Children's Home run by Flying Spur Limited in Norfolk

Inspection report children’s home: SC470585 1 SC470585 Registered provider: Flying Spur Limited

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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 privately owned home provides care for six children, irrespective of gender. The children may have experienced neglect and/or emotional abuse or had traumatic experiences that have left them vulnerable. The manager of the home was registered in March 2017.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC470585 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/06/2018 Full Good 14/03/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 15/11/2017 Full Good 29/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC470585 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 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)) 29/12/2019

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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 risk management plans include relevant detail, the location risk assessment includes pertinent information and the grounds are risk-assessed. 29/11/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33(4)(b)) 29/11/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC470585 4

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Recommendations

 Any home using CCTV or other monitoring equipment should have a written policy describing how this will support the safeguarding and well-being of those living and working in the home in accordance with regulation 24. Homes must gain consent to any monitoring or surveillance by the placing authority in writing at the time of placement. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.16)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The overall experiences of the children are positive. The children are happy and feel cared for by the staff. Care is tailored to the children’s individual needs by an informed and nurturing staff team. The children’s health needs are suitably met and therapeutic support is accessed as required. Smoking and alcohol and substance misuse are discouraged, and external services are commissioned to educate the children about the associated health risks. The children’s individual interests are supported well. Some children keep pets, which supports their positive well-being and prevents social isolation. There are a broad range of activities that the children engage in, such as sailing, horse riding, trampolining and voluntary work. The children have a sense of permanence in their placements and form strong relationships with the staff. This enables them to experience healthy relationships and form positive attachments with others. The staff are encouraged to take a therapeutic

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

approach and look beyond the children’s behavioural incidents for triggers and stress factors. The staff benefit from good clinical oversight, which underpins and guides their practice. The staff recognise and promote the importance of educational engagement. There are various bespoke educational arrangements, which include home-tutoring and vocational activities. These develop the children’s personal and social skills. The staff provide informal learning and this improves the children’s independence and skill base. Children are encouraged to help around the house and dine together at meal times. These opportunities help the children to gain confidence and have a sense of purpose. The house is spacious with ample grounds that are set in a rural location. Some areas of the home require redecoration and are institutional. This does not afford a homely and nurturing environment. The use of door alarms that monitor the children’s movements, and the locking of the

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

kitchen door at night, require further assessment. These generic practices are not individually assessed. They lead to children having unnecessary restrictions placed upon them, limiting their rights to privacy and choice. Inspection report children’s home: SC470585 5

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

The individual risks to children are generally managed well. The staff respond appropriately and in line with the children’s risk assessments. For some children, living at the home has reduced their risk-taking behaviours. Other children continue to go missing regularly, although the length of these incidents has decreased. The staff actively search for the children and check known areas. They work well with the police and other professionals to ensure that the children are located and returned without delay. Risk management plans demonstrate how the staff minimise the children’s harmful behaviours. However, there are details missing, specifically in regard to where the children are allowed to go in their free time. The location risk assessment is old and fails to assess the current risks presented by the neighbouring tenants. Consequently, staff may not all be aware of all the potential risks and how to reduce these.

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

The children know how to make complaints and do so. The manager has responded to these and investigated all of their concerns raised, including some staff practice issues. Clear evidence demonstrates that these issues are discussed with the staff concerned. This gives the children confidence that their views are heard and they are treated equally. The staff guide the children, discuss their actions and provide related consequences that help them learn from negative behaviours. The manager monitors these incidents carefully. The overuse of financial sanctions has been addressed and since reduced. Generally, the sanctions are reasonable and fair. These help the children to learn from their behaviours. Areas of the grounds have dilapidated outbuildings, broken equipment and discarded furniture. The fence boundary to the rear of the grounds requires maintenance. The children have access to these areas and the potential hazards they pose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and qualified for the role. He leads an established management team that shares the same vision. Together, they strive to provide a therapeutic approach and ensure that the care is child-centred. The manager has high aspirations for the children and advocates strongly on their behalf. The management team knows each child well, takes an active part in their care and is fully aware of each child’s progress and any barriers they face. The management team works seamlessly with a number of external agencies. This provides a strategic approach that is beneficial to the children and keeps them safe. The staff build strong relationships with the children’s associated professionals. They work collaboratively to ensure that the children’s needs are met. Emerging concerns are addressed, and the staff recognise when the children’s placements are no longer tenable. The staff regularly gain the children’s views and opinions through key-working sessions,

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

house meetings and informal discussions. This means that the children can tell the staff if they are unhappy or want to make changes. The children’s wishes and feelings are swiftly and appropriately acted on. Inspection report children’s home: SC470585 6 The manager role models good practice to the staff team. For example, he carefully monitors incidents, identifying where the staff require guidance and support. Despite some identified practice issues, there are staff who have not had supervision for five months. This does not provide regular support for the staff.

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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: SC470585 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Flying Spur Limited

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Inspectors

Deirdra Keating, social care inspector Lianne Bradford, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC470585 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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