Children's Home run by Break Charity in Cambridgeshire

Inspection report for children's home: SC439153 1 SC439153 Registered provider: Break Charity

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a large national children’s charity and provides care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2023.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 31 October 2023

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC439153 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/10/2023 Full Good 06/07/2022 Full Good 20/01/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 29/04/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: SC439153 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There were four children living at the home at the time of this inspection. One child was spoken to and was positive about the care they receive. Three children have moved to the home since the last inspection and two children have moved out. The staff know the children well and understand their needs, interests and potential risks.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children all have education placements. The staff advocated for one child to move to a different school in line with the child’s wishes. Since this move, the child’s attendance has increased. One child struggles with school attendance so a tutor visits the home. Staff support children to engage with learning at school or with tutors.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves to and from the home are managed well. The children already living in the home are given an opportunity to express their views about a new child moving in. Children visit the home before moving in. The two children who moved out both had planned moves to more independent living. Both children have remained in contact with staff. This shows they formed positive relationships and had positive endings.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children’s interests. Children take part in a range of activities, including trips to the beach and cinema and going fishing. Children are involved in planning the activities that they want to do.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The house is large and homely. There are photos of children and staff, which supports children’s sense of belonging. Children are involved in choosing how their bedrooms are decorated.

p.3

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

Staff understand children’s risks. Children’s care plans and risk assessments are detailed and provide strategies for staff to support children.

p.3

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

Staff understand the processes to follow when children go missing from home. Staff search the local area to try and locate children and make attempts to contact them. Staff are aware of children’s friends and the areas where they are likely to spend their time. The manager has been proactive in seeking support from one child’s placing authority to discuss their risks around going missing from home and other concerns.

p.3

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

Medication errors are identified promptly. There has been one medication error since the last inspection. Medical advice was sought to ensure that the child’s health was protected. The staff member concerned has had their medication competencies reassessed to ensure that they are able to safely administer medication. Inspection report for children's home: SC439153 4 Restraint is rarely used. Staff use de-escalation techniques to reduce the need for the use of restraint. However, the recording of these incidents is quite brief. This means the action taken and whether it was effective is not always clear.

p.3

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

There is a lack of recorded discussion with children about their risks. When children do not want to engage in discussions about their risks, staff do not always record their attempts. For one concern that a child raised, there are no records to show how staff managed the risks and concerns. This does not demonstrate how staff are trying to educate the children and ensure appropriate measures are in place to manage risks.

p.4

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

Some allegations have been made by a child. This is a known risk for the child. The manager does not always report these concerns to the local authority designated officer (LADO) in a timely manner. The recording of these allegations is not always clear. Children and staff could be put at risk due to poor recording and lack of referral to the LADO.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and qualified for the role. The manager knows the children well. He understands the progress that children make and is aspirational for them. The manager is aware of the home’s areas for development. External professionals and family members are positive about the care provided.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable staff team. This means children are provided with care by consistent adults who they know. No temporary staff are used. Staff are dedicated to supporting the children. This creates a positive culture at the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision sessions and team meetings take place regularly to support staff with their practice. This supports staff development. The company’s therapeutic team meets with the staff regularly to offer support and discussion. Staff feel supported by the manager.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive relevant training. There is a clear training offer for staff. Staff also take part in regular workshops which are specific to the needs of the children. This means that staff have opportunities to regularly discuss the children’s presenting needs and how to support them.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management oversight is not always clear. Some records of incidents are not overseen by the manager. The manager’s oversight of incidents is brief and does not always identify lessons learned. This means the manager is not always able to identify if there are any actions required to try to prevent similar incidents occurring again. The manager’s comments on records are not signed or dated. This means it is not possible to see who added the comments or if they were recorded in a timely manner. Inspection report for children's home: SC439153 5

p.4

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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

p.5

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.5

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(v)(vi))

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that referrals to the LADO are made following allegations and that staff support children to understand risks and appropriate behaviours. 24 January 2025

p.5

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—

p.5

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 24 January 2025 Inspection report for children's home: SC439153 6 understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and

p.5

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)(f)(h))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that management oversight identifies areas for development to support the management of future incidents.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that records about incidents contain full details and that management oversight is signed and dated. 24 January 2025

p.6

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: SC439153 7

p.6

Children’s home details

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

p.7

Inspector

Leanne Lyon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC439153 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8