staff and the manager provide good care for young people, based on their knowledge of them as individuals. They listen to young people’s views and take an interest in their lives. For example, meal time discussions focus on what the young people have been doing and what they think about issues which are relevant to them. Consequently, young people can experience pleasant meal times with staff who show an interest in them and their lives. Staff seek young people’s views through resident’s meetings and key work sessions. The registered manager writes a formal response to the minutes of resident’s meetings, so that young people know their views are listened to and can understand how they have been responded to and why they may not always be acted upon.

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Good

Young people make good progress in their education and their health. The registered manager takes their views on education and further education seriously. She will advocate on their behalf when necessary and as a good parent would. As a result of this one young person is in full time education and the other is on a further education course of her choice, which is likely to provide her with a future career. When one young person was not in full time education the staff encouraged them to maintain routines and interest in learning. As a result of this their return to full time education has been successful.

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Good

Young people have their routine health needs met well by staff. They also make good progress in their emotional health. For one young person this has meant that they no longer require regular medication. Furthermore, the specialist health services have said that they have made such progress that they no longer require their involvement. In a letter the health professional said the young person was doing ‘extremely well’ and ‘engaging enthusiastically in normal activities’. This progress is notable. The statutory review minutes for the young person stated that she ‘is doing brilliantly well and should be extremely proud of herself’. Staff support young people’s emotional wellbeing. Young people said that staff will support them if they are upset and will give them a hug. Staff have worked with young people to help them be able to say if they are upset and to understand that it is alright to ask for a hug. If they cannot say this, staff provide them with

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Good

alternative ways to let staff know how they are feeling. This helps to provide nurturing care for the young people and an understanding of safe and appropriate touch. Young people also enjoy having contact with some of the staff’s dogs. This can provide a comfort at stressful times, for example, one young person took the dog with them into their statutory review. Staff help young people to make and maintain relationships which are appropriate to their age and development. They also support contact with their families. Young people enjoy having family members to visit them at the home. For example, both young people had birthday barbeques during the summer which members of their respective families attended. Each girl has fond memories of the day and a collage photo print to remind her of it.

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Good

Young people take part in activities which they choose and enjoy. Their achievements in their leisure activities and education are recognised and celebrated by staff. Photographs, certificates and awards are displayed in the home. Staff help young people to develop skills they will need for their adult lives. This includes finding work experience and doing voluntary work to engender the idea and routine of work and thought for others. Young people are able to try independence at a level which is appropriate to their age and development. They learn about budgeting and living within their means through discussions with staff and involvement in the home’s food shopping.

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Good

Young people living at the home become increasingly safe in some significant areas of their lives. One young person with a history of going missing from care, has not done so while at this home. There have not been any incidents of young people going missing since the last full inspection of the home. There are also very significant reductions in incidents of self-harm. Current and potential areas of risk are identified and addressed through written plans. Responses to new areas of risk are quick and strong. Staff have a good understanding of these areas of risk and are taking agreed and robust action to manage and reduce the risks and increase young people’s safety. The good relationships that young people have with staff and the way staff listen to young people also helps to keep them safe. If young people say anything which indicates they may be at risk, staff listen to this and make appropriate referrals to others, such as the local authority designated officer,

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Good

the police or the placing social workers. Staff help young people to find effective ways of self-regulating, for example, going for a walk, or using stress relief toys. There are rewards systems in place to help young people manage specific targeted areas of their behaviour. This all helps to provide effective behaviour management for young people. However, at times this has not proved fully effective and one young person has become involved with the police. This is despite the attempts of staff to de-escalate situations and to work restoratively through the police community support officer. The registered manager is being pro-active in involving other professionals to try and find effective solutions to this. An independent reviewing officer spoke of the young person they work with being happy in the home and compliant to the rules.

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Good

There is a very low use of restraint. Records of restraint do not all include details of the method of restraint used and sanctions records are not all clear in explaining whether or not a propose sanction was used. This lack of clarity in records reduces the clarity over what happened and can limit the effective monitoring to ensure good practice. However, in other cases the registered manager has clearly monitored these records and intervened to ensure that staff have acted appropriately.

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Good

There are fire safety practices to help ensure that young people are protected from the risk of fire. These include regular drills and equipment checks. Young people say they know what to do if there was a fire. There is a fire risk assessment, but it is not clear that all of the actions identified in this documents have been completed. Once this was brought to the registered manager’s attention, she took quick action to ensure that it was addressed. The lack of clarity over the fire risk assessment does increase the risks to young people, but the effective fire safety systems do counteract this to some degree.

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Good

Staff recognise the risks associated with inappropriate use of the internet. Many have had training in this area and there are clear safeguards to oversee internet use based on young people’s individual vulnerabilities. These safeguards include the use of mobile phones.

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Good

The substantive registered manager is on maternity leave. During this time the post is being covered by an interim manager who has registered with Ofsted. This shows a recognition by the organisation of the importance of an identified, registered manager in ensuring the quality of care that is provided for young people. The interim manager has a social work qualification and is currently working towards the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare. She is suitably experienced to provide good leadership and management in the home. Staff speak positively about the leadership they receive, describing the registered manager as child-focused, supportive and inspirational. They say she will address issues, but supportively. They would be confident to raise issues or concerns with her. The registered manager uses her supervision of staff to discuss and reflect on their practice so that they can work more effectively

p.8

Good

The registered manager has a good understanding of the young people as individuals, their areas of vulnerability and the progress they are making as a result of living at the home. She monitors the quality of care in the home and identifies actions to improve that care for young people.

p.9

Good

There is very good joint working with other professionals to ensure effective work and good outcomes for young people. A member of staff from one young person’s school said that the handover they receive from staff each day is ‘second to none,’ there is regular communication and the support which the home provides for the young person is excellent. The virtual school head also spoke of the good working relationship which she and her team have with the home. If there are any concerns about young people’s placements, the registered manager contacts other professionals to arrange meetings in order to address the concerns.

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Good

Staff receive training in areas which help them to provide safe care for young people. These include behaviour management, fire safety, child sexual exploitation and online safety. The home is working in line with its statement of purpose to provide good care for young people. Staff meet the individual needs of young people. They form strong relationships with young people and have clear and agreed strategies to help provide consistency of care. The needs of young people are central to the work of the home.

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Good

For the most part, records on young people’s case files are clear and provide suitable guidance for staff. They will also provide information for young people if they wish to read them in the future. However, one young person did not have an up to date and relevant placement plan to inform her care.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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