Children's Home run by Break Charity in Norfolk

Inspection report for children’s home: SC025718 1 SC025718 Registered provider: Break Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides care for up to four children who have experienced neglect, abuse or trauma along with family and placement breakdowns. The home is owned by a registered charity.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2009.

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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: SC025718 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/08/2022 Full Good 05/05/2021 Full Good 12/03/2020 Full Outstanding 31/10/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC025718 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children were living at the home at the time of this inspection. They enjoy living at the home. Staff build positive and nurturing relationships with children and have a good understanding of their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers undertake careful planning in advance of children moving in. Detailed impact assessments consider the needs of both the children living at the home and the child moving in and how these may affect each other. Assessments include clear strategies to ensure that children’s needs are met and that staff manage risks effectively. A child who recently moved in made a positive choice to do so. They were given clear information about the home and able to visit on two occasions. This gave them the opportunity to ask questions that helped to alleviate their anxieties about the move.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There have been some challenges relating to children’s behaviour in the community since the last inspection. Staff have worked to engage children in positive activities away from negative influences. Children were taken on holiday with staff and engaged in a wide variety of active pursuits. Children said that they enjoyed the holiday, and it provided positive time with staff. One child has recently joined a local football team. This was a significant step for them, and they are engaging well in it. It is providing opportunities for them to engage with their peers in a positive environment. Staff encourage this and go to support the child when they play.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Educational engagement for children has been limited. One child has not been attending school regularly. Staff have worked closely with the child’s school and their social worker to put plans in place to support the child’s education. This has resulted in the child now engaging in some education at home with the help of staff. Another child stopped attending a new education placement soon after it began. Staff have helped the child to consider some alternative education options. However, work with the child to help them engage in a positive routine has been limited. One education option was not followed up by staff, and the child’s plans are not clear as to how staff are supporting their education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have not always followed up on issues relating to children’s health. One child was helped to access help in relation to their sleep routine. However, when it was advised to consider a referral to a specialist sleep service, staff did not discuss this with the child, and the referral was not made. While there have been improvements in the child’s sleep routine, their views have not been gained on whether they still feel they need additional support. Children’s health assessments are not on file. This means that it is unclear whether there were any actions from these and whether they have been followed up.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, a significant refurbishment of the home has taken place. The home now provides a high-quality and welcoming environment for children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC025718 4 Children are helped to gain the skills they will need when they move on. For one child, staff have worked with the social worker to agree some targets for independence work. Staff help the child to achieve these. However, there is not a clear independence plan, which means that there is not effective oversight of what progress the child has made in this area and where they may need additional support.

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

Children have been subject to some community-based risks. Staff have worked closely with other professionals to consider and manage these risks. Some children have been subject to bail conditions because of their behaviour in the community. Managers worked with police and other professionals to ensure that these conditions were managed effectively. There has now been a significant reduction in community- based incidents, meaning that risks in this area have reduced.

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

Some children have been involved in incidents in which they have been reported missing from home. Staff have worked in line with children’s plans in response to these incidents and ensured that they are reported to police, when needed, without delay. Staff are proactive in taking steps to locate children and encourage them to return home. Incidents have reduced in recent months, and children have become safer.

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

Staff undertake direct work with children to help them understand risks and the potential consequences of some of their behaviours in the community. Regular key- work sessions have included discussing risks in relation to knife crime, anti-social behaviour and going missing from home. Staff use the relationships that they have with children to discuss these topics, and children engage well in this.

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

There have been some risks posed by members of the local community towards children. These have generally been responded to well. However, after one incident when children said that they were assaulted in the community, there was no report made to police. This was due to children saying that they did not wish for this to happen. The incident was shared with children’s social workers. However, it is not clear whether the actions stemming from it, including the decision to not report it to police, were fully explored.

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

Children’s behaviour at the home is generally good. When incidents do occur, staff respond to them appropriately to ensure that children are helped to calm. This prevents incidents escalating further and becoming more significant. Managers have good oversight of incidents and ensure that any learning identified from them is discussed with staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is highly experienced and suitably qualified. Managers provide a supportive environment for staff, who say that managers are available to them when Inspection report for children’s home: SC025718 5 needed. Regular supervision sessions include a good level of discussion about children’s needs and how effectively these are being met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly. They provide a forum for detailed discussion about children and how staff are working with them. Some meetings are attended by the organisation’s therapeutic service. Work undertaken with staff by the therapeutic service includes detailed exploration of and reflection on children’s early childhood experiences and how these may have affected them. This helps staff to have a greater understanding of children’s experiences and to consider the most effective ways of supporting them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff access a wide range of training. This includes training on the impact of childhood trauma. Staff said that this has increased their understanding of children’s needs and helped develop their practice. Staff demonstrate a good level of understanding of the trauma that children have experienced and how this continues to affect them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers actively seek and respond to children’s views. Children have been included in meetings with other professionals relating to the risks posed to them. This helps children to fully understand concerns, as well as including them in planning how to manage risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have worked to improve relationships with other professionals. There are generally good levels of communication. Social workers said that the manager listens to their views and is open to trying new ideas to support children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC025718 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that when children do not have an education provision, staff encourage children to consider all suitable options that are available to them and that there are clear plans on how staff will support children to engage in education. 15 May 2023

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)) 15 May 2023

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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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(vi)) 15 May 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC025718 7 In particular, ensure that risks to children are fully explored with relevant professionals and responses are adequate to keep children safe.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff help each child to prepare to live independently. This includes supporting the child to develop emotional and mental resilience to cope without the home’s support and, where the child is moving to live independently, practical skills such as cooking, housework, budgeting and personal self-care. (Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.27)

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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: SC025718 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Schofield House, 1 Spar Road, Norwich, Norfolk NR6 6BX

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Inspector

Joe Matkar-Cox, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC025718 9 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

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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 .

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Inspector

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Inspector

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

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