Children's home run by Norfolk County Council in Norwich

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

The children and young people benefit from good quality short breaks, provided by a hardworking, caring and consistent staff team. The manager has met the five recommendations from the last inspection.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff received training focusing on safeguarding disabled children. Almost all staff attended this. The training provided staff with the opportunity to reflect upon, refresh and increase their knowledge of the specific safeguarding concerns relating to disabled children. The manager described the training as high quality. The training has led the manager to work with the team to begin to identify further improvements to practice.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There have been two incidents resulting in the use of the child protection log. On both these occasions, the manager shared information appropriately with the social work team. This ensures key safeguarding professionals are aware of the issues identified.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Where restraints occur that involve children and young people who cannot verbalise their feelings about incidents, the manager ensures there is a record of their demeanour afterwards. Where children and young people return home shortly after an incident, the manager contacts the school and the family to assess how they have been. This provides an additional layer of monitoring and protection.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff supervision is taking place. The manager has updated the location risk assessment. This now includes information about the risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location. The risks are primarily managed through children and young people having only supervised access to the location because of their level of learning difficulty.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The children and young people are relaxed and happy in the presence of the staff. There is a positive atmosphere within the home. A young person on their first stay was laughing and joking with staff throughout the inspection. Parents value the service and children and young people enjoy it. One parent said: ‘I just think it is a really good place for her to come to. When I say she has a short break she is eager to come. It is all good. She loves coming here.’ One young person nodded and vocalised with great enthusiasm when asked if she likes staying. This indicates that parents receive breaks that they would not otherwise experience whilst children and young people enjoy the experiences they have in the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The service links with the young people’s schools as appropriate. The staff visit schools as part of the care planning process. They use visits as a key source of information as they seek to provide the best care for young people. A social worker said: ‘We recently had a meeting to review progress and the link worker was really good. She liaised with the school to explore better means to get her wishes and feelings.’ This collaborative approach enables effective working relationships between education and social care.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Five young people stopped having short breaks since the last inspection. This was as a result of turning 18. Six children and young people have started overnight stays in the home since the last inspection. Introductions to the home are well planned and well-paced. Parents consistently report happiness with the transition into the service. One parent stated: ‘Things have gone well. The move was all done nice and slowly.’ This careful and considered approach to introductions increases the likelihood of successful placements. One parent commented: ‘The planning worked very well. If it had happened too quickly he would have rejected the whole thing.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The parents feel part of the decision making process and state that staff in the home keep them informed about the progress their children are making. Discussions with staff demonstrate an understanding of the conflicting emotions parents may experience when their child first moves into a short break service. This assists the quality of the relationship between parents and staff. External professionals report that the home has strong and effective relationships with families.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Independent monitoring reports are completed. Recently the service has not submitted the reports to Ofsted in a timely manner. This impacts on Ofsted’s ability to effectively monitor the quality of the service. In addition, the reports have not been as challenging as they could be to fully assist the manager in improving the quality of care.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff respond quickly when incidents occur and there is consideration and evaluation of incident management. However, there is a lack of clarity in risk assessments to reflect the evaluations and identified strategies for future use. In addition, there is a lack of contribution from other key professionals when risks become apparent or change. The organisation of case records and risk assessment documentation has led to a lack of consistency between records. This does not fully support staff to adopt consistent approaches in order to reduce the likelihood of harm to young people. Feedback from external professionals is good. One social worker said: ‘They are balanced and realistic. They have a can do attitude. All of the young people are treated with dignity and respect and treated as individuals.’

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Information about this children's home

This children’s home is operated by a local authority and provides short breaks for a maximum of nine children or young people. Children and young people accommodated have a learning, physical or sensory disability, multiple disabilities, or complex health needs.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

16/03/2015 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 provider must:

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Requirement Due date

(2) (a) (i) ensure 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. This is with particular regard to ensuring that thorough risk assessments, that demonstrate the rationale of decisions, are completed and updated promptly after significant incidents occur. Where a young person has more than one risk assessment, these should be consistent with one another. 28/04/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure that independent monitoring visits are rigorous and submitted to the regulator in a timely manner. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 65 paragraph 15.4)

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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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