Children's Home run by Broadlands Hall Limited in Suffolk

Good

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

p.2

The children’s home provision is good because:

 The children are happy. They make substantial progress from their respective starting points.  The core team of staff, working in the home for some years, know the children well and continue to build meaningful relationships with them.  Children’s ability to communicate improves dramatically. Those with speech add to their vocabulary, and their willingness to share their views and wishes increases.  All children attend school and make progress.  Input from the head teacher and teaching staff makes a significant positive difference to the overall experiences of the children.  Children follow a routine and have structure to their day. Staff prompt and persevere, when needed, to encourage responsibility and independence.  Children have fun. They are busy, and are involved in activities in the local community.  The recruitment of new staff ensures that there is less reliance on agency workers, which means that there is improving continuity of care for these

p.3

The children’s home provision is good because:

children.  Staff morale is much improved.  Improved supervision arrangements and clear staff induction mean that there is more consistency across the staff team.  Well-written placement plans and monthly reports mean that goals and outcomes are clearer.  All parents spoken to, including those with complaints, speak positively about their child’s progress.  External agencies, including those with specific concerns, provide positive feedback about children’s overall progress and experiences.  The registered manager has left. However, the new manager’s significant experience of working with children with autism and complex needs brings strength at a time of change.  One unreported incident in the home in December 2015 impacts on the protection of children.  The complaints and representation procedure is not effective.  The location risk assessment is not sufficiently robust.  Arrangements for staff appraisal are inconsistent.

p.3

The children’s home provision is good because:

 Additional duties added to the external quality assurance role compromise independence.  Some risk assessments are generic when they should be child specific.  Overall, practice does not take account of research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children with complex needs are best met.

p.4

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person 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 must comply with the given timescales.

p.5

Requirement Due date

The registered person must implement and follow the procedure for considering complaints made by or on behalf of children. In particular, the procedure must provide that no person who is the subject of a complaint takes any part in its consideration or investigation, except at the informal resolution stage if the registered person considers it appropriate. This is with specific reference to any complaints about the home’s manager and providing formal responses to complainants. (Regulation 39 (2)) 30 June 2016

p.5

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(c)) 30 June 2016

p.5

Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year, taking into account the requirement in regulation 12 (2)(c) (the protection of children standard) When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1)(2)) 30 June 2016

p.5

Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure that: (2)(b) the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. 30 June 2016

p.5

Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

p.5

Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person must: (2)(g)(i) demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on research and 30 September developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met, with specific reference to, but not exhaustively: autism, sexualised behaviours and attachment.

p.5

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person must appoint the independent person, and is ultimately responsible for making sure that an appointment does not give rise to a conflict of interests that would, or would appear to, compromise the ability of that person to reach a rigorous and impartial judgement of the quality of that home’s care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.6)

p.6

Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child, and the arrangements in place to protect them, with specific reference to ensuring that individualised assessments are completed when evaluating levels of supervision required for each child when settling for sleep. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

p.6

Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides care, accommodation and education for up to 11 young people with learning, emotional and behavioural difficulties. There is a large education building, also inspected by Ofsted, in the grounds of the home.

p.7

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.7

Recent inspection history

30 November 2015 Full Requires improvement

p.7

Recent inspection history

26 May 2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

p.7

Good

Each child accessing this service has unique and complex learning needs. Several have multiple diagnoses, including some from the autistic spectrum. This means that they see, feel and hear the world in a different way from many other people. As a result, the children receive one-to-one care, and two staff support some children. One member of staff said: ‘We all have a genuine interest in our children. We want them to thrive and achieve.’

p.8

Good

Many relatives and previous carers are in regular contact. One parent said: ‘I can’t fault the home in how they include us.’ Some visit frequently and others phone, often daily. When included in care planning, children visit family and many have overnight stays. Staff professionally and consistently support or facilitate contact, and occasionally go on holiday with the child and the family to make the experience possible for the child. One parent said: ‘They don’t have to do all these extra things but they do.’ Additionally, many families’ commitment and love of their child focuses staff to ensure that they hold individual placement planning goals in mind. This active network around each child reduces their vulnerability.

p.8

Good

Outcomes are tangible. For example, those with limited language speak in sentences. Children who did not previously initiate communication with others do so now. Physical health and well-being is improving, and all enjoy busy and active lives. One parent said: ‘95% of what they do is fantastic. We finally got him in the right place.’

