Children's home run by Fonjock's Social Work Practice Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2608645 1 Registered provider: Fonjock’s Social Work Practice Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children's home

This home is owned by a private company. It provides care for up to two children aged between eight and 18 years who experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 23 November 2022

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2608645 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/11/2022 Full Good 08/09/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2608645 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children live at this home. Staff respond to children warmly and show patience, a willingness to help them, and humour. This helps children to feel loved and valued. Staff plan children’s moves to the house carefully and thoughtfully. They show sensitivity to the children’s needs. The culture in the home is to make children feel welcome and cared for.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child is currently home tutored but remains on roll with the local college. The tutor has identified gaps in the child’s learning, which is helping the child to take advantage of having one-to-one tuition. In addition, this child attends a local centre to take part in activities that help to develop independence skills. He said that this is helping him to feel confident about learning again. The other child has a place at a nearby college. Staff are working with her to encourage the move from this college to a course at an adult education centre that is more suited to her needs. Staff know that this is challenging for the child. They work consistently to encourage the children to value education.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s progress is supported by clear assessments and care plans. Staff understand how the plans support the children. The staff work in partnership with the children. Children are encouraged to contribute their views regarding their plans. This helps them to feel that they have a voice and are listened to.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The managers and staff work hard to ensure that children maintain good relationships with their family networks. Both children are excited about visiting family during the Christmas period. Staff show children that they know how important this is for them.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff are very skilled at encouraging the children to have important discussions. This enables the children to talk about their feelings, what they want for themselves in the future, and how to achieve this. As part of supporting children towards independence, staff encourage them to eat healthily and learn to cook nutritious meals. Staff have a good understanding of the children’s health needs. They support children to attend health appointments as appropriate.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a variety of activities. Staff facilitate experiences that challenge and engage the children. Staff know that the children want to spend time with their friends, and they are encouraging them to bring friends home to visit or have meals. This helps them to feel that their friends will be welcome. It is important to the staff that the children know that relationships that matter to them are fully supported.

p.3

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

One child has recently got a job locally. The managers have contacted the owner of the business and the child’s social worker to establish an effective risk assessment Inspection report for children's home: 2608645 4 that is shared by all. The manager is supporting the child to apply for a work permit. This will safeguard the child, making sure that everyone understands the children’s employment law. Working in a joined-up way helps to keep children safe.

p.3

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

Staff are trained in safeguarding. They show a commitment to keeping children safe, and when safeguarding incidents take place, they act appropriately. Staff know who to contact if they have any concerns regarding the children. They respond according to the safeguarding protocol when children go missing and take action to find them and return them home. They know how to escalate concerns.

p.4

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

The staff help the children to move towards independence by supporting them to make safe choices about relationships. They are aware that the children could be exposed to child sexual exploitation or criminal exploitation, and they use creative techniques to assist the children to make appropriate decisions. Staff provide individualised support that is helping the children to be safe in the community.

p.4

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

Staff do not use physical restraints. Instead, they use guiding techniques if a child becomes upset and needs staff support. Children respect that they are not being restrained.

p.4

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

A recent fire drill was conducted without the children responding appropriately. Staff are aware of the need to have children taking part in the fire drill. The staff have not given consideration to the importance of having a reflective conversation about fire safety with the children and recording this.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

At the time of the inspection, both the registered manager and the responsible individual were no longer working at the home. A new manager has been appointed and has notified Ofsted that they intend to apply for registration. A new responsible individual has been appointed.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has an established and stable staff team. There is a committed deputy manager. New staff are subject to a thorough induction and opportunities to shadow experienced colleagues. Staff are very supportive of each other, and staff morale is good. All of the staff have said that they feel valued and listened to by the new manager. They recognise that she is putting in boundaries that provide the children with consistent messages. Staff feel that the children will appreciate this.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff say that supervision sessions are valuable. They can share concerns and reflect on the needs of the children. The staff welcome time with managers that include discussions about their own well-being. Team meetings are an opportunity to share practice and talk about policies and procedures. Staff are knowledgeable about whistle-blowing and, recently, a staff member used the system appropriately. Managers responded with positive support.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A recent complaint by a parent was recorded appropriately and discussed with them to ensure that they felt supported and heard. Quick responses by managers provide Inspection report for children's home: 2608645 5 parents with the opportunity to work closely with the staff who look after their children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been some incidents of children being missing from home. Staff responded using the missing-from-home protocol and implemented the safeguarding procedure. The new manager has identified that some missing-from-home incident records were not signed by a manager. She has audited incidents and is ensuring that they have managerial oversight. Inspection report for children's home: 2608645 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, 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

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children's home that—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h)) 28 February 2024

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: 2608645 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Fonjock's Social Work Practice Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Orchard House, 1 Old Convent Orchard, Bury St. Edmunds IP33 3PQ

p.7

Inspector

Trudy Potter, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2608645 8 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.7

Inspector

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.8

Inspector

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

p.8

Inspector

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

p.8