Children's home run by Break Charity

Inspection report for children’s home: SC063814 1 SC063814 Registered provider: Break Charity

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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 home is owned by a registered charity. It provides care for up to four children who have experienced neglect, abuse and trauma, along with family and placement breakdowns.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since December 2019.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC063814 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/07/2024 Full Good 08/08/2023 Full Good 25/10/2022 Full Good 19/10/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC063814 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, four children were living at the home. Three children had moved in since the last inspection. Staff supported one child to move back to the care of their parents. During the inspection, the inspector saw and spoke with two of the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have warm and nurturing relationships with the children, which promotes a sense of stability. Staff provide clear routines and genuinely care for the children. Children report feeling cared for and describe building trusting relationships with staff. An independent reviewing officer commented, ‘Staff are attuned to the child’s needs, providing them with stability and a sense of being cared for.’ This stability enables children to achieve positive outcomes in other areas of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are making educational progress from their starting points. Staff encourage and support good school attendance. For example, one child who had struggled prior to moving in is now attending school full time. Staff also supported another child to successfully achieve their GSCEs and progress on to a level 2 course at college. Leaders and managers work closely with the virtual school to ensure that children access bespoke learning packages tailored to their individual needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff actively promote children’s future career aspirations. For example, one child, who wishes to be a criminal lawyer or a forensic scientist, has been supported to enrol on a level 3 course in criminology and forensic science.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff listen to children and involve them in decisions about their day-to-day care. Staff provide the children with a wide range of experiences, such as piano lessons, holidays abroad, and visits to theme parks and the seaside.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff support the children to prepare for their futures. They help them to learn independence skills, such as cooking, budgeting, laundry, using public transport and keeping safe online. One child has been supported to use a smart phone and social media safely through a carefully planned, gradual approach. Leaders and managers also work closely with local authorities to help prepare the children for leaving care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively support the children to maintain positive family relationships. They facilitate regular time with parents, brothers and sisters. Staff also provide children with emotional support to help them manage the complex feelings that may arise from these relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious, well maintained and decorated. Children’s rooms are decorated to suite each child’s preferences. Inspection report for children’s home: SC063814 4

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

Staff understand children’s risks and vulnerabilities. They take account of their traumatic backgrounds in how they support and care for them. Staff are guided by an internally employed therapeutic worker through both individual and group sessions. This enables staff to reflect on their practice, enhance their understanding of children’s needs and develop strategies to support them. For example, one child is supported to attend therapeutic life-story work sessions to help them make sense of their experiences and understand their journey.

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

Staff support positive interaction among children and help them to understand how to keep themselves safe. They consistently promote good behaviour and supportively challenge children when they are unkind to one another. Staff have regular conversations with children about online safety and associated risks. Any consequences used are restorative. However, on occasion, management oversight has not been recorded promptly.

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

Staff use trauma-informed strategies to help children manage their emotions. Consequently, the number of physical interventions used is low. Any use of physical restraint has been necessary and proportionate. Leaders and managers hold conversations with children and staff to learn from incidents. However, these conversations have not been consistently recorded promptly.

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

Children rarely go missing. When they do, staff know what to do and follow clear protocols. They immediately search for the child in the local area and notify relevant professionals, such as the police and social workers. Staff facilitate opportunities for children to speak to independent professionals on their return. However, there is no system to request that the child’s local authority conduct an independent return home interview, and therefore these do not always happen. This is a missed opportunity to understand factors that may help keep the child safer.

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

Staff have clear rationale for any room searches and remove items that pose a risk to children. Staff include children in the process whenever possible and follow up with conversations to check on children’s well-being and understanding of safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The suitably experienced registered manager holds a relevant level 5 diploma. She is supported by a deputy manager. The registered manager has met one requirement and two recommendations from the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are ambitious for children, speak passionately about them and recognise each child’s uniqueness. Every child has an individualised plan that reflects their specific needs and incorporates the local authority care plan. Leaders and managers place children at the centre of planning, and the children’s voices are listened to and valued. For example, one child expressed a wish to remain living in the home after Inspection report for children’s home: SC063814 5 turning 18. Leaders and managers are working closely with the local authority to plan for this child’s long-term future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers work effectively with other professionals. One social worker said, ‘We are working closely with the manager. Recently, two children moved into the home; we were fully involved in assessments. There has been a great deal of thoughtfulness throughout the process.’ When other professionals do not respond promptly to children’s needs, the manager challenges them and advocates on children’s behalf. For example, one child was supported to make a complaint against the local authority and request funding for a therapeutic intervention. As a result, this child is now accessing therapeutic life-story work to help meet their emotional needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular and effective supervision. The registered manager also accesses clinical supervision and is routinely supervised, ensuring consistent oversight of, and reflection on, practice. In addition, staff receive further practice guidance through team meetings, when children also contribute to the agenda. A therapeutic worker attends team meetings to provide staff with additional guidance and insight into children’s needs. This approach helps staff to maintain consistent focus on meeting the children’s particular needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a permanent and stable core workforce. However, recent staff sickness has led to an increased reliance on agency and bank staff. Staff report mixed experiences, while some staff describe management as supportive, others highlight low morale and a perceived divide between staff and management.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff use therapeutically-informed practice and record-keeping, ensuring that language in children’s records is sensitive and non-judgemental. Staff write directly to the child. This promotes a child-centred approach and helps children feel respected and understood. However, some records contain gaps, and are not consistently dated or signed off, which reduces the overall quality of recording. Inspection report for children’s home: SC063814 6

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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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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing, they request that the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  The registered person should lead a team which provides high-quality care for all children living in the home. They must lead and manage the home in a way that delivers the ethos, outcomes and approach set out in the home’s Statement of Purpose. In particular, the registered manager should ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.4)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear

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Recommendations

recording. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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: SC063814 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Break, Schofield House, Spar Road, Norwich NR6 6BX

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Inspector

Priscilla Koroka, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC063814 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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