Children's Home run by Norfolk County Council in Norfolk

Inspection report children’s home: SC463902 1 SC463902 Registered provider: Norfolk County Council Children’s Services

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This local authority-owned home offers flexible-term care and assessment for up to four children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 19 to 20 September 2017

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

p.1

outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

p.1

outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

p.1

outstanding

Date of last inspection: 24 January 2017

p.1

outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: Improved effectiveness

p.1

Enforcement action since last inspection:

None Inspection report children’s home: SC463902 2

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is outstanding because:

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 Staff know the children’s needs remarkably well. Consequently, children make exceptional progress at this home.  Excellent pre-admission assessments are used to develop a plan for children when they arrive at the home.  Children’s care plans are highly individualised. The plans are devised from research-based assessments of the children’s needs.  The atmosphere in the home is warm, friendly and relaxed. The home is very well decorated.  A clinical psychotherapist supports the staff. He helps them to better understand the children and devise more effective ways for them to engage with the children.  There has been a significant reduction in offending behaviour.  Children, some of whom have not been attending school regularly before they moved to the home, have reintegrated into education provisions.  Targeted key-work sessions help the children to make excellent progress.  The risks for children who have previously gone missing reduce because of the

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

help and care that they receive at the home.  There are excellent working relationships with placing social workers, which help to provide consistent and highly effective care for the children.  Children have excellent relationships with staff because of the high-quality care that they receive.

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 20/09/2016 Full Outstanding 27/01/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 09/09/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC463902 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The manager uses excellent theory-based pre-admission assessments to develop a plan for children when they arrive at the home. The assessments provide the information needed to ensure that staff have the necessary skills and confidence to meet the children’s needs effectively. For example, one child arrived in a planned way from an emergency residential placement. This placement had not met the child’s needs and they had not settled. Their behaviour had started to deteriorate when the planned move occurred. Since living at this home, the child has been calm, their missing-from-care incidents have significantly reduced and they have started to tentatively build relationships with the staff.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children make exceptional progress because they live at this home. Staff know and understand the children’s needs remarkably well. This is because the staff work with extremely well-written care plans. The children’s plans are individualised and focused on specific targets and objectives. These plans contain information from carefully devised assessments of the children’s needs. The evaluations of the children’s plans are based on research-based theories that help to guide the staff effectively. Excellent planning helps the children to settle quickly into life at the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home is relaxed and very well decorated. The children’s rooms are personalised, and they have a sense of pride in their home. Inspirational quotes on posters and paintings, murals and pictures help to build this feeling of homeliness. The atmosphere is warm and friendly, and there is a good deal of humour in the interactions between the children and the staff. Staff talk with warmth about their aspirations for the children.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff prepare healthy home-cooked meals, and take pride in the presentation of the food on the plate. Children sit at the table to eat their meals, which prompts friendly discussions and enjoyment of each other’s company.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff use the input of a clinical psychotherapist, who meets with the staff to help them better understand and devise innovative ways to engage with the children. The information from these meetings is contained in the children’s care plans.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children build excellent, caring relationships with staff. The staff listen to the children, and they invest time in and provide support to them. These solid relationships help the children to make significant progress in all aspects of their lives.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Regular group meetings and one-to-one key-work sessions provide the opportunity for the children to make their needs known. These meetings and sessions have led to staff arranging days out with the children and to requested activities being organised. The children have been able to get to know one another better, and they have had opportunities to develop other interests outside the home. Children have enjoyed go karting, cinema trips and days out by the seaside because of the discussions and group meetings. Inspection report children’s home: SC463902 4 Some children have a history of offending behaviour. They need specialist direct work and a high level of monitoring and observation at the home and in the community. Staff have received expert training to manage these needs. The manager uses research-based practice to support the work undertaken by staff. This support includes working with a recognised intervention model. The specific approach helps the staff to develop the best

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

ways to protect children from the risks of sexual exploitation. Some of the children see the clinical psychotherapist regularly for one-to-one support. Although the sessions are confidential, the clinical psychotherapist advises the staff of the themes of his work so that the staff group can work together. Because of this work, there has been a significant reduction in offending behaviour. Children have engaged with the youth offending services well. These children are safer because of the high-quality multi- agency approach to their care.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children, some of whom were not attending school regularly prior to moving to the home, have reintegrated into education provisions. This is because of the high-quality support provided by the staff. A social worker commented, ‘Staff have advocated for this child to get the most suitable education support in place. They [staff] really pushed to ensure that the best option was taken for this child.’ The children learn new skills, develop their knowledge and understanding and make friends outside of the home. The children make significantly better progress because of the support that they receive from staff. Some of the children who had previously been out of education have completed GCSE-level course work and successfully sat examinations. This increases opportunities for children as they consider their next steps in further education, training or work.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children receive highly positive feedback from each of the staff members with whom they work. The staff write supportive and inspirational messages in the achievement books to bolster children’s self-esteem and improve their confidence. Targeted and recorded key-work sessions help the children to make the progress set out in their care plans. The manager and staff group spend time reviewing these session records, using an evidence-based tool kit. The reviews highlight positive actions and any concerns. As a result, the staff group is very well attuned to safeguarding concerns.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Although some of the children smoke, staff warn children of health risks. The staff are quick to contact external advisers to support the children to reduce smoking. Some children talked about previous substance misuse. The staff swiftly acted to encourage the children to discuss these matters with a substance misuse counsellor. This engagement provides the children with expert guidance with which to make an informed choice about ceasing the use of drugs. Staff support children to make and keep appointments with health professionals. One child who had not been to the optician for over two years was gently encouraged by staff, who were pleased when he attended for a check-up.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff support and encourage children to have safe contact with their families. Positive contact develops the children’s knowledge of their backgrounds and strengthens these important relationships. One child commented, ‘Staff support me going to my contact, which is good.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC463902 5 The staff have successfully helped children to make the transition into semi-independent living. Support for the children means that they learn to cook and take care of themselves with confidence before they leave the home. The staff provide outreach support. This reassures children that they are able to manage in the community. The outreach work includes visits to the children, and offering the children a meal back at the home. This maintains the important relationships between the children who have moved on and the staff and prevents social isolation.

