Children's Home run by BREAK in Norfolk

Inspection report for children's home: 2592750 1 Registered provider: Break

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This charity-run home provides care for up to two children who may have experienced neglect, abuse or trauma, along with family and placement breakdowns.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was appointed in October 2023 and is currently applying to register with Ofsted.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2592750 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/06/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/12/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/07/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2592750 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There was one child living at the home at the time of inspection. The child is settled and is making progress in line with their care plan. The child said that they are happy and can recognise their own progress. Professionals and family are positive about communication with managers and staff and the support provided.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are positive relationships between staff and the child. The staff team knows the child well and understands how to best support them. Staff are able to identify situations the child may find difficult and tailor their approach to support them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s health is supported. The child is registered with local healthcare services. The child has been reluctant to attend some health appointments. The staff have been creative and developed ways to support them to attend. This means that the child’s health can be monitored in a way they feel comfortable with.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The house provides a homely environment. Some changes to the home have been made to make it more welcoming. The child has been involved in choosing items and decor. This gives them a sense of belonging at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s education plans are unclear. The child is enrolled at a school. However, they are not attending. This has been discussed, and it has been agreed that this is not the correct provision for the child. However, there has been a lack of progress in identifying a new provision. Managers are aware of the plans but have not challenged the placing authority to progress them in a timely manner. Staff support the child to do some educational-based activities and to access some tutoring. However, the child is not receiving the level of education they are entitled to.

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

Staff keep children safe. They talk to children about risks. Key-work sessions take place routinely to discuss children’s risks. A local police officer visits the home regularly to support the child and staff to understand any current risks. The child has been involved in reviewing and creating their own risk assessments. This helps children to understand their risks and develop new ways to manage them.

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

There have been no restraints since the last inspection. This evidences the progress the child has made in accepting support from staff.

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

There has been a significant reduction in missing-from-home incidents for the child. Staff understand the processes to follow when children go missing from home. A new system to document the actions that staff take when a child goes missing from home has been introduced. Staff always attempt to contact the child when they are missing from home. Inspection report for children's home: 2592750 4 Staff understand children’s risks. The positive behaviour support plan contains strategies for staff to follow to support the child. There are several different plans for the child, and some information about risks is not consistent between these plans. This could cause confusion for staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is qualified and experienced. He is currently being registered by Ofsted. The manager is supported by a dedicated deputy manager. The managers are aware of the child’s progress and are proud of her successes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable staff team. The staff team members are mostly new to the home. They say that they feel supported in their roles. Successful recruitment of staff has led to no temporary staff being used. Being cared for by known adults provides stability for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly. This supports staff to develop their knowledge and reflect on their practice. A member of the organisation’s therapeutic service spends time with the staff to discuss children and support staff to think in a therapeutic way. Having these regular meetings support the staff to provide consistent care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team provides staff supervision sessions and appraisals. Feedback from others is used in staff appraisals to support staff to know their strengths and areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular training. There is an induction programme to support staff to learn their roles. However, up until staff had recent training, there were times when there were no staff on shift with first-aid or fire safety training. This has been addressed. When new staff start work, these training courses are not mandatory. Also, some staff are not aware of the role of the local authority designated officer. This reduces their understanding of reporting allegations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have oversight of all incidents. The managers reflect on what happened and provide staff with a debrief. However, there is no record of the date or name of the manager who provided the oversight. This means that it is not possible to tell if it was reviewed in a timely manner. Inspection report for children's home: 2592750 5

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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 registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the child’s current risks are included and that managerial comments are signed and dated. 12 June 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they are working with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. If no educational place is identified by the placing authority, the registered person must challenge them to meet the child’s needs under Regulation 5. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs. In particular, ensure that staff have first-aid and fire safety training in an appropriate timescale and understand the role of the local authority designated officer. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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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: 2592750 6

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Leanne Lyon, Social Care Inspector Andrea Bounden, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2592750 7 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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