Children's Home run by Suffolk County Council in Suffolk

Inspection report children’s home: SC037281 1 SC037281 Registered provider: Suffolk County Council Interim 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 for up to seven children aged between eight and 17. The children may have experienced neglect and/or emotional abuse or had traumatic experiences that have left them vulnerable. The registered manager left the home on 21 January 2020. A new manager recently joined the home and is not yet registered with Ofsted.

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Inspection date: 26 February 2020

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC037281 2

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has declined in effectiveness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The provider has met the three requirements that were raised at the last inspection but has not met the two recommendations. These have been raised as requirements at this inspection.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home has had three changes of manager since the last inspection in April 2019. Lack of consistent leadership has had an impact on the stability of the staff team and the well-being of the children. Despite this, some of the staff have worked at the home for many years and are positive about the new manager who has joined the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the time of the inspection, the home’s statement of purpose had not been updated and sent to Ofsted. This fails to provide Ofsted with an up-to-date view of the home’s operational arrangements. The home has changed the age range of children that it admits, and the statement of purpose does not reflect this or the current management arrangements.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, four new children have come to live at the home and one child has left. Staff supported a planned transition for the child who left the home. This child needed a more specialist provision and the staff worked together to ensure that his transition was positive. This included some staff working additional hours to support the move. Matching of the children who moved into the home is of variable quality. While all the children had a detailed matching impact assessment prior to admission, there were some predictable risks from admitting these children that have not been adequately mitigated. This has resulted in volatile behaviour that has had a negative and unsettling impact on all the children.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Two older teenagers have come to live at the home alongside four younger children, who often display challenging behaviour. One child, who recently moved in, said that she is regularly disrupted during the night by the other children shouting and screaming. This child said that she thought that the rules of the home were aimed at much younger children, and that this is unfair. A staff member said that the staff are not experienced in caring for teenagers. The staff are struggling to meet all the children’s diverse needs, and this is resulting in conflict between children.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home requires updating. Although some areas of the home are freshly painted in bright colours, the size of the property and damage caused by the children presents challenges to maintaining the home to an acceptable standard. The children’s bathrooms are bare and there is damage to bath panels. One toilet did not have a seat or a lid. A child’s bedroom contained a large area of damp on the ceiling. In addition, the staff have been unable to prevent the children from causing Inspection report children’s home: SC037281 3 significant damage to the home. The regularity of incidents means that there are several hazards. Repairs have not been actioned promptly, therefore the home is not welcoming and child-friendly.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff have tried to implement boundaries on internet use. When the Wi-Fi is turned off in the evening this is sometimes a trigger to incidents. A child said that these incidents can go on late into the night. One child was able to go into the office at night during an incident and destroy phones, take money from a drawer and cause damage to a computer. The home does not yet have effective measures in place to prevent these incidents overnight. The recently appointed manager has started to work with the staff to create a consistent response to the children’s behaviours. The staff are positive about the guidance offered but this is in the early stages and is not yet embedded in practice.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There is significant conflict between the children. The staff have not always been able to intervene before the children have injured each other. There have been incidents of bullying that included name-calling, punching, kicking, and a child causing deliberate damage to another child’s bedroom. Following these incidents, the staff spoke with the children about their behaviour. The staff have undertaken some anti-bullying workshops with the children. However, this work has not reduced the levels of negative behaviour and some children continue to be intimidated and assaulted. Some of these incidents have not been recorded in the home’s bullying log. This does not enable effective management review of the incidents. The ongoing bullying means that the children do not feel relaxed and safe in their living environment.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Changes to staffing and an increase in the number of children who live at the home have resulted in the children feeling unsettled. Although the home is not currently short-staffed, the staffing has not been increased to meet the changing needs of the children. One child’s referral paperwork said that he required one-to-one staffing. However, since this child’s admission, three more children have moved in and the staffing levels no longer match with the child’s admission plans.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff team is committed to promoting children’s learning. The children are encouraged to attend school. Most children have a school place and one child is waiting to attend a new school. This child has been engaged in activities including attending a dance group. The home has a range of toys and craft materials. The staff cook with the children and take them out on activities and trips.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Social workers said that the staff care about the children and want the best for them. The staff display high levels of emotional warmth towards the children. The staff demonstrate a good understanding of the children’s histories and the trauma behind some of their more challenging behaviours. They listen to the children’s views. The home has good links with the local child mental health service, which provides regular consultation with the staff team. Inspection report children’s home: SC037281 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/04/2019 Full Good 03/10/2018 Full Inadequate 21/02/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 05/09/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC037281 5

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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

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6(1)(a)(b)(2)(c)) 31/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children; 31/03/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC037281 6 understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them. (Regulation 11(1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(ii)(iv)(xi)(xii)(xiii)) 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

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. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)) 31/03/2020

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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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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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 home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(d)(e)) 31/03/2020

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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)) 31/03/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC037281 7

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Information about this inspection

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: SC037281 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Suffolk County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Endeavour House, Russell Road, Ipswich IP1 2BX

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Inspector

Angela Weston, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC037281 9 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 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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