Children's Home run by BREAK in Norfolk

Inspection report children’s home: SC060743 1 SC060743 Registered provider: Break 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 registered to provide care and accommodation for four children who have learning disabilities and/or emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is owned by a registered charity.

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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: SC060743 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 External professionals praise the staff team’s ability to quickly build positive, trusting relationships with the children.  Children are supported to fulfil their aspirations, such as securing a place on a specific college course.  The children are encouraged to take age-appropriate risks as part of agreed placement goals.  The staff are confident and competent in the use of the whistle-blowing process.  The managers are effective and efficient in addressing any concerns that arise.  Children have greatly reduced the number of times that they go missing from home.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 10/11/2016 Full Good 16/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 02/09/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC060743 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the last inspection, the home had recently changed its purpose and function from a long-term home to a short-term assessment resource. In April 2017, the home reverted to long-term provision. The home’s statement of purpose identifies this change. The staff have successfully managed these changes in service provision and maintained a positive approach to their work. They describe different ways in which they developed and used their skill sets while the home offered short-term care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When considering new referrals, the managers fully assess the compatibility of a new child with the existing children living at the home. This enhances the matching of the children’s needs. The three children who live at the home, who have previously experienced a number of placement moves, are benefiting from the knowledge that this is now their home. The group dynamics are continually improving as the children become more familiar with each other. The children are relaxed in each other’s company and they interact well with the staff. The children are interacting more constructively with each other and will now go out on joint activities in the local area, either with staff or on their own. The children make good use of all areas at the home and it is clear that they are at ease here. The children have chosen the themes for their bedrooms. This helps them to feel a sense of ownership and investment in their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Social workers and other professionals commend the staff team’s ability to build positive relationships with the children, and at a pace that the children are comfortable with. It is particularly noted that these positive relationships are often achieved in a relatively short time. The external professionals report that the children tell them that they feel listened to and cared for by the staff. Because the children feel safe and listened to, they have been enabled to speak with the staff about historic events in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has a good working relationship with local schools and colleges, and is generally successful in quickly securing education placements for the children. One of the children has maintained her excellent school attendance. Arrangements are being finalised for a child who is currently a school refuser. Another child has begun to attend school more regularly since moving into the home. He has been offered a college placement for the next academic year. This offer has boosted his motivation to attend and succeed at school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children undergo routine health checks, and the staff source specialist medical and emotional support for them as required. The children are responding well to the staff team’s non-judgemental approach. This is important to all of the children, and in particular to one child who has historically experienced high levels of prejudice. A social worker described the child as feeling much happier since moving into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children move on from the home in a planned way. The staff ensure that the work that they undertake with the children prepares them for their next move, whether this is to a new placement or living independently. Inspection report children’s home: SC060743 4

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

The managers have responded proactively to information brought to their attention through the whistle-blowing process. They have used information to have discussions with the staff to build and reinforce their understanding of the relevant issues. The staff have undertaken some additional refresher training and had discussions about specific topics. Managers have revisited some of the home’s policies and procedures, both as part of group and in individual supervision sessions. The managers’ thorough response communicated the severity of the events. The matters have now been fully addressed and the managers are using the learning to expand the team’s knowledge and responses to prevent recurrence.

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

The staff undergo training that assists them to develop a better understanding of working with and recognising the children who are at risk of harm, such as from child sexual exploitation or radicalisation. The staff undertake developmental training and refresher courses in subjects such as professional boundaries to reinforce positive practice.

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

The children have access to the internet at the home. The computer has the appropriate firewalls to prevent the children from accessing inappropriate content. The staff are working with the children to improve the children’s awareness of staying safe online.

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

The location assessment assesses the areas of known and potential risk effectively. The managers have met with other children’s homes’ staff to discuss concerns about the potential risks that the children face in the local area. They have agreed on a joint approach. This collaborative working is a positive way of keeping the children safe when out in the community.

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

Additional information was added to the home’s fire risk assessment when a child began smoking in their bedroom. This behaviour was successfully managed and is not currently an issue at the home.

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

When necessary, the staff conduct room searches to ensure that the children are safe from harm. The most recent searches form part of a child’s risk assessment and are recorded separately. Positive work is being undertaken to help the children to recognise and manage risk. The staff are doing this in a non-risk averse way that better prepares children for living independently.

