Children's home run by Suffolk County Council

Inspection report for children's home: 2696325 1 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

This local authority-run home provides care for children with social and emotional difficulties aged between 11 and 17 years.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 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: Not previously inspected

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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 for children's home: 2696325 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home. Since the home opened in September 2022, two other children have lived at the home. One child experienced a planned move stayed in touch with staff. Another child needed to move due to other circumstances.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager meets with children before they move in, and he provides information about the home and staff. This enables children to ask questions and understand where they will live and who will support them. The manager meets with children’s families and professionals to gather information. This information ensures that the manager can ascertain that staff have the correct skills and experience to support the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child receives a high level of care and supervision from staff. Staff help the child to develop trusting and appropriate relationships. Staff are aware that high levels of supervision can limit the child’s wider social experiences. To balance this, staff carefully consider community activities. The child has been to shopping arcades, goes swimming and attends a youth club. These activities allow the child to develop friendships outside the home and practise their social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of the child attending an educational provision. The manager worked with external professionals to provide the child with a bespoke educational package. Previously, the child did not engage in education. Now, the child works with a tutor, attends an alternative educational provision and, consequently, has made progress in reading and writing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has made progress because of the support they receive from staff. Staff practice is built on in-depth knowledge of the child. The child has learned to cook, wash their own clothes and clean their bedroom independently. The child has also made significant progress with their personal hygiene, behaviour and use of appropriate language. One external professional said, ‘The staff are committed to [name of child] regardless of how difficult it can be.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child had not seen their family for a significant time before living at the home. The manager and professionals challenged the reason for this successfully. Consequently, the child now sees their family on a regular basis. Staff stay with the child to provide additional support when required. This has helped the child to develop positive relationships with people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help the child to attend all health appointments and access specialised support services. The child is encouraged to enjoy a balanced diet and exercise, and they enjoy long walks on the local beaches. Inspection report for children's home: 2696325 3 Rewards help the child to understand when they have made positive choices. Consequences are used when needed. However, the internet and television have been removed for the child’s safety without this being recorded. The failure to record this means that the time frames and proportionality have not been fully considered.

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

Staff are skilled and knowledgeable in managing the child’s behaviours. Behaviour plans are detailed and provide clear strategies. These plans include valuable information that helps staff to recognise when the child is starting to feel worried, such as by observing their body language and the words used. This helps the staff to provide reassurance and reduce anxiety for the child. One social worker said, ‘The staff are amazing. They are in tune with [name of child] and can tell their triggers.’

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

When incidents occur, they are viewed as opportunities to help the child to talk about their worries. Incident records consistently capture what has happened and the views of the child. The manager has good oversight of all incidents, and his evaluations help to shape staff practice.

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

Risk assessments clearly evidence the vulnerabilities of the child and how to minimise them. These plans are regularly reviewed to maintain consistency in practice and help staff to feel confident to protect the child.

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

Staff carry out focused work with the child linked to their vulnerabilities. This helps the child to understand how to be safe. In addition, staff work with a range of professionals to identify strategies to safeguard the child. Staff use tailored strategies to help the child to understand their body and privacy. Any concerns are shared without delay.

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

When restraint has been used, it has been appropriate and proportionate. The manager has good oversight of all restraints and evaluates staff practice well. The child is consistently spoken to following restraints. This helps them to understand the justification for the hold. However, the debriefs with staff are not recorded. This means it is unclear if debriefs are within the agreed time frame and if this limits the opportunity to review learning.

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

Children rarely go missing from the home. There has been one occasion when a child, who no longer lives at the home, left the home without permission. There is no evidence of the missing episode being recorded. Therefore, it is unclear what actions the staff took to find the child, where the child went and how long the child was missing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is experienced and qualified to manage the home. He is supported well by a senior youth support practitioner and the service manager for residential care services. Inspection report for children's home: 2696325 4 The manager has a positive relationship with the child. He spends time with the child and advocates for them when needed. He talks proudly of the child’s progress and achievements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel valued and well supported. Staff attend team meetings and receive regular supervision that is captured in detailed records. Managers help staff to reflect on their practice and focus on children’s progress and needs. This helps staff to maintain a good standard of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager understands the importance of providing staff with the skills and knowledge that they need to provide consistent care to the child. Staff complete the organisation’s mandatory training. They are either qualified or working towards the relevant childcare diploma within the required time frames. This helps the staff to meet the child’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has effective monitoring systems in place. Records are monitored by the manager with meaningful evaluations and comments. Internal and external monitoring systems are used to review the child’s progress. This oversight ensures that ongoing improvements are made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has recruited a diverse staff team. There is a balance of new and experienced staff. This enriches the child’s experiences. The manager follows safer recruitment procedures. Staff move through a detailed induction and probation period that is signed off by managers. Staff are thoroughly considered for their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager does not have a workforce development plan. This limits the ability of the manager to plan the continuing professional development needs of staff. Inspection report for children's home: 2696325 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 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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, clearly record any incidents of children leaving the home without permission. 17 March 2023

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, record consequences clearly, including the duration of the consequence used and the manager’s evaluation. 17 March 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that records of restraint are kept and enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59) Inspection report for children's home: 2696325 6  The registered person should ensure that there is a workforce plan that can fulfil the workforce-related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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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: 2696325 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Suffolk County Council

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Mandy Start, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2696325 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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