Children's Home run by Break Charity in Norfolk

Inspection report children‟s home: SC025718 1 SC025718 Registered provider: Break

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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 children‟s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for four children who have experienced neglect, abuse or trauma along with family and placement breakdowns. It is owned by a registered charity.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post for over seven years.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 31 October to 1 November 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: 21 November 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC025718 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/11/2017 Full Good 17/01/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 06/09/2016 Full Good 16/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC025718 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 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; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(3)(5)) 31/01/2019

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Recommendations

 The importance of understanding who we are and where we come from is recognised in good social work practice, for example through undertaking life story work or other direct work. Staff in children‟s homes should play a full role in work of this kind. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 16, paragraph 3.14) Inspection report children‟s home: SC025718 4 In particular, this work should ensure that issues relating to culture and ethnicity are included in children‟s plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children can stay at this home for long periods of time. This allows them to settle, to build good, trusting relationships with the staff and to feel accepted and valued. The staff will stick with children through difficult times. The children can have positive experiences of everyday life, as well as the chance to take part in activities at the home and in the community, which will form part of their good childhood memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff help the children to make good progress in their education. One child has achieved the GCSE results that she needed and so has been able to go to college to study her chosen subject. The staff are advocating strongly on behalf of another child to make sure that she gets the education placement that she needs, and to encourage her to attend her current education provision in the meantime. The help and support that the staff provide helps the children to make the most of their educational opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff develop good relationships with professionals and parents, which help to make sure that the plans for children are appropriate and likely to be successful. The staff support the children to see their friends and families. When necessary, the staff represent the children‟s views so that they can have more beneficial interactions that they feel comfortable with.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff use planned key working and informal discussions with children well. These discussions give the children effective opportunities to voice their views, which are listened to and, when appropriate, acted on. The staff have specific discussions with children about their individual needs, and they talk to the children about things such as sexuality and gender stereotypes. This helps the children to develop an understanding of difference and discrimination.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff know the children well and look after them in a way that recognises and meets their individual needs. This approach to care helps the children to make good progress in different areas of their lives. However, one child‟s plans have not addressed his cultural needs. Although the staff are clear that they would respond to any requests that the child makes, they are not being proactive in assessing and planning for these needs.

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

There is a low level of risk-taking behaviour among the children at this home, and the staff help them to become safer. One child‟s independent reviewing officer spoke of how well the staff had supported the child through a recent „wobble‟. The officer said that the staff are protective towards the child, had communicated well with the social worker and followed the safety plan and the clear risk assessments. This has helped to protect the Inspection report children‟s home: SC025718 5 child and support her through an uncertain period.

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

The staff respond appropriately to children going missing. They try to contact them, look for them and if necessary report them as missing. There was a small spike of children going missing during the summer holidays, but this has since stopped. Overall, the frequency of children going missing is low.

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

The staff recognise potential safeguarding concerns and pass on information to appropriate people so that the children can be protected. The staff have an effective relationship with the local police officer, who has supported them to help some children understand about risk and appropriate behaviours.

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

The staff make good use of encouragement and reward to help children understand and develop positive behaviour. There is a low use of sanctions. When the number of sanctions began to rise recently, the registered manager prompted discussion with the staff about this to ensure that they continue to work in the way set out in the statement of purpose.

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

As the children grow and develop, the staff help them to take the sort of age- appropriate risks that will help them to learn independence skills, including how to keep themselves safer. For example, one child successfully uses public transport to get to and from college, another child is beginning to make his own way home from football training, and the staff help the children to understand about safe internet use.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

This home is managed well by a suitably experienced and qualified registered manager. He and the senior team understand the children‟s needs, care about them and want them to do well. The staff make sure that the home is a nice place for the children to live in.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and staff have effective relationships with other agencies. This does not prevent the staff from challenging others when they need to, so that they can make sure that the children get the services that they need and have a right to access.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home works to its statement of purpose so that it can meet its aims and objectives. A very good example of this is how the staff provide ongoing support for the young people who have left the home. One young person was due to move into a flat with her year-old child. The flat was not in a good state, so the registered manager, with support from the organisation, arranged for the flat to be decorated, carpeted and furnished. Other young people have been helped in setting up flats, and they can call the home for a chat or support. A member of staff was visiting a care leaver on the day of the inspection. This is valuable support for young people and helps to significantly increase the chances of them making a successful transition to adulthood.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Within the staff team, there is a high level of experience and qualification. This, along with the supervision and training of staff, helps to ensure that the staff are able to Inspection report children‟s home: SC025718 6 provide a high level of care for the children in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a good knowledge of the strengths and areas of development of the home. He deals with the shortfalls that he identifies, for example the use of sanctions. He has undertaken a review of the quality of care, but this has limited evaluation and does not identify clear actions to maintain or improve the quality of care. Neither does the review consider the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. Consequently, the review is not as effective as it could be in making sure that the children continue to receive good and improving levels of care.

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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: SC025718 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Spar Road, Norwich NR6 6BX

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Catherine Kenney

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Inspector

Clive Lucas: social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC025718 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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