Children's home run by CF Support Services Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2575713 1 Registered provider: CF Support Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run home provides care for up to two children who are in the care of the host local authority and who cannot be accommodated in either a mainstream residential care setting or a foster placement.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 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

Date of last inspection: 7 December 2021

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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: 2575713 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/12/2021 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 2575713 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children have moved out and two children have moved into the home since the last inspection. One child is currently living at the home and is making good progress in relation to their complex starting point.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has previously been out of education for some time. The manager and staff have high aspirations for the child. The staff have worked well with the education services to support a successful return to school. The child is now achieving 100% attendance and learning new skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s health needs are well met. A healthy diet is encouraged, and children are actively involved in planning the weekly meals. The children attend their health appointments, and the staff help children to recognise the importance of taking their medication safely.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand that children’s achievements need to be celebrated. Positive behaviour is recognised and rewarded. The children respond well when staff openly praise them, which builds their confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Activities are encouraged. Children who have been reluctant to spend time with adults gradually begin to enjoy trips out to the cinema with staff. Children’s hobbies, such as fishing, are encouraged and supported. These interactions and activities improve children’s social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to spend time with people who are important to them. The staff support children to spend time with their family in the community. Children’s families visit the home. The staff arranged for a friend of one child to join them on an activity. This inclusive approach enables children to maintain positive relationships.

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

Staff have developed good relationships with children who often find it difficult to trust and engage with adults. Staff take the time to understand the children’s individual needs and provide consistent boundaries and expectations.

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

Two children have significant histories of going missing from home. Staff follow the missing-from-home procedures well and engage with the children. This approach has resulted in staff successfully preventing children from leaving the home. The actions taken have reduced further reoccurrence, and independent return home interviews are carried out.

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

Children have comprehensive risk assessments which are updated and reviewed following any incident. Staff have meaningful conversations with children to help Inspection report children’s home: 2575713 4 them understand risks and to obtain their opinions. Children gradually learn to reflect on unsafe behaviour and begin to make better choices.

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

Consequences are not overly used, and the manager evaluates their effectiveness. However, there is a tendency to focus on financial reparations, which has the potential to be counterproductive.

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

The manager has reviewed the home’s location risk assessment. However, it is not dated and therefore it is unclear when the review was completed. The assessment does not include a route taken by the child when they attempted to leave the home without agreement. Failure to include this information in the assessment is unhelpful for any new staff and has the potential to compromise the child’s safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager registered in May 2022 and is currently working towards the level 5 diploma. She has worked at the home since April 2020 and during this time has been the deputy manager. Staff describe her as being ‘incredibly supportive’. They say that she has high standards and is respected by all.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager communicates effectively with social workers and other professionals. A social worker said, ‘The manager is very proactive in ensuring meetings are held regularly, and the level of communication is high.’ A child’s mentor said, ‘The manager is on top of everything, always up to date, shares any new information immediately and is a good advocate for children.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from structured inductions for their roles and regular good-quality supervision. All staff have completed the mandatory training and are supported to achieve a level 3 qualification. Staff demonstrate that they have the skills required to care for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent visitor visits monthly and provides a detailed report to the manager. However, there are delays in the reports being sent to Ofsted. This reduces the effectiveness of the report as a quality monitoring tool for Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has carried out a quality of care review of the home. However, the report was not submitted within the required time frame and it contains no feedback or opinions from the children regarding the care that they receive. This lack of feedback could limit further developments.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has met the two requirements and one recommendation raised at the last inspection. Inspection report children’s home: 2575713 5

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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 registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Requirement Due date

HMCI. (Regulation 44 (1) (7)(a)) 28 November

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it.

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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 (1) (2)(b) (4)(a)) 28 November

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any consequences used to address poor behaviour are restorative in nature, to help children to recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, the staff caring for them and the wider community. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46 paragraph 9.38)  The registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the home’s location and premises at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1) Inspection report children’s home: 2575713 6

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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: 2575713 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: CF Support Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Three Rivers Business Centre, Unit 11 Felixstowe Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP10 0BF

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Joanne Henderson

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Inspector

Lynne Drage, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2575713 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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