Children's home run by Suffolk County Council in Ipswich

Inspection report for children’s home: SC038761 1 SC038761 Registered provider: Suffolk 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 care for up to six children who have difficulty managing their emotions and behaviour and may have experienced trauma that has left them vulnerable. Two children were living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2020.

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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

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: SC038761 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/07/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/12/2022 Full Good 13/07/2021 Full Good 03/12/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC038761 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, the home was closed for refurbishment in December 2023. The two children who were living at the home at that time moved out in a planned way. The home reopened in September 2024, and two children have moved in. The inspector saw both children and spoke to one child during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves in and out of the home are planned effectively. The two children living in the home in 2023 were supported to move out with plans suitable to their age and stage of development. One child went to live more independently in a supported adult setting, and the other child returned to their family. Staff carefully considered the children’s individual needs to support positive endings. For one child, who moved in during 2024, the staff got to know them over a period of six months before they moved in. This relationship building over time has helped the child to settle.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in educational settings that meet their needs. The manager and staff have worked with different school settings to support bespoke learning packages to help children integrate back into education. Children’s attendance has improved in the new academic year. When a child moved in with no education provision, the manager helped to identify a new school. This child now has a bespoke timetable to support their educational needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff encourage children’s health and well-being. They work with local services to help them understand children’s needs. Staff consult a mental health professional, who visits the home each month, to think about children’s specific needs and better understand how they could support children in different ways.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to spend time with their families. For one child, this helped them move to live with a family member. Another child is spending more time with their family since they moved to the home. This is in line with the child’s wishes and helps them to maintain the relationships that are important to them. When children do spend time with their friends or family, staff keep in touch with them to ensure that they are safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has undergone significant refurbishment since the last inspection, and there are new furnishings in every room. The manager has asked children what they would like to see in the home to make it more homely and personalised. Some new pictures and furniture have been ordered to make it feel more homely, but these are yet to be set out in the home. The home does not yet have photos of the children living there or records of other items of memorabilia that would help children to feel more settled and more part of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC038761 4

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

Since the last inspection, no children have been missing from care, have needed to be held or have needed consequences to support their behaviour. There have been no safeguarding concerns reported to Ofsted.

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

One child has experienced vulnerabilities in the community where they used to live. These vulnerabilities are well known by the manager and have been explored as part of the child’s move into the home. The care plans that support this child suitably reflect their needs and help staff to understand how they need to respond if the child is at risk in the local community.

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

There are good working relationships with local services, including health, education and the police. The manager works with local agencies to understand specific risks in the local area and uses this information to help keep children safe.

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

Staff are aware of the risks that children can face when spending time online. Staff make regular checks with children to help keep them safe. Staff talk to children about their online world and how they can make safer choices.

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

One child is known to use electronic cigarettes. Staff at the home are vigilant with checks to discourage this and carry out appropriate room searches to remove these items. The manager has asked for an external agency to visit the home and speak to all staff about the misuse of substances, including vaping, to help staff support children to understand these risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A suitably qualified and effective manager manages the home. She is keen to develop the home and the staff team and support children’s progress. Staff who are employed to work at this home were temporarily placed with other homes in the local authority while the refurbishment took place. The staff team has only recently returned to the home, and there have been some staff changes since the last inspection. Despite the changes, staff report good team morale and said that the manager is bringing the team together again.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision. New staff said that they feel well supported and have the opportunity to have more frequent supervision to reflect on their practice and learning needs. When there have been some concerns around staff practice, staff have been challenged effectively by the manager in supervision sessions. This helps the manager to understand the skills in the team and to ensure that staff practice with children is safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have undertaken regular training, including the home’s mandatory training. At the last inspection, one member of staff had not achieved a level 3 qualification in the required time frame; this has since been achieved. All other staff are within the time Inspection report for children’s home: SC038761 5 period to achieve a relevant qualification. New staff receive effective induction training that helps them to understand children’s needs. A staff member said, ‘The training was very helpful, and it built my confidence.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good oversight of children’s moves in to and out of the home, their progress in the short time they have been living at the home and the development needs of the staff team. The manager is described by staff and professionals as approachable and knowledgeable. An external professional said that they are confident in the staff and the good relationships at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The previous requirements and recommendations have been met. Inspection report for children’s home: SC038761 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff keep and encourage children to keep appropriate memorabilia of the time spent living at the home and help them record significant life events. In addition, they should ensure that memories are captured and displayed at the home to contribute to a more homely environment. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5)

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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: SC038761 7

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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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Inspector

Rebecca Hannell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC038761 8 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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