Children's Home run by Norfolk County Council in Norfolk

Inspection report children’s home: SC068955 1 SC068955 Registered provider: Norfolk County Council Children’s Services 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 and accommodation for up to two children aged eight to 17, irrespective of gender. The children may have experienced neglect and/or emotional abuse. There is an acting manager in post who is not yet registered.

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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

Date of last inspection: 5 December 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: SC068955 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/12/2018 Full Good 31/08/2017 Full Good 27/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 10/08/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC068955 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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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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)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, assess the risks in regard to the road. 17/11/2019

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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)) 17/11/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking 17/11/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC068955 4 into account the requirement in Regulation 12 (2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1)(2))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, assess the risks of criminal exploitation and the road outside the home.

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the children can share all areas of their home unless there are reasons why this would not meet a child’s needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)  Any home using 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. (‘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 progress of the children is positive. The staff treat the children with dignity and respect, which helps them to overcome previous traumas. Staff recognise the children’s emotional growth and encourage the children to be reflective.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff understand the importance of education. A child who was out of education for a significant period is completing work in the home and is engaging well. Alternative education arrangements and creative leisure pursuits give the children opportunities to enjoy and engage in learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff encourage good engagement in the wider community. This helps the children to develop a sense of purpose and belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has a nurturing feel and the communal areas are attractively decorated. However, the children’s movements are restricted during the night as some doors are locked to prevent access. The staff have not assessed this arrangement and it is unclear why these restrictions are in place. This unduly limits the children’s movements and detracts from an otherwise homely environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s emotional, physical and mental health improves from the point of their admission. Specialist help is made available to meet the individual mental health needs Inspection report children’s home: SC068955 5 of the children. Strong links have been established with therapeutic services. This increases the staff’s knowledge and understanding of the children’s mental health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff sensitively support the children to access appointments that can cause them anxiety. However, the children’s health records do not consistently show the outcomes from their health appointments. These records are not monitored effectively, and this lack of oversight could affect the children’s health.

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

The staff look beyond the children’s behaviours to consider their underlying causes. Staff practice is underpinned by a therapeutic approach. The staff team benefits from clinical supervision that reinforces therapeutic practice. This supports the children’s well-being and helps them to feel secure.

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

The staff use a range of de-escalation techniques in response to the children’s challenging behaviour. Physical restraint is infrequent, proportionate and only used when necessary. This approach is successful and maintains positive relationships between the staff and the children.

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

The staff have responded to significant challenges and high-risk behaviours to good effect. This has led to less police involvement at the home and significant reductions in children who self-harm.

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

The staff identify and understand the children’s individual risks. The staff adopt a coordinated approach, working effectively with associated professionals to reduce the actual risk of harm. A police officer assigned to the home said, ‘It certainly looks like [the home] and children’s services have put several things in place to keep [the child] safe.’ Good collaborative working practices give the children a greater sense of permanency and stability.

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

The manager has not reviewed the risks in the local area. The location risk assessment does not refer to the known local risks of criminal exploitation or the road adjacent to the home. One child’s individual risk assessment does not include their unsafe behaviours in the road. This can cause uncertainty in the staff’s responses and reduces their knowledge of risks to the children when they are outside the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed well by an interim manager. She has the relevant qualifications, skills and experience for the role. The manager has swiftly identified strengths and areas for development and these have improved the quality of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Working partnerships are a distinct strength. A common theme shared by professionals was that the staff provided continuity of care for the children and did not give up on them. A youth offending service worker said, ‘The turnaround for [the child] has improved in the last few weeks. This has correlated with the manager’s arrival.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC068955 6 When children are not settling into the home, the management team takes steps to ensure that the child’s care plan is reviewed. This ensures that careful consideration is given to ensuring that the child’s needs are met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Sound recruitment arrangements ensure that the staff are checked properly before employment. Additional training has been identified and obtained to ensure that the staff have the relevant skills to work effectively with the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managerial monitoring is not good enough. The use of door alarms has not been risk assessed, as stipulated in the statement of purpose. The manager has not requested an outstanding education, health and care plan (EHCP) with enough frequency. This is despite uncertainty relating to a child’s health needs. The investigation into an allegation about a member of staff was poor. Collectively, these matters show that the managerial monitoring lacks rigour and depth.

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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: SC068955 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Norfolk County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, Martineau Lane, Norwich NR1 2DH

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Inspectors

Lianne Bradford: social care inspector Clive Lucas: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC068955 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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