Children's Home run by Stanfield Care Children Services Limited in Norfolk

Inspection report children's home: 2580887 1 Registered provider: Stanfield Care Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to four children between the ages of 11 and 18 years with social, emotional and behavioural needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since May 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 2 September 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children's home: 2580887 2

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improvement to be good

Since the home opened in May 2020, there have been some positive experiences for children. Children have benefited from greater engagement in education and a reduction in risk-taking behaviours, and they have established positive relationships with some staff. Yet there are several areas which require improvement to be good.

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improvement to be good

The staff support children to attend education. Children have increased their attendance in education compared to their attendance prior to moving to the home. However, children’s attendance and engagement are inconsistent.

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improvement to be good

One child has worked towards completing GCSEs and has gained employment in the area local to the home. These are significant achievements and have been encouraged and celebrated by the staff. This child said, ‘I am doing so well here. I would not have got a job or worked towards GCSEs if I wasn’t here.’

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improvement to be good

The children’s experiences at the home have not consistently been good. One child sustained an assault from another child which led to a significant injury. On occasions, children have felt bullied by their peers. Although staff challenge incidents of bullying, the level of challenge has not consistently been effective. Some staff have been assaulted. Assaults on staff are unsettling for children to observe and staff to sustain.

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improvement to be good

The decoration of the home has improved overall; however, some areas require attention. The stair carpet is stained. The garden requires maintaining as stinging nettles grow in some areas of the lawn. A fence that was erected to provide additional safety to the home has come down.

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improvement to be good

The staff know the children well and provide a good range of activities, although children’s participation varies.

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improvement to be good

Staff create memory books for the children. These contain photographs of memorable times spent with staff and other children. The making of positive memories helps children to gain a sense of belonging and helps them to make positive connections with the people around them. Inspection report children's home: 2580887 3

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improvement to be good

There have been 27 incidents of children going missing from the home since September 2020. Although the frequency of the children going missing has reduced over time, the level of risk and vulnerability that the children are exposed to during these incidents remains high. Two children have travelled significant distances while they have been missing from the home. One child had been missing on two occasions for several consecutive days. This child remained missing from the home at the time of the inspection.

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improvement to be good

Staff follow the children’s protocols well and this is reflected in the comprehensive records. Social workers said that they feel confident that staff respond to and manage children’s missing-from-home incidents well. Staff are creative and use a variety of measures to try to locate children when they are missing. The staff are aware of the social media platforms that children use, and staff use innovative ways to draw on any information that may lead to the child being found. The police said that staff work effectively with them from the point that the child is missing until their safe return. The manager makes appropriate challenge to the placing authority to request that return home interviews take place.

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improvement to be good

Overall, safeguarding concerns and allegations are responded to and managed effectively by the staff. However, one allegation concerning staff practice had not been referred to the designated officer. The manager had liaised with the Children’s Advice and Duty Service and undertook an investigation which contributed to disciplinary action being taken. Although the impact of this oversight was minimised, the manager failed to adhere to the home’s safeguarding policy in respect of referring allegations against staff. This prevented the designated officer from having sufficient oversight of the concern or the opportunity to give direction on how it should be managed.

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improvement to be good

Several actions that were raised in a fire risk assessment have been addressed. However, one action relating to the replacement of seals in the fire doors had not been undertaken. During the inspection, the staff began replacing the fire seals; however, this was only after this shortfall was identified by the inspector.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always manage conflict effectively. On occasion, this has led to incidents that may have been prevented. Four incidents occurred that involved children accessing the staff office and gaining access to a safe and other items. Staff de- escalation and behaviour management, at times, have not been effective to keep children safe. Staff have not consistently provided effective boundaries to manage the children’s behaviour.

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improvement to be good

Effective management monitoring identifies when staff may have imposed a sanction that is excessive or not proportionate or relevant to the behaviour it is intended to address. The manager provides staff with alternative suggestions to manage children’s behaviour. This helps teach children to learn from their mistakes. Inspection report children's home: 2580887 4 Some children have been involved in alcohol and substance misuse and have not been safe online. Some of the children’s behaviours have been volatile, and children have consequently been at risk of harm. The nature of children’s relationships with each other has meant that some children have been at risk of harm. In response to these behaviours, staff have provided children with advice and guidance through meaningful conversations. Connections have also been made with services that can support issues such as substance misuse and child sexual exploitation. Risk

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improvement to be good

assessments detail appropriate risk-reduction strategies and are reflective of current and emerging risks. The staff work collaboratively with other agencies to share concerns when risks emerge. Although staff try to keep children safe and do take positive action, the complexity of children’s needs means that the effectiveness of staff’s action is variable.

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improvement to be good

There has been a reduction in some behaviours of concern; however, the high level of risk that some children are exposed to remains.

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good

The manager is working towards a required qualification. The manager is passionate about the children, is honest and reflective, and she has a good oversight of the strengths of the home and the areas that require development. During her leadership, she has made some positive changes to develop the home. However, some decisions made by the manager that specifically relate to children moving into the home have been overly optimistic.

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good

Since June 2020, eight children have moved into the home and five children have moved out due to staff being unable to meet these children’s needs. Some children have been moved on from the home quickly and have not had a positive ending to their time at the home. Children have not always been matched suitably to ensure that the group dynamics remain positive. On occasion, there has been information lacking from placing authorities that has only come to light after the child had moved into the home. One child’s behaviour altered quite significantly when they moved into the home. However, on occasion, the manager agreed to some children moving in with little information.

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good

Impact risk assessments have included information that would indicate that a child would not be a suitable match for other children at the home. Despite this, their admission was still agreed. This has led to negative group dynamics and an increase in risky behaviours. The manager has not implemented lessons learned from these experiences to ensure that similar mistakes are not repeated. Such abrupt endings to living at the home disrupt attachments that the child may have and affects their sense of belonging.

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good

The staff are very positive about the manager’s leadership and managerial oversight. They said that they feel supported by the manager. Inspection report children's home: 2580887 5 Social workers spoke highly about the manager’s leadership and management of safeguarding concerns, including children going missing from the home. The manager communicates effectively with other agencies to obtain services and resources that will benefit the children.

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good

Complaints are responded to appropriately. The staff ensure that children are provided with an acknowledgment letter and outcome whenever they make a complaint. The staff ensure that children are satisfied with the outcome of the complaint. A child said that they felt confident that any of their complaints would be swiftly addressed by the manager.

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good

The staff are up to date with the organisation’s mandatory training. Over half the staff do not have the required qualification for the role; however, they are within the time frame to achieve it.

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good

Supervisions explore practice issues and provide guidance to staff to improve their practice. New staff have additional meetings to their supervision. These meetings focus on staff accountability, which affects the quality of care that children receive.

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good

Restraint records are monitored effectively, and concerns raised in debriefs are acted on by the manager. The manager monitors the internal records to good effect. Inspection report children's home: 2580887 6

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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

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

replace the soiled carpet on the stairs;

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Requirement Due date

maintain the rear garden to a reasonable standard.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the assurance visit and is restated. 16 August 2021

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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— 30 July 2021 Inspection report children's home: 2580887 7 that staff—

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(xi))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the assurance visit and is restated.

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure prompt referral of safeguarding concerns and allegations to the designated officer. 30 July 2021

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iii)) 30 July 2021

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (1) applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for 30 July 2021 Inspection report children's home: 2580887 8 article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, replace ineffective fire seals on the fire doors.

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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’.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Stanfield Care Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 6, Cuckoo Wharf, 435 Lichfield Road, Birmingham, Warwickshire B6 7SS

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Inspector

Lianne Bradford, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2580887 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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