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

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to three children with emotional, behavioural and social needs.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2019.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 14 December 2021

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

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

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/12/2021 Full Good 13/01/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness 06/08/2019 Full Good 15/03/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 1271979 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, there were three children living at the home. The children are happy and settled. They have all lived at the home for several years. The children benefit from stability and have a genuine sense of belonging.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have made good progress in all aspects of their life from their individual starting points. All of the children attend education. Staff support them in school and recognise the importance of education for their futures. One child sat GCSE exams a year early and continues to study towards a college place. The staff provide structure and routine for the children throughout the day. This supports the children to have positive and stimulating experiences.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritise the children’s health needs. One child has lost a significant amount of weight and has maintained this loss through a healthy diet and lifestyle. Due to the progress made, the child no longer attends specialist medical appointments. They now enjoy an active lifestyle, including motocross, football and boxing.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children engage in a wide variety of activities and interests. They enjoyed two holidays last year, which included outdoor-pursuit activities and theme parks. Staff hold an annual garden party to celebrate the children’s achievements.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to see people who are important to them. For one child, their family time has increased, and they are being supported to independently use public transport to visit their relative.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One of the children’s bedrooms was in an unkempt state; the floor was strewn with belongings. Some parts of the house would benefit from modernisation and better maintenance. Unkempt furnishings and poor maintenance fail to provide children with a homely environment.

p.3

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

Staff manage unwanted behaviours well. When incidents do occur, staff use effective strategies to calm situations. Children and are developing strategies to manage their feelings, and they respond well to staff. The therapeutic models used at the home are well understood by staff. They are embedded effectively and help the staff to understand the children’s needs.

p.3

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

There are no concerns about bullying at the home. The staff adopt a zero-tolerance approach towards it. Staff support children individually to understand how to interact appropriately with each other. Children enjoy each other’s company and enjoy activities and holidays together. Inspection report for children’s home: 1271979 4 Children do not frequently go missing from the home. When incidents have occurred, staff have responded in line with the child’s plan. They proactively look for the child and alert other agencies. Children have return home interviews with an independent person. Staff use information from the interviews to develop further risk-reduction measures.

p.3

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

The monitoring and maintenance of fire doors are not effective. One fire door did not have the appropriate fire strip attached. This increases the risk to children and staff in the event of a fire.

p.4

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

Restraint is reasonable and used proportionately. Although restraint records are monitored, the records do not contain a review of the effectiveness of the restraint. The records do not consistently evidence that children have been consulted following the restraint. This prevents staff from using the information to reduce future incidents.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since May 2019. She is child-focused and dedicated to her role.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows the children’s needs well and how to support them. She advocates to ensure that the children’s needs are met.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has established good working relationships with professionals and family members. Family members are positive about this working relationship and the communication they receive. Children benefit from knowing that everyone is working together to meet their needs.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s statement of purpose describes the service and the opportunities available to the children. It has been revised and updated. However, the document was not shared with Ofsted or published on the company’s website within the required timescale.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff contribute to the successful running of the home and feel valued and respected. Staff morale is high. They undertake mandatory training and are flexible in their approach. However, the manager has not provided staff with an annual appraisal. This is a missed opportunity to review their performance and professional development.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has not completed her level 5 qualification within the required timescale.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager writes a six-monthly review of the quality of care provided for the children. However, the report does not review the previous actions for progress, and it does not contain feedback from the local authority. Inspection report for children’s home: 1271979 5 Monthly reviews by the independent visitor have not given suitable challenge or identified the shortfalls in the regulatory requirements raised at this inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 1271979 6

p.4

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a) (2)(c)(i)(ii)) 14 March 2023

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

p.6

Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision.

p.6

Requirement Due date

If a home has a website, the registered person must ensure that a copy of the statement of purpose is published on that website unless the registered person considers that such publication would prejudice the welfare of children in the home. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b) (4)) 14 March 2023

p.6

Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home— 14 February 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 1271979 7 the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must carry out regular checks to ensure that fire doors are maintained effectively.

p.7

Requirement Due date

A person may only manage a children’s home if—

p.7

Requirement Due date

having regard to the size of the home, its statement of purpose, and the number and needs (including any needs arising from any disability) of the children—

p.7

Requirement Due date

the person has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills to manage the home effectively and lead the care of children.

p.7

Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph 1(b)(i), a person has the appropriate experience and qualification if the person has—

p.7

Requirement Due date

the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 5 Diploma"). (Regulation 28 (1)(b)(i) (2)(c)(i)) 2 May 2023

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

p.7

Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(c)) 14 March 2023

p.7

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)) 14 March 2023

p.7

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—

p.7

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; and 14 March 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 1271979 8 any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

p.7

Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (2)(b)(c) (5))

p.8

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)

p.8

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 9

p.8

Children’s home details

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

p.9

Inspector

Paula Lewis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1271979 10 inspects 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit

p.9

Inspector

www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.10