Children's home run by Norfolk County Council

Inspection report children's home: 2652383 1 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 run home offers crisis and emergency placements. The provider’s aim, as set out in their statement of purpose, is to care for children with complex presentations associated with neurodevelopmental disorders and behaviours that are difficult to manage. The home offers short- to medium-term placements for children between the ages of 5 and 17.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted when the home registered in September 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children's home: 2652383 2

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected Inspection report children's home: 2652383 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, there were no children living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

‘Since its registration in September 2021, one child moved into the home for four months and has now moved on. The child had a planned short stay to enable professionals to identify a more suitable home and education provision. Staff worked well with the child to prepare them for their move to another home. The move was well planned and positive for the child. External professionals said that the staff played an important role in supporting the child during this time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have created a child-friendly, homely environment with many toys and games. The home has a sensory room, which the child enjoyed. The child’s bedroom was personalised to meet their individual needs and included sensory lighting. This helped the child to feel comfortable and happy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s experiences were enjoyable and fun. Staff took the child out for trips to various places, such as the beach and the local park. This helped the child to experience different activities and helped them to develop their emotional and physical well-being. Staff took photos during the child’s time at the home so that the child had a record of their happy and positive memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff used games, cooking, art and dance to encourage play and education in the absence of a formal education place. Staff set routines and boundaries to prepare the child for when they moved on from the home and started their new school. This developed the child’s learning and social skills and ensured that the child’s routine prepared them for formal education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff used social stories to help the child understand their daily routine. This met the child’s communication needs and helped them to engage more successfully in activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understood which people are important to the child. They actively encouraged the child to spend time with their family members. This resulted in the child receiving continued family support and building on good family relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encouraged the child to take responsibility for their personal care. This helped the child to develop their skills and improve their confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff celebrated the child’s strengths and achievements by displaying rewards and artwork around the home. Staff spoke about the child positively and with a sense of pride. This helped to improve the child’s confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritised and had a good understanding of the child’s healthcare needs. They used various strategies to help the child to express how they were feeling. Inspection report children's home: 2652383 4

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

The child’s risk assessments are clear and provide strategies for staff to follow. Staff responded to incidents promptly to keep the child and others in the community safe. Staff have formed good relationships with members of the community. This resulted in community members having a better understanding of the child when incidents occurred.

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

Staff implemented consistent boundaries, which resulted in very few incidents at the home. The manager has good oversight of incident records. Learning is shared with the staff to improve their practice.

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

Staff used physical intervention as a last resort to keep the child and others in the community safe. There is good managerial oversight of these incidents to ensure that interventions are appropriate and proportionate. However, the manager did not always establish the child’s views effectively. As a result, learning from such incidents is not as effective as it could be.

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

Staff knew the child well and could identify situations when the child might become overwhelmed and distressed. Staff responded to the child in a calm way, which defused the child’s anxiety.

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

Staff used symbols as a communication method to help the child understand about being safe. The child developed a better understanding of boundaries when outside the home, which helped them to make good decisions. The strength of staff’s relationships with the child helped the child to feel safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager holds a relevant level 5 diploma and has suitable experience for the role. The staff hold relevant level 3 qualifications or are enrolled and working towards achieving a suitable qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a suitable induction programme for new staff, which includes training such as safeguarding children with disabilities, first aid and physical intervention. Staff also access training that is focused on the needs of the individual child. However, not all staff are adequately aware of the home’s whistle-blowing policy. This could affect staff’s confidence in raising concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that the manager is approachable, and that supervision is of good quality. Supervision gives staff formal opportunities to reflect on the needs of the child and to identify their own training needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff participate in team meetings to share information, review the child’s needs, and discuss the running of the home. This has helped to develop a cohesive and supportive team of staff who work well together to meet the child’s needs. Inspection report children's home: 2652383 5 The manager uses internal and external monitoring of the home to good effect. The independent person’s reports are of good quality. The reports reflect the home’s progress and areas to consider for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has established good working relationships with professionals. Overall, external professionals said that staff worked proactively to meet the child’s needs. Although feedback on communication was varied, overall, it was positive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager advocated well for the child and worked with other professionals to find a more suitable provision for them. The child’s social worker was positive about how well the staff supported the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A complaint from a parent was not acknowledged or addressed. The manager was on annual leave and insufficient arrangements were in place to ensure that the complaint was responded to. Consequently, an incident that required police support could have been avoided. The lack of response to the complaint meant that the parent could not feel confident in the complaints process or that their concerns were heard. The manager and the responsible individual have made arrangements to ensure that the manager’s role is suitably covered in their absence in future. Inspection report children's home: 2652383 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 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure . (Regulation 35 (3)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that debriefs with children are completed and recorded after incidents of restraint. 4 February 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (3)) 4 February 2022

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all staff understand the home’s internal whistle-blowing procedures. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.9)

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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: 2652383 7

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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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Inspectors

Laraine Edmondson, Social Care Inspector Joe Cox, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2652383 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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