Children's Home run by Norfolk County Council in Norfolk

Inspection report children’s home: SC068076 1 SC068076 Registered provider: Norfolk County Council 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 for up to two children. It provides residential care for children when family, foster care or other community-based placements are not possible or suitable at that time. The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2021.

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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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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: SC068076 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/07/2019 Full Good 04/09/2018 Full Good 19/12/2017 Full Good 08/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC068076 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This home is registered for up to two children but just one child has been living at the home for the last year. The child spoke mainly positively about living at the home and has positive relationships with the staff who care for her. Staff understand her needs well. The child has had several previous placements before moving to the home. It is positive that staff have provided care that has enabled the child to remain at the home for a significant period. Staff spoke positively about wanting to continue to support the child and achieve the best possible outcomes for her.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has struggled to engage in education. The manager and staff demonstrate a commitment to helping her to make progress with her education, while acknowledging that progress has not been as much as they had hoped. Staff have worked with the child’s school and the virtual school to help her to increase her attendance. Staff attend and actively contribute to professionals’ meetings. They use their knowledge of the child to play a role in developing education plans that are based on her interests. An incentive scheme has been put in place to encourage the child to engage in education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has experienced a good range of activities. These have recently included trips to theme parks and a camping trip at a water sports centre. She enjoys regularly cooking with staff, which helps her develop skills that she will need in the future. Varied activities help give her new and shared experiences with the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help the child to see people who are important to her. She is soon going on an overnight trip with a family member, which the manager is accompanying them on, at the child’s request. The child has also recently started seeing a parent for the first time in many years. Good support to see people who are important to her has helped her to build and maintain positive relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s health needs are generally well met. When concerns about lifestyle choices were identified, staff worked with external professionals to put plans in place to encourage a healthier lifestyle. The child was previously engaging with mental health services and was helped by staff to do so. However, due to organisational changes, her worker changed and the child has not engaged with the new worker. The manager has not put a clear plan in place alongside other professionals on how to encourage engagement for the child. This is despite support for her mental health being an identified need.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is not well maintained. There are areas of decoration that include patchy paintwork and some marks on walls and doors. Some relatively minor damage has not been repaired in appropriate timescales. While work has begun on decorating some areas, there is more needed and the home does not currently provide a welcoming environment for children. Inspection report children’s home: SC068076 4

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

Staff have a good understanding of risks for the child and there are clear plans in place outlining how staff minimise these. The child can talk to staff about things that she is worried about. Staff show a good understanding of safeguarding procedures and are clear about how to respond to any safeguarding concerns.

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

The child has been involved in several incidents of aggressive behaviour towards staff, but these have become less frequent. Staff intervene effectively to de-escalate behaviours. When incidents have happened, they have ended more quickly than has been the case in the past. However, monitoring of incidents is not consistent. Some incident records do not include the manager’s comments and others only have minimal comments. Some quite significant incidents have not been recorded as such, which means that these have lacked sufficient managerial oversight. Poor monitoring means that opportunities to learn from incidents and improve practice are not always taken.

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

Managers and staff have developed good links with the local police. A police officer visits the home regularly to build and maintain these relationships and he has a good understanding of the child’s needs. Incidents requiring police support have reduced over the last year. The home’s linked police officer said that excellent links between the home and the police, including good communication, have contributed towards this happening. Good partnership working with police has resulted in the child being less likely to be criminalised because of incidents at the home.

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

Processes are in place for recruitment checks for new staff. However, for one staff member who recently joined, the manager was unable to locate the reference checks to evidence that they had been completed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff said that the manager is accessible and available to them when needed. The manager is relatively new to role but worked at the home previously and has a good understanding of its strengths and areas for development. The manager is very child focused. She has a positive relationship with the child, who looks to her for help and identifies her as someone she can to talk to.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff meetings are held regularly and consider the child’s needs and how these are being met. The meetings are well attended. After each meeting, the child receives a written response to ensure that she is aware of any changes agreed at the meeting, such as to the house rules. The child can contribute to the running of the home through meetings and engagement sessions, during which staff seek her views.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have recently accessed a course of reflective practice sessions with an external clinical psychologist. This has provided a space for staff to think in detail about the child’s behaviour, what she may be trying to communicate through this and how to Inspection report children’s home: SC068076 5 support her effectively. Good support from external professionals with different areas of expertise has helped increase staff’s skills in caring for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff supervisions are child focused and, when they happen, provide good support. However, staff have regularly gone over two months between supervisions. Staff are supporting a child with very complex needs and the lack of regular supervisions means that opportunities to consider practice and how it can best meet these needs are being missed. Inspection report children’s home: SC068076 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 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

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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

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)) 1 October 2021

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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)) 1 October 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is well maintained and homely. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that when a child needs additional health or well-being support, staff work with the child’s placing authority to enable proper and immediate access to any specialist medical, psychological or psychiatric support required. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.10)  The registered person should ensure that recruitment of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1) Inspection report children’s home: SC068076 7

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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: SC068076 8

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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, Norfolk NR1 2DH

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Inspector

Joe Cox, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC068076 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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