Children's home run by Norfolk County Council in Norwich

Inspection report for children’s home: SC462583 1 SC462583 Registered provider: Norfolk County Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority home provides short breaks for children who have a family crisis and emergency care for children who do not have a permanent placement. Four children can stay at the home at any one time.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2023.

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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: 12 December 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: SC462583 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/12/2023 Full Good 25/01/2023 Full Good 20/07/2021 Full Good 04/02/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC462583 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There was one child staying at the home during the inspection, and the child was spoken to. Twelve other children access short breaks. Families and professionals are positive about the support provided. One parent said that having short breaks has been ‘absolutely vital in us staying together as a family unit’. The vast majority of children who have accessed the service have been able to remain living with their families and step down from social work support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Careful planning about which children will access short breaks takes place. Consultation meetings and planning meetings are held to discuss the reasons for the referral. If managers feel a child would benefit from a short break visit to the home, this is arranged. Children visit for dinner before an overnight stay. This gives them the opportunity to spend time getting to know the staff and feel comfortable. The staff get to know each child to support in planning which other children the child will stay with.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff offer children a range of activities. The staff know the children well and understand what they enjoy. The manager and staff strive to ensure that all children have equal opportunities. The staff offer a mix of weekday and weekend stays. Children are given activity options, including the cinema, gaming, baking and trampoline parks. As part of one activity, children voted and decided to sponsor a turtle, which the children have since visited at a Sealife centre.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to share their views. Regular residents meetings take place, and children share their views. However, they have frequently asked for better internet access. The manager has looked into this, but no changes have been made to the internet. This means that children’s views are not being listened to. Limited internet access impacts on activities and children’s ability to contact friends and family members.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is a lack of recorded evidence about how staff support children and their families. Staff understand the reasons why children access the home for short breaks. However, conversations with children about these and the ways that staff support children are not recorded. There is limited evidence to show how the home is supporting children to make progress and achieve positive outcomes during their stays and in their family homes.

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

Incidents are infrequent and there have been no restraints. Staff use de-escalation skills when there are incidents. This prevents incidents from escalating. Following any incidents, staff speak to children in a restorative way. This helps children to develop positive ways to manage their emotions and behaviour. Inspection report for children’s home: SC462583 4 Staff understand the children’s risks. Children’s safety plans are individualised and provide strategies for staff to support children. Children’s plans are regularly updated. There have been no concerns in regard to children going missing from the home, bullying or being exploited.

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

A new safeguarding log has been created. This gives managers and staff a clear view of any concerns and the actions taken. Professionals and parents are updated promptly about any concerns. Staff attend all significant meetings about children to ensure they are up to date. They share information from children’s stays as part of the meetings.

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

Safer recruitment processes are followed for new members of staff. Temporary staff are not used. This enables children to build relationships with staff who consistently work at the home. There is an induction process for new staff, which helps them to learn their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is qualified, experienced and supported by an equally dedicated senior member of staff. The management team is committed to its role and has a good understanding of the service and the impact it has on children and families. The manager is aware of the areas of development for the home and has plans in place for these.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers provide clear oversight following incidents. Management comments are detailed and review the situation and identify any potential triggers. The manager ensures that families and professionals are updated about any incidents or concerns that arise.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have supervision sessions and appraisals. Feedback from others is used in appraisals to support staff to know their strengths and areas for development. Staff are positive about the support they receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly. These meetings give staff a chance to discuss the children they support. Recent changes to team meetings mean that there is a focus on linking theory to practice. Staff members are encouraged to bring learning from training or their own knowledge to meetings. Staff then relate these discussions to the children they support. This means staff are developing their knowledge as a team. Inspection report for children’s home: SC462583 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are made aware of outcomes after sharing their views to show how these are listened to and acted on where possible. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)  The registered person should ensure that staff support children in strategies to manage and reduce any risks. Staff should encourage children to express their views about whether they feel safe both within and outside the home. Staff should support children to understand how to ask for help to stay safe and that the home is an environment that supports this. In particular, staff should support children to understand the reasons they access the home, and they should support children and their families around these reasons. Also, staff should document the support provided and how this has helped children and families make progress. (‘Guide to Children’s

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Recommendations

Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.10)

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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: SC462583 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Norfolk County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Martineau Lane, Norwich, Norfolk NR1 2DH

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Inspector

Leanne Lyon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC462583 7 regulates 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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