Children's home run by Break Charity

Inspection report for children’s home: SC063814 1 SC063814 Registered provider: Break Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

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

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since December 2019.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account good

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

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

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

Date of last inspection: 25 October 2022

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC063814 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/10/2022 Full Good 19/10/2021 Full Good 21/08/2019 Full Good 18/09/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC063814 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There have been four children living at the home since the last inspection. One child had a planned move on to semi-independent living. At the time of inspection, there were three children living at the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children build a sense of permanence and belonging. The manager and staff make sure that children know this is their home. Staff are warm and friendly, and the home is calm.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child who has just moved out after three and a half years. Despite some challenges when the child turned eighteen, the staff continued to support her and make sure she was safe. They helped her move to new accommodation, and the staff continue to keep in touch and offer support.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff work well with social workers and the headteacher of the virtual school to ensure that children have educational placements. If children do not have educational placements, the staff provide them with education during the day. Having a positive focus on education helps children achieve better outcomes.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff understand the importance of family relationships and they try to support these relationships. The staff build good relationships with families and carers. Helping children to see their families is important for their futures. One parent said, ‘Thank you to the staff team for everything they have done.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are offered a range of activities and opportunities. Children have been on holiday together this year. Children have piano lessons, regular horse riding lessons and been to the theatre. One child went to eat in Chinatown in London as she is really interested in Korean culture. Another child is going sailing for a week next week for the second year running. Providing children with the opportunity to experience new things, helps to build their identity, sense of achievement and well- being.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have photo memory books that portray the experiences they have had, and capture their time at the home. These books are high quality and a special keepsake for children to have.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious, brightly coloured and has a warm and welcome feel. The children’s bedrooms are personalised. However, the garden area requires work to make it more accessible and a place in which children want to spend time.

p.3

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

Staff know and understand each child well. Children are encouraged to talk and share their experiences. Any concerns raised are taken seriously by staff and Inspection report for children’s home: SC063814 4 managed appropriately. Referrals to other agencies, including the placing authority and police are actioned quickly. This helps to keep children safe.

p.3

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

Staff use trauma timelines to try and understand how children’s experiences have affected them. Staff generally ensure that children’s behaviour is understood in relation to their individual needs, and responded to in a nurturing manner.

p.4

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

Staff rarely use physical restraint. They use de-escalation techniques, and this ensures that the children are supported to manage their behaviour before it escalates. When incidents occur, they are effectively recorded with clear management oversight. The manager follows any subsequent actions through with the children.

p.4

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

Safer recruitment processes are followed. Concerns about members of staff have been appropriately escalated and addressed. The management team has sought advice from the local authority designated officer. The manager is pro-active in challenging professionals to make sure appropriate action was taken in regard to concerns about the suitability of staff.

p.4

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

Staff do not fully support children to understand internet safety. One child is talking with an unknown person from another country throughout the night. Staff say that they know who he is, have seen pictures of him, and overheard conversations. However, there is no clear plan around managing this relationship or for how to support the child to make safe choices online.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is reflective and child focused. She has created a community atmosphere at the home. The children seek out the manager for comfort and support because she responds in a warm and nurturing manner. Her warm influence is evident throughout the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that children receive good-quality care. She strongly advocates on behalf of children to ensure that their needs are met. She works well with other professionals, who cite communication as one of the strong points at the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported by the manager. They receive good-quality supervision sessions, which are reflective and supportive. One staff member said, ‘It is more than a children’s home; it is a family, it is a home, and everyone brings that ethos with them.’ Ensuring that the members of the staff team are well supported enables them to provide high-quality care for children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive additional input from a therapist, who provides advice and guidance to ensure that staff are working with children in a therapeutic manner. This therapeutic input enables staff to consider children’s needs holistically, and to understand their behaviour. Inspection report for children’s home: SC063814 5 The manager has been in post for over three years but has not completed her level 5 diploma in the required time frame.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The statement of purpose fails to include a lower age limit for children to be accepted at the home. The statement of purpose needs to reflect the ages of children and how the staff can meet their individual needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC063814 6

p.5

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The 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

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

p.6

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.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 5 Diploma"); or

p.6

Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered provider considers to be equivalent to the Level 5 Diploma.

p.6

Requirement Due date

in the case of a person who starts managing a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 3 years after the date on which that person started managing a home.

p.6

Requirement Due date

(Regulation 28 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii) (3)(a)(b)

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager needs to complete her Level 5. 11 October 2023

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child, and the arrangements in place to protect them. In particular, provide evidence of how children are supported to understand online safety. Inspection report for children’s home: SC063814 7 (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that the garden is suitably maintained to promote a more usable and welcoming space for children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that the statement of purpose sets out the needs of children the home is set up and equipped to care for. In particular, it should include the full age range of children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)

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: SC063814 8

p.7

Children’s home details

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

p.8

Inspectors

Mary Costello, Social Care Inspector Leah Stannard, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC063814 9 regulates and 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.

p.8

Inspectors

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.9

Inspectors

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

p.9

Inspectors

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

p.9