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

The children’s placement plans and risk assessments are updated regularly to ensure that any new behaviours and concerns are easily identified. These updates ensure that the staff members’ work with the children is based on current information. The staff have easy access to all of the children’s current risk assessments, the tasks for the shift and emergency contact numbers.

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

The home offers consistent boundaries with a degree of flexibility. This healthy approach has resulted in the children developing routines and appropriate responses. This includes Inspection report children’s home: SC060743 5 the children responding to well-being checks and phone calls. Children rarely go missing from home. When they do, the staff are generally successful in maintaining phone contact with the children. The staff use this contact to encourage the children to return home or agree to be collected. A social worker said, ‘(Child) has not gone missing from home, but was doing this frequently previously (before moving in).’ This demonstrates that the rapport with the staff is deterring the children from running away from home.

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

There are no reported incidents of bullying. The children say that they would feel able to tell someone if bullying did occur.

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

Two staff are the designated leads for sourcing information about the damaging effects of drugs and alcohol. They have set up a resource file of information and resources that the staff can use in their discussions with the children. The openness of this approach and the sharing of this information enable the children to feel at ease in discussing these sensitive topics with the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has been in post since the home was registered. He holds a relevant level 4 qualification and the registered manager award. The deputy manager has worked at the home for several years. At the time of the inspection, the registered manager is temporarily seconded to another home owned by the organisation. The deputy manager is covering the registered manager’s absence. This arrangement enables the staff and the children to benefit from the consistent leadership offered by the deputy manager. The managers, who have worked closely to develop the service and have high aspirations for the children, continually seek to develop the staff team’s skills. The staff say that they welcome the managers’ openness and ability to approach them on any matters.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers have a great awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of both the home and the team. The managers are using this knowledge to seek to develop the staff team. This includes highlighting the areas of growth that the staff team requires. The managers have implemented a new file auditing and monitoring process. The aim of this additional level of scrutiny is to improve the quality of the staff team’s reporting.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are used to discuss all aspects of the children’s care, the home and the team. Periodically, the meeting is used to discuss the progress of a specific child. This focused approach provides a concentrated way of reviewing and updating the children’s care plans. It enables all of the staff, not just the key workers, to feel that they have contributed to the planning and development of the children’s placement plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers have detailed oversight of the progress that the children are making, and appropriately challenge any decision-making, an example of which is in relation to a child’s school placement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff describe their supervision and appraisals as supportive and effective. The sessions identify the areas of strength and the weaknesses of the staff member. The Inspection report children’s home: SC060743 6 supervisors then seek to develop these areas through individual and group discussions. Supervision sessions are focused on varied areas of discussion. Examples seen show that the staff are able to raise practice-based issues. These open discussions encourage the staff to be reflective. They enable the managers to address any concerns that may arise with the individual and to identify matters that may later be discussed with the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All of the eligible staff hold a relevant level 3 qualification or equivalent. New staff without the qualification are enrolled on the course once they complete their probationary period. The training programme for the staff contains courses that will help them to continue to develop in their work with the children. These courses include working with trauma, ‘Signs of Safety’ and anti-bullying.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A senior staff member has the allocated responsibility for seeking feedback from children, families and professionals. This new online process is in its infancy and will be modified as feedback is received to ensure that the views of the respondents are given due consideration. The managers recognise the importance of seeking and responding to this feedback. The managers are reintroducing house meetings as another forum for feedback. These meetings provide the children with a forum to share their views on the home, the activities and any other topics that arise.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent visitor’s monthly reports are detailed and reflect their findings. The visitor recently used a visit to focus exclusively on spending time with the children. This enabled the visitor to provide an overview of the home from a different perspective. The managers have developed an action plan that they are using to track their progress in meeting their annual development plan. The plan incorporates any suggestions made in the monthly visit reports.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff are confident in their knowledge of the children and their current goals and targets. They have a good understanding of the areas of strengths and those aspects that they are seeking to develop, both individually and as a team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A family member, who admitted having initial reservations about a child’s admission to the home, spoke positively about how well their relative is doing since moving into the home. Professionals speak very highly of the staff and their work with the children. A social worker said: ‘They (the staff) do their best and listen, and take on board our recommendations. Overall, they are doing a very good job with a very complex child. Another social worker said: ‘(Child) feels safe there and is now open to meeting new people and is trusting the staff. It is fantastic.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC060743 7

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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 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: SC060743 8

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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: SC060743 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 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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