Children's Home run by The Ryes College Limited in Suffolk

Inspection report children's home: SC429748 1 SC429748 Registered provider: The Ryes College Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private company. It provides care for up to four children who have experienced trauma that has left them vulnerable.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2011.

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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 8 December 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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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: 17 December 2019

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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: SC429748 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/12/2019 Full Good 29/08/2018 Full Good 19/12/2017 Full Good 23/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children's home: SC429748 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff have a warm rapport with children and know them well. Staff take time to understand the children’s histories and how their past experiences contribute to their present behaviours.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff fully support children’s individuality and emerging identity, and children’s identity preferences. Children feel listened to because the staff value their views.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend school and college regularly. They benefit from a good structure and daily routine. Staff work closely with school staff. This means that any concerns are explored quickly and children are supported with their learning and attendance. The staff encourage children to have ambitions and plans for their futures. Staff encourage children to find part-time work. During the school holidays, children cleaned neighbours cars and tidied gardens. This paid work contributed towards summer activities and trips. Undertaking paid work and earning money has helped the children to gain a sense of achievement and pride.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children participate in a wide range of exciting activities. Social workers said that the staff organise trips and activities that the children thoroughly enjoy. Children enjoy board games and strategy games. They have a designated room that they have helped to decorate. These games develop the children’s social skills and group participation skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children learn a range of valuable independence skills that includes using public transport, cooking, cleaning and earning money. This helps prepare them for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The house is homely and very nicely kept. The kitchen and bathroom refurbishment are of a high standard. Children are included in refurbishment plans and choose colour schemes for their bedrooms. Pictures of the children are placed around the house, helping the children to feel at home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who move to the home are prepared well through visits and introductions that are tailored to their individual needs. Many children who have left the home stay in contact with the manager. This is testament to the strong relationships that the children form with the staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work well with the children’s families and recognise that this is critical to supporting the children to work towards independent living.

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

The atmosphere at the home is calm and nurturing. There are very few incidents. When children experience behavioural difficulties, the staff provide sensitive support. Inspection report children's home: SC429748 4 The staff have gained children’s trust over time. Staff have established strong relationships that have helped the children to reduce risky behaviours. Children openly share their worries and request staff support, which helps them to manage any difficulties or worries.

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

The children have positive relationships with each other. Children are supported to accept each other’s differences and understand how negativity can create upset for others. Living communally has helped the children to develop tolerance and understanding of one another.

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

The staff use planned strategies to reduce unwanted behaviours. They focus on positive reinforcement and occasionally use sanctions. The sanctions are fair and help the children to understand the consequences of their actions. Despite this, the sanction records are unclear and not checked properly by the manager.

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

The staff very rarely use physical interventions. There has been one use in the last year, and the child had the opportunity to debrief with staff. However, the manager did not record any management oversight of the incident. Therefore, it is unclear whether there is an analysis of the intervention used.

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

The children’s risk assessments do not include full descriptions of the children’s individual risks or detail potential warning signs that staff can easily identify. The impact risk assessment for new children does not evaluate the combined risks of children at the home who have similar behaviours. Most of the staff have a good understanding of how to manage the children’s risks. Despite this, the risk assessments are not clear enough and would not help new staff to identify pertinent risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and qualified for the role. She continues to make every effort to maintain a home in which children feel valued and nurtured. The manager provides cover by working some shifts and this ensures that the children receive continuity of care from staff who they know.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The established staff and long-serving manager are central to the good-quality care provided. The staff team is experienced, well qualified and established. The staff bring a range of creative skills and strengths to the team. Some of the staff like health and fitness and others are excellent cooks. Some of the staff have interior design and upcycling skills. The combination of these skills has created a welcome, inviting home that is creatively decorated and personalised for each child. The children appreciate their home and benefit from a sense of belonging and security.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Social workers are assured and confident that the children receive attentive care that is responsive to their needs. The staff work jointly with external professionals to secure specialist support when necessary. Inspection report children's home: SC429748 5 The staff are extremely positive about the management support that they receive. There are regular opportunities for staff to reflect on their practice. Most staff receive regular formal supervision. However, the deputy manager does not have formal supervision. Although informal support is provided, the absence of a formal meeting means it is unclear what was discussed and whether any support or training is required. Inspection report children's home: SC429748 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

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children’s risk assessments include enough detail and that impact risk assessments evaluate the combined risks of children living together. 27 January 2022

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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)) 27 January 2022

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. This in regard to the manager’s oversight of the sanctions and physical intervention records. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: SC429748 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Ryes College Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 3 Skyview Business Centre, 9 Church Field Road, Sudbury C010 2YA

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Inspectors

Deirdra Keating, Social Care Inspector Laraine Edmondson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC429748 8 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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