Children's home run by Clover Childcare Services Limited in North Norfolk

Inspection report for children’s home: SC361385 1 SC361385 Registered provider: Clover Childcare Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately run and provides care for up to five children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, five children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2024.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 23 January 2024

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC361385 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/01/2024 Full Good 15/11/2022 Full Outstanding 17/08/2021 Full Outstanding 16/12/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC361385 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The inspectors saw and spoke with all the children living in the home. Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home and one child has moved out.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children’s progress is evident behaviourally, socially and emotionally, with all children making excellent progress from their starting points. Children benefit from long-term stability and permanence. The provider is invested in the long-term outcomes for children. One child needs support into adulthood. The provider is seeking planning permission for an on-site bungalow to provide this continued care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Parents and professionals unanimously say that the care children receive is exceptional. They describe the support that staff provide to children as ‘brilliant’. A parent said, ‘The staff treat my son with love, care and respect.’ Another parent said, ‘I have no concerns at all about the home. I feel safe knowing that my son is safe and cared for.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff are loving and nurturing towards the children and talk about them with warmth and compassion. Staff are clearly attuned to the children’s needs and are committed to helping them to achieve their high aspirations. This has contributed to children developing highly trusting relationships with staff. The staff and the welcoming home environment contribute to family-style living for children. Children’s time at the home is lovingly captured in high-quality memory books and boxes. These make children feel valued and will provide them with lasting memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff enable the children to integrate into their local community. Children take part in and have sustained attendance at clubs and activities that appeal to their individual likes and interests. These include swimming, roller skating, horse riding, Beavers and football. Children enjoy trips away, such as summer holidays at a caravan park and theme park trips for celebrations. Staff enthusiastically arrange activities around special occasions, helping children to participate in childhood experiences, such as Easter egg hunts and visits to Santa’s grotto. For many of the children, these are new experiences that have helped to develop their confidence and self-worth.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

All children are now in full-time education and are attending regularly. Staff are committed to supporting children’s learning and development. They help children with their homework and provide informal learning opportunities through reflective conversations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff are dedicated to building inclusive relationships with family members to provide a collaborative approach to supporting the children. Staff have sensitively supported one child to reconnect with family members they have not seen for a long time. This has included additional therapeutic support to help the child understand this change. Parents spoken with said that the staff consistently keep them informed about and included in their children’s lives. In addition, staff consistently offer transport to a parent who Inspection report for children’s home: SC361385 4 otherwise would struggle to spend time with their child. An area identified for improvement is the use of language around children’s time with their families.

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

The staff follow an embedded therapeutic model of support. This is integrated cohesively throughout practice and records. Staff are skilled at identifying changes in children’s behaviour and adapting their support accordingly. The specialist therapeutic team offers training to staff and carries out group consultations with staff to discuss children’s needs. This therapeutic oversight helps to ensure that children’s needs are central to staff’s learning and discussions.

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

Consequences used to address unwanted behaviour directly correlate to the behaviour to help children learn from it. Staff seek children’s views and help them to think about their behaviour and how it could be different. There is a strong restorative philosophy at the home. Children are learning considerable new skills to help them to talk about their feelings and behaviour.

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

On occasions, staff hold children to help keep them safe. This is a last resort, and holds are reasonable, proportionate and necessary. Inquisitive therapeutic conversations are held with the children to help them to understand why actions are taken. Staff have developed creative alternative strategies to help children manage their difficult feelings in safer ways.

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

Children feel safe with staff. As a result, they have not been missing from the home. Before moving to the home, one child was regularly running away. Since this child moved into the home, they have stopped running away. This demonstrates that the child feels safer. The child’s parent and social worker attribute this change to the nurturing and therapeutic relationships that the staff provide. Staff help children to explore the local area to understand potential hazards and increase their understanding of safety in the community.

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

Children sometimes make allegations about staff. Leaders and managers review any worries that children share and investigate issues appropriately. Collaborative work with social workers and the local authority designated officer ensures that children are kept safe. Staff speak to children sensitively about their experiences of any incidents, and children’s views are captured. Managers ensure that children always receive a therapeutic debrief. This helps children to know that they are being listened to and helps them to work through their emotions and feelings safely. The manager identifies any learning points, and these are clearly addressed with staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a permanent registered manager. The responsible individual and other leaders in the home are actively engaged in children’s lives and experiences and know the children well. This helps to embed the provider’s ethos in all their homes. Inspection report for children’s home: SC361385 5 Staff say that the management team is supportive and approachable. The open-door policy enables staff to feel valued and listened to. Staff receive regular good-quality supervision sessions in line with the home’s therapeutic approach to help them to explore important topics and reflect on their everyday practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses internal and external systems to monitor and record children’s behaviour, progress and overall experiences. Leaders and managers regularly review the strengths and weaknesses in the home to identify areas for continuous development for sustained high-quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff access a range of training to help them to understand children’s needs and how to support them. Staff are supported to work towards achieving a relevant level 3 qualification. However, two members of staff have not achieved a level 3 qualification within the required time frame. Although there are extenuating circumstances, and leaders and managers are aware of these delays, the records and monitoring of progress are not effective. Inspection report for children’s home: SC361385 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff record information about individual children in a non-stigmatising way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that all reasonable efforts are made for staff in a care role, including external agency or bank staff, to achieve the qualification in Regulation 32 (4) within the relevant time frame. Any delays should be clearly documented. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.12)

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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: SC361385 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Clover Childcare Services Ltd

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Inspectors

Rebecca Hannell, Social Care Inspector Naomi Starbuck, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC361385 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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