Children's home run by Norfolk County Council in Norwich

Inspection report children’s home: SC450045 1 SC450045 Registered provider: Norfolk County Council Children’s Services

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A local authority runs the home. It is registered to care for up to six children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is a crisis intervention, assessment and reunification service.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home requires improvement to be good because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 There are a number of areas of practice that need further improvement. Inspection report children’s home: SC450045 2 Although the acting manager has quickly established a clear and effective approach, which has contributed to improvements in the service, these changes will need time to embed and be fully realised.  In one instance, leaders and managers did not challenge a plan that may unduly restrict a child’s liberty.  Some managerial tasks have not been completed in line with regulatory requirements. The statement of purpose has not been updated to reflect managerial changes.  The location risk assessment has not been updated to reflect changes to the risks around the location.  Reports completed by the independent person are not submitted to Ofsted in a timely manner.  Some medication arrangements are not robust enough.  Some of the guidance that is available to staff in the home is significantly out of

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Key findings from this inspection

date. This includes key statutory guidance.

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Key findings from this inspection

 There is evidence that children are making progress because of the support that they receive.  Safeguarding practice is good. Individual and group risk assessments are in place.  There are good relationships with external professionals including the police, social workers and education providers.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 22/06/2016 Full Requires improvement 16/10/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 10/06/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC450045 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet 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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff— seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs. (Regulation 5(b)) In particular, ensure that when a plan may constitute a deprivation of liberty, this is promptly explored with the placing authority. 15/06/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it. (Regulation 16(3)(a)) 15/06/2017

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to HMCI. (Regulation 44(7)(a)) 30/06/2017

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Recommendations

 Ensure that arrangements to manage medication are suitable. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15) This is with particular regard to strengthening the process when taking emergency medication off-site.  Ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills to recognise and be alert for any signs that might indicate a child is in any way at risk of harm. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.12) This is with particular regard to ensuring that out-of-date guidance is replaced with up-to-date guidance and instances when records suggest gaps in staff knowledge are recognised and responded to.  Ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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Recommendations

This is with particular regard to training and guidance in supervising contact. Inspection report children’s home: SC450045 4  Ensure that the home’s location assessment is kept under review and amended to take into account any new risks as these are identified. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1) This is with particular regard to the building work on surrounding areas.

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improvement to be good

The quality of the provision has improved since the last full inspection. However, further improvement is necessary to ensure that children receive a consistently good service. The children and the staff have experienced significant managerial changes. While it is important to recognise that some of these changes could not have been predicted, it is equally important to recognise that this period of change and uncertainty has had an impact on the staff team’s confidence and the organisation’s ability to implement and sustain positive changes. The impact of the service varies for each child. Some children are making progress in relation to their education, others in their behaviour. One child has recently re-entered education after a significant period out of education. His social worker cites this as a significant improvement. Another child did not attend school when he arrived at the home and has been supported to apply for an apprenticeship. This has been as a result

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improvement to be good

of the proactive approach of the staff in the home. The child’s social worker said, ‘They [staff] have her in an apprenticeship and this is awesome. The staff there took the initiative. They have done this off their own backs.’ The children speak positively about the staff. They have strong relationships with the new management team. The staff speak knowledgably about the children’s needs and experiences. Two of the children cite the staff as being the best thing about the home. The children report that the staff listen to them and are interested in their thoughts and opinions. The staff encourage the children to develop their independence. The children are able to access a range of activities. This includes skateboarding, football, clubs, and climbing activities. The staff are aware of the children’s likes and dislikes. They encourage engagement and activities. There are relatively few incidents. However, there has been an increase in call-outs to

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improvement to be good

the police. The police report that these were appropriate and that they have no concerns regarding the way in which the staff manage behaviour or the appropriateness of the call-out. This positive relationship with the police allows for engagement without unnecessary criminalisation. The process for managing medication that needs to be taken out of the home is not robust. There is no record to show that staff take emergency medication with them when children go out on activities, or to show that it has been returned after the activity. The approach does not allow management monitoring to take place to ensure that this Inspection report children’s home: SC450045 5 significant risk is sufficiently mitigated. The service supports children to have contact with their families. This is often in the form of supervising such contact. Despite this, the staff have not received any training from the service about undertaking contact supervision. This leaves staff with potential

