Children's Home run by Flying Spur Limited in Norfolk

Inspection report for children’s home: SC470585 1 SC470585 Registered provider: Flying Spur Limited 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 who may have experienced neglect and/or emotional abuse or had traumatic experiences that have left them vulnerable.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2017.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 10 March 2021 to carry out a monitoring 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: good

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requires improvement to be good

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

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/10/2019 Full Good 19/06/2018 Full Good 14/03/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 15/11/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC470585 3

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improvement to be good

Two children have moved into the home since March 2021, and three children have moved out. At the time of the inspection, five children were living at the home. The children’s quality of experiences and care are inconsistent. Some longstanding staff members have left and this has led to gaps in managerial monitoring and oversight. Identified shortfalls in the safeguarding procedures have placed children at potential risk. Despite these shortcomings, children are safe and making some progress. The provider has experienced some staffing shortages due to COVID-19 and staff needing to isolate. This has had an impact on staffing and, at times, on available activities.

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improvement to be good

Two children are attending school and making good progress from their starting points. The children who do not attend or engage with home tutoring or school are not stimulated with any meaningful activities. The lack of structure and routines does not support children’s confidence and reintroduction to school.

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improvement to be good

The staff focus on meeting the children’s primary health needs. They work with specialist therapy teams, when necessary, to work through the children’s previous trauma. However, two children who smoke have not been supported to seek smoking cessation support. This means that there is a delay in these children receiving the service that they need.

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improvement to be good

The home is spacious, stylish and well-appointed. Staff have worked hard to ensure that any damage is repaired promptly. Children have personalised their bedrooms and are proud of them. The garden is well maintained and supports children’s recreational and leisure interests. However, some of the children’s bathrooms require repainting, and the paint on several doors is flaking. Empty notice boards situated in corridors create an institutional feel. These issues detract from what is otherwise a pleasant home.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to stay in touch with their families. The staff team recognises the importance of family relationships and supports one child to travel a considerable distance to ensure that these connections are maintained. This helps children to maintain a sense of identity.

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improvement to be good

The staff team is motivated, child-focused and committed to supporting children’s well-being. The staff offer leisure activities that enhance the children’s interests and expand their social opportunities. Activities include fishing trips and visits to theme parks. Children are generally positive about their experiences. They have opportunities to share their thoughts and feelings through reflective house meetings. Inspection report for children’s home: SC470585 4

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improvement to be good

The staff generally understand how to report safeguarding concerns. However, on one occasion there was a significant delay in reporting concerns about children while the manager was on leave. When the manager returned, he immediately made the relevant enquiries. The manager identified actions to address the delays in reporting the concerns. However, these actions were not all completed, including reviewing one child’s risk assessment and following up practice concerns with individual staff. The records about the concern and the actions are limited. Delayed reporting meant that risk-reduction strategies were not in place quickly. The failure to follow procedures is not in line with the safeguarding policies.

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improvement to be good

The quality of children’s risk management plans is variable. Some assessments are detailed and updated to include emerging risks. However, important risk-reduction strategies for one child’s use of a mobile telephone have not been followed. Despite possession of the phone increasing risks to the child, there is no revised strategy to reduce the risks. The child’s management plan does not reflect current practice and places him at increased risk.

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improvement to be good

Safe recruitment processes for full-time staff are robust. However, managers have not consistently ensured that the recruitment records provided by agencies for agency staff contain the required information. Full employment history and identification of employment gaps have not been reasonably explored prior to staff’s deployment. These processes do not sufficiently reduce the potential for unsuitable people to gain employment at the home.

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improvement to be good

The location risk assessment identifies risks associated in the location. However, the review does not provide an up-to-date overview of potential concerns in line with children’s vulnerabilities and current risks in the area. Lack of current information reduces the staff’s capacity to implement informed risk-reduction strategies.

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improvement to be good

The staff are skilled at de-escalating difficult behaviour. Physical interventions are used rarely and as a last resort to prevent harm. Incentives are used to encourage positive behaviour, and sanctions are used proportionately and appropriately.

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improvement to be good

Children who are at risk of exploitation have made progress in reducing these risks because of the support from staff. Well-planned and effective key-work sessions cover important and emerging topics which enhance the children’s knowledge of their personal safety. Inspection report for children’s home: SC470585 5

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good

The manager has the experience and skills to manage the home. He has a child- focused approach and recognises that there are areas of practice that could be improved. Managerial capacity has recently been limited following the departure of integral members of the management team.

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good

The managerial monitoring needs improvement. At the time of inspection, the manager did not have oversight in regard to a number of actions in the fire risk assessment. Although the manager has completed group dynamic risk assessments for two of the children since the last inspection, there was no group dynamic risk assessment for one child who is vulnerable to exploitation. The statement of purpose has not been submitted to Ofsted as required. This general lack of managerial oversight has reduced the opportunity for the manager to identify shortfalls and, as a result, the service has not improved.

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good

The managers have responded effectively to an allegation against a member of staff. However, they failed to notify Ofsted about this. As a result, Ofsted’s capacity to monitor safeguarding arrangements has been reduced.

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good

The internal quality of care reviews contain areas of good evaluation and identify actions to improve practice. However, the review does not include direct consultations with children’s families and external professionals. Gaining direct feedback may increase the management team’s capacity to fully understand the strengths and weaknesses of the home.

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good

The staff said that they feel well supported by managers. Staff meetings are child- focused and attended well. New staff have inductions to help them begin to work with the children. Regular supervision and appraisals and good-quality training equip staff with the necessary skills to meet the individual needs of children.

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good

Feedback from parents and professionals is mainly positive, particularly in respect of the effective communication with the staff. The staff and managers have worked well with other agencies in supporting one child to return to their family. This is a particularly good outcome for the child.

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good

The management team has taken some immediate steps to address the shortfalls identified. Inspection report for children’s home: SC470585 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 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

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

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

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

children’s risk assessments reflect current practice and are reviewed following significant events;

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Requirement Due date

the group dynamic risk assessments are consistently completed to consider the risks arising from living as a group; and

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Requirement Due date

identified actions are completed when shortfalls in safeguarding practice are known and that related records are full and clear. 30 November 2021 Inspection report for children’s home: SC470585 7 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)) 30 December 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, use monitoring systems to check that agency staff have had all the required checks prior to their deployment. 30 November 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— 30 November 2021 Inspection report for children’s home: SC470585 8 there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should provide a nurturing, homely environment. In particular, they should ensure that all areas of the home are decorated to a consistently high standard. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should work closely with the placing authority so that the children are supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations, including quality standards ‘, page 28, paragraph 5.15)  The registered person should ensure that staff have the skills and knowledge to support children about the dangers of smoking, including helping them to stop, by referring them to specialist health teams. (‘Guide to the children’s homes

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Recommendations

regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.18)  The registered person should ensure that the review of the location of the children’s home includes the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. In particular, ensure that the review is informed by up-to-date crime intelligence and local police consultations, and includes emerging areas of concern such as the children’s use of local taxi companies. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)  The registered person should ensure that the quality-of-care review meets all the aspects stipulated in Regulation 45. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2)

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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 for children’s home: SC470585 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Flying Spur Limited

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Inspector

Mark Anderton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC470585 10 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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