Children's Home run by Break Charity in Cambridgeshire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC439153 1 SC439153

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Break

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home, which is run by a registered charity, provides long-term placements for up to four children who have traumatic backgrounds and may have experienced neglect and/or emotional abuse. The manager of the home was registered in October 2011.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was carried out to monitor compliance with the restriction notice and to monitor the progress against the steps set out in the compliance notice that was served on 5 July 2019. This monitoring visit found that the compliance notice is met and the grounds for restriction are no longer present.

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This monitoring visit

The requirements that were raised at the last full inspection have not been fully reviewed at this visit and will be evaluated at the next inspection. However, progress against these requirements has been made.

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This monitoring visit

There have been no further admissions to the home. One child has been discharged from the home because the staff were unable to keep the child safe. A new matching referral process is being developed, with better oversight of and accountability for initial matching of referrals.

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This monitoring visit

Two children are currently placed at the home and have lived there for a considerable time. They are happy, settled and established.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has stopped using agency staff. There is one staff vacancy. The organisation has agreed to over-recruit. Several applications for posts are under way. The core team of staff is qualified and experienced. The operations manager has oversight of the rota and agrees the specific staffing arrangements. This ensures that each shift has a complement of experienced staff. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC439153 2 All the staff have had mental health first aid training. The staff who have not had ligature training are booked onto training. Relevant training helps the staff to manage incidents in a planned and consistent manner.

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This monitoring visit

The children’s risk assessments have been reviewed and updated. These present a concise overview of known risks. There is a quality assurance process for these documents and a clear expectation of time frames for staff updates following any behavioural changes.

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This monitoring visit

Records are audited by the manager and the operations manager. This ensures that the managerial monitoring checks are taking place. The managerial monitoring is evidenced in audits that are undertaken by the operations manager. Gaps and shortfalls in monitoring are identified and discussed with the manager. This provides extra safeguards following any incidents.

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This monitoring visit

Overall, there is vigilant oversight from the operations manager, who reports to the responsible individual. Audits include the records of supervisions of the staff team, updating risk assessments and tracking incidents. There is a new-style monthly chronology report for the children that clearly lists incidents and presents an emerging picture of risks. This makes the managerial oversight of children’s welfare and progress clear. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC439153 3

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 26/06/2019 Full Inadequate 20/02/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 17/07/2017 Full Good 17/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC439153 4

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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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6(1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(i)(ii)) 01/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare. (Regulation 7(1)(c)(2)(a)(i)) 01/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are 01/08/2019 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC439153 5 protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, assess the risks of admitting new children to the home and ensure that risk management plans reflect recent incidents. The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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 the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(d)) 01/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (‘the behaviour management policy’) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home. (Regulation 35(1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that incidents of bullying are recorded and monitored. 01/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(c)) 01/08/2019 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC439153 6

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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.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Schofield House, 1 Spar Road, Norwich, Norfolk NR6 6BX

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Inspector

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 Child d F il C t Ad i d S t S i (C f ) h l ll i iti l t h Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC439153 7

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