Children's home run by Norfolk County Council in Norwich

Inspection report for children’s home: SC065883 1 SC065883 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 local authority children’s home provides short-term breaks for children with severe learning and/or physical disabilities, including complex health needs. It can also provide long-term care for one child in an emergency. The home can accommodate up to nine children at any one time.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 20 November 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

Date of last inspection: 13 December 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: SC065883 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/12/2022 Full Good 27/10/2021 Full Good 20/11/2019 Full Good 12/11/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC065883 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home. The child has moved to the home in emergency circumstances while arrangements for long-term care are planned. Due to the child’s individual needs, other children have not been offered short breaks since June 2023. This reduction in capacity is being monitored and kept under review by senior managers in the local authority.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child receives high levels of individualised care and support from staff, who understand their needs well. The child has positive experiences that have enabled them to make good progress from their starting point.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have forged strong and trusting relationships with the child. Staff’s interactions with the child are filled with high regard and warmth. Staff use alternative communication systems skilfully and purposefully. As a result, the child has improved their self-expression skills and is more aware of the day-to-day expectations in their daily routine. This has meant that the child has been better equipped to manage their emotions and anxieties.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has successfully returned to school following a long gap in education. Staff have working relationships and good communication systems with school staff. Staff reduced potential barriers to the child’s learning by providing transport to school when difficulties emerged with transport providers. This ensured that the child’s reintroduction to school went smoothly. The child’s attendance and engagement in school are a significant achievement for the child from their starting point.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide clear monitoring of the child’s daily health needs, and are well trained in this area. Staff follow detailed and up-to-date health plans for the child. This includes working closely with dieticians and specialist therapy teams to successfully meet the child’s complex health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents have unwavering confidence that the staff advocate for their child’s best interests and well-being. Parents highlighted the support from staff in promoting the views of the child in relation to their health and independence skills in daily activities as particular strength.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide a range of tailored activities that match the child’s interests and hobbies. These include creative role-play activities at the home and recent visits to fairs and theme parks. The child provided positive feedback about spending time with staff.

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

Staff support the child with their social interactions through high levels of supervision and familiar routines. Staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities Inspection report for children’s home: SC065883 4 in safeguarding the child and have a good knowledge of the child’s additional vulnerabilities. Staff meetings are well adapted to explore the child’s individual safety needs. This has ensured that there is a unified approach by staff in reducing risks for the child and maintaining their safety.

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

Good-quality risk assessments are compiled and followed by staff, which helps them to support the child to access new experiences safely. The manager and staff work closely with the specialist behaviour support team to create personalised strategies for the child. A psychologist provided excellent feedback about the effectiveness of this partnership working. Staff’s well-devised de-escalation interventions have supported positive behavioural changes for the child over time.

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

Managers maintain strong safer recruitment processes for new staff. Agency staff are subject to appropriate suitability checks before working at the home.

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

When staff use physical restraint, it is proportionate to prevent harm to the child or to staff. However, some recorded managerial evaluations have been delayed beyond the required timescales. The delay in the prompt analysis of these interventions means that safeguards for the child are reduced, and any actions that may be needed, might not be identified swiftly.

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

Consequences have been used infrequently. However, a child’s view of one incident resulting in a consequence was not obtained or reviewed. The manager has worked with individual staff to explore the wider effectiveness of these approaches, which has led to a significant reduction in staff using these measures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is a qualified social worker and is working towards the required management qualification. She leads the staff confidently, alongside the experienced deputy manager. The management and the staff team are child focused and provide good-quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have begun to formulate plans for the reintroduction of short breaks for children, to resume support in line with the home’s statement of purpose. Although the long-term plans for the care of the child are being prioritised, managers recognise that other children have not had the benefit of this short-break provision for some considerable time and a careful and considered approach will need to be adopted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff’s dedication and determination is a real strength at this home. The staff provided positive feedback during the inspection. This feedback demonstrates their investment in the team despite some changes in the scope of their support. Staff feel energised and are proud of what they have achieved for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with a wide range of training courses to enhance their skills. A high proportion of staff hold the required level 3 qualification. Some long-standing Inspection report for children’s home: SC065883 5 staff have a good wealth of expertise and experience in health and social care, which further equips them with the skills to meet the child’s individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Most staff receive regular supervision sessions, which focus on their development, the child’s needs, and the safeguarding culture at the home. However, some regularly used agency staff do not have formal supervision sessions to reflect on their practice. Some annual staff appraisals have also been delayed. Managers recognise that improvement is needed to ensure that these staff members have the support they need.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Generally, there are suitable processes to ensure that notifications are made to Ofsted when required. However, although managers responded appropriately to one safeguarding concern, they did not notify Ofsted of this action. This means that Ofsted’s ability to monitor safeguards during this time has been reduced. Inspection report for children’s home: SC065883 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 signed the record to confirm it is accurate;

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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)(ii)(c)) 31 March 2024

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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;

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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)) 31 March 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they notify Ofsted and other relevant persons if one of the situations specified in regulation 40(4)(a)-(e) occurs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10)

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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: SC065883 7

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Mark Anderton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC065883 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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