Children's home run by Norfolk County Council in Norwich

Inspection report children's home: SC462583 1 SC462583 Registered provider: Norfolk County Council Children's Services

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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 children’s home provides short-term breaks for children who are in a family crisis situation. Up to four children can stay at the home at any one time.

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Information about this children's home

The registered manager has been in post since March 2013.

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Information about this children's home

Inspection dates: 26 to 27 September 2018

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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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.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 21 November 2017

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Recent inspection history

Inspection report children's home: SC462583 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/11/2017 Full Outstanding 20/02/2017 Full Outstanding 13/12/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 23/02/2016 Full Good Inspection report children's home: SC462583 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The registered manager and staff provide a service that parents and children value extremely highly. The service helps the children to make significant progress and meets their individual needs. This allows the vast majority of children who use the service to remain living with their families rather than go into care. The service also improves the quality of family relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

One young person, who has recently moved to independent living, said that coming to the home was ‘like breathing a huge sigh of relief’. A parent described the service as ‘brilliant’ and a social worker said that it was ‘great, absolutely excellent’. The staff have extremely good relationships with parents and placing social workers, which help to make sure that they work consistently and effectively with the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The registered manager and staff know the children very well. In one case, they have been able to identify and meet the very different needs of a pair of twins. Some parents commented on how well the staff knew their children. This knowledge, along with strong relationships that the staff build with the children, increases the effectiveness of the planning for the children and the way in which staff implement the plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The registered manager gives considerable thought to which children stay at the home together. This is important in making sure that they can look after the children well and keep them safe. It also helps the children to form important friendships and learn social skills. For some children who are otherwise isolated, these friendships are very important and beneficial. One child has been able to have a birthday party for the first time as they now have a group of friends who could be invited to it.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The views of the children are listened to, taken seriously and where possible acted on. For example, one child who lives a relatively long distance from the home asked if they could stay for two nights at a time rather than for more single nights as this would reduce the time travelling. The registered manager has included this in the way in which she plans the child’s stays.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children get involved in a wide range of activities while at the home. These can include spending time in the home playing or watching films with the staff, trips out, including a visit to a local horse sanctuary to see the ponies that the home has adopted, and a short holiday during the summer.

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

The children at this home are very safe. Clear risk assessments underpin safe care. No children have gone missing since the last inspection and there is a very low level of risk- taking behaviour. The staff help the children to understand about risks and how to keep themselves safe in several areas, such as internet safety, road safety and stranger danger. This understanding helps the children to become increasingly safe. A parent said Inspection report children's home: SC462583 4 in feedback to the home that although she does not trust others with her child, she does trust the staff at this home. She said that there are really good staff who understand the child, read his body language and manage his behaviour well.

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

The staff sometimes work in partnership with child protection services to support children who are at risk. Child protection records make clear how much progress the children involved have made and how well they are responding to boundaries at the home.

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

The very good, trusting relationships that the staff have with the children are an important protective factor. Because of these relationships, the children are more likely to speak to staff about any concerns. The staff have good knowledge of child protection matters. They have identified safeguarding concerns and passed them on to social workers. This understanding of concerns helps to provide important information on the children and inform wider safeguarding plans.

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

The staff are highly effective at helping the children to develop appropriate behaviour. The staff put clear structures and boundaries in place. For some of the children, understanding and developing appropriate behaviour and routines forms a major aim of their stays. The staff help them to achieve this. A parent said that their child knew that there were boundaries at the home, tried to push them and learned that they could not. This work helps the children to live more rewarding lives with their families. Another parent spoke of how much their child had calmed down since going to the home. They said that the staff have worked wonders, and they ‘can’t speak highly enough of them’.

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

One child has very high levels of challenging behaviour. The staff have used research to help them understand behaviour and develop plans on how to work with the child. The staff implement these plans effectively, which helps the child to develop more positive behaviour and reduces some of the risks to the stability of their placement at home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff value the support and guidance that they get from the registered manager. Both the registered manager and the staff team are appropriately qualified. They clearly put the children at the centre of their practice and want them to do well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff and manager have a high level of understanding of each child who uses the service, and they use this knowledge to provide individualised care. This is important for a short-break service that looks after a high number of children. For example, the registered manager and staff recognise when the children are reluctant to be away from home at night times and, in some cases, have changed plans to allow children to have evening visits if overnight visits were causing them stress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The garden has been substantially improved since the last inspection. This has involved putting in a patio area, a garden gym, sandpit and picnic benches to go along with the Inspection report children's home: SC462583 5 trampoline that was already in place. There are child-themed planting containers and a small fairy garden. It is a pleasant area with facilities for different aged children to use.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Regular team meetings are used for staff to bring for discussion areas of research and information that they have found. The staff present their findings to the rest of the team to discuss and identify how they will inform the way that they work. This provides staff with regular opportunities to increase their knowledge and think about how they work with the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager and staff team are very alert to identifying and meeting children’s needs associated with equality and diversity. In one case, the staff have driven the work in recognising and acting on a child’s views of their identity. A worker from the county’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) project did some work with the staff. She said that she came away thinking, ‘[The staff] will really be able to support LGBT young people.’ The staff have sought and used research and guidance to help them to meet children’s needs.

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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: SC462583 6

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Clive Lucas: social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC462583 7 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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