p.4

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

Some children go missing from this home. Staff are alert to the concerns, in particular of sexual exploitation, when a child is away from the home and the staff do not know where they are. Staff follow a local missing-from-care protocol and alert the police and other agencies. The frequency and duration of these instances have reduced. Through proactive, careful, and skilful direct work, these children have fewer missing-from-home episodes, and some children no longer go missing. As a result, they are significantly safer and better protected.

p.5

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

Placing social workers have no concerns about the safeguarding skills of the staff. One social worker commented: ‘Staff have worked closely with this child. They have spoken with the child about appropriate relationships and safety. This has led to a gradual, carefully assessed introduction to manage the child’s safe access to the community. Staff have worked together as a team with professionals from the youth offending service and therapists. This has reduced the child’s inappropriate behaviours.’

p.5

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

The children said that they feel safe and have no concerns about living at the home. One child commented, ‘All of the staff talk to me about staying safe, which is good.’

p.5

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

The manager and staff undertake effective risk assessments. These include an evaluation of the compatibility of the children in the group before new admissions are agreed. These risk assessments help staff to understand the behaviours that children may exhibit. They also help to put into place strategies to minimise negative behaviours. As a result of this highly effective planning, staff successfully manage and reduce vulnerabilities at the home or in the community. They understand the risks for children, including any risk of radicalisation. Specific training about the ‘Prevent’ duty has been discussed at team meetings. This has raised the staff team’s awareness of these issues.

p.5

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

The staff successfully and skilfully manage incidents to prevent them from escalating. There have been no physical restraints since the last inspection. This is significant progress for some children whose behaviour had challenged the strategies in other placements. Successful use of de-escalation techniques and a composed approach enable children to be cared for safely.

p.5

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

The staff expertly engage the children in proactive and creative direct work. The staff use recognised intervention approaches to make an exceptional difference to the Inspection report children’s home: SC463902 6 children’s lives and experiences. Children have ceased their offending behaviour and, as a result, they are safer and more able to manage their conduct in the community.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is a qualified social worker, and she holds a level 5 management diploma. She skilfully leads the team through regular and thorough supervision. These meetings direct the staff to concentrate their efforts on the safe care of the children. The manager is passionate about keeping the children safe and working towards a positive outcome for each of them. This inspires the staff to be positive about their work. Working together with multi-agency partners, the staff provide the best possible care for the children.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff use their team meetings to reflect on the difference that they are making to the children’s lives. Staff have completed induction and specific training on managing behaviours. The home takes specialist advice to support care plans, and staff routinely use recognised theories and intervention models to guide their work. The staff develop creative ways and approaches to improving their understanding of the children’s needs. For example, staff use a social learning approach to focus on providing positive feedback to the children. In particular, this encourages children to socialise with each other in a positive way. As a result, relationships are building and children are getting on with one another better.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There are excellent working relationships with placing social workers, who speak highly of the home’s ability to meet the needs of the children. One social worker commented, ‘This home works really well. It has acted appropriately to support the care plan. The staff are balanced. They are realistic about the risks.’ Staff update the local authority’s database with daily records. They share important information so that all parties are up to date with the children’s progress.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager reviews the independent visitor’s regular reports. These reports are detailed and give an excellent overview of events at the home. The manager uses these reports proficiently alongside her own monthly monitoring of the progress that the children are making. She observes how the children are responding to the interventions. The reports help her to identify any shortfalls, improve practice and raise the standard of recording. Consequently, the home is achieving the standards contained in the statement of purpose.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager listens closely to the children’s views, and the staff gather children’s views at the regular group meetings, in which they sit together to discuss events and plan for future activities. These meetings coincide with sharing a take-away meal of the children’s choice. Staff concentrate on giving positive feedback on the children’s progress. They look to work with the children to organise new and interesting experiences to take part in. For example, the group arranged a recent camping trip to Wales.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Children have excellent relationships with staff. Because of the extremely high quality of Inspection report children’s home: SC463902 7 work undertaken by staff, the children understand their care plans. In particular, they know how they can be involved in making changes that will improve their lives. Staff treat the children with dignity and respect. They are not judgemental about children’s offending histories. They work with the children to help them to recover and learn to make better choices. Consequently, the children are happy and settled, and they are developing strategies to manage their behaviours. One child commented, ‘This is a nice care home; relaxed. In fact, I would not call it a care home; we are more like a family.’

p.6

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.

p.7

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: SC463902 8

p.7

Children’s home details

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

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered manager: Mary Tuddenham Natalie Day

p.8

Inspector

Michael Mulvaney, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC463902 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.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, 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 http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9