Children's home run by Juventas Services

Inspection report for children’s home: 2644456 1 Registered provider: Juventas Services Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties and learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2021.

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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 September 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: 2644456 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/09/2022 Full Good 05/01/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2644456 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, four children were living at the home and one child had moved back to their family home. Two of the children had moved to the home a short time before the inspection. The children are making progress in building relationships with staff. All of the children said that they liked living in the home and they felt safe and cared for by the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move to the home there are good plans to support this. The manager meets with the child’s professionals to discuss how the home can meet their needs. Risk assessments ensure that there is a good understanding of the shared risk of the children who will be living together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to attend their health appointments, including appropriate specialist services. One child recently had a dental operation. Staff worked with the child to reduce their fears and help them to understand the process. One of the children has comprehensive health needs that require prompt staff responses. Staff are confident to follow the set procedures. This enables the staff to take the child out to enjoy activities such as football practice and cycling in the community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager strongly advocates for children to access full-time education. When children have not been provided with a school placement, staff help the children to access online tuition and informal education in the community. One of the children has shown a level of independence by going to the local school to apply for a place.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to share jobs around the home to help them build their independence skills. Children can earn additional pocket money that can be saved for larger purchases, or instant rewards. The instant rewards are particularly liked by the younger children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are trained in a therapeutic model that helps them have reflective conversations with children when they are upset or frustrated. When children receive consequences for some behaviours these can be punitive in nature. Younger children and children who have additional needs may find these hard to understand, particularly when the consequence is over an extended period. This does not provide individual consequences for each child that reflect their understanding and age.

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

Safeguarding incidents are rare but are managed well. Individual risk assessments and safety plans are in place for each child. These are reviewed and updated regularly. Staff understand how to safeguard children and are confident in using the home’s procedures to support this. Staff are clear about the whistle-blowing policy. Inspection report for children’s home: 2644456 4 Any safeguarding concerns raised by children are dealt with promptly and monitored by the manager to support decision-making.

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

Staff and children enjoy warm and caring relationships. Staff know the children well. They spend time with new children to recognise when they are feeling anxious or upset. When physical restraint is necessary, it is used proportionately and appropriately. Staff talk to the children during and after incidents to help them to feel safe and secure.

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

There is an ethos of reflection in the home. When incidents occur children have reflective conversations that encourage open and empathic discussions. Staff have reflective debriefs that acknowledge learning points. These are discussed in team meetings, which helps disseminate good practice.

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

Children contribute to their care plans to ensure that their views are included. They are informed about the advocate service and are encouraged to use this to support any complaints or concerns. There is a ‘grumbles’ box that children can use. However, children said that as they can talk to the manager and staff, they do not use it.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is an experienced and suitably qualified manager in post. She has positive and proactive support from the deputy manager and the responsible individual. They work collectively to provide a high level of care and good-quality experiences for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has developed excellent relationships with the children. The children seek her out to have meaningful conversations when they want to spend time with her.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a skilled advocate for children. She is very protective of the children and is prepared to challenge professionals to get the best possible outcomes for them. When one child was admitted to hospital, the manager sought to have additional tests to support a historical diagnosis. This resulted in a change to the child’s medical plans and supported the child’s move home. The child has now returned home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Regular team meetings are child-centred and well attended by the staff, who contribute proactively. Supervision sessions are praised by staff, who said that they have an opportunity to discuss practice-related issues as well as being able to reflect on their own emotional well-being. Staff said that the induction process was thorough and gave them the training they needed to work with children effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager undertakes regular monitoring activities that support the identification of patterns and trends at the home. This provides an effective overview of the home and contributes to developments in staff learning and practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2644456 5 Meetings with external professionals are well attended and there is positive feedback from social workers and independent reviewing officers. Inspection report for children’s home: 2644456 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that any consequences used to address behaviour should be restorative in nature. In particular, take into account the child’s age and level of understanding and ensure that the consequences are not punitive. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

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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: 2644456 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Yare House, 62–64 Thorpe Road, Norwich NR1 1R

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Inspector

Trudy Potter, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2644456 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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