Children's home run by Norfolk County Council in Norwich

Inspection report children’s home: SC065883 1 SC065883 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

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

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 31 August to 1 September 2017

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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: good

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Key findings from this inspection

 The children and their families benefit from well organised and enjoyable short breaks.  Professionals and families consistently provide good feedback about the quality Inspection report children’s home: SC065883 2 of the service.  The management team and staff know the children well. They are child centred. Planning decisions about which children attend the service, and the groups of children that attend at the same time, are effective.  The children engage in a range of leisure activities, some of which they would not otherwise experience.  The staff and managers are active participants when children are subject to child protection plans.  The management team and staff routinely consult with children.

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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 response to the issues identified in the fire risk assessment has not been timely.  The home’s recruitment records lack sufficient depth.  The staff are not consistently completing training within the timeframes that the organisation expects. Two members of staff have not completed their level 3 qualification within the timescale required by regulation.  Risk assessments do not consider risks relating to the use of the internet.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 05/10/2016 Full Good 30/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 25/11/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC065883 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This is with particular regard to ensuring that the issues identified in the fire risk assessment are fully addressed, and that health and safety checks relating to legionella are robust. 15/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification, the level 3 diploma for residential childcare (England) (‘the level 3 diploma’), or a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the level 3 diploma, by the relevant date. (Regulation 32 (4)(5)) 31/03/2018

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Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Recommendations

This is with particular regard to ensuring that risk assessments consider risks relating to the use of the internet.  The registered person should 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 ensuring that staff are able to access training courses within the organisation’s self-identified timeframes.  The use of external agency staff can be a positive choice to complement the skills Inspection report children’s home: SC065883 4 and experiences of the permanent workforce. Any external agency staff should meet the requirements in regulation 32(4) regarding mandatory qualifications and the registered person should consider their skills, qualifications and any induction necessary before they commence work in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.16)

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Recommendations

In particular, with regard to agency staff, records should clearly demonstrate compliance with the requirements in Schedule 2 of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015.  As set out in regulations 31-33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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Recommendations

This is with particular regard to ensuring that checks relating to the reasons for staff ceasing prior employment with children or vulnerable adults are explored effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents and carers speak with consistent positivity about the quality of the service that their children receive. They speak of strong communication. A parent said, ‘All of the staff know him [child] well. They are pleased to see him. They are all fairly tuned in to him. There are some who know him better than others. As parents, we are confident that there is always someone here who knows him really well.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents and professionals emphasise the confidence that they have in the staff and the management team. They are clear that their children enjoy attending the service. Observations of children during the inspection reinforces this message. As a result, parents receive a break while their children enjoy the service. A professional said, ‘They [managers] are very approachable. They go out of their way to make any changes. They are very knowledgeable. Although they are at the management level, the focus is very much on the child. They are always looking at how the resource can meet the needs of the child.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff and children have good relationships. Observations of the children and the staff showed them getting on well. Despite the children only being in the home for short periods, the staff know them well. The children are comfortable in the presence of staff and vice versa.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff work with parents, children and professionals to identify individual goals for the children. Parents and professionals report that children make progress in a variety of ways. Some of the children make progress in managing their feelings. They make progress in managing social anxiety. One social worker said, ‘I think, in terms of her Inspection report children’s home: SC065883 5 social confidence, this has really improved. She [now] enjoys friendships and really looks forward to this. At school they say that they always know when she is coming [to the home] as she is so excited beforehand.’ Other children make progress with their independence skills. A parent said, ‘They make progress. They are more eager to help out, such as put things away. The skills like putting away from the table, stripping the bed and life skills are improving, and the support has been good.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff and managers work with the children to ensure that they understand the children’s likes and dislikes. The staff consult with the children about day-to-day issues, as well as involving them in larger decisions such as staff recruitment and holidays. This approach reinforces the message that what the children think and feel is important. This contributes to increases in the children’s communication skills, self-esteem and self- confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children participate in a wide range of activities. Parents speak highly of the variety of leisure pursuits available. These include activities that the children may not have previously experienced. The children have recently been on outings, camping and on boat trips. Parents and professionals say that the children enjoy these opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children benefit from well-organised introductions to the service. These introductions result in consistently successful transitions. This is particularly important given the level of anxiety that some of the children and their families feel in advance of accessing the service. The staff and managers work hard to lessen that anxiety. One parent spoke of the effect this had on his family. It enabled the family to have a mental as well as physical break. The parent said, ‘We are now confident enough not to keep hassling them [staff]. They do a really good job. We get a break, and he enjoys it and is safe.’

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

The staff and managers have a good understanding of the risks that the children face. They know the children well and understand how they communicate. The staff are alert to indications that something may be amiss. A social worker said, ‘They [staff] know her extremely well. They would know [if there were safeguarding concerns] by her mood and behaviour, if she was unwell or unhappy. They have noted her biting at her fingernails and this indicated things were not well at home.’ A parent said, ‘As parents we are confident that there is always someone here who knows him really well.’

