Children's Home run by 4d Care Ltd in Norfolk

Inspection report for children’s home: 1271979 1 Registered provider: 4d Care 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 up to three children with emotional, social and special educational support needs, including learning disabilities and autism spectrum disorders.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2019.

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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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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: 13 January 2020

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1271979 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/01/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness 06/08/2019 Full Good 15/03/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 05/09/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 1271979 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There were three children living at the home at the time of the inspection. The managers and staff know children well and have positive relationships with them, treating them with kindness, understanding and patience. This helps children to feel valued and respected.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are happy at the home. The therapeutic support given is helping children to make progress from their individual starting points and to address previous traumatic experiences. Children regularly attend school. One child is going to do A levels, based on their predicted GCSE results. Staff and teachers work together to provide learning opportunities in developing practical skills and outdoor pursuits outside school hours.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to lead healthy lifestyles, including exercising and having a balanced diet. For one child, this led to a significant improvement in their health and well-being. A medical professional said that the impact of this is potentially life- saving. Children attend their health appointments. Self-care and independence skills have improved with guidance and support from staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in beneficial activities, with a strong focus on outdoor play and experiences. Children recently enjoyed a residential holiday in Scotland that included hiking, canoeing and learning bushcraft skills. One child is enjoying membership of a community youth club and another child has joined the local gym. Staff have taken qualifications to enable them to take children paddleboarding.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children maintain relationships with their families. This includes supporting children to spend time with their family members at the home or out on an activity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has a large outdoor garden and a paddock area which are well used by children. Staff helped children to design and build an outdoor play park using tools in the on-site workshops. Work was underway to refurbish existing large greenhouses as part of a small enterprise for children to sell fruit and vegetables. Children are involved in the refurbishment programme, sharing ideas for redecoration.

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

Children said that they feel safe. All staff undertake safeguarding training and know the provider’s system of reporting concerns. This helps staff to identify concerns of exploitation, gang affiliation, radicalisation and online abuse. Staff ensure that children understand the reasons why they put consistent boundaries in place and expectations of the therapeutic care provided. Inspection report for children’s home: 1271979 4 Staff provide high-level supervision when children access the internet, to reduce the risk of online abuse. Staff guide and support children to use the internet safely and make children aware of risks.

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

Risk assessments for children are detailed. These assessments are regularly reviewed and updated following any changes. Staff enable children to take age- appropriate risks and gain trust, which promotes independence.

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

There have been no incidents of children going missing from the home. Each child has a clear plan for staff to follow in the event they do go missing. This includes details of likely places to search, and the immediate actions that staff should take.

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

Staff support children to form positive relationships with each other that promote respect. Expectations of behaviour at the home and towards each other are made clear. Staff reward positive behaviour. Children and staff join for a daily community meeting to talk about expectations and share concerns. These meetings give opportunities to share achievements.

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

Care plans emphasise the importance of de-escalation techniques to avoid incidents. The number of restraints has been low. Appropriately trained staff use restraint when necessary and in line with the child’s agreed care plan. Records demonstrate that, after these incidents, extensive review takes place involving all those involved. However, records do not show that staff debrief meetings are always held within the required 48-hour time frame.

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

Recruitment processes are robust and ensure that applicants are suitable to work with vulnerable children. Prospective staff interviews explore how the applicant, if appointed, would treat children with kindness and respect.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably experienced and qualified for the role. The home’s leadership team works closely with other professionals at the provider’s education provision which the children attend. Children speak highly of the managers, and of the support and kindness that is shown to them. The responsible individual visits the home regularly and knows the children and staff well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy working at the home and are motivated to give good care for children, so that children enjoy their lives and make progress. There is a strong sense of teamwork and mutual support among staff, who said that managers are open and approachable. There are sufficient staff for the children. Staff are flexible and amend shift pattens to provide cover so that agency staff are not needed. This ensures that children have consistent care from staff they know well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have the skills and experience required to support children well. Managers encourage staff’s self-development and learning. Managers engage in regular sessions with staff to review their performance and develop their skills. This includes sponsoring staff to undertake play therapy and outdoor education qualifications. Inspection report for children’s home: 1271979 5 Managers know children’s needs and how to support them. They are clear about the types of needs that the home can support with a therapeutic approach for children to make progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring and assurance systems are in place to review the quality of care provided. The leadership team regularly reviews the progress and outcomes for children and looks for new opportunities for enrichment activities. However, monthly reviews by the independent visitor have not given suitable challenge or identified the shortfall in the regulatory requirement raised at this inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 1271979 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

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii)) 14 January 2022

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person makes a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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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: 1271979 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 8a New Road, Mepal, Ely, Cambridgeshire CB6 2AP

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Inspector

Jamie Cousins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1271979 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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