Children's Home, Residential special school run by SES Turnstone Limited in Norfolk

Inspection report for children’s home: SC452461 1 SC452461 Registered provider: SES Turnstone Limited

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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 privately owned home offers a therapeutic model of care. The home provides long- term placements for up to eight children who have traumatic backgrounds and may have experienced neglect or emotional abuse.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a school on site that is also run by the organisation. The inspectors only inspected the social care provision.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 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: 17 October 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: SC452461 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/10/2023 Full Good 02/08/2022 Full Good 07/12/2021 Full Good 10/03/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC452461 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, eight children were living at the home. One child has moved out since the last inspection, and moved on to an adult setting.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are offered a sense of permanence and belonging at the home. One child has lived at the home for over six years, and other children for over two years. Six children were seen as part of this inspection; two children were away on a sailing trip. Two of the children spoke to inspectors.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager carefully plans children’s moves into the home. This includes meeting with children, arranging for children to visit and including family members in the planning. One family member said their child ‘seems happy’ since moving in and the move went ‘as well as it could’. This family member highlighted the positive communication between the manager, staff and therapeutic team and said that the staff understood their child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is welcoming and comfortable. There is lots of space for children to play outside in specifically designed play areas. Communal rooms provide ample space for children to socialise and play games. Each child has a personalised bedroom, and lots of individual belongings. One child has two rabbits, and staff bring in their own pets for children to spend time with animals, which some children notably enjoy. Children’s experiences are captured throughout the home in pictures displayed on the walls.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is a school setting on the same site, which the majority of children attend. Some children have been out of education for long periods of time and are now engaging daily in learning opportunities specific to their learning needs. This builds up children’s self- belief and provides a good routine and structure.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from positive and enriching experiences. Staff plan a variety of activities and holiday excursions for children that support their individual interests. Some children have had the opportunity to go sailing on a tall ship; children have been abseiling, caving and to local Pride events. This wide variety of positive experiences helps to build children’s self-esteem. Some events are planned annually, such as a charity football match and camping festival. Children from the sister home also take part in these events. This is helping to build traditions and positive memories for children.

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

Staff are trained in the model of practice used at the home. This training helps staff to understand children’s trauma and the impact on their development. Staff design bespoke packages of care that help them to meet children’s individual needs.

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

Leaders and managers commission specialist services to help them meet the children’s well-being. Children and their families have access to a range of mental health Inspection report for children’s home: SC452461 4 professionals. Staff benefit from clinical advice and support, enabling them to offer informed care to children.

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

Staff know the children well. They help children to think about their feelings and behaviours and find new ways to help them manage difficult feelings. This includes the use of sensory boxes, outdoor play and focused time with children. Staff are positive about the children.

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

Children do not frequently go missing from the home. When they do, there is a well- coordinated response. Each child has a missing-from-home plan and staff follow these. Staff look for children and update other agencies, as necessary. Children receive warm care and nurture on their return.

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

At times, staff physically intervene with children. The manager and the staff have a system that helps them to analyse these events and look for any patterns in behaviour. Staff are able to quickly repair relationships with children and talk to them about their behaviour. There has been a significant reduction in these incidents over the last few months.

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

One child experienced some serious mental health challenges. Staff continued to support them through these. They worked with other agencies to ensure they were keeping them as safe as they could. The dedication, care and commitment to this child were evident. The child has moved to an adult setting and continues to visit and receives ongoing support from staff.

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

There is a strong safeguarding foundation at the home. Any allegations of harm are quickly reported to the local authority designated officer (LADO). The LADO gave good feedback on how the manager communicates and works alongside them.

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

Children have detailed plans that are created by a multi-agency team. They offer staff clear guidance that helps them to support children. Staff meet regularly to discuss children’s plans. However, one child’s plans did not include some significant incidents that have happened.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a competent and suitably qualified manager. She is dedicated to her role and wants to continue to improve the service she offers to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a high turnover of staff, but the manager has continued to recruit new staff. The home is fully staffed and this offers more consistency for children. New staff benefit from good-quality induction and training which meets their development needs. The manager is offering more focused training and support to her team. This knowledge will help to improve the staff’s day-to-day to work with children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC452461 5 The manager has a good understanding of the home, its strengths and areas for development. This knowledge successfully drives improvement. The manager has good systems in place to monitor and review children’s experiences and any incidents that occur. This helps her to track the children’s progress and look at areas where more support is needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a good training offer and supplementary training to enhance staff’s knowledge and understanding of children. In addition, leaders and managers make use of clinically trained professionals to help them to understand children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are positive about leaders and managers and said that they receive very good support. Leaders and managers work closely together and this helps them to have good oversight. Supervision sessions are regular; however, these do not identify the support staff are offering children or any worries they may have.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are developing a training programme around language. However, this training has not yet been delivered to all staff. Some records include language that is unhelpful when understanding children’s behaviour and peer interactions. Inspection report for children’s home: SC452461 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure there are systems in place so that all staff receive supervision of their practice which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. In particular, significant incidents should be recorded in children’s plans. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that staff record information about individual children in a non-stigmatising way. In particular, language that is helpful to children should be used. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality

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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: SC452461 7

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: SES Turnstone Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Old Vicarage, School Lane, Heckingham, Norwich NR14 6QP

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Inspectors

Mary Costello, Social Care Inspector Rebecca Hannell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC452461 8 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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Inspectors

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