Children's home run by Suffolk County Council in Ipswich

Inspection report for children's home: SC038761 1 SC038761 Registered provider: Suffolk County Council

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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 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.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 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

Date of last inspection: 26 November 2024

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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: SC038761 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/11/2024 Full Good 04/07/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/12/2022 Full Good 13/07/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC038761 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Five children currently live in the home. All of the children were spoken to during the inspection, with three providing detailed and positive feedback about their experiences. Children described having trusting relationships with staff, being able to raise concerns and feeling confident that they would be taken seriously. Feedback from several family members was also broadly positive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Transitions into and out of the home are well managed. When children enter the home, consideration is given to them being well suited, including with those already living in the home. Only one child has left the home since the last inspection. Although this was unplanned and due to external circumstances, staff and managers supported the transition as best they could.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children receive some form of education. Staff promote attendance and maintain strong relationships with schools and alternative providers. When children are not in formal education, staff offer structured activities and informal learning opportunities to support continued development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Health needs are met. Routine appointments are supported, and staff advocate effectively for children. For example, one child is undergoing a neurodiversity assessment, and staff successfully challenged a paediatrician to review another child’s medication, resulting in a positive change of medication. Minor medication errors were addressed robustly by the manager.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to maintain relationships with people important to them. This includes facilitating family visits to the home or supporting children to visit family members. One parent spent time in the home on Christmas Day, demonstrating the home’s commitment to maintaining family connections.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy positive day-to-day experiences. A variety of activities are promoted. All children were offered a holiday over the summer. The home environment includes a football table and games console, and staff are supporting one child to build a vegetable patch.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home underwent major refurbishment in 2024. The environment is modern and well furnished. Children’s bedrooms are spacious and personalised. The garden and external areas are well maintained. While some areas retain a clinical feel, staff and children have worked together to decorate and create a more homely atmosphere. Inspection report for children's home: SC038761 4

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

Children are safeguarded and protected. Staff know the children well and respond to their individual needs with care and attentiveness. Relationships are characterised by trust, mutual respect and genuine warmth.

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

Risk assessments and support plans are individualised and effective. Positive behaviour is encouraged through praise and incentives, such as certificates and outings. When children make poor choices, staff make good use of restorative conversations and try to put clear boundaries in place.

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

The home has experienced a high number of missing-from-home incidents. Staff respond appropriately, following individual protocols, and act promptly. Where incidents are frequent, the manager has implemented additional safety planning and convened strategy meetings to increase support.

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

Other safeguarding risks, including online safety, substance misuse and exploitation, are well managed. Staff and managers respond effectively in practice and are supported by clear policies and safety plans. For example, the home has a clear and well-followed system for managing children’s phone use, and children adhere to this boundary.

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

Health and safety standards are met. Fire safety procedures, including drills and precautions, are in place and well documented.

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

Incidents are generally well managed. Records show that physical interventions are used infrequently and only when necessary and proportionate. However, some records lack full detail, including post-incident conversations with staff. In one case, the same staff member who physically intervened with a child also conducted the follow-up conversation, which may not have provided the child with a safe space to express concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager was unwell at the time of the inspection, and the deputy manager supported the inspection. The deputy manager is currently acting as interim manager, and they have demonstrated competence, knowledge and strong commitment to the children and staff during the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feedback is consistently positive. The team works well together, and relationships are strong. Staff conduct is generally good. Two minor concerns have been reported and were dealt with appropriately, ensuring standards of professional behaviour are maintained. External professionals, including social workers and the police missing-from- home coordinator, also provided positive feedback.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Safer recruitment practices are followed and comply with regulations. New staff receive thorough inductions and feel well supported. Training is comprehensive, and staff feel Inspection report for children's home: SC038761 5 equipped for their roles. Specialist training, such as autism awareness, is provided to meet individual children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s files are well maintained. Key local authority documents, including care plans and placement plans, are present. Daily logs are detailed, and the locality assessment is thorough.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported by the management team. Supervision is generally positive and includes meaningful discussions. However, supervision is not consistently recorded. Several staff records showed gaps of up to three months, and some records were missing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s statement of purpose has not been submitted to the regulator for over 12 months. Additionally, the home is currently set up with five bedrooms for children and an extra staff sleep-in room, which does not align with the statement of purpose. The registered person must ensure that the statement of purpose is kept up to date, accurately reflects the day-to-day running of the home and is submitted to the regulator as required. Inspection report for children's home: SC038761 6

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Statutory requirement

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

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the statement of purpose is kept up to date and reflects the home’s day-to-day running. 30 November 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have systems in place so that all staff receive regular supervision of their practice. This supervision should allow staff to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure that all incidents of restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair. In particular, ensuring that children and staff have the opportunity to talk about and reflect on the incident and that this is accurately documented. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36) Inspection report for children's home: SC038761 7

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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 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Suffolk County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Endeavour House, Russell Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 2BX

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Inspector

Daniel Rankin, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC038761 9 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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