Children's Home run by Suffolk County Council in Suffolk

Inspection report for children's home: SC430022 1 SC430022 Registered provider: Suffolk County Council

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to six children aged between 11 and 17 years with social, emotional and/or mental health difficulties. Five children were living at the home at the time of the inspection. The inspectors saw four children and spoke with three of them.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since January 2018.

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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: 20 February 2024

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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: SC430022 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/02/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 19/12/2023 Full Inadequate 31/08/2022 Full Good 25/01/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: SC430022 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home, and no children have moved out. Following some difficult dynamics between them, the children have experienced a more settled period. Staff know the children well and are committed to them. Effective relationships between staff and children have contributed to a reduction in risk for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children move into the home at a pace that is right for them. They visit the home to meet the staff and other children. Children regularly spend time with the people who are important to them. Children’s friends visit them at the home. Staff are supporting plans for two children to return home to family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are sensitive to and consider children’s emotional well-being. Staff consult with the home’s clinical psychologist to support planning for children. Working with the psychologist has enabled one child to participate in an important social event that they may have otherwise felt unable to attend. Staff are vigilant and children’s medical needs are responded to quickly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s engagement in education is variable. Each child has a plan and all children are enrolled in an education provision, with plans for increasing their hours of learning. Staff support children to be ready for learning by encouraging good sleep routines.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is an enabling culture at the home. The staff support children to develop life skills. Children’s individual strengths are recognised. The children are supported to use public transport, administer their own medication and enjoy free time in the community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is large and spacious, which allows children to comfortably spend time in communal spaces together. Children decorate their bedrooms according to their preferences. However, some furniture is worn; one sofa has a hole in the arm and another is broken. These items of furniture have not been replaced in a timely way.

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

The number of incidents at the home has reduced since the last inspection. The manager regularly reviews the level of support children need and increases the number of staff accordingly. When incidents do occur, staff are responsive and follow clear, detailed plans. The manager ensures that children’s safety plans are regularly reviewed with the team around the child. This ensures consistency in the help and care offered to children to keep them safe.

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

The location risk assessment is detailed. Managers have strengthened its effectiveness by using photos and maps in the assessment and supporting staff to physically visit areas of concern to familiarise themselves with the hazards. Inspection report for children's home: SC430022 4 Staff work with health and social care professionals to agree appropriate responses to support children with sensitive issues. The staff recognise children’s physical and emotional needs.

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

Restraint is rarely used to manage children’s behaviour. The manager supports staff to learn from any incidents and provides appropriate challenge. Children are spoken to when they are ready to share their views in a meaningful way. This encourages a reflective culture.

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

The manager escalates allegations in line with the home’s safeguarding policy and implements the actions from multi-agency meetings. However, the manager has not fully risk assessed the arrangement for a member of staff to continue to work while an allegation is investigated.

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

The recruitment policy is not always followed. For one member of staff, an error in checks meant that gaps in employment were not verified. This does not ensure that staff are suitable to work at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a qualified, experienced manager. She is extremely committed to the home and children. The manager was present throughout the inspection. She leads a stable team of core staff who enjoy their roles. The staff speak warmly and knowledgably about the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff have established strong relationships with children, who can rely on them for ongoing support. Three children who previously lived at the home visited to celebrate the manager’s 25th anniversary of working at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s review of the quality of care and the external monitoring of the home are effective. The independent visitor provides an in-depth analysis of how the home is safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works well with families and professionals. Professionals are complimentary about the communication with staff. Families said that they feel supported by the staff and manager, who provide further support when needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good understanding of incidents that have occurred. Staff receive good support and regular supervision sessions. These provide staff with time to reflect on their work with children. The manager notes when staff need additional support to explore their own feelings and how these influence their responses to children. However, on one occasion, this was not followed up in staff supervision sessions. This may not give the staff the opportunity to consider how they have responded to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a clear improvement in the quality of care since the last inspection. One requirement has been restated, in respect of one member of staff being out of timescale Inspection report for children's home: SC430022 5 to complete the level 3 diploma. The manager has implemented a plan of support and supervision to maintain scrutiny of this member of staff’s progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff access training that is specific to the needs of the children. Requests from staff for additional training have been met quickly by managers. However, the workforce plan is not sufficiently detailed and does not capture the learning and development needs of the staff or managers. Inspection report for children's home: SC430022 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 registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect; and

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Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

describe the measures which may be necessary to protect children following an allegation of abuse or neglect. (Regulation 34 (1)(a)(b) (2)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure there is a plan to mitigate identified risks of a staff member subject to an allegation continuing to work in the home. 20 July 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that— 20 July 2024 Inspection report for children's home: SC430022 7 full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that gaps in employment are identified and explored.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement has been restated. 18 September 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff supervision enables staff to reflect and act on how their own feelings and behaviour may be affected by the behaviour of the children they care for. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.15)  The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce- related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). In particular, the plan should detail the necessary management and staffing structure, the experience and qualifications of staff currently working at the home and any further training required for those staff, to enable the delivery of the home’s statement of purpose. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should ensure that staff provide a nurturing environment that is

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Recommendations

welcoming, supportive and homely. In particular, ensure that broken or worn-out furniture is replaced in a timely way. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7) Inspection report for children's home: SC430022 8

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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: SC430022 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Suffolk County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Babergh District Council, Endeavour House, Russell Road, Ipswich IP1 2BX

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Inspectors

Paula Edwards, Social Care Inspector Andrea Bounden, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC430022 10 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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