Children's Home run by CF Social Work in Suffolk

Inspection report for children’s home: 2808164 1 Registered provider: CF Social Work

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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 is the first inspection for this home. The home was registered in October 2024, and the first child moved into the home in December 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. At the time of inspection, there were two children living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted when the home opened in October 2025.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2808164 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the home opened in October 2024, two children have moved in and no children have moved out. Both children living in the home contributed to this inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for by consistent staff who know them well. There has been no use of agency staff since the home opened.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to attend community activities and develop peer groups. One child has begun attending a local youth group.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experienced positive moves that are in line with their individual wishes. One child who was moving into the home lived a significant distance away. They did not want to journey to visit the home, so the manager travelled to meet the child in their current area, showing them information about the home and taking them out for an activity to get to know them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are supported to understand the needs, likes and dislikes of children before they move in. Staff undertake workshops with the home’s therapist before the child moves in. They work alongside the therapist to determine how best to care for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s education is encouraged and supported in a way that is right for each child. One child is engaging in tutoring after a significant period out of education. For another child, the staff work closely with education professionals while the child is not able to attend their mainstream provision. This child is supported to develop key life skills, which are formally accredited, and the child receives certificates.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s plans and risk assessments are not always kept up to date, and they contain conflicting information. Managers have not always completed risk assessments before children move into the home or in a timely way following children coming to live at the home. This does not ensure that staff have clear guidance on the current plans for children. Although it has not directly affected the quality of care provided, this has the potential to do so if unchecked.

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

Children are responding well to consistent boundaries and clear expectations. One child has been significantly safer since moving into the home. Incidents of risk for this child have significantly reduced.

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

There have been significant specific concerns for one child. Staff work consistently during times of crisis for this child, supporting them in a way that has been guided by the home’s therapist. The staff are skilled at giving the child the space that they need Inspection report for children’s home: 2808164 3 and knowing when it is necessary to intervene to ensure safety. While risks for this child remain high, staff’s support and the development of alternative coping strategies help to enable the child to be safer at times of crisis.

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

Children are supported to form safe and trusting relationships with staff. For one child, this has allowed them to feel able to make significant disclosures about their past. Professionals attribute the changes for this child to the support of the staff.

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

On occasion, children have had to be held for their safety. Children and staff have not always been spoken to after incidents of restraint. While these shortfalls had been identified by the manager, and there are new systems in place to improve monitoring, at the time of inspection, this system was not yet embedded or improving practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a highly experienced registered manager. He is supported by a deputy manager who knows the children well and is involved in the day-to-day running of the home. The manager and the deputy are ambitious for the home and the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

This is a new home, with an enthusiastic and energetic staff team. Staff are well supported through regular supervision that is reflective, allows them to share observations of their practice and is used as a tool for improvement. This support is further enhanced through regular team meetings and group and individual supervision with the home’s therapist.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers follow safer recruitment processes, and all staff receive a thorough induction into the home. All staff receive training in relation to the specific children that they care for. Formal training is further supported by in-house workshops with the therapist, directly relating to issues for the children in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals and parents is consistently positive. One social worker spoke about seeing a positive change for their child since they moved into the home. One parent said that the home supported them to put in boundaries with their own child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Records in the home are not being consistently reviewed by managers. Records of incidents of children being missing from home or restrained do not have the appropriate level of management oversight and review. This does not allow for the identification of patterns or trends or to identify steps to prevent recurrence. Inspection report for children’s home: 2808164 4

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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

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 21 May 2025

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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

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;

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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)(f)(h)) 25 June 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2808164 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: 2808164 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 3-4b K Line House, West Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP3 9SX

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Andrew Robinson-Watts

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Inspector

Andrea Bounden, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2808164 7 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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