Children's Home run by CF Support Services Limited in Essex

Inspection report for children’s home: 2792664 1 Registered provider: CF Support Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately operated and offers care for one child aged between 8 and 16 who experiences social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, no children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 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: 5 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: 2792664 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/11/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2792664 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, 3 children have lived at the home at different times. At the time of this inspection, no children were living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s wishes and feelings are regularly considered. Children’s meetings provide opportunities for children to reflect on their progress and set new goals. Consultation records show what children have asked for and the actions taken in response. This helps children feel heard and reassured that staff consider their views.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s care plans are individualised and reflect their needs. The plans provide staff with clear guidance to follow, helping to ensure that children’s individual needs are met. Children are encouraged to participate in the development of their plans where appropriate. This helps them understand their care and feel involved in decisions about their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff develop positive and meaningful relationships with children. Children’s feedback demonstrates that they benefit from and feel reassured by the care that staff provide to them. One child wrote that staff listened to what they said and described how they were all supportive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children made progress and benefited from the support they received during their time at the home. For one child, there was a significant reduction in incidents, and they developed aspirations for the future. Two children lived at the home for a short period; however, they were still able to make some progress. One child was able to reflect on their behaviour and consider what they might do differently in their new home. Another child began to engage more positively with staff. They agreed to welfare checks and maintained contact during missing-from-home episodes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children move into the home in a planned way, and staff are well prepared to meet their individual needs. Detailed assessments consider children’s known risks and how their behaviours may present, and they include actions for staff to take. The assessments are used to evaluate whether the home is suitable for each child and identify any additional training or external support required.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported at the end of their placements to move on as positively as possible. Staff maintain appropriate contact to support children’s transitions and to provide emotional closure. For one child, whose ending was more challenging, staff have since visited to provide reassurance and to help the child understand and process the ending. This helped to reduce uncertainty for the child and enabled them to move on in a planned and supported way. Inspection report for children’s home: 2792664 4

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

Staff use de-escalation strategies to help children regulate their emotions. Physical intervention is used as a last resort and only when necessary to keep children and others safe. These interventions are well recorded. They include debriefs with staff and children. Managers review records to evaluate the effectiveness of the response.

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

Consequences are not used routinely. When they are used, they are proportionate and restorative in nature, and children’s views are considered. Staff place great emphasis on rewards and incentives to promote positive behaviour. This helps children experience consistent boundaries and support to manage their behaviour safely.

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

Individualised risk assessments are in place for children and provide staff with clear guidance on how to respond to known risks and behaviours. Staff follow these plans and take timely action to protect children when significant incidents occur. Leaders and managers review significant incidents and evaluate the actions taken. They use what worked well to inform future planning. This helps to ensure that staff responses are consistent and that children are supported to remain safe during times of increased risk.

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

Missing-from-home protocols are individualised and reflect children’s known vulnerabilities. Staff understand their responsibilities and take effective action when children are missing. Staff maintain contact with children and carry out welfare visits to assess children’s safety and wellbeing. Police describe staff as ‘proactive’ and ‘solution- focused’. They have praised staff for communicating effectively with the wider multi- agency team.

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

Staff have regular focused conversations with children, where they discuss and agree safety plans together, including what children can do and how staff will respond to support them. Staff help children explore these issues in a way they understand and enables them to reflect on their actions and choices. This supports children in developing their understanding of risk and helps them to make safer decisions.

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

Staff understand the risk of exploitation for children. They escalate concerns to the wider multi-agency team in a timely way to strengthen planning and decision-making. Staff demonstrate professional curiosity, ensuring that concerns are explored thoroughly. Staff gather information about children’s known associates and map locations linked to missing-from-home episodes. This supports a clearer understanding of risk and helps partners take coordinated action to reduce the risk of harm to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a qualified and experienced manager, who is supported by two deputy managers. The management team provides consistent and stable oversight of the home. The manager is proud of the achievements of children and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have regular and reflective supervisory discussions with staff. Managers use these sessions to test staff’s understanding by asking scenario-based questions. Staff Inspection report for children’s home: 2792664 5 also participate in monthly group supervision sessions with a clinical psychologist. This provides additional support for staff to reflect on incidents, develop their understanding of children’s behaviour and consider how to best respond.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive training that is relevant to children’s individual needs. Leaders and managers revisit training and provide refresher workshops where they identify areas for improvement in practice. For example, leaders and managers arranged a workshop focused on recording and the use of respectful language. Managers have also shared additional resources with staff to support the use of strengths-based language. This has helped to improve the quality of recording, meaning that records are more appropriate and accessible for children to read.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feedback about leaders and managers is positive. They report feeling happy and well supported in their roles. They describe managers as ‘approachable’ and ‘responsive’. Staff also feel valued for their work through initiatives such as a staff ‘shout-out’ wall and ‘employee of the month’ recognition. This helps promote staff morale and supports stability in the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have effective working relationships with external professionals. They share information appropriately and challenge partner agencies when required. This helps to ensure that children’s needs remain central to decision-making and that they receive appropriate support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers work constructively with the wider multi-agency team to promote placement stability for children. Managers offer flexible arrangements to ensure that decisions are made in children’s best interests and reduce uncertainty for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

External professionals have provided positive feedback about the home. Professionals said the level of communication from staff is good and that they are kept updated appropriately. One professional said that leaders and managers are open to suggestions and recommendations and that staff carry out a lot of good collaborative work with other agencies. This reassures professionals that children receive appropriate, safe care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2792664 6

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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: 2792664 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: CF Support Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Three Rivers Business Centre, Unit 11 Felixstowe Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP10 0BF

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Joanne Henderson

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Inspector

Emilja Myers, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2792664 8 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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