Children's Home run by Suffolk County Council in Suffolk

Inspection report children’s home: SC430022 1 SC430022 Registered provider: Suffolk County Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to six children aged between 11 and 17 years with social, emotional and/or mental health difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since January 2018.

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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: 25 January 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children’s home: SC430022 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/01/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 28/06/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/07/2019 Full Good 05/04/2018 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC430022 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home. Three children have been supported to move on from the home in a planned way. The manager made a planned decision not to move any children to the home for a period of time. The manager has used this time effectively to strengthen the service. This reduced the number of changes and gave children an increased sense of stability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and managers work hard to prepare children for moving on from the home. Children build independence by moving into the home’s adjoining flat. Staff ensure that children are involved in planning for their futures. When needed, managers challenge other professionals to ensure that plans for moving on are progressing at the right pace for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff keep in touch with children as part of the ‘staying close’ approach the home has implemented. One child regularly returns to visit staff. Staff are attending a celebratory meal for a child they provided care for, who is realising his aspiration of joining the army. This is testament to the positive relationships that the staff establish with children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are committed to the children they care for. They have a good understanding of children’s needs. This is supported by detailed, up-to-date care plans. Staff capture children’s progress in a variety of ways, including in photographic memory books. Monthly reports convey the pride and warmth that the staff feel for the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s progress in education is variable. There have been long delays in securing the right education support for one child. Managers worked with the placing social worker to obtain legal advice to address this. However, most children attend school regularly and all children have made some progress from their starting points. Staff’s support for education is very good. They are ambitious for children and support all learning opportunities, including work experience.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to choose and take part in activities at home and in the community. Staff recently organised a garden party, during which a child’s artwork was displayed. This celebrated the child’s talent and contributed to building their self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children’s relationships with friends and family in line with their care plans. Staff recognise when children would benefit from an independent visitor to increase their support network.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious and well furnished. Children have helped staff to improve the patio area of the garden with new furniture and planting. The hallways and stairs require decorating due to tired and worn paintwork. Inspection report children’s home: SC430022 4

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

There has been a large reduction in safeguarding incidents and the use of police to manage behaviour. Staff identify and address any incidents of bullying quickly. This helps children to feel confident that staff can keep them safe.

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

Staff and managers have established positive working relationships with other agencies. They regularly communicate with other professionals to review children’s safety plans. Professionals say that they are kept up to date with all relevant information.

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

Staff provide a high level of nurture and support to meet children’s mental health needs. As a result, incidents of self-harming behaviour have reduced. A mental health professional said that the staff are ‘genuinely caring’ and that they have been ‘impressed with the team’s person-centred, non-judgemental approach’.

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

Missing-from-care protocols contain clear guidance for staff to follow. When children go missing from home, staff respond appropriately. Staff are vigilant to signs of substance misuse and exploitation. They collate relevant information to escalate any concerns.

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

Managers respond to allegations against staff members appropriately. Staff and children are supported through this process.

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

Staff undertake relevant safeguarding training and training to manage challenging behaviour. One member of staff has been trained to deliver ligature training to staff. This means that there are no delays for staff in accessing this learning.

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

There have been adjustments to the external doors to the home. The fire risk assessment is out of date and does not reflect these changes. Managers have escalated the urgency for this review. However, a review has not been confirmed. This does not ensure that all measures are in place to keep children safe from fire hazards.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an experienced, established manager who is qualified for the role. Following a challenging period, managers paused new referrals to focus on increasing the number of permanent staff and making necessary improvements. All requirements from the previous inspection have been met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have been successful in recruiting new staff to join a core team of experienced, long-serving staff. Staff who have recently commenced work at the home have felt welcomed to the team and have found their induction helpful. Inspection report children’s home: SC430022 5 Staff morale has improved. Managers are now providing staff with regular supervision. This is supplemented with the offer of regular clinical supervision for the team or with individual staff members as needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers oversee recruitment checks for permanent and agency staff. One agency staff member’s file does not evidence that that an original Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate was seen before the agency member of staff worked with children. This is not in line with the home’s recruitment procedures and does not ensure that only suitable individuals work at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have established ways for gathering children’s views. Children’s complaints are responded to effectively. Independent advocacy is offered when managers feel that this would be more appropriate or if children do not appear satisfied with the response.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Quality assurance processes are effective. The manager carries out regular reviews of the quality of the care provided. These are evaluative and are well informed by feedback from children and professionals. Independent monthly visits are detailed and focus on children’s experiences and safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers are now considering referrals for a new child to join the home. They carry out detailed matching risk assessments to inform their decisions. This includes listening to the wishes and feelings of all the children. Inspection report children’s home: SC430022 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 premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, update the fire risk assessment and implement any actions identified. 30 September

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff provide a nurturing environment that is welcoming, supportive and homely. In particular, ensure that the hallways and stairs are decorated to remove tired and worn paintwork. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)  The registered person should ensure that full and satisfactory information in relation to agency staff is obtained before the individual works at the home. In particular, follow the home’s safe recruitment process and record when original DBS certificates have been seen before staff commence work at the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: SC430022 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Endeavour House, Russell Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 2BX

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Inspectors

Paula Edwards, Social Care Inspector Russel Breyer, Her Majesty’s Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC430022 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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