Children's Home run by Break Charity in Cambridgeshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC439153 1 SC439153 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

The home is run by a registered charity and provides long-term placements for up to four children who have experienced trauma and may have experienced neglect and/or emotional abuse.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager of the home was registered in October 2011.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

The home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 26 June 2019. The inspection identified that an overreliance on agency staff and damage done to the home had led to children becoming unsafe. These failures contributed to the shortfalls that were found during that full inspection. Ofsted served a compliance notice in respect of the leadership and management of the home. At the monitoring visit on 29 July 2019, the provider had met all of the steps that were set out in the compliance notice. Inspection report children’s home: SC439153 2

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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 children’s home: SC439153 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—

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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, ensure that the risk management plans reflect the category of risk. 29/11/2019

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16(3)(a)(b)) 29/11/2019

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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 the sanctions are accurately recorded and monitored. 29/11/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC439153 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff are dedicated and conscientious. They provide care that nurtures the children and generates stability. The staff do not give up easily on children and advocate strongly on their behalf. They balance humour and rapport with parental guidance and control. The children like the staff and benefit from having stable relationships with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s school attendance is good. One child has finished school and completed all her exams. Her exam grades exceeded expectations. Another child attends school regularly. The staff work with the teaching staff to address any behavioural concerns and reduce any barriers to the child’s learning. They strongly encourage children to look at further education and apprenticeship options. This gives the children a chance to consider their potential career options. Children’s community meetings are held regularly and these include compliments and grumbles. The manager addresses any actions. This encourages the children to participate and contribute in the knowledge that their views are valued. The staff have regular one-to-one discussions with the children to help them learn from their behaviours. The records of these show that the staff do not shy away from difficult issues. They are curious and tenacious when talking to children about their worries or

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There have been significant improvements made to the accommodation. A new floor in the lounge provides a practical and pleasant feel. The games room has been painted, and the home is light and spacious. Children value the environment, bedrooms are highly personalised and there are many photographic memories displayed around the home. These give the children a sense of belonging.

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

The staff create a settled and calm environment. They manage the children’s risks well and therefore children are safer. Children rarely go missing from the home and there are no bullying incidents. The overall reduction in incidents coincides with the low number of children at the home.

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

Children benefit from being cared for by a consistent staff team. The staff work well together. They focus on reinforcing positive behaviour and provide clear boundaries and guidelines. When children’s behaviours require a consequence, the staff provide reasonable sanctions. However, the records of these sanctions are not always accurate and fail to detail all of the measures used.

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

The safeguarding procedures eliminate most risks and the staff understand the reporting systems. The manager ensures that allegations are managed appropriately. A recent Inspection report children’s home: SC439153 5 allegation was identified by the manager and notified to the designated officer and Ofsted thereafter. This safeguards the children and the staff.

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

The staff compile risk management plans for each child. These take into consideration recent incidents that pose a risk to the child. The categorisation of these risks does not make sense and this could mislead the staff when they are reading these plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has an established and experienced manager who is qualified to level 5. The manager leads the team with a child-focused approach. He knows the children well and is involved in direct aspects of their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team has worked hard to address the shortfalls that were identified following the previous inspection. The manager and wider organisation have taken a reflective and analytical overview of the last year. This helps to reduce future mistakes and looks at the lessons learned.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The senior managers are aware of the areas that require improvement. Close managerial scrutiny, regular audits and routine oversight ensure that the manager and the staff are accountable. This drives effective care planning and delivery for each child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff and manager identify the staff’s training and development needs. These include training for the whole staff team on how to reduce behavioural incidents. This provides a consistent approach that reflects the home’s ethos.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff have rallied through a difficult and challenging year. They have provided consistency and stability for the two children who have long-term placements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff receive regular supervision. During these sessions, their practice and approaches are challenged and discussed. This helps to encourage a culture of reflection, honesty and learning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been no revised statement of purpose sent in to Ofsted for several months. The manager’s recently updated version has inaccuracies which could provide misleading information.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC439153 6 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: SC439153 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

Deirdra Keating: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC439153 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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