Children's Home run by Flying Spur Limited in Norfolk

Inspection report children’s home: SC470585 1 SC470585 Registered provider: Flying Spur Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private organisation. It offers care for up to six children who may have experienced trauma, neglect or abuse and family or placement breakdowns. The home also offers care to children who have mild to moderate learning disabilities. The manager of the home has been registered with Ofsted since 22 March 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: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC470585 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/03/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 15/11/2017 Full Good 29/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 23/11/2016 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC470585 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—

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Requirement Due date

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 the fence that is separating the cottages from the rest of the house. 27/07/2018

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Recommendations

 The home’s statement of purpose should be child focused, indicating how the home provides individualised care to meet the Quality Standards for the children in its care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.5) In particular, ensure that the statement of purpose has an accurate description of what the home offers and whether this is a therapeutic model of care.  Homes should encourage children to understand that they can speak to an independent advocate, Independent Reviewing Officers (IROs), Ofsted inspectors or other relevant persons if they have concerns about their safety. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.11)  The registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the

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Recommendations

quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1) In particular, obtain appropriate references and establish the mental and physical suitability of potential staff. Inspection report children’s home: SC470585 4  The registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The overall experiences for children living at the home are positive. The children make progress and have strong relationships with the staff, who are nurturing and communicate in a consistent, open and honest way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff understand the importance of education and prioritise arranging education for children admitted to the home. Children are given incentives to attend school and attendance levels are good. The home maintains regular contact with schools and attends meetings regularly to discuss and monitor progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views and opinions are gained during fortnightly house meetings and individual key-working sessions, which the children enjoy. Requests made by the children are fed back to them following staff meetings. The children benefit from this inclusive approach in the planning of their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff ensure that the children’s health needs are met. Children are provided with a broad and healthy diet, which they help to choose at house meetings. A wide range of activities are available in the community, including kayaking, cinema trips, dance classes and days at the coast. Children also enjoy activities at the home with the staff, such as karaoke, table tennis and cooking. One child attends army cadets which develops their skills and knowledge, as well as broadening their social peer group.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home arranges and facilitates contact between the children and their families and friends. The positive relationships between the staff and children mean that children will speak about issues if any arise. The children know how to make a complaint. However, not all avenues of how to complain are made known to the children. This limits their options if they wanted to make a complaint.

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

The staff are well trained and experienced and understand effective safeguarding practice. They are clear about their roles and responsibilities to safeguard the children. When children leave the home without permission, or go missing, staff are proactive in looking for them. The staff follow individualised missing from home protocols, which are reviewed and updated regularly. The staff understand the value of effective multi-agency working, and work well with all agencies to reduce the number of missing from home episodes. A police officer said, ‘They [the staff] are brilliant. We have a great working Inspection report children’s home: SC470585 5 relationship, and they keep us informed about everything we need to know about. The work of the staff has given us intelligence that will result in the imminent arrest of a perpetrator of sexual exploitation.’

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

The staff are skilled at de-escalating difficult and challenging behaviour. Physical interventions are used rarely, with only three recorded since the last inspection. Positive incentives are used to encourage good behaviour, and sanctions are used proportionately and appropriately.

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

The staff are well established. They care about the children’s well-being and meet their needs. However, safe recruitment checks were found to be lacking on one staff member’s file. Failure to obtain adequate references and assess a potential staff member’s mental and physical ability for the role can place both children and other staff at risk.

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

The home has been decorated in some places and the grounds have been cleared of hazardous items. More work to improve the decoration of the home is planned for the summer. However, the fence that separates the registered premises from the other buildings on the land is incomplete. This means that children can access a hazardous waterway.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2017. He is a child-focused, experienced social worker with the necessary skills and experience to manage the home. The staff receive comprehensive training, and those who do not already hold the appropriate level 3 qualification are enrolled to undertake it.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s files are detailed, concise and updated regularly. Risk assessments, behaviour management plans and key-working session records are thorough and evidence children’s participation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are comprehensive internal monitoring systems to review the quality of care. The manager has good oversight. Monthly external monitoring visits are of a good standard, and offer appropriate challenge and action plans for the manager to address.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Local risks are assessed in the location risk assessment. However, the privately rented buildings on the premises are not considered in the assessment. Therefore, the assessment of local risks to children is ineffective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The statement of purpose does not accurately reflect the care that the home provides because it states an offer of therapeutic care which is not available. This may mislead commissioners, parents, placing authorities and children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team supports the staff and is accessible to staff and children. The children are discussed in detail at regular team meetings, as well as during practice-led supervision sessions. The staff receive supervision and annual appraisals in line with Inspection report children’s home: SC470585 6 organisational policy. They value opportunities to reflect on their practice and discuss their professional development. A member of staff said, ‘The team feels well supported by the management. Managers listen to what we say and take our opinions and suggestions on board.’

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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: SC470585 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Flying Spur Limited

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Inspector

Ricky D’Arcy: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC470585 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 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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