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The children report that they feel safe in the home. The professionals who support them echo this. The children are able to identify someone with whom they feel that they can discuss concerns or worries. The children say that the staff listen to them and act on their comments. The children have full risk assessments in place. The acting manager oversees the completion of the risk assessments and monitors them to ensure that they are up to date. The staff report that this has led to improvements in the quality of the information available to them. This increases staff’s understanding of the risks associated with the children and the actions that they are expected to take to address them. When children go missing, the staff follow the agreed plans. The police report that the staff act appropriately. A police officer stated, ‘If there are missing from home issues, we have multi-agency meetings. We have a good working relationship all the way through

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

to address the issues.’ When plans need to change, the acting manager facilitates this. A social worker said, ‘We have been able to work in collaboration with one another to make sure that his [child’s] needs are met and that the changes are sustainable. They [staff] have been very much part of the planning and they offer solutions. They have managed the situation really well. They [staff] have managed to negotiate in a safe way to ensure that his [child’s] voice has been listened to, but that he is safe at the same time.’ The children report that behaviour and discipline is well managed. The staff manage children’s behaviour without recourse to physical intervention. There have been no incidents of physical restraint since the last inspection. There have been very few consequences imposed. However, there has been a recent increase in the number of calls made to the police. Despite this, there is a clear effort to engage with children on a

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

restorative basis. A social worker said, ‘She [child] can be very difficult and very challenging. Things can escalate very rapidly. The staff have dealt with her really, really well. They bring her back down and enter into restorative approaches.’ When the applied consequence could have been avoided, the acting manager has drawn attention to this and provided staff with guidance to develop their practice. The children say that bullying is not an issue in the home. The staffing levels allow close supervision of the children and interactions are managed and monitored. Regular fire tests and drills have been carried out. A location risk assessment is in place. However, this has not been updated to reflect recent changes in the risks relating to building work next to the home. As a result, these issues have not been fully considered or responded to. Inspection report children’s home: SC450045 6

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

An acting manager with considerable experience has been overseeing the home since February 2017. A newly appointed senior member of staff now supports her. The staff report improvements in the management of the home over the last six months. However, the home is without a registered manager, and has been since December 2016. Since the last full inspection, the staff and children have experienced considerable managerial turbulence. This has affected staff’s confidence and consistency in practice. In addition, until very recently, the senior post was vacant. As the senior is effectively the deputy manager position, this has had a further impact on the home’s capacity to improve. The mix of children living in the home frequently changes because of the emergency nature of the service. The staff and management are sensitive to the need to ensure good groupings. They complete group dynamic risk assessments prior to children being

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

admitted. These consider the impact on the existing group of children. The children report that staff know and understand them. One child said about staff, ‘They listen. They know now what I am about.’ One child has recently begun to formally contribute to staff meetings and individual staff members’ supervisions. The staff report that this has been a particularly positive experience. Most children make progress because of the support that they receive. Some achieve a reduction in missing from home incidents. Others have increased their engagement in education. Managers have an understanding of the plans in place and the progress that children are making to meet their goals. There are regular staff meetings. The staff report that morale is improving. They say that they feel supported and well managed. All of the eligible staff have attained appropriate qualifications or are working towards them. The staff are up to date with

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

child protection and physical intervention training. The frequency of supervision is improving. The acting manager has completed a monitoring report on the quality of care. This is realistic, reflecting some of the challenges that the service has experienced. Each month an independent person visits the service and completes a report. However, the monthly reports are not submitted to Ofsted in a timely manner. This affects Ofsted’s ability to monitor and regulate the service effectively, causing potential delays in following up areas of concern. The quality of case records is generally good. However, internal monitoring has not identified some questionable entries relating to child sexual exploitation and sexuality. In addition, there are numerous examples of out-of-date guidance pinned to the walls of the building. This increases the risk of staff referring to outdated documentation. The staffing levels are sufficient and have increased to reflect the assessed needs of the

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

children. This has contributed to staff feeling that there are adequate resources to meet the children’s individual needs. However, the statement of purpose has not been Inspection report children’s home: SC450045 7 updated to reflect the changes to the managerial arrangements in the home. Feedback from external professionals is generally positive. The home has good relationships with teachers and social workers. The management team challenges the local authority when it feels that children’s plans are not progressing. However, one child has, since his arrival in the home, had his free time restricted to the extent that this amounts to a deprivation of liberty. While the intention of the restriction is to safeguard the child, a children’s home cannot routinely deprive a child of their liberty. In addition, the approach is incongruent with the plan for the child to return home, when free time will not be restricted. The acting manager acknowledges that, on reflection, this should

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, 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’. Inspection report children’s home: SC450045 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Norfolk County Council, Chief Executives, County Hall, Martineau Lane, Norwich NR1 2DH

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Inspector

Ashley Hinson, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC450045 9 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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