Children's home run by Inroads Essex Limited in Mid Suffolk

Inspection report for children’s home: SC069178 1 SC069178 Registered provider: Inroads Essex Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to nine children. The home cares for children with a range of intellectual and developmental disabilities, additional needs and social and emotional difficulties. The home consists of two individual houses on one site.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2012.

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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: 10 October 2022

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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: SC069178 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/10/2022 Full Good 12/01/2022 Full Good 24/04/2019 Full Good 16/01/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC069178 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, eight children were living at the home, with six children in one house and two in the other house. Most children live at the home until they are adults. All of the children who have moved from the home since the last inspection have been supported well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who are new to the home are welcomed sensitively and with good planning. Staff have been flexible and adapted their practice to help children feel safe and cared for in their new home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have worked closely with schools to address any barriers to children’s learning and ensure that children can make the most of educational opportunities. This has enabled all of the children to progress at school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Communication plans detail children’s preferred communication system. However, staff are not consistently using these plans when working directly with children. This reduces the opportunity for all the children to make choices, express their views and initiate interactions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

For some children, there is a period of up to a month before they are involved in their first fire drill. The details of fire evacuations are not conveyed to children using their preferred method of communication. This does not prepare children for a loud and potentially upsetting event.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is an area of the garden with playground equipment for the children to enjoy with the appropriate safety measures in place. Children were observed making use of the equipment. Other parts of the garden have become overgrown with nettles, which limits how much the children can enjoy the outdoor space.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children do not have regular access to appropriate advocacy support. Therefore, they do not have an independent trusted person to confide in should they need to.

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

Staff understand and follow the missing-from-home protocols. The staff have taken effective action, including informing the appropriate professionals when a child has been missing from the home. Staff worked hard to provide a safe and welcoming environment for the children to return to.

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

Communication between staff, professionals and parents is very good. Regular updates about each child are available for parents to access electronically at their convenience. Professionals are kept up to date with any relevant changes about the children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC069178 4 An experienced learning disability nurse is employed as part of the management team. Staff can obtain advice and have clinical supervision. This helps staff to understand why a child might be behaving in a particular way and how they can best be supported.

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

Safe recruitment processes are comprehensively carried out to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children.

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

The children have a range of abilities and different levels of understanding. There are restrictions and locks on doors, gates and cupboards, limiting all the children’s access to different parts of their home. The reasons behind these restrictions are unclear. The locks have not been reassessed to ascertain if this precaution is still necessary for the children’s abilities and different levels of understanding.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A dedicated and experienced manager manages the home. Professionals are positive about the communication and working relationships with the manager. Children benefit from collaborative working between managers and external professionals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager understands the strengths and weaknesses of the home. A comprehensive development plan has been created to make the necessary improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Newly appointed staff receive a thorough induction, which includes the home’s mandatory training and shadow shifts with experienced staff. Good induction prepares staff to meet children’s needs and provide continuity of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff speak highly of the managers and said they feel supported both personally and professionally. However, staff are not receiving regular supervision sessions or annual appraisals of their performance. Therefore, opportunities to discuss and guide staff development are missed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager completes a six-monthly review of the quality of care provided. However, the manager has not demonstrated how she has responded to children’s feedback and opinions in this review. This weakens the review and evaluation of the care provided. Inspection report for children’s home: SC069178 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, 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.

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 22 September

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

is given appropriate advocacy support. 22 September Inspection report for children’s home: SC069178 6 (Regulation 7 (1)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(b)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff consistently use children’s individual communication systems, provide children with communication methods to aid their understanding of fire evacuations and ensure that all children have access to an independent advocate.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c)) 22 September

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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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—

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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. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(b)) 22 September

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Recommendation

 The registered person should provide a homely environment. In particular, they should ensure that all areas of the home are decorated to a consistently high standard and that the garden is well maintained and clear of stinging nettles. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: SC069178 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Inroads Essex Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suffolk House 7 Hydra, Orian Court Addison Way, Great Blakenham, Suffolk IP6 0LW

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Inspectors

Rachel Watkinson, Social Care Inspector Eileen Bultitude, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC069178 8 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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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