p.8

Good

Some inconsistencies in approach continue. For example, some staff do not pass on information about external appointments in good time and this leads to new arrangements, although these examples are reducing. Overall, however, staff are working better together to prioritise progress.

p.8

Good

One child new to the home is settling in well. He is gaining confidence through increased participation in some group activities, such as garden games and day trips. A number of the children looked after for years have developed close and meaningful relationships with some staff who have worked at the home for a long time. Those children benefit from secure and trusting relationships with those staff. A family member said: ‘Since he has been there the staff have helped to make him the person that he is. Living in the home is the best thing. They have brought him on and done more than we would have been able to.’

p.8

Good

School attendance continues to be excellent. The children each have an individualised programme of work. They enjoy school and benefit from the skill, enthusiasm, and creativity of the headteacher and her staff. The school staff work with increasing levels of partnership with the care staff, which helps to embed the routine and improves opportunities for consistency across the day. The result is an improvement in overall education experiences for the children.

p.8

Good

Newly introduced expectations for the completion of homework focus the staff and help the children to practice a range of skills, which reflect their abilities. For example, some complete additional reading and others are supervised to practice life skills, such as cooking and household chores. These help to build confidence, raise self-esteem, and help to prepare for transitions. One child said: ‘Yes, I am getting better at reading.’

p.9

Good

Newly installed play equipment in the garden adds to the array of activities available within the expansive setting. Children have fun walking or cycling around the grounds. They access local resources, such as a swimming pool, the gym and horse riding. Photographs in and around the building show happy times from holidays and outings. Some colourful visual displays show how staff patiently engage with the children to help them. For example, there has been a display to help children to learn about cultural celebrations. This supports education and raises awareness of diversity.

p.9

Good

The physical accommodation is substantial and provides each child with generous personal space. This enables the children to progress through their daily routines without the need to wait for other children to finish. This reduces opportunities for frustration. A number of the freshly decorated bedrooms show how children have been able to express their individual preferences through colour and design. This helps them to feel comfortable, safe, valued and at home.

p.9

Good

Parents, professionals, and children spoken to say that the children are and feel safe. One parent fed back that her son said to her: ‘Mummy I feel happy.’ Staff spend a lot of time with the children and get to know their characteristics and unique ways. This helps staff to anticipate a number of situations day to day, and enables them to use rapport to redirect many potentially challenging situations. Rewards and incentives are used to good effect for some children who thrive from having a goal to work towards. The home is actively cultivating new working relationships with health professionals in the local area. This positive development enables qualified practitioners from other disciplines to provide understanding and guidance about behaviour management support for some of the children, which is an improvement. While overall the number of physical restraints in the home continues to be high, this is because some of the children hit out. More than two thirds relate to one

p.9

Good

child and for this individual overall, the intensity and frequency of incidents is reducing.

p.10

Good

The information held in records of incidents and interventions is much improved. They clearly detail the triggers and include staff’s reflections and, at times, the child’s view. This is good practice and avoids complacency. One member of staff said: ‘Restraint is only used as a last resort when all redirection and communication has broken down, and the situation has become dangerous for the child or the member of staff.’ This means that staff only physically intervene when it is necessary.

p.10

Good

The information held within, and the layout of, care plans has improved. The recording of information is much better. Monthly reports provide parents and professionals with detailed information summarising their child’s activity. Staff assess risk and complete written assessments. However, some sampled were generalised, rather than specific. This does not support clarity for staff on risk reduction in respect of promoting children’s safety.

p.10

Good

Day to day, the children do not go missing from this home or take themselves away without permission. However, in December 2015 one incident occurred in the late evening. One child opened a door, resulting in one other child leaving the building. The registered manager, who was on shift, did not report the incident. The child came to no harm, but the outcome could have been devastating. Furthermore, the failure of the registered manager to report the incident, to enable parents, professionals and other staff to work together to review the impact, represents a failure to meet the protection of children standard. When the incident came to light, the provider took some immediate corrective action, including ensuring, in line with fire regulations, that doors provide additional security. Staff say that the child managing to exit the building was a shock. Many say that the lessons learned have enabled them to take steps to ensure that procedure and

p.10

Good

practice, particularly in relation to the night time routine, are meticulous. One member of the team said: ‘From that one incident, we as a team have learned lots of other things.’ Judgement grade

p.10

Requires improvement

The former registered manager left in March 2016. There is a new manager. He is appropriately qualified, was previously registered with Ofsted, and has successfully led other homes in the group. This means that he brings significant relevant experience. He is not yet registered with Ofsted to manage this home.

