Children's home run by BREAK

Inspection report for children's home: 2780415 1 Registered provider: Break Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

This charity-run home provides therapeutic care for one child with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, sensory impairment and/or social, emotional and mental health difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 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: 26 September 2024

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children's home: 2780415 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/09/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2780415 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved in, and one child has moved on from the home. One child was living at the home at the time of this inspection and spoke with the inspector.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming. It is well decorated and furnished, with a comfortable, homely feel. The atmosphere is filled with conversation and laughter, creating a positive environment for the child. The child said, 'I do like living here, everything about it really, workers are nice, it's a good place to live'.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the child well and demonstrate positive, caring interactions. The child initiates appropriate physical affection, and staff respond warmly. Staff use clear language and a calm tone with the child, offering praise and validation to reinforce positive behaviour.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are proud of the child's achievements and celebrate these in creative ways. A personalised diary includes photos and records of activities, alongside positive notes with encouraging messages. Staff also use inventive methods to record compliments to reinforce progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience a wide range of activities at weekends and during holidays. Staff create themed events that promote learning about culture and diversity. These include opportunities to learn words and phrases, dress in traditional attire and sample a variety of cultural foods. Families are invited to join, and photos are shared to celebrate participation. All staff engage fully in these experiences, which enhance children’s social and cultural awareness.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively support visits with family and understand that relationships take time to develop. They recognise the importance of maintaining and rebuilding family connections for the child. A parent said, 'My [child's] life has been turned around. They [staff] did wonders enabling [them] to make [their] own mind up, encouraging [them] to build relationships with family.'

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Records consistently reflect child-centred, age-appropriate language and demonstrate a strong focus on positive reinforcement. Staff promote health and wellbeing through regular activities and engagement. However, daily routines are not yet fully established, and this limits opportunities for the child to experience consistent structure. The children's guide does not offer children enough information about the daily routines in the home. Inspection report for children's home: 2780415 4

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

Staff demonstrate a strong understanding of the child's needs and respond effectively to emerging risks. Despite the child only being at the home for 8 weeks, staff have developed positive and respectful relationships.

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

Staff are proactive in keeping the child safe, even in challenging situations. There was an incident that required quick thinking from the staff. This was managed swiftly and collaboratively with professionals, ensuring a child-centred approach. This meant the child was kept safe from immediate risk, experienced minimal disruption and was supported emotionally throughout the process.

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

Risks are identified promptly, and risk assessments are updated to reflect changes in circumstances. One professional said that 'the home keeping us informed and reviewing risk assessments fills me with confidence that they are managing the risks and [that] safeguarding concerns are being reviewed constantly'.

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

When physical intervention is used, leaders and managers ensure that reports detailing the use of physical intervention are comprehensive and include a clear rationale for the intervention.

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

When children go missing, staff respond appropriately by following agreed protocols, searching for the child and notifying the police. On return, staff are warm and curious, balancing respect for the child's need for space with care for their wellbeing.

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

Records are written in child friendly language. However, it is difficult to review information in the current electronic system that the staff use to record children’s information. This can make it challenging to gain a clear understanding of children’s journeys.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a suitably qualified and permanent registered manager. At the time of the inspection, the registered manager was on annual leave. The inspection was led by the responsible individual, supported by the deputy manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are child focused and demonstrate a clear understanding of the child's needs. They maintain positive relationships with the child and ensure that care is tailored to individual circumstances.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Communication between managers and professionals is exceptionally good. Children benefit from the manager's approach to close, multi-agency working. The local police officer said, 'The registered manager is really engaging. His relationship with me is brilliant. I feel I am kept fully informed.' Inspection report for children's home: 2780415 5 Staff report that managers are available, supportive and provide clear direction and nurture. Staff receive regular, good-quality supervision sessions in line with the home's therapeutic approach to help them to explore important topics and reflect on their everyday practice. This helps staff's ongoing development and helps them feel valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff access a range of training to help them to understand children's needs and how to support those needs. The registered manager has developed an enrichment programme for senior support workers, showing a strong commitment to staff development and succession planning. This means staff can respond to children's complex needs. Inspection report for children's home: 2780415 6

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Recommendations

 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 recording. Information about a child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child and clearly shows their time at the home. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards' page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that the children's guide helps children to understand what the day-to-day routines of the home are. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards' page 25, paragraph 4.22)

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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: 2780415 7

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Children's home details

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

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Children's home details

Responsible individual: Rachel Watkinson

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Inspector

Sallie Bloomfield, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2780415 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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