Children's Home run by Break Charity in Norfolk

Inspection report for children’s home: SC025718 1 SC025718

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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 four children who experience social and emotional difficulties. The manager registered with Ofsted in 2009; they were not present during the inspection and have not been to the home since September 2024. The responsible individual was not present during the inspection, and he appointed a representative from the organisation to be present during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

During the inspection, no children were living at the home.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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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: SC025718 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/04/2023 Full Good 23/08/2022 Full Good 05/05/2021 Full Good 12/03/2020 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC025718 3

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, two children have moved in and five children have left the home. There were no children living at the home at the time of this inspection. Two children who left the home in the summer of 2024 provided their views to the inspector over the phone.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager has been absent since September 2024. A representative leader from the organisation was present throughout the inspection. Since the beginning of 2024, there have been significant gaps in management arrangements. This means that management oversight has not always been effective. This has affected the quality of care and overall experiences for children.

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improvement to be good

Children experienced difficult relationships with peers at the home. Three children regularly shared their views with staff and managers, explaining how this negatively affected their day-to-day experiences. Children knew how to make a complaint. The response they received from managers demonstrated limited oversight and curiosity about how to manage children’s relationships or improve their experiences.

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improvement to be good

Children have not always received a timely response when they have spoken to staff about their worries. A child received inappropriate online messages from a professional not connected to the home. Staff took immediate protective action in the middle of the night and shared this with the relevant agencies. The police shared information with the registered manager. However, there is no record of the child being provided with an update until they asked a staff member about it several weeks later. This did not help the child to feel reassured.

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improvement to be good

Staff encourage and incentivise children’s attendance and attainment at school and in work. When there are barriers to children’s participation in education, staff understand these fully. Staff challenge other agencies; they make thoughtful suggestions about how to remove barriers to children’s progress. As a result, some children, who had not been regularly attending school when they arrived at the home, sat formal exams and improved their attendance at school.

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improvement to be good

Children develop good skills to support them in adulthood. One child said that the staff had helped them to build on their skills and be on the right path to getting their own flat. Social workers commented on the success of the staff in supporting children’s confidence in cooking, budgeting and cleaning.

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improvement to be good

When children move out, detailed plans are made to ensure that they experience continuity of relationships that are important to them. One child, who has returned to living with a parent, had a thorough plan that was flexible and responsive to their Inspection report for children’s home: SC025718 4 emotional well-being. Staff visit children in their new homes regularly. Children say that they appreciate the time spent together and that they miss the staff.

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improvement to be good

Children develop their identity and have enjoyable experiences. This includes going to nearby arcades, camping, church and the gym and having friends stay over. Children are praised and supported to develop a good work ethic. One child gained and maintained part-time work. Other children have been with staff to enquire about work experience and further education.

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improvement to be good

Actions to ensure children’s safety following incidents have not always been followed through without significant delay. A child made an allegation of harm. This was not recognised immediately as a safeguarding concern and was therefore not followed up with the relevant agencies.

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improvement to be good

Children experienced instability in their peer relationships at the home. Staff talk to children about how they feel, sexual health and contraception options. However, there is not enough curiosity or follow up to ensure that children are supported to understand how to keep themselves and others safe in sexual relationships.

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improvement to be good

Some children complained about disruptive behaviour at the home. Managers could not demonstrate sufficient planning or actions to minimise the impact on other children.

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improvement to be good

Staff took a child on an extended overnight trip as a reward. An overseeing manager gave advice to assess the child’s mood before deciding to leave the home. There are clear records that demonstrate the child was distressed immediately before leaving. The trip went ahead. Staff did not have written guidance on how to manage risks associated with this activity. They were not prepared to provide effective support. This resulted in a poor experience for children and staff.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not used restraint since the last inspection. Staff encourage children’s positive behaviours through conversation and reassurance. Although there has been a high level of incidents, the police have never been called to manage behaviour at the home.

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improvement to be good

Children have rarely been absent from the home without permission. When staff have been concerned about children’s whereabouts, they worked with other agencies, including the transport police, to intervene and prevent potential harm. Staff make clear records and take account of information gathered from return home interviews to inform plans.

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improvement to be good

Staff receive specific training relevant to the children’s needs. This has included developing their awareness and resources available in working with child criminal exploitation and the impact of social media and substance misuse. Inspection report for children’s home: SC025718 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Since March 2024, oversight of staff practice, children’s experiences and records has not been effective in identifying shortfalls. There have been extended periods of management absence at the home. Interim arrangements earlier in the year have not provided adequate oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Oversight of safeguarding practice has not always been effective. On two separate occasions, concerns were raised about staff members’ practice and professional boundaries. Although staff raised concerns with managers on one occasion, both matters were not notified to the relevant agencies, including the local authority designated officer and Ofsted, until several weeks later. This means that it was not possible to ensure external oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Internal and external monitoring have not been effective. The independent person does not always provide a view about the effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements. Oversight of children’s records varies in quality. Internal monitoring systems have not always identified times when records have not provided full and clear information about incidents, room searches or children raising concerns. This does not support staff to make necessary improvements in their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Appraisals of staff practice were completed in line with the home’s policy in September 2024. However, there are no accessible records about these discussions, and therefore, leaders cannot understand the actions necessary to develop practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Supervision of staff practice has not been regular. There is no clear record for leaders to track when and who has received supervision with an appropriately experienced person. This does not help managers and staff to understand and reflect on staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Training records demonstrate that a manager is several years out of date with a required training course. This does not reflect effective leading by example.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

An overseeing manager has recently begun working at the home. They were aware of the concerns raised during this inspection and are implementing a detailed improvement plan.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Three social workers provided positive feedback about the progress children made at the home and the quality of communication with staff. One social worker said that staff are not risk-averse. One social worker said that they did not always feel confident in the management of the home and were aware of significant absences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

During the inspection, staff took part in a two-day practice guidance session. This included clear guidance from leaders about the home’s ethos, safeguarding practice and reflections about learning identified from the past year. Two staff members said that they feel motivated to be a part of improvements at the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC025718 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must:

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Requirement Due date

provide effective oversight of staff practice and children’s records and follow up incidents with the relevant agencies without delay;

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Requirement Due date

implement effective arrangements for management oversight when the registered manager is absent from the home;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that external monitoring arrangements provide effective commentary on safeguarding practice;

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Requirement Due date

ensure there are effective systems in place for leaders to access relevant records in the absence of other managers. 15 November

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that staff— 15 November Inspection report for children’s home: SC025718 7 understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff understand how to respond to safeguarding concerns and escalate them to the relevant people and agencies.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)(e)) 15 November

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(vi)(xi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff provide effective support to help children understand appropriate sexual and social boundaries in 22 November Inspection report for children’s home: SC025718 8 their relationships, and provide effective support so that peer relationships in the home do not cause harm.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) 22 November

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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: SC025718 9

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Natalie Day, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC025718 10 and inspects 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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