Children's home run by BREAK

Inspection report children’s home: SC400901 1 SC400901 Registered provider: Break

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered for up to six children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or physical disabilities and/or learning disabilities. The home provides two different services in the same building. Children are provided with a short-break scheme at the weekends and during school holidays. During term-time, the home provides boarding placements to children attending linked special schools.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Improved effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection

None Inspection report children’s home: SC400901 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 The staff set aspirational goals for the children. The children are achieving their goals and targets.  The children’s families are able to see the positive changes in their overall development.  The children are cared for by a passionate staff team that enables the children to thrive in an aspirational setting.  The relationships between the children and the staff are positive and warm.  The staff are creative in their de-escalation and distraction techniques in response to any challenging behaviour that the children present. This enables the staff to address unwanted behaviour calmly.  Key workers work closely with the children’s teachers and school staff. This includes observing the children in school to ensure that the children benefit from consistent approaches.  The staff work well to manage the children’s medical needs.  The staff work with the children to promote children’s safety in the community.

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Key findings from this inspection

This includes the use of individualised scripts that enable the children to recall the areas of concern.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 21/04/2016 Full Good 11/02/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 26/08/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC400901 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, the children who board weekly were having their stays. No children have started or stopped using the service since the last inspection. The home has very recently ceased opening on Sundays. One professional described how one child, because he is now going to school from his family home, now has a much longer journey to school on a Monday morning. This professional has negotiated a later start time with the school to enable the child to adjust to the change. The children, their families and the staff are still adapting to this very recent organisational change. The children benefit from living in a house that has a very homely feel and lots of space in which to play. The staff are extremely knowledgeable about the children’s preferences. This enables the staff to personalise each of the children’s bedrooms prior to their arrival. The children bring items such as their favourite toys to have with them

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

during their stays. The staff are familiar with the children’s routines and ensure that they use this knowledge to minimise any disruption or upset to the children during their stays. For example, the staff know that one child, on arrival, likes to sit in a particular area with a set number of cushions, and that another likes to use the sensory room in order to manage the emotions that he experiences during the transition from his school/family home. The observance of these individualised routines enables the children to start their stays in a positive way. This personal approach to care continues throughout the children’s stays and, when required, the staff follow similar routines at the end of the children’s stays. This promotes an equally positive end to the stays. The relationship between children and staff is very positive and full of warmth. The children have differing levels of need and ability. The staff set holistic aspirational and

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

developmental targets for each of the children, to enable them to improve their skills and abilities. These personalised targets in the children’s care and behaviour plans include areas such as healthier eating, increased engagement in activities and learning to eat with the other children. These targets are set with the ambition that, when achieved, the skills/knowledge gained will assist the children when they are at home with their families or out socially. The staff address challenging behaviours calmly with the children. The staff use books and others materials to minimise specific areas of concern. For example, a child who keeps hitting out at other children and the staff was reading a book, with a staff member, that focuses on what hands should be used for. The child sat on the staff member’s lap and was engrossed in the story. The child said, ‘Hands are not for hitting’ and suggested alternatives such as, ‘They can be used for eating, they can be used for

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

waving.’ These strategies are proving successful in reducing the levels of negative behaviours. The children have exceptionally high levels of school attendance. The staff work closely with the school staff to ensure that the children receive consistent approaches to their learning and care. This includes the staff observing the children at their schools. This Inspection report children’s home: SC400901 4 enables the staff to incorporate any lessons learned from their observations into the children’s care and behaviour management plans and to share these findings with parents and carers. The children participate in a wide range of extra-curricular activities in the community. These include attending activity clubs, going to parks and going swimming. During the inspection, the staff gave the children the choice of attending their weekly youth club or going to the circus the following evening. The children were excited about going to the

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

circus and decided to miss the youth club on that one evening. The discussion and decision-making process about the circus demonstrates the children’s ongoing involvement in their choice of activities. The key workers coordinate the children’s medical appointments to ensure that the children attend all of their regular and specialist appointments. One child, who was extremely overweight, has lost weight due to the involvement of a dietician alongside healthier eating and the staff increasing his levels of exercise. The staff encourage the child’s family to increase the child’s level of activities at home, to ensure that he benefits from a consistent approach to his health needs. Work on increasing the children’s level of independence commences from the point that they start using the service. This includes involving the children in routines such as washing up and laying the table, as it would in many family homes. A family member

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

said, ‘He [child] is motivated and encouraged to dress himself and do things for himself. He doesn’t like mess, so at home [if he makes a mess on his t-shirt] he will just go and get a clean one and try and put it on.’ A parent spoke about her initial anxiety when her child commenced having stays. She said, ‘When he started it was a bit worrying as he has never left me, but he loves it.’

