Children's Home run by BREAK in Norfolk

Inspection report children’s home: SC060743 1 SC060743 Registered provider: Break Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home provides care for four children who have experienced neglect, abuse or trauma along with family and placement breakdowns. It is owned by a registered charity. The registered manager has been in post since 2011.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 17 to 18 September 2019

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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 outstanding

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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: 19 September 2018

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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: SC060743 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/09/2018 Full Good 07/11/2017 Full Good 07/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 10/11/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC060743 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 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— that staff—

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(vii)) 31/10/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only— employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1)(2)(a)(b)(3)(d)) 31/10/2019

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The managers and the staff provide stability for the children. This stability gives the children space and security from which they make significant progress. One child had five placements in one year before moving to this home. In nine months at the home, he has settled well. He said that this is the best home that he has lived at. Inspection report children’s home: SC060743 4 One child has just moved on after a long period of time at the home. She spoke about the good times that she has had at the home and the memories that she has built. These memories have been captured in two photograph albums for the child to keep. The positive experience of residential care has helped to prepare the child for family life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children maintain relationships and share important times with their families. Staff listen to and respect the children’s views on how they maintain these relationships. This helps the children to develop their sense of identity and to have positive family relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to support the children’s education. They offer children opportunities and encourage them to take these up. The staff are persistent and resourceful in their approach. All of the children are making educational progress relative to their individual circumstances. A member of school staff said that a child has a ‘brilliant’ attendance record and that the staff from the home are very good at supporting her. Another child, who has considerable gaps in education, has begun to attend school. His social worker described this as ‘amazing progress’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff excel in their support of children’s emotional well-being. The children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) worker for one child described the home as ‘outstanding’. They said, ‘Staff work very well with him to make sure that they are providing consistent and effective care that fully meets his needs.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff use research-based practice and consult with Break Family Centre to help them find ways of working effectively with individual children. This helps them to make sure that the work that they do with children is effective and helps them to make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from an exceptional range of activities and opportunities. One child remembers, as a highlight, a 50-mile cycle ride that she did with a member of staff. Other children have recently taken part in a sailing trip to the Netherlands. One child has been to a music festival of his choice. Some of the children went to Spain on holiday. These experiences are in addition to regular activity clubs such as cadets, music lessons and football. For one child, who suffers from anxiety, these activities help him to stretch his boundaries in line with his plans.

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

Staff understand the potential risks to children and successfully reduce these. There has only been one incident of a child being missing from the home since the last inspection. This child was frequently missing from home in his last placement. The staff have achieved this significant reduction in risk-taking by listening to the child and enabling him to manage his free time. This child now attends a youth club regularly and spends time with his friends. He takes age-appropriate risks and is learning how to keep himself safer.

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

The staff help the children to understand how to use the internet and social media safely. Helping children to understand social media risks prepares them for adulthood. Inspection report children’s home: SC060743 5 The staff take a watchful interest in the children’s internet activity. This is an important safeguard.

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

Children are involved in finding effective ways of managing their behaviour. This is one reason that the staff have not used any formal sanctions for over a year. The settled nature of the home, with very low levels of damage, shows that this approach really helps the children.

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

The managers have been quick to respond to concerns about children’s emotional well- being. Specialist training has helped the staff to identify research and resources to inform their practice, and this helps them to keep children safer.

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

The system to process essential recruitment checks for new staff generally works. However, for one new member of staff, an element of these checks has not been completed. This limits the safeguards that make sure that children are cared for by safe, suitable adults.

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

The staff have safeguarding training, and this is included in new staff’s induction. Despite this, one member of staff was unclear about the process of reporting any concerns about colleagues. There have not been any safeguarding concerns, but this lack of knowledge has the potential to limit how effectively concerns would be dealt with.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has been at the home for eight years and is established and experienced. The staff were exceptionally positive about the leadership and management of the home. They described managers as very supportive and having high expectations. An external professional described the managers as ‘great, interested and wanting to help the children’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers have worked hard to address the previous shortfalls. There is an ethos of continual improvement at the home. The managers know the strengths and weaknesses of the home exceptionally well and have used this knowledge to make improvements. The managers have knowledge of individual children’s progress and challenges. They use this knowledge to review and amend plans to make sure that they are relevant and meet children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager’s appraisal and supervision of staff are very thorough. Managers identify practice and development issues and follow them through over time. The managers and staff can refer to detailed and clear supervision records to remind them of discussions and agreed actions. This level of support helps staff to develop and improve the care provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The managers are involved in the daily life of the home and work directly with the children. This gives them opportunities to lead by example, to encourage continual improvement and to develop the staff team. Inspection report children’s home: SC060743 6 The staff team is highly experienced and well qualified. Several staff have been at the home for a number of years. Because of this, the children are looked after by staff who are competent and knowledgeable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The managers work effectively with other agencies. School staff, social workers and health staff all described ways in which managers and staff have worked with them to improve the outcomes for children. An exceptionally good piece of work with a local police officer helped a child to understand issues of consent and choice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers and staff know about the importance of children’s identity. They are particularly effective in supporting children with their gender identity and will challenge others, if necessary, to get the best outcomes for the children.

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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: SC060743 7

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Children’s home details

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

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Annriette Mynhardt

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Inspector

Clive Lucas: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC060743 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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