Children's Home run by Suffolk County Council in Suffolk

Inspection report for children's home: SC063110 1 SC063110 Registered provider: Suffolk County Council 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 4 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home.

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Information about this children's home

There has been no registered manager since December 2025. A new manager has been appointed, and they have applied to register with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: At the full inspection in April 2026, a compliance notice was served under regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard). At this visit, the steps in the compliance notice were found to be met. Inspection report for children's home: SC063110 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/04/2026 Full Inadequate 07/05/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 29/07/2024 Full Good 05/07/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC063110 3

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Summary of findings

Since the last inspection, leaders and managers have made improvements to the oversight and monitoring of the home. These are beginning to improve the care that children receive. One child remains living at the home, and their care experiences have started to improve. This is a short period of time for this child, and there are still areas of development to improve their care and staff practice. Leaders and managers are working to address these shortfalls and have a clear development plan for the home.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out of the home, and one child remains living at the home. One child was spoken with, and the child who moved out also shared their views.

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improvement to be good

The child is not in full-time education and is supported by weekly visits from a tutor. Staff are working with the child's tutor and the headteacher of the virtual school to set up new education provision to begin in September 2026. Staff have raised their concerns about the suitability of this provision. Despite some educational support, staff do not consistently help the child to engage in regular education or follow a structured learning schedule. The child has made no progress with education since living at the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not actively encouraged the child to participate in activities. Consequently, the child spends most of their time at the home and in their room. This does not help the child to have new experiences or engage with their community.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not have an effective routine in place for the child. Staff are not helping the child to develop healthy habits and are not challenging unhealthy habits. The child is frequently using electronic cigarettes without staff challenge. Staff are not effectively using age-appropriate boundaries with the child.

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improvement to be good

When children leave the home, their experiences are mixed. One child has had a positive ending. However, another child moved on quickly following difficult dynamics. Staff create detailed plans to help children move out. A child and staff celebrated the child moving by having a group meal. Staff continue to visit and contact children when they move out, when this is appropriate. This ensures that children do not lose their support network and maintain positive relationships with staff.

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improvement to be good

Staff know the child well and build positive relationships with them. Staff are reflective about the child's previous lived experiences and how these have influenced their sense of self and their behaviours. This knowledge is helping staff to build trusting relationships with the child. Inspection report for children's home: SC063110 4 Staff ensure that the child has regular time with their family. Since the last inspection, staff have worked hard to build positive relationships with the child's family members. Staff recognise the importance of modelling healthy relationships with family. This has encouraged the child to have regular contact with their family at the home and in the community.

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improvement to be good

The child's wishes and feelings are taken into consideration. They are encouraged to share their views with staff and make choices about their home and daily lives. The child's comments and views are documented within records.

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

Since the last inspection, incidents have reduced, and the child is more settled. Living at the home without other children has helped the child to settle into the home, make safer choices and reduce risk factors.

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

Leaders and managers have supported staff to understand their roles and responsibilities in assessing risk. There are clearer measures to ensure that staff understand children's risk assessments and the responses required to keep children safe. The manager is clearly communicating with the staff about children's vulnerabilities and identifying any staff practice shortfalls.

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

When staff have held the child, this has required minimal physical intervention. The holds used have been necessary and proportionate. There are suitable management overviews following these incidents.

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

Since the last inspection, the frequency of the child going missing from home has reduced. On the one occasion when the child went missing from home, staff searched for the child and tried to keep in contact with them. They involved relevant professionals appropriately and collected the child. This has helped to keep the child safer.

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

The child has at times self-harmed. This is a known vulnerability for them. Staff have responded with nurture and care and offered the child first aid. Staff have improved their responses to the child and are more clearly following the child's relevant plans to help keep them safe when they are distressed.

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

A child has made a complaint about a member of staff following an incident. This has been taken seriously and is being investigated by senior managers. There are several ongoing investigations that link back to practice concerns from the last inspection. These remain ongoing and are not yet concluded.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

In the last 18 months, there has been a registered manager in post for 3 months. A manager registered in May 2025 and left in September 2025. A new manager was appointed in December 2025 and has applied to register with Ofsted, although this was Inspection report for children's home: SC063110 5 not within the required time frame. The manager is currently being registered. The responsible individual has also changed in this period and is currently being checked for suitability. Combined, these gaps mean that the home has not had consistent leadership for a significant period of time.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The new manager has worked at the home for several years and is known to staff and the child. However, this will be the manager's first managerial post.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, there has only been one child at the home. There has been a significant decrease in incidents. While improvements are evident, several factors from shortfalls at the last inspection remain untested. As no new children have moved into the home, how leaders and managers would support this has not been tested. One requirement has been restated because this has not yet been tested, and another 4 requirements have been raised at this inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, there have been no staff changes. However, 2 members of staff have not completed a relevant qualification within the required time frame. This has not been effectively monitored or challenged by leaders and managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have followed development plans, identified shortfalls in practice and continued to work on improving the child's experiences at the home. As a result, the child has had improved experiences in the last 6 weeks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Senior leaders have increased their oversight and monitoring of the home. There is additional management support provided by another manager within the service. In addition, the independent person who supports leaders to review the home has changed. The new independent person is visiting fortnightly to support improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have reviewed staff training. All staff are undertaking learning and development plans to support improvements in staff practice, including repeat inductions for all staff. Leaders and managers demonstrated that ongoing training courses are planned in summer 2026.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff have said they feel well supported by the manager. Staff said the manager supports team development and staff's individual skills. Since the last inspection, staff have not always had regular supervision sessions. However, this has been identified by leaders and managers and has recently improved. All staff are now up to date with supervision sessions. Inspection report for children's home: SC063110 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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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

meet each child's behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child's relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child's behaviour, in accordance with the child's age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child's behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child's age and understanding. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)) 31 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that staff— 30 September 2026 Inspection report for children's home: SC063110 7 help each child to achieve the child's education and training targets, as recorded in the child's relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child's learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v))

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Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

develop the child's interests and hobbies;

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Requirement Due date

participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child's interests and preferences; and

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Requirement Due date

make a positive contribution to the home and the wider community; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child's interests and hobbies. (Regulation 9 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b)) 31 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children's safety.

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that— 30 September 2026 Inspection report for children's home: SC063110 8 the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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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—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

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

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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; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child's relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; 31 August 2026 Inspection report for children's home: SC063110 9 take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child's welfare; and

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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)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that, in line with their individual health plans and the ethos of the home, children are offered advice, support and guidance on health and wellbeing. Staff should have the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to help children understand, and where necessary work to change, negative behaviours in key areas of health and wellbeing such as, but not limited to, nutrition and healthy diet, exercise, mental health, sexual relationships, sexual health, contraception and the misuse of legal highs, drugs, alcohol and tobacco. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 35, paragraph 7.18)

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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: SC063110 10

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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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Inspectors

Rebecca Hannell, Social Care Inspector Maisy Griggs, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC063110 11 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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