Children's Home run by The Ryes College Limited in Suffolk

Inspection report for children’s home: SC429748 1 SC429748 Registered provider: The Ryes College Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to four children who have experienced trauma that has left them vulnerable.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2011.

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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC429748 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/07/2022 Full Good 02/12/2021 Full Good 17/12/2019 Full Good 29/08/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC429748 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children were living at the home at the time of the inspection. The staff know the children well, and there are good relationships between the staff and the children.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are all in education. Their attendance at school is good. Children make progress in line with their abilities. There are positive relationships between staff and school staff.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to participate in activities. Some children attend local clubs and activities, which supports their interests. Children enjoy the opportunities that they are offered. Staff support children with their family relationships in accordance with their care plans.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children sometimes move in without much time to plan for the move. The staff arrange a conversation with the child to support them to build relationships before coming to the home. This allows children to feel more comfortable about the move. Some children who have left the home remain in touch with staff.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to help choose how their bedroom is decorated. There are plans to create another living area for the children, which children are positive about. There are door alarms on children’s bedrooms. However, some children do not have consent for these alarms to be in use.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are care plans and risk management plans for all children. Some plans are not regularly updated, which means that they do not contain the most up-to-date and relevant information. Therefore, staff may not be aware of all information when working with the children.

p.3

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

Staff monitor the children when they are together. Bullying is not an issue. Staff understand children’s experiences and risks and are aware of their triggers. This means that staff can ensure that appropriate supervision is provided in line with children’s known risks.

p.3

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

The staff use restraint infrequently. Restraints are proportionate and used to keep children and staff safe.

p.3

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

When allegations are made by children, these are handled fairly and quickly. Staff report concerns effectively, and the local authority designated officer is informed. This means that children are safeguarded, and investigations are carried out. Inspection report for children’s home: SC429748 4 Staff do not always support children to understand their risks and how to keep safe. They have conversations with children but are not always curious enough about the details. Following incidents, the discussions with children are brief. This does not encourage children to learn about how to keep themselves safe and help to reduce the number of incidents.

p.3

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

Staff report children as missing from the home when they do not know their whereabouts. Missing-from-home incidents are not frequent. However, the staff do not always follow the missing-from-home protocols for children. This means that staff do not always report children as being away from the home in a timely manner. The supporting records lack detail. Therefore, the actions taken by the staff are unclear.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and qualified for the role. Professionals and families say that there are very good working relationships with the manager and staff. The staff say that they feel supported by the manager. The manager is child focused and understands the progress that children have made towards their goals.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is stable. Temporary staff are not used. Safer recruitment procedures are followed for new members of staff coming to the home. This allows children to develop relationships with the adults who are working with them.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a change in the ownership of the home. Changes have been made to records and the senior management structure. The manager and staff have not let these changes impact on the children’s care. This means that children have continued to be supported in ways that they know and expect.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular training. All staff are trained in areas that are relevant to the children living at the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision. The manager identifies when supervision sessions are not held and has implemented a new monitoring system, which is working well. Regular supervision sessions support staff to develop their practice. Appraisals take place with staff; however, there is no feedback from professionals, colleagues or children as part of these appraisals. This limits staff’s ability to reflect on their practice and identify areas for development. This was a recommendation at last inspection and has been raised again.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has oversight following incidents; however, this lacks evaluation. The manager does not identify learning from incidents. This means that actions to reduce incidents or tailor support for children may be missed. Inspection report for children’s home: SC429748 5

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.5

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

p.5

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.5

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)(i)(ii)(v))

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, follow the missing-from-home protocols for individual children and support children to understand their risks and how to reduce these. 8 September 2023

p.5

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the placing authority has given written consent at the time of placement for any monitoring or surveillance equipment to be used. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.16)  The registered person should ensure that information from internal monitoring is used to make continuous improvement. They should be skilled in anticipating difficulties and reviewing incidents. They are responsible for proactively implementing lessons learned and sustaining good practice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)  The registered person should ensure that annual appraisals consider, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with Inspection report for children’s home: SC429748 6 the staff member over the year and children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the

p.5

Recommendations

Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)  The registered person should ensure that all children’s case records are kept up to date. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

p.6

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: SC429748 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Ryes College Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Maybrook House, Queensway, Halesowen B63 4AH

p.7

Inspector

Leanne Lyon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC429748 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.

p.7

Inspector

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 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.8

Inspector

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

p.8

Inspector

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

p.8