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

The staff complete the children’s risk assessments in a way that both protects the children yet allows them to safely increase their level of risk taking/exploration. This mirrors the way that families gradually build children’s levels of independence. Staff always supervise the children and, therefore, the children do not go missing from the home. The staff are fully aware of the procedures to follow should this occur. The staff have a quick reference file that contains the children’s pictures and personal details. These files are available for the staff to give to the police should a child ever go missing. The staff use ‘scripts’ with the children to ensure that the children recognise dangers. These are individualised in content and approach. For example, when preparing for a trip to the park, one child could be heard repeating, ‘No talking to strangers, no running off and no touching dogs.’ These ‘scripts’ are changed and updated as needed.

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

The use of physical intervention is low. A staff member described how one of the children had initially needed to be held quite regularly. She said, ‘He [child] was using it to feel contained and safe. Now he does not need it as he knows he is safe.’ The child’s parent said, ‘He is not as aggressive. He has calmed down a lot, so being there is really helping him.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC400901 5 The staff are effective in working with the children to help them to manage challenging behaviours. The staff track and monitor the occurrences to identify any patterns or triggers. The most identified trigger is the change to the children’s routines. The staff liaise with families and professionals to identify strategies that can minimise these changes. The example of the staff creating consistent routines for the arrival of children who have issues around transitions has led to one child, who needed to be physically

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

held during each stay, only needing one physical intervention in six months. The staff are knowledgeable about their safeguarding duties and are able to describe how they would address any safeguarding concerns. A recent event highlighted that the team of bank staff would benefit from revisiting the process to be followed. The manager has commenced this as part of the bank staff’s supervision sessions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has been in post for several years and she holds the relevant qualifications. The manager and the staff ensure that the children’s targets and goals are both achievable and aspirational. These targets are individualised and are monitored routinely for progress. This enables clear evidencing of the progress that each child is making, both incrementally and overall. Since the last inspection, one staff member has left. There have been no new starters. Many of the staff have worked at the home for a number of years. They are encouraged to take on additional areas of responsibility to develop their skills further. The staff receive the organisation’s mandatory training and they undertake refresher courses at the required intervals. This allows the staff to work with current knowledge and research. The staff enjoy their work. One staff member said, ‘I love it here. I really enjoy it and I get out of bed with a spring in my step.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management structure in the home ensures that staff benefit from regular and supportive supervision. The staff report that they are able to approach the manager and the senior staff both formally and informally. This enables the staff to work in a supportive environment. The manager has a very good understanding of the home’s strengths and weaknesses. She continually seeks to develop the service by identifying areas for improvement. Once something is identified as in need of improvement or change, the manager and the staff team explore the ways that the improvements can be made. An example of this is the children’s transitions into and on from the home. These transitions are now managed more effectively for those children who struggle with the changes from home to school/family home. There were no requirements or recommendations made at the last inspection. The home is meeting the objectives for the weekly boarders and the children who have short stays

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

as described in its statement of purpose. Parents and professionals are very positive about how the manager and the staff team work in partnership with them. Their comments include: Inspection report children’s home: SC400901 6  ‘They [the staff] are very obliging. They come to all the meetings, take on board any advice or requests and they have a good understanding of [the child]. They clearly think fondly of him. I feel very fortunate to work with them.’  ‘They [staff] are working with me really well.’  ‘I would reassure other parents [considering using the home] that there is no need to be worried. They [staff] care for the children and work to understand them. They know the children’s likes and dislikes.’

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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: SC400901 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Break, Spar Road, Norwich NR6 6BX

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Inspector

Sonia Hay, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC400901 8 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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