Children's Home run by Break Charity in Norfolk

Good

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

p.2

The children's home provision is good because:

 Staff know the young people well. They have particularly good relationships with young people and this adds to the stability and security that young people feel in the home.  Young people make good progress from their starting points.  Young people know about their plans and why they are living at the home.  There is good consultation with young people. They are able to influence their day-to-day care and their plans. This includes areas such as health management and contact with their families.  Young people become increasingly safe living at the home. They reduce risk taking behaviours such as going missing from care and substance misuse.  Young people do well in education. Some make significant improvements to their attendance and others maintain high attendance and make achievements such as becoming a school ambassador or winning an award for best student.  Young people are happy in the home. They can keep pets and this is

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

important to them. Young people are able to pursue their interests and take part in community-based clubs for activities such as football and dancing.  Staff help young people to develop skills and confidence for independence. They also provide support and keep contact with young people after they have left the home.  There is good behaviour management, which includes recognising and rewarding good behaviour. Records of consequences used need to include information on their effectiveness.  The registered manager monitors the home and young people’s progress. He prepares reports to improve the quality of care and these include the opinions of young people, but not placing authorities or staff.

p.3

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.

p.4

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 the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(a)(vii)) 08/01/2016

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the review of the quality of care provides for ascertaining and considering the opinions of placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45(5)) 29/01/2016

p.4

Information about this children's home

This children's home provides accommodation for up to four young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is owned by a registered charity that also owns a number of other children's homes.

p.5

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.5

Recent inspection history

24/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

p.5

Good

Staff who know young people’s individual needs look after them well. This ensures that they make good progress while they are living at the home. There are very good relationships between young people and staff. This helps to provide security and stability for young people. Young people knowing about their individual plans and the reasons they live at the home further enhance this. One young person said that because she knows her plan is to stay at the home until she is 18, this has taken some pressure off her. Staff take an interest in young people’s lives and talk to them about things such as how their day has been and how they have got on at school.

p.6

Good

Staff seek young people’s views and take them seriously. Where there are significant changes to young people’s lives and plans staff listen to their views and where necessary advocate for them. This includes areas such as health and contact. Young people make good progress in their health. Some reduce their use of illegal substances; others learn to manage their own medication.

p.6

Good

Young people do well in their education. Some make significant improvements from their starting points and others maintain high levels of attendance. One has become a school ambassador and another won a best student award. School staff spoke highly of the home and the support they provide to encourage young people’s effective engagement in education. One spoke of the progress that a young person has made as ‘a real bonus’. Another said that they are happy with the home and what they are doing for the young person. One school said that the young person with whom they work is the happiest they have known them. The young person themselves told their independent reviewing officer that they were the happiest they had been. This happiness and security helps to promote young people’s emotional wellbeing. This is further aided by specialist services who work with young people and staff who help young people to come to terms with difficult

p.6

Good

episodes in their background. A social worker said that the home are ‘doing a brilliant job’, they are supporting the young person’s emotional wellbeing and the young person is making significant progress. Some young people have pets which they learn to look after with great affection.

p.6

Good

Young people are helped to develop the skills required to live successful adult lives. This includes not only practical skills such as cooking, budgeting and using public transport, but also developing the confidence they will need. Young people are prepared for moves into the home and on to more independent placements. This helps them to cope with significant and potentially traumatic experiences. One young person who has left the home spoke of the help she got from staff to prepare for and cope with the move. She also has on-going support from staff and was looking forwards to going out for lunch with two staff the next day. The young person felt that she could still speak to staff if she had any worries. This support and commitment to young people helps them to feel valued and increases their chances of succeeding in their adult lives. The home’s statement of purpose says they will keep in touch with and support young people who have left the home and

p.6

Good

Young people take part in a range of activities depending upon their interests. These include football clubs, dancing, helping at a charity shop and after school clubs.

p.7

Good

Young people who live at this home become increasingly safe because of the work that staff do to identify and address areas of risk. There are clear risk assessments, which provide information for staff on how to work with young people and reduce the risks to which they may be vulnerable. While there are some young people who do go missing from the home, or may use illegal substances, the frequency of these behaviours has reduced. A placing social worker said that they were happy with the work that the home is doing in these areas. If a young person does go missing from care the staff try to keep in contact with them through their mobile phones. They report them missing and notify all appropriate parties. They ask for strategy meetings when they feel the risk is rising. This helps to ensure an effective and co-ordinated response to protecting young people in such instances. Staff are trained to help them promote the safe use of internet and social media

p.7

Good

Young people are encouraged to take age-appropriate risks with the support of staff. This helps the young people to develop an awareness of risk and safety and to learn how to manage their own safety. This includes helping young people to use public transport, to go out after dark and to socialise with their friends.

p.7

Good

The positive relationships between staff and young people provide an important safeguard, as young people have someone they can speak to if they have any concerns or worries. Young people said that they feel safe in the home and can speak to staff.

p.7

Good

Staff support and encourage young people to behave appropriately. They recognise and reward positive and improved behaviour and use consequences and sanctions in response to inappropriate behaviour. The home differentiates between consequences and sanctions and record the two separately. While they do review the effectiveness of sanctions this is not prompted by the format for recording consequences and so does not happen. As a result there is not a review of the consequences used to ensure that they are effective and to consider an alternative strategy if they are not. Rewards are tailored to the individual young people. One was able to get a hamster for continually meeting her agreed incentives, another was bought a computer game for good attendance at education and the third had a film night with ‘treats’ for successful work on her independence plan. Restraint is rarely used in the home, the last time being in February 2014. This is a reflection

p.7

Good

of the good relationships between staff and young people. There are at times some tensions between young people in the home, but staff make their expectations clear and help young people to manage positive relationships. This is something that will help the young people in their future lives.

p.8

Good

There is a registered manager at the home. He has been in post for six years. He is appropriately qualified and experienced for his role. He provides clear leadership which is appreciated by the home’s staff, one described him as the best manager they had had. In addition to this there is a stable and experienced staff team, some of whom have been at the home for many years. Staff have regular supervision, they say that the leadership and management of the home is supportive. New staff say that their induction is helpful and prepares them to work with the young people. This all means that young people are looked after by experienced and competent staff who focus on their needs. Young people make good progress from their starting points. Staff and managers monitor this through monthly key worker reports. These reports are individual and provide a good picture of each young person’s progress.

p.8

Good

The registered manager monitors various aspects of the home and prepares a written report every six months which is used to improve the quality of care. However, while the views of young people are fed into these reports, the views of placing social workers and staff are not. Consequently, the information on which the registered manager assesses the quality of care is not as comprehensive as it could be. The registered manager has a sound understanding of the strengths and areas of development for the home. He has an appropriate and realistic development plan which he reviews regularly. There is a focus on improvement. The home is making progress in implementing this plan.

p.8

Good

There are good working relationships with other agencies such as independent reviewing officers, schools and placing social workers. This helps to ensure effective joint working to meet young people’s needs. The registered manager will challenge other agencies if he feels they are not fulfilling their responsibilities in meeting young people’s needs. The registered manager attends young people’s reviews, as do the young people themselves. This means that they can understand and influence the plans for the young people.

p.8

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.

p.10

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

p.10

What the inspection judgements mean

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

p.10

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

p.11

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 .

p.11

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,

p.12

Information about this inspection

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

p.12

Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.12

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

p.12