Children's home run by The Ryes College Limited in Babergh

Inspection report children’s home: SC429754 1 SC429754 Registered provider: The Ryes College Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private company. It is registered for four children who have a complex combination of needs. The organisation also provides education. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since May 2018.

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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

Date of last inspection: 17 January 2018

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Good

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

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Good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC429754 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/01/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 19/07/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 24/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 18/05/2016 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC429754 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— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 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; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(c)(e)) In particular, ensure that the staff receive training in relation to understanding the risks related to gangs and county lines. 31/07/18

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Recommendations

 A record must be kept of all observations in bedrooms to ensure that children are not subject to unnecessary invasions of their privacy. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 19, paragraph 3.36) This is in relation to the staff searching a child’s room and not recording the outcome of the search. Inspection report children’s home: SC429754 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children have begun to make good progress socially, emotionally and educationally. One child has complex needs and the staff are proactive in working with professionals to ensure that his needs are being identified and that there are clear plans in place to support him. A stable and motivated staff team has built good, trusting relationships with the children and understand their individual needs and behaviours. These relationships were observed during the inspection, with the staff and the children having appropriate banter and making plans for the day. The staff understand the importance of children attending education and proactively support the children to attend. There is good communication between the school and home. A child spoken to was able to recognise the improvement in his educational progress since moving to the home. He commented that the staff have been supporting and encouraging him to sit his exams.

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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 complete an ‘all about me’ plan which they review with the staff as part of their monthly key-work sessions. Key-work sessions have greatly improved since the last inspection. The children spoken to during the inspection said that they found key-work sessions helpful and that they had a good relationship with their key worker. The sessions are recorded in detail and show the children’s involvement, along with any further actions that need to be completed. The staff understand the need for the children to learn independence skills to support them in later life. The children complete independent workbooks with staff as part of their key-work sessions. The home is situated in a village just outside the main town. The staff have worked hard with the redecoration of the home. It has a much warmer and nurturing feel than it has

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

on past inspections. The children say that they have been fully involved in the redecoration programme.

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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 talk to staff if they are worried or upset, and that the staff listen to and help them. There have been no complaints since the last inspection. The manager has set up a new system to ensure that the children are kept fully updated should they wish to make a complaint about action taken. Sanctions are fair and proportionate. The children have the opportunity to comment and sign the records and the manager evaluates the effectiveness of the sanctions. The staff have begun to reward the children for their positive behaviours rather than focus on the negatives. This has had a positive effect on the children and there has been a decrease Inspection report children’s home: SC429754 5 in some of the unwanted behaviours. Comprehensive risk assessments outline the risks, concerns and strategies to reduce risk and keep the children safe. These are regularly reviewed and updated and support the

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

staff in working with the children and keeping them safe. The staff search the children’s bedrooms if they believe the children could have something which could harm themselves or others. The staff do not always inform the child or record the room search and the outcome. The staff have undertaken safeguarding and training in ‘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 this issue.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and deputy have a clear vision for the home and have made great improvements to paperwork and systems since the last inspection. Staff spoken to say that the manager has a clear idea of how the home should be run and is involving them with the implementation of the changes. The manager recognises the strengths of the home and the areas for development. The manager has met the six requirements and four recommendations from the last inspection. New systems in place make it easier to plot children’s progress. A new filing system means that the staff can find information easily, which supports and safeguards the children effectively. There is good evidence that the children are involved in and contribute to their care plans and key-work sessions. The staff understand the importance of children feeling valued and that their wishes and feelings are listened to and acted on. These requests are gained through house

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

meetings, key-work sessions and consultation forms. The manager responds to the children’s wishes in writing. The manager ensures that all supervisions are up to date. The staff spoken to say that they find these supervisions supportive in working with the children and in the development of the home. The staff meetings provide a good forum to discuss the children’s needs and any practical issues. These activities help the staff to understand and meet the children’s needs effectively. There is clear evidence that the manager confidently raises issues with professionals if she feels that 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 Inspection report children’s home: SC429754 6 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: SC429754 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Ryes College Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite 2E, Skyview Business Centre, Churchfield Road, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 2YA

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: James Fischer II

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Inspector

Trish Palmer, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC429754 8 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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