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

The staff work with children, families and professionals to support the children to develop skills that increase the potential for them to stay safe. A social worker said, ‘The staff work really hard to get her to understand that she can say no.’

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

The staff and managers are not risk-averse. They see the benefits of children being able to experience new things and take measured risks. This contributes to a culture in which the children who are receiving short breaks participate in activities that they would not otherwise be able to undertake. This assists in ensuring that the short-break experience is centred on the needs of the child as much as the needs of family carers. Inspection report children’s home: SC065883 6 The staff work consistently with the children, and they maintain consistency even when the children receive a variety of services. This results in stability and emotional security, and contributes to there being few significant behavioural incidents at the service. The staff support the children without routine recourse to sanctions. When consequences are imposed on children, they are proportionate and reflect the child’s needs and abilities.

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

The staff rarely use physical interventions to manage the behaviour of the children. When physical interventions are necessary, they are minimal. The manager monitors incidents and undertakes debriefings with the staff.

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

Risk assessments are generally thorough. However, at present, risk assessments do not consider the risks or benefits associated with children being able to access the internet. No children have gone missing from the service. Although the fact that all of the children have a learning difficulty means they are at greater risk of child sexual exploitation, there are no children who are considered to be experiencing this at this time. The potential risk of child sexual exploitation is considered in individual risk assessments.

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

The staff and managers are active participants when children are subject to child protection plans. The staff attend core groups and case conferences. Professionals are impressed with their contributions. One professional said, ‘They are really honest and open. They are very clear if there have been any concerns. They share those openly.’

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

An external agency has completed a fire risk assessment. Although the assessment concluded that the risk of fire is low and the risk to life is tolerable, it also included a range of actions that should have been completed within a month. These actions have not all been completed and there is no current timescale for this to happen. This leaves children and staff exposed to an identified risk. This risk is somewhat mitigated by the actions that the home routinely follows. For example, regular fire drills take place and each child has an up-to-date personal emergency evacuation plan. These plans are informed by the children taking part in fire drills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A permanent suitably experienced and qualified registered manager effectively and efficiently manages the home. An equally experienced deputy manager ably supports her. Both are respected by staff, professionals and families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers are child centred. Planning decisions about which children attend the service, and the mix of children who have a short break at the same time, are effective. Parents, professionals and staff report that the groupings of children work well. They report that there are sufficient staff to meet the needs of the children. A parent said, ‘They are mindful of group dynamics. They know that there are some [children] who would not mix.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The children engage in a range of local activities. They access local shops and local leisure facilities. There are numerous recent photo displays of children engaging in activities. The staff compile individual journey books that capture the variety of outings Inspection report children’s home: SC065883 7 and activities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers have a generally good understanding of the needs and plans for the children. This understanding inevitably varies dependent on the level of need and the nature of the plan. For example, the management team has a thorough understanding of the needs of children who are subject of a child protection plan.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff receive effective supervision. The frequency of supervision has improved. The staff say that this is regular and that it is supportive. The staff consider the management team to be approachable and accessible. Regular team meetings take place. In addition, mini team meetings also take place. The staff feel that these meetings have contributed to improving morale in the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff have access to a range of training courses. These include training in physical interventions, safeguarding children who have disabilities and communicating with children who have disabilities. However, there are a number of areas in which the staff have not been retrained within the organisation’s self-imposed timescale. In addition, two relief members of staff have not achieved a relevant level 3 qualification required by regulation within the requisite timeframe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An independent person visits the home monthly. These visits provide challenge to the service. Recently, the timeliness of the submission of these monitoring reports to Ofsted has considerably improved. This enables more effective monitoring of the service by Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from families and professionals highlights the consistent care that children receive. This consistency is a key contributor to the effectiveness of the service and the progress that children make. Professionals value the input and expertise of the service. One professional stated, ‘They [staff] are always available. They get back to you. They are good listeners. They have a good knowledge base around autism. We have gained from [the service’s] knowledge.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The recruitment process is generally appropriate. However, records are not sufficiently clear in relation to agency staff. Since the last inspection, agency nursing staff were used to support one child. While the manager sought assurance regarding the checks on the staff undertaken by the agencies, the recruitment records do not evidence this. This shortcoming was mitigated by the assertion that the agency staff were not left alone with children, were already known to the child, and only visited to carry out specific nursing tasks. In addition, the records of the recruitment of permanent staff did not clearly capture the efforts made to ascertain the reasons why individuals have left previous employment with children or vulnerable adults. This does not safeguard children as far as is reasonably practical.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC065883 8 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: SC065883 9

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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: SC065883 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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