Children's Home run by Suffolk County Council in Suffolk

Inspection report children‘s home: SC430022 1 SC430022 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

This local authority home provides care and accommodation for up to seven children aged between 11 and 17. Children placed at the home will usually have some form of social, emotional or behavioural difficulty, and may have suffered from severe trauma. The home can also accommodate children who have additional needs when these have been properly assessed, such as autistic spectrum disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Asperger‘ Syndrome, Tourette‘ syndrome, self-harming behaviours, substance misuse issues and mental health needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since February 2018 and is in the process of registering with Ofsted.

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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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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‘s home: SC430022 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/08/2017 Full Good 08/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 04/10/2016 Full Good 22/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children‘s home: SC430022 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‘s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home‘s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home‘s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(c)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff receive training in relation to managing ligatures and understanding the risks related to gangs and county lines. 07/07/2018

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (―the authorised person‖)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 21/05/2018 Inspection report children‘s home: SC430022 4 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff understand the recording formats, and provide clear guidance to staff about recording physical interventions and the terminology used to describe physical intervention and restraint. The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person‘s report to HMCI. (Regulation 44 (7)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the submission of reports to HMCI is timely. 21/05/2018

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Recommendations

 Maintain records for each child that represent a significant contribution to their life history. Children and their parents should be supported to understand the nature of the records kept by the home and how to access them. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 62, paragraph 14.5) In particular, ensure that records are accurate and detailed, and are cross- referenced to relevant incident reports, physical intervention records and regulation 40 notifications as necessary.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children make good progress living at the home. A stable and motivated staff team works well with the children and other professionals to achieve this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have good trusting relationships with a staff team that knows and understands their individual needs. These relationships were observed during the inspection. When a child returned to the home after a week away, they were greeted warmly by staff. When a child became upset, staff gave her a hug and told her that they would help her to sort out the problem. A child commented, ‗The staff really care, and if we need anything they would get it for us. I‘m happy here.‘ These relationships enable the children to develop and maintain positive interactions with the adults who look after them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff recognise the importance of education, and work closely with education providers to support this. The children spoken to during the inspection were able to recognise the improvement in their educational progress since moving to the home. One child explained that there had been an issue at school. She said that the staff at the home had been in touch with the headteacher and are in the process of sorting the problem out for her. Another child is currently undertaking work experience at a local residential home for older people. Cohesive joint working with other professionals provides good support for the children to help them to engage in education. Inspection report children‘s home: SC430022 5 The children are encouraged to maintain positive relationships with their friends in the community. A social worker commented that the staff have been excellent at supporting a child to see her boyfriend. The staff are not risk averse; they want the children to have

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Regularly reviewed, individualised, child-centred placement plans guide the staff in their work with the children. The children have the opportunity to read and comment on their plans, which helps them to feel fully involved in their care planning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children spoken to during the inspection said that they find their regular key-work sessions helpful. They said that they have good relationships with their key-workers. The sessions are recorded well and reflect the children‘s full involvement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience positive transitions both into and out of the home. Five children have left the home since the last inspection. The staff have been undertaking outreach work with the majority of these children to help them to manage in their semi- independent placements. There are three pending admissions. The manager has kept the children who live at the home updated about the new admissions. The children who will be moving into the home have visited on several occasions to meet the staff and children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is located just outside the main town. It is decorated to a good standard. The children and staff, both past and present, have put their handprint on the stairwell with their name and the date that they lived or worked at the home. A child commented that it is nice to know that staff will always remember her when she leaves because of this.

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

The children say that they feel safe because they can speak to the staff if they are worried or upset, and that the staff listen to and help them. The staff have a good understanding of safeguarding. Any concerns that are reported to the manager and staff are managed well and in line with any professional advice given.

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

The staff challenge unwanted behaviours and reinforce boundaries, taking into account the child‘s age and level of understanding. The staff discuss incidents with the children to help them to understand their actions and find more appropriate ways of managing their behaviours. A child commented, ‗I was really naughty when I came here. I have changed a lot because staff talk to me about the consequences of my behaviours. That‘s really helped me.‘

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

Sanctions are fair and proportionate. The children are given the opportunity to do some restorative work, such as help staff or complete a chore, in response to negative or unwanted behaviour. The children reflect on the outcomes of the sanction, and this can lead to positive comments from them. Following this period of reflection, the manager evaluates and signs the sanction record. This approach to helping the children to Inspection report children‘s home: SC430022 6 recognise and manage negative behaviours enables them to develop skills to reduce such behaviours.

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

Comprehensive risk assessments outline the risks, concerns and strategies for keeping the children safe. The assessments, along with behaviour management plans, help the staff to manage behaviours safely. The children know what is written in their risk assessments, which helps them to have ownership of their plans and to understand how staff will work with them to keep them safe. The staff make sure that the children understand the risks relating to using the internet and the dangers of giving personal information to strangers when using social media.

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

Since the last inspection, there has been an increase in the number of incidents of children going missing from the home, including those of a child who is particularly vulnerable. The staff have worked closely with the police and social workers to reduce the number of incidents. Return home interviews are carried out by the children‘s social workers. A child commented that she finds these interviews useful as she is able to talk to staff and also to someone from outside the home.

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

The home uses two different logs to record physical interventions. One of the logs records restraints, while the other records physical interventions. Although there is some guidance for the staff on which log to use, there is still some confusion. This confusion has led to staff recording in the wrong log. This leaves the staff and children vulnerable because their views are not consistently recorded following a physical restraint.

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

The staff have undertaken training in the ‗Prevent‘ duty and understanding and managing radicalisation. However, the staff lack knowledge of gangs and county lines. This lack of knowledge means that they may not be able to recognise the risks related to these issues.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has been in post since February 2018, having been the deputy manager for three years and having worked at the home for 11 years. She is in the process of registering with Ofsted. She has a clear vision for the home and recognises the strengths and the areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has met the two requirements and two recommendations from the last inspection. There is good evidence that the children‘s wishes and feelings are listened to and acted on. The staff have or are working towards a relevant level 3 qualification. The children comment on and sign relevant records relating to them, to show that they have knowledge of and contribute to their care planning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff receive regular supervision, and the supervisees sign the records of their sessions. All of the staff have an up-to-date appraisal. The staff meetings provide a good forum to discuss the children‘s needs and any practice issues. These activities help the staff to understand and meet the children‘s needs effectively. Inspection report children‘s home: SC430022 7 The staff have undertaken their mandatory training. However, they have not received relevant training in respect of managing ligatures, despite using a specialised ligature cutting knife when children are self-harming by tying cords or clothing around their necks. Lack of relevant training in this specialised area means that staff may not be fully equipped to respond to an incident safely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager monitors care practice effectively and uses the feedback from the monthly visits by the independent person. However, the external monitoring does not consider ‘parents‘ views. Ofsted has not received the reports of the monthly external monitoring visits in a timely way until recently. Failure to submit these reports within reasonable timescales means that Ofsted does not have an up-to-date view of the home and the care provided for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager confidently raises issues with the relevant professionals. There is good evidence that she has been able to do this successfully when actions or proposed actions are not in the best interest of the child or fail to safeguard the child.

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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: SC430022 8

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector(s)

Trish Palmer, social care inspector Ricky D‘Arcy, social care inspector Inspection report children‘s home: SC430022 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(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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