Children's home run by Suffolk County Council in Ipswich

Inspection report children's home: SC038761 1 SC038761 Registered provider: Suffolk County Council

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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 owns and maintains the home. It provides long-term care and accommodation for up to six children aged between 11 and 17 years who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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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: sustained effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 The children are encouraged and supported to take part in a wide variety of activities, both at the home and in the community.  Staff understand the importance of education and actively support the children Inspection report children's home: SC038761 2 to attend.  The staff understand the importance of and facilitate family contact for the children.  The children recognise the progress that they have made while they have lived at the home. They know that the staff are proud of them.  Children are consulted in many ways. The staff listen to and act on the children’s wishes and feelings.  The children know how to complain, and they have access to an advocate.  The children have positive relationships with a staff team that knows and understands their individual needs.  The staff are consistent in setting boundaries and challenging unwanted behaviours.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

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Key findings from this inspection

 The staff need to ensure that they speak to both the victim and perpetrator following an incident of bullying.  The children’s guide does not include the day-to-day routine of the home or the contact numbers of individual people or organisations in the event that the children do not wish to speak to the staff about a concern.  The staff set targets for children but these are difficult to monitor, which means that the children may not be fully involved or understand their plans and goals.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 05/07/2016 Full Good 02/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 30/06/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children's home: SC038761 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

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on mutual respect and trust, an understanding about acceptable behaviour and positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11(1)(a)(b)(2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This is in particular reference to staff speaking to both the victim and perpetrator following an incident of bullying. 10/10/2017

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Recommendations

 The children’s guide should help children understand the day-to-day routines of the home, the care that they can expect to receive while living at the home, and how to contact other agencies such as the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.22)  Children should be encouraged by staff to see the home’s records as ‘living documents’ supporting them to view and contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.19)

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Inspection judgements

Inspection report children's home: SC038761 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A stable and dedicated staff team supports the children to make progress. Regularly reviewed and updated individual placement plans guide the staff to work with the children in a consistent manner. The staff are proud of the children’s achievements and celebrate these with them. A child commented, ‘I have come a long way since moving here.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff have a good understanding of why the children are in care. They know the children’s needs plans. The older children who were spoken to during the inspection understand why they are in care and their plans for the future. The staff work with the children to help them to reach this understanding. A child said, ‘I know why I’m in care and it’s ok, I have come to terms with it.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff see education as an important part of the children’s daily life, and they actively support and encourage the children to attend. The majority of the children were out of education prior to coming to the home. Each child now has very high attendance, with most at 100%. The staff are clearly proud of them. One child said, ‘I have just completed my level 1 in hair and beauty, and I’m going back next year to do level 2. I have 100% attendance because I love going.’ Another child said, ‘I never attended education before I came here. The staff sorted out a one-to-one tutor away from the house and I absolutely loved it. I have just sat my GCSEs. Staff have told me how proud they are of me, and I’m really proud of myself.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have regular key-work sessions that cover a wide variety of topics. The sessions help and support the children to look at behaviours, as well as issues that affect them day to day or things that are worrying them. The staff record any required follow- up action. The children do not sign or comment after every session, but they are involved with writing and commenting on a monthly review of key-work sessions. The manager said, ‘Sometimes, especially after a difficult session, the children will just sign so they can leave. By reviewing the records monthly, they have had the opportunity to think about the sessions and they can revisit the discussions if necessary.’ A child said, ‘My key workers do everything to help me.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff recognise the children’s achievements and celebrate these with them. The staff make individual certificates which are put up on the children’s noticeboard, and the achievements are commented on during house meetings and key-work sessions. This acknowledgement shows the children that they are valued, and that the staff recognise when they have done well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One of the children recently wrote a book about what it is like to be in care. The local amateur dramatics society, along with the child, has adapted this into a play which will be performed over three nights at the local theatre. The staff and the child are very proud of this achievement, and all of the staff and the children will be attending the Inspection report children's home: SC038761 5 production.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All of the children are registered with the local doctor, dentist and optician. The staff support the children to attend routine health appointments along with any other health assessments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are regular house meetings during which the children can discuss any worries or concerns and what has gone well, and plan activities and purchases for the house. The manager responds in writing to any requests made by the children. This shows the children that staff listen to their wishes and views and take them into account.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff provide the children with a wide variety of activities, both at the home and in the community. This gives the children the opportunity to build and maintain friendships with their peers. The deputy manager fund-raises for the home and makes applications for funding to charities. She has received several grants which have been put towards new experiences for the children, such as horse riding and archery. The children are due to go on holiday, and they said that they are looking forward to this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are encouraged and supported to develop their independence in line with their age, understanding and ability. Two of the children have part-time jobs, and they budget and cook with staff. A member of staff commented, ‘It is important that the children learn independence and how to manage risks to support them when they move on from us.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff understand the importance of contact between the children, their families and the other important people in their lives. The staff facilitate contact in line with the children’s care plans. The staff have met with the families of the children’s boyfriends or girlfriends, to support the children to develop safe relationships. A social worker said, ‘The staff go above and beyond to keep him [child] safe, [for example] meeting his girlfriend’s parents and having good communication with them.’ The staff act as a good parent would.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have individual targets but these are difficult to follow and monitor, meaning that the children may not understand the targets set and how to work towards them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The key workers meet with a clinician on a six-weekly basis in order to look at individual behaviours and strategies for working with the children. These strategies are incorporated into the children’s plans to support all of the staff who work with the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is a comprehensive child-centred children’s guide that the children have been involved in compiling. However, it does not explain the day-to-day routine or give the contact numbers for children to use if they wish to complain to someone external to the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is decorated to a good standard. It has recently been redecorated and the Inspection report children's home: SC038761 6 children were fully involved in choosing the decor and furnishings. There are photos around the house of staff and children on activities, which give the home a warm, nurturing feel. A social worker said, ‘The house is really homely. The children have a good relationship with staff, which you can tell when you visit. The children will always say hello and offer you a cup of tea.’ A parent commented, ‘I have visited the home. It’s lovely and feels really homely.’

