Children's Home run by Fonjock's Social Work Practice Limited in Suffolk

Inspection report for children’s home: SC487702 1 SC487702 Registered provider: Fonjock’s Social Work Practice Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private company and provides care for up to three children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The previous manager left in July 2023. A new manager has been appointed and has applied to register with Ofsted. However, at the time of the inspection, the new manager was not in day-to-day management of the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The inspector was aware during this inspection that a serious incident that occurred at the setting since the last inspection is under investigation by the appropriate authorities. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate incidents of this kind, actions taken by the setting in response to the incident were considered (where appropriate) alongside other evidence available at the time of the inspection to inform the inspector’s judgements.

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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: 18 December 2023

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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: SC487702 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/12/2023 Full Good 05/12/2022 Full Outstanding 13/07/2021 Full Good 10/03/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC487702 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children were living at the home at the time of the inspection. The home has recovered after a significantly unsettled period between two peers in the home, which resulted in one child moving out in an unplanned manner. This move was necessary to safeguard other children in the home. Since the inspection in December 2023, one child has moved in and out of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff nurture the children and enable them to express themselves creatively. The home has lots of character with mood boards, photos, pictures and areas where the children can study and be creative with puzzles and artwork. One staff member has implemented a routine where breakfast foods are prepared and laid out for the children, with options for them to choose from.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff and manager understand the importance of capturing memories for children to look back on in the future. Staff keep memory books for the children of annual events, activities and holidays, as well as a large ‘family album’ which contains photos of staff with children that date back several years. Children who have left know their memories stay with the home and they will not be forgotten.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are members of clubs, with one child having attended St John Ambulance and police cadets. Consistent with the child’s wishes, the provider is working with the youth offending team and the social worker to explore how this can restart. The other child is very sociable and spends time with friends in the community. The child has enjoyed nights away at friends’ homes and had friends over to the home. The staff make sure that the children have positive experiences and are supported with social relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have goals and aspirations. One child wants a career in either the police force or a medical profession, dependent on their grades. The other child is already planning to become a brick layer. One child has recently increased her attendance in school after a difficult period, and the other child will be soon applying to colleges. Some staff are education leads, which shows the strong emphasis they have on children having a good education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One of the children has expressed a wish to move on to supported living after undertaking lots of work on independence at the home. The staff listen to the children and advocate for them so that their wishes and feelings can be shared with external professionals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children have done well, they are awarded with certificates, such as ‘game king’ and ‘best nail artist’. The children also get to choose the ‘star of the week’. Staff use creative ways to empower the children and recognise their achievements. Inspection report for children’s home: SC487702 4

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

When incidents have happened in the home and children have raised concerns, the responsible individual has responded to ensure that appropriate steps are swifty taken. They have ensured that relevant agencies are contacted and information is shared to keep children safe. They have worked with the wider network to implement safety plans and risk assessments to provide stronger support to children who are in crisis.

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

Staff build good relationships with the children to enable them to share concerns. Children have adults they will speak to during times of difficulty or distress. The staff have conversations with the children about the importance of staying safe online and in the community.

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

Children rarely go missing from this home. The staff understand their responsibilities to ensure that children are found quickly and brought home safely.

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

Staff use several resources to help children to keep themselves safe. Staff complete workbooks and skills for life booklets with the children to help them to gain a level of understanding around risks and dangers in the community and how to avoid situations by taking necessary steps to stay safe.

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

The children are prescribed controlled medication and audits are regularly carried out to reduce the risk of errors. The children often refuse to take the medication as they feel it does not help them. However, staff do not always record that children are refusing to take the medication. This would make it difficult to prove refusals by children should a medication review be required.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

At the time of the inspection, the manager was not working in the home. In the manager’s absence, the responsible individual has been in day-to-day charge of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team has good oversight of risk assessments and care plans. The team has ensured that these are up to date and provide good guidance for staff. The manager and responsible individual have good oversight of incidents, making sure that records reflect actions taken. They carry out debriefs with staff and children where possible.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported by the manager and the senior management team. All levels of management are present in the home, attend meetings and are responsive to the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professional is consistently good. The responsible individual has worked closely with external bodies to maintain good levels of communication and transparency. Inspection report for children’s home: SC487702 5 There are good levels of support from senior management. Directors join team meetings, meet with staff and offer support to the responsible individual. This demonstrates good organisational leadership, which helps the responsible individual and staff team to feel supported at all levels during challenging periods.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are strong and effective. These take place regularly and cover a range of topics. The responsible individual has responded to previous incidents and reviewed procedures with the staff looking at safeguarding processes and handling allegations. The responsible individual ensures that staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision sessions are high quality, frequent and effective at helping staff to learn more about their role. Supervisors demonstrate curiosity in discussions during supervision sessions. Inspection report for children’s home: SC487702 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that records are kept up to date of administration of all medication, which includes when prescribed medication is refused. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15

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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: SC487702 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Fonjock’s Social Work Practice Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Dan Williams, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC487702 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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