Children's Home run by Break Charity in Cambridgeshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC439153 1 SC439153 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 is run by a large national children’s charity and provides care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2023.

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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: SC439153 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/07/2022 Full Good 20/01/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 29/04/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/10/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC439153 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, three children were living at the home. Two of the children have lived together for a significant length of time. Since the last inspection, one child has moved back to live with their family and one child has moved into the home. One child living at the home said that this is their home, they love it and want to stay until they are 18.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff make this home a warm, nurturing and enjoyable place to live. Children have good relationships with staff and respond positively to their approach. Staff understand how trauma may affect children’s ability to trust adults. This helps staff to remain consistent, protective and committed to children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a wide range of activities and new experiences. Two children have recently been on holiday to Spain. One child went to a log cabin and had spa days. Children have experienced sports car simulators, mud terrain challenges, go-karting and a variety of activities in London. In addition, staff organise planned house quiz events for staff and children to take part in together. Children are involved in raising money for charity and community events. Staff help children to build positive memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress. This is because staff understand the importance of children learning new skills and building confidence and their self-esteem. Two children have learned how to budget, shop and cook for themselves. Staff monitor children’s progress effectively, including when children may be struggling. This helps to provide targeted support when children need it the most.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children are now in employment. The manager has advocated on behalf of one child to change schools because of concerns around bullying. This led to the manager making a formal complaint to ensure that the child’s voice was heard. Staff’s approaches help children to feel valued and listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have helped a child to feel positive about their cultural heritage and identity. Staff have supported this child’s cultural personal care needs exceptionally well. This support has led to the child confidently taking responsibility for her own personal hair care. Consequently, this has boosted the child’s self-esteem and improved how she sees and values herself. However, money allocated to children for their personal care is not sufficient.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a modern, thoughtfully decorated and comfortable home. There are photos of children on the walls and age-appropriate resources for children to use. However, despite a gardener being employed, weeds remain in the garden and some bags of rubbish are visible. This detracts from the pleasant surroundings of the house. This issue was raised at the last inspection and is restated. Inspection report for children’s home: SC439153 4

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

Children say that they feel safe living at the home. Staff model healthy affection and positive relationships. Staff are inquisitive; they ask children how they feel and how their day has been. If staff have any concerns about children’s safety, they act without delay. A social worker said, ‘I am sent regular reports and, anything significant, they let me know immediately.’

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

Any vulnerabilities that children face are recorded in detailed plans. Strategies to help children are clear and individualised. If children feel upset, staff remain calm and consistent. This helps children to manage their own feelings and reduces the severity of behaviour. Since the last inspection, there have been no physical interventions.

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

Staff are not afraid to talk about sensitive subjects with children. Children respond well to this approach. One child has asked staff to help them stop smoking illegal substances, which is noted as significant progress. Staff help children to make healthy lifestyle choices.

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

Staff use consequences to help children to learn when they make mistakes. However, the consequences are not always restorative, the effectiveness is not clear and there is a lack of management oversight. This does not help children to learn and understand how their behaviour affects others.

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

If children leave the home without permission, staff act without delay. Plans evidence what staff should do and include important information about where children may go and who with. However, records are ambiguous and fail to provide a clear timeline and account of the incident. This means that it is difficult to identify patterns and review levels of concern.

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

Room searches are only carried out when there are concerns about the health and well-being of children. Staff record all searches and what is found. However, children are not consulted about the search or told if anything has been removed. This may affect the trust that children have in the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, the manager has registered with Ofsted. The manager is experienced and is working towards attaining the relevant level 5 qualification within the required time frame. A deputy manager and two senior members of staff support the registered manager. The management team is committed to providing high-quality care for children and investing in staff development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and appraisals from trained managers. Staff are encouraged to reflect on each child and discuss any concerns that they may have. Managers focus on staff’s well-being. They understand that investing in staff means better outcomes for children. Staff say that they feel supported by managers. Inspection report for children’s home: SC439153 5 There is a diverse and permanent staff team. Children relate to these adults, who share children’s interests and are consistent in their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager follows safer recruitment procedures. The organisation’s induction is detailed and includes new staff shadowing more-experienced staff until they feel confident. This ensures that staff are fully considered and prepared for their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The organisation’s therapy team attends staff meetings. This encourages group discussions about children. Therapists provide additional guidance and offer alternative approaches. There is evidence of good practice as staff are encouraged to reflect on their personal values and how they may influence their decision- making.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good systems to monitor and review the quality of care that children receive. He has a good understanding of the areas for development. As a result, the manager is aware of children’s progress and quickly addresses any safeguarding concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff undertake the organisation’s mandatory training. Many of the courses have now returned to face-to-face meetings. Staff say that they benefit from meeting other professionals and the dialogue involved in learning new skills. Staff are either qualified or working towards a relevant level 3 qualification within the required time frame.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has met two requirements from the last inspection. One requirement has been restated and one previous recommendation has been raised as a requirement at this inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: SC439153 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 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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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 signed the record to confirm it is accurate. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(vii)(b)(ii)) 1 December 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

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that weeds and old furniture are removed from the garden and patio area.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated. 8 December 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC439153 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that sufficient budget is allocated to enable staff to meet children’s cultural needs. In particular, ensure that needs in relation to skin and hair care are considered on an individual basis and are fully supported in senior managers’ financial planning and budget allocations. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure that children’s bedrooms are not generally entered without their permission, though it may be necessary to establish routines to allow for bedrooms to be cleaned regularly. Usually, bedrooms should only be searched if the child has been informed or asked for their permission. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.20)  The registered person should ensure that clear and complete records are kept

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Recommendations

which detail all individual incidents when children go missing from the home. Records should provide a clear account of the timeline, action taken and outcome of each incident of a child going missing from the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.31)

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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: SC439153 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

Mandy Start, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC439153 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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