Children's Home run by The Ryes College Limited in Suffolk

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged Good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has Sustained effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the last inspection in August 2015, one requirement and three recommendations were raised. The requirement and one recommendation have been fully met. One recommendation remains unmet and has been raised again.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Interior décor has improved. The home is generally well maintained, paint work has been refreshed and a colourful decoupage fills the first floor landing wall space. The telephone room has been refurbished to provide a comfortable area where young people can use the telephone in private. Resources have been upcycled to shabby chic style. The first floor bathroom remains tired and has chipped tiles and stained grout. Plans for a new bathroom are in the early stages of discussion, although a budget has been agreed. Overall, staff have invested time and effort into the environment and, in the main, the result is colourful and homely.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Monitoring of behavioural consequences and record keeping has generally improved. Follow up work is evident in key worker notes and discussions; the manager reflects on all incidents. This guides staff and provides consistency for young people. The manager reflects on incidents, with young people, encouraging them to consider their actions. However, she does not use her own logging system that gives oversight of events, including bullying. These incidents are logged in individual files. Staff record and file accurately, although for managerial monitoring purposes, the system to record incidents each month has failed. This means opportunities to identify patterns are missed. Despite stringent efforts from the organisation training manager, there has been difficulty sourcing training to support staff in their health care of young people. The clinical therapist and looked after children’s (LAC) nurse advise and support staff.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The training and development department are continuing to search for specific training. All other training is up to date, equipping staff well for their roles. The number of missing from home incidents has decreased. The home have worked well to reduce these. This signifies progress for one young person who had a prolific missing from home record. There is one short duration occurrence of missing and one incident of a young person missing overnight. Staff are quick and responsive to young people leaving the home and placing themselves at risk. The police carry out return interviews, which encourages young people to reflect on their actions. Staff use physical restraint proportionately. Every incident is recorded in detail and is overseen by the manager. All those involved have the opportunity to de-brief. There have been several recent incidents where it has been necessary to restrain young people. This follows a spike in behavioural incidents arising from tension

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

and provocation between young people. A new admission has impacted on the group dynamics. This has resulted in some damage to the home, which has been repaired and made good.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There are concerns about young people smoking in the home. Records show that this has become a recent concern. Staff work with young people to offer cessation support. There have been two incidents of burning paper and a towel inside the home. Young people receive consequences and each young person’s risk assessment specifies these incidents. However, the general fire risk assessment for the home has not been updated to reflect this risk.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Feedback from parents is positive, citing the home as helping young people to reduce their risk taking behaviours and supporting them to make positive change.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people’s attendance in school and college is generally good. One young person has progressed in core subjects by two levels and is catching up. Staff work hard to motivate young people and help them get ready for school. They quickly identify barriers to attendance. Staff meet with schools and colleges to address issues. A bespoke reward system encourages young people to attend. The routine of the home supports each young person to follow their individual timetable. Expectations are clear and staff are work hard to motivate young people. The home has an established and experienced manager who is actively involved in all decision making. She leads a happy and cohesive team that work well together. This provides an approach where each young person is considered on their individual merits. Care is genuine and staff respond naturally to young people, providing a nurturing approach that resembles warm family care.

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Information about this children's home

The home is one of three children's homes run by a private organisation that also operates two schools. Young people can attend the school located on the site of another children's home owned by the organisation. The home provides accommodation for up to four young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

07/08/2014 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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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

In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(a)(i) that staff assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child's relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. With particular regard to updating the fire risk assessment. 30/05/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Undertake scrutiny of the home and make best use of internal monitoring to ensure continuous improvement in particular, the records of bullying. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 55 paragraph 10.24)

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Recommendations

 Ensure the design of the home includes the adaptations necessary to provide a pleasant and well-designed communal bathroom. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 17 paragraph 3.24)

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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

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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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