Children's Home run by Suffolk County Council in Suffolk

Inspection report children’s home: SC430022 1 SC430022 Registered provider: Suffolk County Council

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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 home provides care for up to seven children aged between 11 and 17. Children placed at the home have a form of social, emotional and/or behavioural difficulty, and may have suffered from severe trauma. The home can also accommodate children who have other additional needs. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since May 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: good

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Good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC430022 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/04/2018 Full Good 21/08/2017 Full Good 08/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 04/10/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC430022 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)) 02/08/2019

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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— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(h)) 02/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— undertake appropriate continuing professional development; receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33(4)(a)(b)) 02/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant 02/08/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC430022 4 person without delay if— an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. A notification made under this regulation— must include details of— the matter; the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter; and must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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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. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff have a relaxed and warm rapport with the children. They provide guidance and consistent support to the children that is highly beneficial. These established relationships have helped children to develop their sense of security and stability. The children all have an education provision, and their attendance is very good. Staff are proactive in accessing school places for the children. They work well with the virtual school headteacher, who has assisted in inclusion support. Children have a regular routine. They benefit from after-school clubs, sports and friendship groups at school. The staff ensure that the children attend groups that support their interests. This helps the children to develop their skills and learn about commitment. Children’s meetings are held regularly. ‘Tea and Talk’ and takeaway evenings provide children with an incentive to participate. The staff are enthusiastic and creative in their

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

approach. They value children’s ideas and encourage them to respect one another. Staff access specialist help and interventions for the children. The therapeutic input looks beyond presenting behaviours and addresses the causes. The staff know about the children’s backgrounds and behaviours and demonstrate understanding and compassion. Inspection report children’s home: SC430022 5 Staff actively represent children’s views at care planning meetings and seek advocacy when required. The interior of the home is clean and welcoming. However, the garden is overgrown and unkempt. It doesn’t provide a pleasant or well-kept outside area for the children. Additionally, the small fridge in the kitchen has a broken shelf and is stained with food. Feedback from several professionals was positive. One external professional said, ‘It is the most like a [family] home here as anywhere I’ve been.’

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

There has been an increasing number of criminal arrests. However, the majority of children are much safer and their risk-taking behaviours have reduced. The staff identify and manage the risks as best as they can with the numbers of staff available on the day. The recording and assessment of potential risks is good. Generally, quick responses minimise risks to children who are leaving the home or behaving in an anti-social way in the community. The staff are vigilant and consistent. They work closely with the police, the fire service and youth offending support workers. This multi- agency approach helps the children to consider their behaviours and understand the potential dangers. The staff manage incidents of bullying, and group dynamics, well. These incidents can be challenging and they involve most of the children. There have been periods when children have targeted one another, and tensions have increased. The staff ensure that

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

there is enough support to prevent children who feel unsafe. Clear actions and follow-up work are evident. This helps the children to understand the consequences of their words and actions and develop empathy. Despite some serious incidents, the children respect the house rules and the staff. The staff apply ‘natural consequences’ and discuss these with children, helping them to reflect. The staff place a strong emphasis on effort and achievement and record children’s positive actions. Safeguarding responsibilities are fully understood by the staff, who know how to manage allegations and report any concerns. This protects the children.

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

The manager is experienced in residential childcare. She has been registered since 2018 and holds a suitable level 4 qualification. The manager uses a child-focused approach. She knows each child well and maintains an open-door policy that the children value. The home is extremely busy. Full occupancy and children who present with challenges mean that staff have to multitask in order to manage the numerous demands. Incidents have increased in number. The manager’s capacity for tracking and monitoring these incidents has reduced and incidents have been missed. One extremely serious incident has not been reported as required. The manager has failed to investigate this incident. Consequently, the staff’s responses and the safety of Inspection report children’s home: SC430022 6 the children involved have not been properly explored. There was no record made of the incident or notification made to Ofsted. Accurate recording, reporting and follow up are

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

crucial in preventing another incident and keeping Ofsted aware of events at the home. There are three staff vacancies. There are staff who are imminently due to have long- term leave and some staff sickness. Despite the reduced capacity of the team, a seventh child has been admitted. There are usually three staff on shift. However, if one child is out with a member of staff, this leaves two staff with six children. There are times when the staff cannot follow children who leave the home and are known to place themselves at high risk. The staff do not all have regular supervision, and two annual appraisals are late. This means that staff are not always supported in their roles. The staff strive to provide positive role models and good parenting. The calibre and skill of the staff team are unquestionable. The team demonstrates an enthusiastic, creative and professional approach that is recognised and valued by the children, their parents

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

and professionals. Despite the shortfalls in leadership and management, the overall experiences of the majority of children are good and these improve their life chances.

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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: SC430022 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Suffolk County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Endeavour House, Russell Road, Ipswich IP1 2BX

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Inspector

Deirdra Keating: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC430022 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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