Children's home run by BREAK

Inspection report for children’s home: SC424271 1 SC424271 Registered provider: Break

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a charitable organisation. It provides care for up to four children with learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were three children living in the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2022.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 29 January 2025

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC424271 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/01/2025 Full Good 06/03/2024 Full Good 29/11/2022 Full Good 25/08/2021 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC424271 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive predictable care and are making good progress. Some children have lived in the home for a long time and benefit from the consistent core staff team. Children develop positive relationships with staff, who know them well. This helps children to accept the care provided to them and creates a sense of belonging.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide nurturing, individualised care to children. Staff are ambitious for children and develop aims and targets that are realistic and achievable. Some children are involved in creating and reviewing their progress plans. Additionally, staff celebrate children’s successes, for example ‘wow’ moments. This helps children to overcome difficulties and be proud of their achievements.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff understand children’s complex needs, and therapeutic care is embedded in their practice. The provider’s therapeutic practitioner holds regular meetings with staff to identify strategies to support children’s emotional well-being. The intervention helps staff to understand children's behaviour as a form of communication and respond sensitively to the children’s needs. Furthermore, the manager has appointed staff as therapeutic leads to strengthen this practice in the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have good attendance at school. Staff understand the children’s individual targets in their education plans and help children work towards them. The manager advocates on behalf of children and works with education staff to ensure that children attend a provision that meets their needs. This enhances the children’s learning and social opportunities.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the children’s complex health and communication needs. Staff use creative strategies to help children engage with health appointments. When children struggle to attend appointments outside of the home, staff arrange for health professionals to visit children at the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to maintain relationships with people who are important to them. This includes friends at school and family. Staff’s relationships with the children’s families help families to view the home positively and support family time arrangements. Family members visit the home to spend time with their children and say that they feel reassured by the presence of staff. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the care and communication from the staff. One parent described the home as ‘10 out of 10’.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience new opportunities, such as going on holiday for the first time. Children are helped to prepare for their holiday, for example going to a swimming pool so that they can enjoy the same facilities on holiday. Staff take photos and add them to children’s memory books. This practice shows children that their experiences are important. Inspection report for children’s home: SC424271 4 The home is large and spacious, with a playroom, a snug, and a large, enclosed garden space for children to use. Children prefer their own space, and each child uses a quieter room of their choice. Children decorate their bedrooms, which show their personalities and interests. Some children prefer a low-stimuli room, which is respected by staff. Some improvements are needed. One child’s bedroom requires a more thorough cleaning regime and maintenance to ensure that it is safe and hygienic. Additionally, one child’s

p.3

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

Staff understand the risks to the children, both inside and outside of the home. Staff prepare individualised plans that identify children’s vulnerabilities and triggers. Staff regularly update plans, so they remain relevant to the child. The plans provide guidance to staff about how to manage and reduce risks that children may experience. Staff are consistent in their approach. Consequently, children have established routines that help them feel safe and settled.

p.4

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

Staff use a combination of communication methods to help non-verbal children communicate and improve their engagement. Staff acknowledge that children communicate in different ways, and they adapt their approach accordingly. This ensures that children’s views are being obtained.

p.4

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

Staff care for the children with sensitivity and respect. Staff respond appropriately to protect the children if they display behaviours that may compromise their dignity and privacy. This helps the children to understand societal behaviours and protects them from being a victim due to their own vulnerabilities.

p.4

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

Creative and interactive methods engage children in direct-work sessions about risks and independence. Resources are adapted to children’s individual needs, which increases their participation.

p.4

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

Staff use praise and encouragement to promote positive behaviour. They use physical holds with children when required to keep them safe. The manager has identified a recent increase in the use of holds for one child. They review behavioural patterns and trends to identify learning for staff and prevent future incidents.

p.4

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

Reporting and recording procedures were not followed when staff identified that a child had ingested talcum powder. The manager was not aware of this incident. Poor recording did not enable management oversight or provide reassurances that staff took appropriate action at the time of the incident. The child did not suffer harm. However, the lack of recording and oversight does not help to prevent incidents. The manager identified actions to address this during the inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: SC424271 5

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a manager who is committed to children and wants the best for them. She sets a good example for staff. The manager places children at the centre for her practice and expects staff to do the same. Many of the staff have worked at the home for a long time, which creates stability in the team. An experienced deputy who led the home during the manager’s planned absence ensured that children continued to receive good-quality care.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager understands the strengths and areas for development of the home. She creates actions as part of the workforce development plan to support the team’s progression. She welcomes independent scrutiny and oversight of the home and responds to recommendations from the independent visitor. This approach helps improve the care children receive.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has developed good links with the wider professional network. The majority of professionals are complimentary about communication from staff. One professional described communication as ‘excellent.’ The manager values the opinions of others and uses questionnaires to gain feedback from professionals to influence positive changes in the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are held on a regular basis. Staff explore specific topics that focus on children’s needs. This improves staff’s knowledge about issues that help them fulfil their role. Supervision sessions take place on a regular basis. However, there is inconsistency in the quality of the records and discussions. Some staff do not have the opportunity to reflect on and improve their practice.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s monitoring and oversight of the home are not always effective. The manager identifies when the child’s placing authority has not provided statutory documents but does not follow up requests in a timely manner. Additionally, the absence of an effective escalation policy does not help the manager to challenge placing authorities. This means that the manager cannot be reassured that staff are following the child’s most up-to-date plan.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

During the planning and review of children’s care, the manager has not identified that she does not have signed delegated authority for children from a person with parental responsibility. As a result, the manager cannot be reassured about what permissions are delegated to make day-to-day decisions for children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have access to training to enable them to gain skills and knowledge to perform in their roles. Staff attend bespoke training about children’s individual needs, which helps to ensure that children are cared for by a skilled workforce. All but one member of staff holds a relevant qualification. The member of staff is outside the required time frame for completion. The manager monitors the staff member’s progress and practice. However, the provider’s process for enrolling staff on the qualification hinders the opportunity to complete it within the required time frame. Inspection report for children’s home: SC424271 6

p.5

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

Requirement Due date

that the home's day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b)) 15 December 2025

p.6

Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the children's home's overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children's needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home's statement of purpose;

p.6

Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(vii))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that a child's mattress is an appropriate fit for the child’s bed. 15 December 2025

p.6

Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained— 15 December 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC424271 7 the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or

p.6

Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

p.7

Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a))

p.7

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them 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 the home is a nurturing and supportive environment. In particular, ensure that cleanliness and maintenance are carried out regularly in children’s bedrooms. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that each child’s placement plan includes the permissions that their placing authority has delegated to the registered person. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 30, paragraph 6.2)

p.7

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children’s relevant plans are obtained to form the basis of their care. In particular, the registered person should have systems in place to escalate concerns when plans are not received. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 12, paragraph 2.8)

p.7

Information about this inspection

Inspection report for children’s home: SC424271 8 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: SC424271 9

p.8

Children’s home details

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

p.9

Inspector

Cat Makel, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC424271 10 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.

p.9

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.10