Children's home run by Norfolk County Council

Inspection report for children’s home: 2728186 1 Registered provider: Norfolk County Council 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 the local authority and provides care for up to two children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2023. This is the first inspection after registration.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2728186 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There was one child living at the home at the time of inspection. The home was registered in May 2023, and the child was living at the home before registration. The period of time before registration has not been included as part of this inspection. The staff know the child well and have built positive relationships with the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child engages with education. The child has home tutoring supported by staff. Staff support external tutors to develop their relationship with the child. Staff are aspirational for the child to return to formal education. Returning to school will increase the child’s opportunities to socialise with peers of a similar age.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff offer a range of activities. The child requests activities that support their interests. These include bowling, attending a football game and going to a Halloween scare event. The staff offer creative activities, including a scavenger hunt and board games.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to make complaints. The child was supported to access an advocate and make a complaint regarding a previous home they lived in. The child received a positive outcome from their complaint.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children’s relationships with professionals. A barbeque was arranged over the summer for the professionals who work with the child. This supported the child and staff to develop their relationships with the professionals involved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to see their family. Staff are proactive and identify barriers that affect the child spending time with their family. Staff drive the child to family visits and help the child to maintain relationships with their family.

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

Staff understand the child’s risks. The staff follow clear strategies and de-escalation techniques. This has reduced the need to use restraints. When restraints are used, these are proportionate and managed effectively. When a staff member was injured during a restraint, the manager ensured this was reported effectively and explored any further learning from the incident.

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

Staff support the child with online safety. Staff monitor any online use and conduct phone checks. The staff identified concerns about a child’s phone activity and acted promptly to safeguard the child by removing the phone until this could be safely managed. The manager works with children’s social workers to inform them of any worries and to agree on plans to address the risks. Inspection report for children’s home: 2728186 3 Staff understand the restrictions set out in court orders for children. They have a clear understanding of the reasons for these restrictions and how to enforce them. Any restrictions for children are regularly reviewed through professionals’ meetings.

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

Staff support children to understand their risks and how to keep themselves safe. Risks are discussed. However, the recording of these conversations is limited and does not fully detail what was discussed and how the child responded. There are some recordings of incidents that do not have a date or identify the author.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced. The manager is aspirational for the child and developing the quality of the care provided. There are positive relationships between the manager and professionals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has clear oversight following incidents and identifies triggers that may have led to the incidents. The manager has oversight of paperwork and undertakes regular audits. The manager is also the registered manager for another children’s home. There are systems in place to ensure that senior staff support the staff when the manager is not present at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager challenges professionals as required. The child’s education, health and care plan was not reflective of the child’s current needs. The manager ensured she raised her concerns, and the plan was updated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff receive regular supervision sessions and attend team meetings. Staff feel supported by the manager. 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.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a clear induction programme to support staff to learn their roles. However, the staff are not all trained in areas that are relevant to the children’s known risks. Staff do not have training in Deprivation of Liberty Orders and sexualised behaviours to support their understanding and practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager welcomes external scrutiny from the independent person. However, the independent person’s visits have all been announced. This does not provide an accurate reflection of the day-to-day running of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2728186 4

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff assist children to understand their risks and manage their risk-taking behaviour to keep themselves and others safe. In particular, ensure that records of conversations with children about their risks reflect the discussions held. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.7)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs. In particular, that staff have training courses that relate to supporting children’s needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)  The registered person should ensure appraisals take into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of the children in the home’s care and professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year (‘Guide to the

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Recommendations

Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)  The registered person should ensure that case records are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)  The registered person should ensure that the independent visitor makes a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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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: 2728186 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Norfolk County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, Martineau Lane, Norwich, Norfolk NR1 2DH

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Inspector

Leanne Lyon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2728186 6 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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