Children's Home run by Norfolk County Council in Norfolk

Inspection report for children’s home: 2834504 1 Registered provider: Norfolk County Council

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Inspected under the Social Care Common Inspection Framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is managed and run by the local authority. It provides care for up to one child who may have social or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2834504 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/03/2026 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2834504 3

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Summary of findings

The child has complex emotional and behavioural needs, which staff manage well. However, there has recently been an increase in the number of incidents resulting in the police being called to the home. The staff understand the impact the child’s adverse childhood experiences have on them and provide nurturing and therapeutic care.

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Summary of findings

The child has made good progress from their individual starting point since moving into this home due to the help and support of staff. The staff have built positive relationships with the child, which is helping them feel safe and secure.

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Summary of findings

The child receives support from multiple internal and external agencies. Managers and staff provide stability for the child and are committed to implementing positive changes to support the child’s future development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, there was one child living at the home. No children have moved into or out of the home since the last inspection, and the child continues to experience stability in the home. Staff are dedicated in supporting the progress of the child. They have built positive relationships with the child, providing them with a sense of emotional security. The child has historically experienced a significant number of moves. This has been the longest place the child has lived since being accommodated by the local authority. The child spoke positively about the staff and about living in this home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child said they particularly enjoy spending time with the staff, including on a variety of activities and days out, such as roller skating and shopping. The staff support the child to enjoy a range of activities that are specific to their interests. Staff have supported the child to go swimming for the first time in 9 years. This is a great achievement for this child, and staff have demonstrated their pride to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has numerous opportunities to voice their wishes and feelings. Staff encourage them to share their views and help make decisions about their daily plans. As well as informal day-to-day chats, staff formally meet with the child weekly to explore the child’s opinions. There are accessible visual tools available to help the child share their thoughts and opinions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is making progress with their education. When they moved in, they had been out of school for a long time. Staff have ensured that the child has suitable education arrangements, and as a result, they now attend regularly. Staff are well informed about the child’s educational plans. Leaders and managers carefully explore individualised and creative ways to encourage the child to engage. Inspection report for children’s home: 2834504 4 The child’s health needs are well met. Staff work closely with specialist professionals to ensure the child receives the support they need in relation to their mental health and emotional wellbeing. There is clear and detailed safety planning around the child’s mental health needs, which staff are consistently following. Since the last inspection, the staff have encouraged the child to attend more health appointments. This has helped the child have a more positive outlook on working with health professionals. Staff support

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

the child to work with other specialist professionals, such as the asthma nurse, to ensure their health needs are well met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

While the house has generally been well maintained, there have been a number of incidents recently in which damage has been caused to the home. There have been some delays in repairs. There are holes in some walls, missing cupboard doors and stains on some walls and carpets. As a result, the house is not currently homely or decorated to a good standard. The manager has detailed plans to rectify this. However, these have yet to be enacted.

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

Staff know the child’s risks and vulnerabilities well. There are clear and detailed safety plans in place that are up to date and individual to the child. The manager and staff work closely with other agencies, such as the link police officer, to keep the child safe.

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

The child has good relationships with the staff and is comfortable living in the home. They trust the staff and are able to openly talk to them about their worries. They share information with the staff that they do not disclose to other professionals. Staff care about the child and work hard to manage difficult situations and continue to show they care. They prioritise the child’s sense of belonging and consistently provide nurturing care.

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

Staff know the child well and understand the impact of past trauma and reasons for their behaviours. They are alert to any triggers and work to reduce these. Consequently, the child is more able to manage tricky situations, and there has recently been a significant reduction in incidents.

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

The child has complex emotional needs. Staff work therapeutically to support them in times of emotional crisis. This has helped the child share their emotions and feelings with staff. As a result, the child receives the help and support they need.

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

The child knows how to share any concerns and raise any complaints. When allegations are made, these are taken seriously by managers and staff. Staff understand their responsibilities to respond promptly to allegations. The manager promptly and appropriately liaises with partner safeguarding professionals. Leaders and managers investigate allegations thoroughly and provide outcomes to the child and relevant parties. Inspection report for children’s home: 2834504 5 The child sometimes goes missing from home. However, the frequency has noticeably reduced in recent months due to increased staffing arrangements and the positive relationships developed with staff. When the child goes missing from home, staff act like a caring parent to ensure the child’s safe return. The child receives a positive welcome home from staff and is supported to engage in discussions with an independent person when they return home. The appropriate agencies are informed and learning from

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

missing-from-home episodes is embedded in future planning.

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

Staff understand their responsibilities to keep the child safe from harm. When room searches are completed, there are clear reasons for this. Any room searches are appropriate and proportionate to make the environment safe for the child. Due to the level of risks that are present, the child has a deprivation of liberty order in place. The staff understand the restrictions specified in the order. The manager ensures that any restrictions in place are frequently reviewed and there is a clear and child-centred reduction plan in place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The experienced and committed manager cares deeply about her role. The manager and deputy manager lead by example. They actively provide support to the child and staff. The manager is not averse to challenging decisions made by senior leaders when she feels these decisions are not in the child’s best interests. The manager has been a catalyst in supporting the child to experience stability and has been the driving force behind encouraging staff to continue to remain child focused and centred during challenging times.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff report that they feel well supported by the manager and responsible individual. Staff receive regular supervision that is reflective and solution focused. The frequent team meetings support the staff to work together in a consistent manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive training that supports them to understand and meet the child’s individual needs. When the child experienced a bereavement, staff attended specialist training to improve their understanding of how to support the child. Staff are trauma informed in their approach and embed therapeutic and solution-focused models into their everyday practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have extensive oversight of the daily running of the home. The child’s records and plans are frequently updated to reflect the child’s changing levels of need. Some staff reported that the responsiveness of the manager to their worries and concerns means they feel more confident to manage challenging situations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers understand the strengths and areas for development. They have created realistic plans for the home and staff. Recently, agency staff have had to be used more often. The manager has ensured they are consistently the same agency staff. They have worked with the agency to ensure a good-quality induction for agency staff. This helps to ensure that the child receives consistent care and boundaries. Inspection report for children’s home: 2834504 6 Sometimes staff have worked throughout the night in addition to their scheduled shifts to ensure the child receives the support they need. There was a delay in implementing a short-term plan to address this. Consequently, staff found it difficult to get the required rest between shifts. This impacted on the wellbeing of staff and their ability to respond confidently to the child’s care needs. The manager has been proactive in challenging recent decisions to reduce staff numbers back to the previous levels.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Inspection report for children’s home: 2834504 7

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii)) 26 October 2026

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; 26 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2834504 8 ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(d)(f))

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure continued staffing arrangements that support the safety of the child effectively and ensure the child receives quality, consistent and individualised care.

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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: 2834504 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Martineau Lane, Norwich, Norfolk NR1 2DH

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Inspector

Maisy Griggs, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2834504 10 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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