Children's Home run by Norfolk County Council in Norfolk

Inspection report for children’s home: SC463902 1 SC463902 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 on an interim basis for up to four children. The children have specific needs as set out in the home’s statement of purpose.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2022.

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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 for children’s home: SC463902 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/04/2021 Full Good 17/12/2019 Full Good 13/02/2019 Full Good 19/09/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC463902 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has recently changed its purpose. It now provides emergency and bridging placements for children while longer-term care is identified. Previously, the home provided longer-term care for children. At the time of this inspection, four children were living at the home. They had all moved to the home in the month before the inspection and since this change in purpose. Children receive well- planned care that meets their individual needs and has helped them to make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children build positive relationships with staff. One child said that they get on well with all the staff and enjoy living at the home. Children who have moved on from the home are still supported by staff and appreciate the ongoing help that staff provide to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children settle into the home. Detailed group dynamic risk assessments are completed in advance of children moving in. The assessments give a clear overview of children’s needs and consider how these may affect children already living at the home and vice versa. The social worker of one child who has recently moved to the home said that staff had been very supportive of the child on the day that they moved in. The staff listened to both the child and social worker to gain their views. This child has subsequently settled in well at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Plans for children moving on from the home are clear, detailed and child-focused. One child recently moved to a new placement after living at the home for nearly a year. Managers planned the move with the wider professional network, including the child’s new placement, and put additional support in place to help the child manage any anxieties they had. This helped make the process of the child moving a positive one for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Several children have not had full-time education provision in place. Managers are proactive in working with education professionals, including the virtual school and children’s social workers, to identify and move forward plans for children’s education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive day-to-day experiences at the home. They undertake a good range of activities and are helped to see friends and family members when appropriate. However, the home has very limited internet access for children. This affects their ability to access educational activities, stay in contact with friends and family and take part in online recreational activities.

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

Children have been subject to high levels of risk in different areas. Risks to children are well understood by staff. This understanding is supported by good-quality safety plans which provide staff with strategies to manage risk. Plans are completed Inspection report for children’s home: SC463902 4 alongside external professionals, which helps to ensure that their specialist knowledge contributes to safety panning. Staff respond to children in line with these plans and this has helped keep children safe.

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

One child had a very high risk of self-harm. When they moved to the home, high levels of additional staffing were put in place to help keep them safe. Incidents of self-harm occurred while the child was living at the home and staff responded to these in a consistent and nurturing manner. Incidents decreased over time and the additional support was able to be removed by the time that the child moved on from the home. Good understanding of and responses to risk have helped children stay safe and make good progress.

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

There have been a number of incidents when children have been reported missing. Staff are proactive in looking for children and children are always offered return home interviews. Staff work with children to discuss risks relating to going missing and make plans to minimise the chances of incidents recurring. Managers share information with local police about children’s risks and the protocols in place relating to them going missing. This helps ensure a consistent response from police to episodes of children going missing.

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

The use of restraint is rare. However, on one occasion when it was used, the description of the measure was not consistent with what was described in the correlating incident form. In addition, managers have not always completed debriefs with staff after incidents of restraint. This affects managers’ ability to learn from incidents.

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

There have been two allegations made against staff members. One was referred to the local area designated officer (LADO) without delay and actions were taken to ensure that children were kept safe. However, when the other allegation was made, this was not initially referred to the LADO and was only done so when the child repeated the allegation to an external professional. In addition, records of conversations in relation to the allegation were not clear. A failure to respond to this allegation in line with the home’s safeguarding policy could have potentially left children at risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably experienced and is working towards a relevant level 5 qualification. She is passionate about the care provided to children and has high expectations for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported and say that managers are always available to them. Managers provide staff with regular supervisions. These include detailed consideration of children’s needs and how these are being met. Managers also use supervisions to consider different theories and relate these to children’s experiences. Managers, along with staff, consider how children’s experiences may affect their presenting behaviours and needs. This helps increase staff’s knowledge about how they can best meet children’s needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC463902 5 Regular team meetings are used by staff and managers to think about how they are working with children and any areas in which they can improve the care provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff undertake a good range of training, including specific training relating to individual children’s needs. When additional areas for development have been identified, team meetings have been used to provide further training for staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have good oversight of the care being provided. They use their insights to aid learning and development of the staff team and to look at how staff can best meet children’s needs. Managers have developed good systems for monitoring progress that children make. This helps them to identify when additional support is needed for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Recruitment checks undertaken for permanent staff are thorough. However, managers have failed to ensure that checks on agency staff always include their full work histories, references and checks on reasons for leaving previous roles working with children or vulnerable adults. This has failed to ensure that all staff working at the home are suitable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The internal quality of care review is objective and includes the views of other professionals, parents and children. However, it was not submitted to Ofsted within the required timescales. This affects Ofsted’s ability to monitor the home effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: SC463902 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

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all allegations against staff are managed in line with the home’s safeguarding policies and referred to the local authority designated officer without delay. 6 June 2022

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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

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)(d)) 6 June 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 6 June 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC463902 7 within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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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. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iv)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation (45)(a)) 30 June 2022

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children’s homes meet children’s basic day-to-day needs. In particular, ensure that children have access to the internet. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)

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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 for children’s home: SC463902 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 for children’s home: SC463902 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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