Children's Home run by Norfolk County Council in Norfolk

Inspection report children’s home: SC463902 1 SC463902 Registered provider: Norfolk County Council Children’s Services

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This local authority home provides care for up to four young people who have experienced trauma that has left them vulnerable. These young people have specific needs that are set out in the home’s statement of purpose.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2013.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 13 to 14 February 2019

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 19 September 2017

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/09/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC463902 2 24/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 20/09/2016 Full Outstanding 27/01/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC463902 3

p.1

Recommendations

 Just as in a family home, children should be able to access all shared areas of their home unless there are specific reasons why this would not meet a child’s needs. Limits on privacy and access may only be put in place to safeguard each child in the home (regulation 21(c)(i)). Any decisions to limit a child’s access to any area of the home and any modifications to the environment of the home, must only be made where this is intended to safeguard the child’s welfare. All decisions should be informed by a rigorous assessment of that individual child’s needs, be properly recorded and be kept under regular review. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)  The registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for

p.3

Recommendations

managing these. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from a good standard of care from staff who are well trained to meet their needs. The overall experiences of the young people are positive. Young people develop trusting relationships with the staff, forged from open and honest communication.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff understand the importance of education for young people. Education attendance is good. The staff use positive incentives well to encourage the young people to attend education or training. When accessing education is an issue, or a young person refuses to attend, staff prioritise identifying an alternative, such as private tutoring. One young person attends catering college and has a job at a local restaurant. Another young person is particularly gifted at maths. Staff help young people to reach their potential.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff support young people to see their families and friends regularly. Staff have good relationships with young people’s families. The families feel valued and involved in the young people’s lives. One young person’s mother said, ‘The staff are amazing. They communicate with me all of the time and keep me involved. They pick me up, so that I can see him. I don’t think there is anything that they could do better.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are encouraged to express their views and opinions freely through regular conversations with staff, weekly house meetings and more focused one-to-one meetings. Communication at the home is fluid. Young people’s voices are heard and they are Inspection report children’s home: SC463902 4 involved in decisions about activities and their care.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The large home is set in extensive grounds. It is very well resourced with activity and sports equipment and games. The young people are encouraged to take scooter tests to increase their independence in preparation for when they leave the home.

p.4

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

The staff at the home are well trained in safeguarding. They understand their responsibilities to the young people. Unwanted and difficult behaviours are de-escalated quickly. Restraints are rare, with just two since the last inspection.

p.4

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

Positive reinforcement of behaviour is used to good effect. Consequences are used proportionately and appropriately.

p.4

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

The staff at the home value the importance of multi-agency approaches to ensuring that the young people are safeguarded and their needs are met. An external professional said, ‘The staff were very helpful arranging contact between [the young person] and his mother. The multi-agency approach is excellent. The staff attend every meeting that we ask them to and they share information fluidly and in a timely way.’

p.4

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

There are clear processes for staff to follow if young people go missing from the home or leave without permission. The staff are proactive in looking for young people and encouraging them to return home. There are good relationships between the staff and the local police who visit the home to speak with the young people.

p.4

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

Incidents of bullying are addressed quickly. The staff make it clear that bullying is not tolerated. One young person displays difficult behaviours. Staff have recently locked some of the communal areas at night to prevent access and reduce the likelihood of incidents occurring. However, this has not been risk assessed. Failure to adequately assess the rationale for locking areas of the home means that young people’s freedom of movement may be compromised.

p.4

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

Young people’s files are concise and recording is good. Individual risk assessments are current and updated regularly. However, the home’s location risk assessment does not assess risks in the local area in sufficient detail. Local waterways and public houses are not considered as part of the assessment.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since October 2013. She is well established in her role. The registered manager has the support of a deputy manager. Both are qualified social workers and have the skills and experience to run the home effectively.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers assess new admissions to the home thoroughly. Placements are successful and usually culminate in the young person moving into some form of independent living Inspection report children’s home: SC463902 5 or being reunified with their family. One young person is about to move into their own flat and college placement.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Both of the managers value the benefits of theory and research in optimising young people’s experiences and progress. Managers have high ambitions for the home and high aspirations for the young people.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff highly value the support and leadership that they receive from the managers. The staff and managers put the young people at the forefront of everything that they do and want the best for them. An external professional said, ‘I cannot fault the manager. I cannot think of anything that the staff could do better. They are extremely balanced, and their risk management is excellent.’

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff value and appreciate the formal supervisions that they receive from the managers. High-quality supervision helps to ensure that staff practice remains at an excellent level and that training and development needs are identified and met.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff team is stable. All of the full-time staff are qualified to the necessary level 3 qualification or above. The staff benefit from a broad range of training to support them in their roles.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The managers consistently look for ways to improve practice and to improve outcomes for the young people. They engage in effective review, monitoring and evaluation of the home, both internally and with other professionals.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers and staff have positive and effective relationships with other agencies. These highly effective relationships include challenge and questioning. Managers escalate any issues quickly if they feel that the young people’s needs are not being met. The staff make good use of the knowledge and expertise of external professionals who work with the young people.

p.5

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.

p.5

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 Inspection report children’s home: SC463902 6 children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: SC463902 7

p.5

Children’s home details

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

p.7

Inspector

Ricky D’Arcy, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC463902 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8