Children's home run by BREAK

Inspection report for children’s home: SC424271 1 SC424271 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 charitable organisation and provides care for up to four disabled children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2024.

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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: 29 November 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: SC424271 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/11/2022 Full Good 25/08/2021 Full Outstanding 06/01/2020 Full Outstanding 18/12/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC424271 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home. One child has moved into the home since the last inspection and two children have moved out. One child moved out of the home as their needs were outside what the staff could safely manage. Staff supported the child’s move, which helped to make it a more positive experience. There was a well-thought-out plan for the child who moved into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to learn and help them to take part in activities including basketball, cos play, dry-slope skiing and arts and crafts. One of the children has written an ‘all about me’ booklet to give to his new home. All the children engage in education and are learning valuable independence skills. One child has made very good progress socially. They are making more eye contact and have increased their confidence and developed good relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a good understanding of the communication needs of the children and consider their additional neurodiverse needs. For example, staff reduce complex tasks into bite-sized learning that is targeted to support the children’s communication needs. One child is making very good progress using symbols to help them understand their weekly timetable. The child can now visualise school days, weekends and holidays.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have their own personally decorated spaces as well as larger communal areas to enjoy. Staff have created child-friendly accessible spaces that have specialist lighting, music and activities that the children enjoy and use to calm if they feel anxious.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to have healthy lifestyles, through a good diet and good sleep routines. Staff understand how important it is for children to have good emotional health. A therapist attends team meetings to help staff develop strategies to support children’s well-being. When children are anxious, staff know how to respond with empathy and love.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Feedback from parents and professionals is positive. Parents said that staff make them feel welcome when they come to the home. One of the parents was supported by staff to see his child when he was unable to drive. This enabled the child to continue to enjoy relationships that are important to him.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to contribute to their life-story books. They help them to record moments of celebration, such as the award a child won recently at a sporting event, and to keep photos and messages from people who care about them. Staff are in the process of turning the books into a story written to the child to help them better recall the positive experiences they have had living at the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC424271 4

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

Staff understand the increased vulnerabilities of disabled children and also consider the children’s individual needs and developmental stages.

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

Managers devise good-quality detailed individualised risk assessments. These are understood and followed by staff who are confident in implementing them, to safely support the children.

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

Staff confidently and dynamically assess risk. They consider behaviour in the light of childhood trauma. This helps them to support children when they feel anxious or upset.

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

The manager consistently ensures that safeguarding issues are responded to promptly and effectively. Oversight of incidents is good, and monitoring helps to identify patterns in behaviours of concern. There are strong relationships with partner agencies, and learning is shared effectively in well-attended meetings.

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

Restraint is rarely used. When staff need to use restraint, this is to keep children safe. Staff understand the complexities of helping vulnerable children to feel secure and this is reflected in the records of incidents. Debrief conversations follow any incident. These are overseen by the manager and consider restorative approaches. Children are spoken to appropriately using communication methods that help them to feel supported and cared for.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is a confident, experienced leader who is passionate about working with children. She is keen that the children have experiences that enrich their lives. Leaders and managers promote a nurturing and loving environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are well supported. They report that regular supervisions support them in their work. Leaders encourage staff to reflect on their interactions with the children and to explore how these can be improved. The manager follows safer recruitment processes. All staff receive an induction that follows a clear and thorough programme.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All staff said they feel the opportunity to meet with the home’s therapist as a staff team has helped to change their practice. As a result, staff are learning how to implement effective strategies to support the children and improve the consistency of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff regularly consult children about their wishes and feelings. Managers know what works well for the children and what they enjoy. They support staff to broaden the choices children can make. This also informs training and development for new staff. Inspection report for children’s home: SC424271 5 All the children take part in planned meetings and ad hoc conversations about relevant subjects. These are based on topics relevant to the children’s lives, and have included online safety, personal care, being a good friend and independence skills, including going on to college. Preparing for independence is an important topic for one child as he will soon be moving to an adult home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has worked to address the four requirements from the last inspection. Three of the requirements have been met. However, the issues relating to the flooring in the children’s bathroom and en-suites have not been addressed. Therefore, this requirement is restated. Inspection report for children’s home: SC424271 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

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, replace water-damaged vinyl in the bathroom and children’s en-suites.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 7 June 2024

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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: SC424271 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Break, Schofield House, Spar Road, Norwich NR6 6BX

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Inspector

Trudy Potter, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC424271 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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