Children's Home run by Care Focus Limited in Suffolk

Inspection report for children's home: SC062651 1 SC062651 Registered provider: Care Focus Limited 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 trauma and/or have difficulties managing their emotions.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left on 1 September 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a Department for Education-registered school on the same site. The inspector only inspected the social care provision.

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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: SC062651 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/07/2022 Full Good 14/12/2021 Full Good 10/03/2020 Full Good 14/06/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC062651 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There were two children living at the home at the time of the inspection. Staff know the children well and talk about them warmly. Both children are making progress from their starting points. External professionals and family members said that they are pleased with the care that staff provide. Staff are experienced and confident. They are keen to introduce the children to new experiences. As a result of living at the home, the children’s lives have been enriched.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, four children have moved in and four children have moved on from the home. Due to difficult circumstances, some children moved out quickly in an unplanned way. However, with careful planning and support, one child has successfully returned to live with their family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of education. Children have been supported with education at the on-site school. One child has achieved functional skills qualifications, which has led to them going to college. Sensitive planning and support from staff have enabled another child to start at a mainstream primary school. Staff remain close to children’s school and college throughout the day, to provide support for the children. Partnership working and good support with school staff helps lessen children’s anxieties about returning to school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported with health appointments, including visits to the dentist and opticians. The staff are attentive to children’s health needs. However, children’s medication records are unclear. The staff have administered medication to children without signing the record. Regular medication audits are not undertaken, making it difficult to ensure that all medication has been administered correctly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The house is well maintained. Regular maintenance visits mean that any damage is repaired as soon as possible. Children are involved in choosing colour schemes for their bedrooms. One child’s bed did not have a sheet on, with a plastic mattress cover for the child to sleep on. The bedroom had a lot of personal belongings, make-up and clothes piled on the furniture, floor and bed. This does not provide the child with a pleasant and relaxing personal space.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to share their concerns and opinions. Individual key-worker sessions and children’s meetings also provide children with opportunities to talk with the staff. All these things enable the children to express their views about the care they receive.

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

Staff take the time to develop strong, trusting relationships with the children. They have a thorough understanding of each child’s history, and how their life experiences Inspection report for children's home: SC062651 4 affect their behaviours and needs. These relationships, supported by rewards and consequences, enable staff to set consistent boundaries for the children.

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

Staff use incentives, rewards and verbal praise to recognise when children do something well or when they have shown kindness and respect to others. Staff are consistent in their expectations of children’s behaviour. Consequences are used as a response to unsafe or unkind actions. These are proportionate and help to increase children’s understanding of safe and appropriate behaviour.

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

Children’s emotional and behavioural support plans are detailed and provide staff with strategies and scripts to follow when a child is in distress. This means that staff are consistent in their responses and approach to children. Children’s risk assessments are thorough and regularly updated. They refer to appropriate control measures to reduce the risks posed to children.

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

On occasions, leaders and managers have not followed the organisation’s safeguarding policy and failed to notify Ofsted when a child had made an allegation about staff. Internal investigations and consultations with the local authority designated officer have been carried out. However, failing to make a notification reduces Ofsted’s capacity to monitor the safeguarding arrangements at the home.

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

Physical intervention is used at times to keep children safe and prevent harm to others. Records of restraints are detailed. However, records do not consistently show that managers have spoken with staff about the measure within the required timeframe. Delays in oversight mean that emerging concerns relating to the restraint could be missed or not responded to promptly.

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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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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has recently left, and recruitment is under way for a new manager. Leaders from the organisation are providing interim management arrangements. This ensures that the effective management and monitoring of the home continues until the position is filled.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children enjoy spending time with the home’s leaders and feel able to approach them for help, knowing that they will respond to them. Children’s complaints are responded to in line with the organisation’s complaints procedure. Children’s meetings are held regularly, and children are encouraged to talk about the home and other areas of their lives. The children know that the things they raise will be acted on by the leaders.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders have established good working relationships with professionals and family members, who are positive about the communication and working relationships with them. Concerns for children have been successfully escalated by the leaders when a Inspection report for children's home: SC062651 5 multi-agency response was needed. Children benefit from knowing that everyone is working together to meet their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff receive a thorough induction, which includes a range of training and shadow shifts with experienced staff. Good induction and training help staff to meet children’s needs and provide continuity of care. Staff say that they feel well supported and valued by the organisation. However, staff are not receiving regular supervision sessions, which means opportunities to discuss and guide their development are missed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has provided a six-monthly review of the quality of the care. However, the report fails to demonstrate how staff have responded to children’s feedback and opinions. This weakens the review of the care provided. Inspection report for children's home: SC062651 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, 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

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated. 18 October 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)) 18 October 2023

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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. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 18 October 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(c)) 18 October 2023 Inspection report for children's home: SC062651 7 The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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 develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children are provided with bedsheets and are given enough support to look after their bedrooms. 18 October 2023

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the actions taken because of the feedback and opinions of children are recorded in the review of the quality of care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2)

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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: SC062651 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2nd Floor, 168 Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6RA

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Inspector

Rachel Watkinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC062651 9 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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