Children's home run by Norfolk County Council in Norwich

Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC034797 1 SC034797

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Norfolk County Council Children’s Services

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides medium- to long-term residential care for up to four children. The home is owned and operated by the local authority children‟s services department. The home has a registered manager who has been in post for six years.

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This monitoring visit

This children‟s home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 9 August 2018. Following this monitoring visit, we have made a new full inspection judgement in line with our inspection framework. The children‟s home‟s new full inspection judgement is: requires improvement to be good.

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This monitoring visit

At the last inspection, several shortfalls were identified. The most significant shortfall was the decision to place one child at the home which had a significant negative impact on a child already living there and as a result there was an increase in his risk-taking behaviours.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has addressed all of the requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection, apart from those for which the due date has not yet passed.

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This monitoring visit

The staff are now looking at ways of supporting the children‟s educational achievement through informal education in everyday tasks such as shopping. They encourage the children to read and to explore their identity if they wish to. This helps the children to make better progress in their education and to develop their sense of identity.

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This monitoring visit

The staff update the children‟s risk assessments so that they include all areas of risk. Staff follow these risk assessments to help reduce the risk to the children. The Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC034797 2 location risk assessment has been reviewed and it now provides a better overview of the risks associated with the area that the home is in, so that the registered manager and staff can help to minimise these risks for the children in the home. The registered manager has made sure that work identified as necessary to stop the children tampering with smoke detectors in their bedrooms has been carried out. This helps to protect the children from the risk of fire.

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This monitoring visit

At the time of the last inspection, it had been identified that three staff were needed on each shift to meet the children‟s needs and to keep them safe. This is now happening for the majority of shifts.

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This monitoring visit

The staff are recording any sanctions used for children. This helps the registered manager to review the use of any such measures of control and to evaluate their effectiveness. The registered manager is monitoring the operation of the home, for example, by reading the records maintained. This provides him with a more thorough awareness of what is happening and the progress that the children are making.

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This monitoring visit

There have not been any new placements since the last inspection, so the progress towards the matching of new admissions to existing placements could not be fully assessed. However, senior managers say that they have accepted the impact of the previous decision and will take a different approach in the future. They recognise the importance of taking the views of registered managers into account in making any decisions on placements. Ofsted will continue to monitor the home, through notifications and reports by the independent visitor, to see how this works in practice.

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This monitoring visit

The level of risk-taking behaviour, which was very high at the last inspection, has decreased. The one child currently in the home is still involved in risky behaviours but at a lower level.

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This monitoring visit

The dates to complete the previous requirements of the registered manager completing his level 5 qualification and the review of the quality of care have not yet passed. Ofsted will review these at the next inspection.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 08/08/2018 Full Inadequate 13/12/2017 Full Good 01/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 13/10/2016 Full Good Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC034797 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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children‟s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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 children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home‟s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring that the matching of children does not have a significant negative impact on individual children. 31/12/2018

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Requirement Due date

A person may only manage a children‟s home if—

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Requirement Due date

having regard to the size of the home, its statement of purpose, and the number and needs (including any needs arising from any disability) of the children— the person has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills to manage the home effectively and lead the care of children; and the person is physically and mentally fit to manage the home.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (1)(b)(i), a person has the appropriate experience and qualification if the person has—

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Requirement Due date

by the relevant date, attained— the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 5 Diploma”); or 31/08/2019 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC034797 4 a qualification which the registered provider considers to be equivalent to the Level 5 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of a person who starts managing a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 3 years after the date on which that person started managing a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of a person who was managing a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2017.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider may defer the relevant date if the person— does not manage, or has not managed, a home for a prolonged period; or manages, or has managed, a home on a part-time basis. (Regulation 28 (1)(b)(i)(2)(c)(i)(ii)(3)(a)(b)(4)(a)(b)) The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children‟s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it;

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Requirement Due date

and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)) 31/12/2018

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children‟s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC034797 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Norfolk County Council Children‟s Services

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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 for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC034797 6 to 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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