Children's Home run by CF Social Work in Suffolk

Inspection report for children’s home: 2807812 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 a privately owned children’s home providing care for up to three children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

One child was living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in October 2024.

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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: 2807812 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, there was one child living in the home. This child has lived in the home since August 2024, before the home was registered with Ofsted. No other children have moved in or out since registration.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has complex needs and a diagnosed learning disability. Since living at the home, the child has made good progress. Prior to moving in, the child was nonverbal and predominantly used echolalia. The child is now able use several different words to convey their needs verbally and can put together two- and three-word sentences. The child can verbalise how they are feeling using words such as ‘sad’, which the child expressed when their balloon blew away.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home ensures that the child’s voice is heard and that they can make choices about their care. The child chooses items to put on a shopping list using visual prompts and has been supported to manage the sensory aspect of choosing their own clothes and shoes in a shop.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has been supported to learn independence skills such as hair washing, teeth brushing and handwashing through verbal encouragement and the observation of staff doing these tasks for themselves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child does not currently have a formal education provision. They are on the waiting list for a special educational needs provision. Leaders and managers have ensured that the child has education provided by tutors outside the home every day to bridge this gap in education. The manager has challenged the relevant professionals and advocated for the child’s educational needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The managers and staff are deeply committed to the child. This has been seen through the observations of staff practice, conversations with staff and the language that staff use when they are writing and talking about the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One member of staff spoke proudly of some of the child’s achievements. They described getting ‘goosebumps’ during an activity where the child had taken a big step in trusting and building a relationship with this member of staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment has been decorated and furnished to meet the child’s needs for a low sensory environment. The child has a garden with lots of outdoor toys and a well- stocked sensory room.

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

The home uses visual tools and aids to support the child’s understanding of routines and expectations. The child has a visual fire escape plan and has recently been able to Inspection report for children’s home: 2807812 3 engage successfully in a fire drill for the first time, understanding staff instruction and crossing the road safely to the fire evacuation point. When there has been a need for planned and unplanned medical care, the child has been supported to understand what is going to happen, or what has happened, through the use of visual tools.

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

The child’s plans consider suggestions from other professionals and are in line with recommendations from the child’s other relevant health and care plans and assessments. Staff are further guided by the home’s therapist, who supports them to understand the theory and potential reasoning behind some of the child’s behaviours.

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

Staff are patient and consistent. This has helped enable the child to overcome barriers and go out on trips in the car to places that they enjoy, such as the park, swimming and the zoo.

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

Through consistent and clear routines, there has been a reduction in incidents around mealtimes. The child has learned to use a fork while sitting at the dinner table.

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

There have been times when the child has had to be held for their own safety. Staff recordings of restraint are detailed and child focused, clearly showing the steps that have been taken to prevent the restraint being needed. These steps are in line with the child’s care plan. However, several of these records do not contain staff debriefs. This reduces the manager’s opportunity to reflect on the necessity and proportionality of the restraint.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a qualified and suitability experienced registered manager. The manager has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home and has plans in place to improve these.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has recently amended its registration conditions to care for children with learning disabilities. The manager has ensured that staff are suitably skilled and experienced to meet the needs of these children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been some changes in organisational leadership since the last inspection, with the resignation of the deputy manager. Leaders and managers have taken steps to ensure consistent management oversight during this time.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a low turnover of staff, which has meant that the child has benefited from a consistent staff team whose members know the child well. Staff are committed to the child’s need for routine and familiar faces and as a result there has been no use of agency staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

One member of staff has not completed a medication competency assessment. This is an assessment that the manager uses to assure themselves that the member of staff is competent to administer medication. In addition, this member of staff’s medication Inspection report for children’s home: 2807812 4 training has expired. This member of staff had administered medication to the child without the necessary training and assessment. This had not been picked up by the manager at the time of the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff attend regular clinical supervision sessions with the home’s therapist. However, staff have not always had regular one-to-one practice-related supervision where individual staff performance can be discussed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2807812 5

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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. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)) 13 August 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. (Regulation 23 (1))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff only administer medication if they have the relevant skills and training to do so. 13 August 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 13 August 2025

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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: 2807812 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: 2807812 7 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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