Children's Home run by Inroads Essex Limited in Suffolk

Inspection report children‟s home: 1272657 1 Registered provider: Inroads Essex 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

A private organisation runs this children‟s home. It is registered to provide care for up to four children whose primary needs are due to a learning disability or who have experienced trauma that has left them vulnerable.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager of the home was registered with Ofsted in January 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 requires improvement to be 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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Recent inspection history

This was the first inspection of the home. Inspection report children‟s home: 1272657 2

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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

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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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers should consider family values in relation to mealtimes, and the value of staff and children eating together. 30/11/2018

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b)) 26/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child‟s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; 09/11/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: 1272657 3 the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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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 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv)) The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children‟s home at least once each month. (Regulation 44 (1)) 26/10/2018

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Recommendations

 For children‟s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 15, paragraph 3.9) In particular, damage at the home should be repaired. Inspection report children‟s home: 1272657 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The overall experiences of children are positive. The children benefit from staff who care about their well-being and meet their needs. The staff communicate consistently with the children in an open and honest way that is appropriate to the children‟s level of understanding. There are warm and strong relationships between the staff. The children make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff understand the importance of education for the children and prioritise arranging this when children move into the home. The staff take children to and from school and attend meetings at school and parent evenings. This participation by the staff enables good communication between the schools and the staff and gives staff good insight to the children‟s academic progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children access a wide range of activities with the staff both in and out of the home. These activities reflect the children‟s individual interests. The children access leisure services in the community, such as swimming, going to the cinema and bowling. This inclusive use of resources helps the children to feel part of the local community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff support the children to see their families, which helps the children to develop relationships that will sustain them into adulthood. The staff work hard to forge good relationships with families. One child‟s mother said, „I‟m really happy with [the child‟s] progress. She is a lot happier and is doing a lot of activities. She has good relationships with the staff, who really care about her.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff gain the views and opinions of children through key-working sessions, consultation and feedback forms appropriate to the children‟s level of understanding. Information for the children is produced in a variety of creative ways, such as using symbols and images. The strong relationships between the children and staff mean that children will communicate if there are issues they wish to raise as a complaint.

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

The staff understand effective safeguarding practice. They are clear about their roles and responsibilities to safeguard the children. Staff receive a comprehensive training package. This helps them to develop their skills in working with children.

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

There are clear missing-from-home policies for each child, and staff are proactive in locating children if they leave without permission or go missing. High levels of staff support mean that episodes of children going missing are rare. There has been one incident since the home opened in June 2018.

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

The staff understand and value the importance of multi-agency work to meet the children‟s needs. A social worker said, „The staff are very professional at all times. They Inspection report children‟s home: 1272657 5 consider alternatives [for] meeting [the child‟s] needs. She has made huge progress. The staff are very supportive and made arrangements so that [the child] could attend an important family function.‟

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

Positive incentives are used to encourage good behaviour. The home does not use sanctions for negative behaviours.

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

The staff are skilled at de-escalating challenging behaviours. Physical interventions are used as a last resort, with 12 recorded since the home opened. However, these incidents are inconsistently recorded, and dates, times and other information are missing. The records have a lack of management oversight, review and analysis. Failure by the manager to ensure that accurate information about physical intervention is recorded and reviewed places children and staff at risk.

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

The staff work hard to create a nurturing feel at the home. However, due to some of the children‟s challenging behaviours, the home has sustained damage. This detracts from what is otherwise an attractive home.

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

Essential fire safety measures were lacking, and eight fire doors were not working properly. The manager made immediate plans to have them repaired, as this poses a risk to children and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager was registered with Ofsted in January 2018. He has the necessary qualifications, experience and skills to manage the home. The staff are well trained. They receive practice-led supervisions and appraisals in line with company policy. Any staff who do not have the necessary level 3 qualification are enrolled on the course on completion of their probationary period.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Children‟s case files are detailed and updated regularly. Risk assessments, behaviour management plans and key-working records are thorough and evidence participation by children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

New admissions to the home are assessed in detail against individual children‟s behaviours and the main areas of risk. One child left the home, as their educational needs could not be met. This move was facilitated in a planned and structured way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home‟s management team seeks to provide a permanent home for children in which their social and health needs can be met and their quality of life can improve. However, the staff do not sit and eat meals with the children. The staff have to bring their own food and eat separately from the children, as they are not supplied with a meal at the home. This does not encourage the development of children‟s social skills and is not a homely approach.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

No independent visit took place for the first two months following the home opening in Inspection report children‟s home: 1272657 6 June 2018. Failure to ensure that independent visits took place and were reported to Ofsted meant that the home could not be effectively monitored during this period.

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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: 1272657 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Inroads Essex Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suffolk House, 7 Hydra, Orion Court, Addison Way, Great Blakenham, Suffolk IP6 0LW

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Inspector

Ricky D‟Arcy: social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: 1272657 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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