p.11

Requires improvement

Some parents and two placing local authorities, while clear and positive on the progress that their respective children make, have raised issues with the senior managers. Documentation does not demonstrate that managers have effectively implemented the complaints and representations policy in respect of these issues. For example, records do not reflect a formal process or response. This means that not only is there no clear evidence of the effectiveness of the procedure, but there is no evidence that the lessons have been learned by the senior leaders.

p.11

Requires improvement

The home did not consistently have central heating across December 2015 and January 2016. The maintenance issues, which are now resolved, dragged on, resulting in staff using heaters for the children’s rooms. The boilers have been replaced, which means that the system is working. The registered provider accepts that the delay was not good enough. All staff represented say that, since then, the home’s manager ensures that any new maintenance issues are addressed quickly. This helps to ensure that the interior retains a homely feel. One member of staff said: ‘This is a large building and we all need to make sure that it feels like a home and not an institution.’

p.11

Requires improvement

The requirements from the last inspection have been met. For example, there is an improvement in the arrangements for, and delivery of, supervision. However, at the time of inspection, not all staff had had the opportunity of an annual appraisal. This does not enable all staff members to reflect on their role and record goals for ongoing professional development.

p.11

Requires improvement

There is a location risk assessment. The recent review was brief and lacked consultation. For example, the review did not take into account that one child had left the building without staff’s knowledge, and therefore it does not record the potential hazards from the home’s position. This does not ensure that all possible risk reduction measures are in place to safeguard children.

p.11

Requires improvement

While the arrangements for external monitoring are effective in identifying areas for improvement, a conflict of interest has arisen due to the expansion of the external monitoring role within the overall service. While arrangements benefit staff, this compromises independence, representing a shortfall in relation to the monthly checking of systems and processes in the home.

p.11

Requires improvement

The children using this service are adolescent boys. Opportunities for staff to attend training is improving. For example, many have attended training in child protection and managing sexualised behaviour. However, the impact of training fails to demonstrate that practice is informed, and is taking account of key messages from research and developments in areas such as autism, sexuality and attachment. This means that the managers and leaders have more to do for the upskilling of the staff team.

p.11

Requires improvement

There have been issues in this home and the responsible individual accepts that mistakes have been made. He has been taking steps to regain stakeholders’ confidence in the management of the service. A representative from an external agency summarised: ‘Overall there are so many positives. The managers are good at resolving issues when they know about them. But, what we want is for the issues not to develop.’

p.12

Requires improvement

Mindful of the challenges of leading a larger service, the manager has begun to implement, in partnership with others, changes to decor, recording, monitoring and staff supervision, all to improving effect. He says: ‘Bit by bit, I think that the staff have come to know that I will listen and that the things that they bring to my attention are acted on.’ All professionals and parents represented in this inspection spoke generously and confidently of his endeavours in a short time. Consistently staff across this inspection said: ‘He is making a difference by doing what he says he will.’

p.12

Requires improvement

Staff continue to work long hours and are in discussion with the provider about the rota. Meanwhile, morale has changed for the better. A recent positive change is that the senior members are on shift in addition to those staff working directly with the children. This helps with consistency and has a positive impact. It improves team working, is helping to ensure that records are up to date and that communication with stakeholders continues to improve. One member of staff said: ‘We get a lot of support from our seniors. It is invaluable especially when we are dealing with a difficult situation.’

p.12

Requires improvement

Over 75% of the current staff team have achieved, or are currently working towards, the required level 3 qualification. There are a number of newly appointed members of staff, which means that the reliance on agency workers has decreased in recent months. New staff contacted in this inspection, and their records, confirm that induction takes place and that the process helps them to become familiar and comfortable with the role. The home’s manager says: ‘We have recruited staff and I want them to stay with us, so I will ensure that they have a good steady induction and good support.’

p.12

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.13

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 children looked after 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.13

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.13

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.14

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.14

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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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.15

Information about this inspection

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

p.15

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.15

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.15