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

The staff challenge unwanted behaviours and reinforce boundaries. A social worker said, ‘He [child] can get angry really quickly but the staff have supported him to reflect, which has worked well.’ A child said, ‘I used to kick off but I have grown up a lot.’ During the inspection, good interactions were observed between the staff and children, who appeared relaxed and engaged.

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

The staff have used 53 sanctions since the last inspection. These sanctions are fair and proportionate. The manager evaluates each sanction to ensure that the consequence is effective. The children comment and sign the records to say that they understand the reason for the sanction. There has been a significant decrease in the number of sanctions since one child has left the home.

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

Comprehensive and regularly reviewed risk assessments outline the risks and the strategies for managing challenging or risk-taking behaviours safely. The children are involved in compiling their safety plans, and they sign and comment on them. This shows that the children understand potential risks and how they can work with staff to reduce these risks.

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

The location risk assessment outlines potential risks in the area and actions for risk reduction. The manager has consulted the police and incorporated the information about local risks into the assessment. This safeguards the children.

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

The children say that they feel safe living at the home. When a child was asked what made him feel safe he commented, ‘The staff always ask where you’re going and when you will be back. They check that I have my phone and it’s charged. It’s what my mum would do.’

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

The staff report any safeguarding concerns to the designated officer and follow any resulting advice. The manager attends monthly meetings with other providers, the police, the youth offending service and health and education professionals to look at safeguarding patterns and trends in the area, and to share information and implement strategies. This further safeguards the children and builds relationships with a range of professionals.

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

There have been five incidents of children going missing from the home since the last full inspection and no incidents since the interim inspection. All of the children have an individual protocol which the manager shares with the social worker and police, and Inspection report children's home: SC038761 7 reissues following review and amendment. All of the children receive a return-to-home interview when they have been missing.

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

There have been eight incidents of bullying behaviours since the last full inspection. Staff record each incident and the conversation with the perpetrator. However, they do not always speak to the victim to ensure that they are happy with the action taken.

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

The staff understand the impact that children moving into and out of the home can have on the group, and inform them of any potential new admissions. The manager undertakes an impact risk assessment as part of the referral process to ensure that the children are well matched.

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

The children know how to complain. They complete ‘We want you to know’ forms on which they write any complaints or grumbles that they may have. The manager responds to the children in writing and they have the opportunity to comment and sign to say that they are happy with the outcome. There have been 13 entries since the last full inspection. The children say that they like using these forms and use them to have a grumble. This means that issues can be dealt with to the satisfaction of children without them having to use a formal complaints route if they do not wish to.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has been in post since September 2016. She holds a relevant level 4 and level 5 qualification. The manager has a clear vision for the home and recognises the strengths and the areas that she would like to develop. The staff say that they feel supported by her and are involved in the running of the home. The manager has met the one requirement and two recommendations that were set at the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff have good insight into the children’s needs and behaviours and treat them as individuals. The children are treated with dignity and respect. During the inspection the staff were observed using appropriate banter with the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is good communication between the staff, social workers and parents. A social worker said, ‘Communication is good and I’m kept updated. I have good quality and informative monthly reports.’ A parent said, ‘The staff always keep me updated. They are brilliant at keeping in touch.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff have completed their mandatory training and they hold or are in the process of undertaking the required level 3 diploma. The staff receive regular good quality supervision which they say is supportive in working with the children and identifying their professional development needs. Regular staff meetings provide positive forums to discuss the children’s care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring is robust. The management team completes weekly, monthly and quarterly checks and reviews. The manager has implemented a new system to make it easier to Inspection report children's home: SC038761 8 monitor children’s progress. The independent visitor provides good quality monitoring reports that help the manager to identify and work on areas for improvement.

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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 differences 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 whom 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: SC038761 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Suffolk County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Endeavour House, Russell Road, Ipswich IP1 2BX

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Inspector

Trish Palmer, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC038761 10 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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