Children's Home run by Break Charity in Suffolk

Inspection report for children’s home: 2780150 1 Registered provider: Break Chairty

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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 run by a registered charity. It provides care for one child who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 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 requires improvement to be 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: 2780150 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/07/2025 Full Good 09/09/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2780150 3

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers are committed to providing children with stability and encouragement. This means children have made progress from their starting points.

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Summary of findings

Feedback from professionals is consistently positive. Professionals recognise that the progress children make is because they receive warm and nurturing care from dedicated staff.

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Summary of findings

The shortfalls relating to the safety of the children have not impacted the overall quality of care provided to children. However, if these identified areas are left unaddressed, it has the potential to impact on the overall experiences of children.

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Summary of findings

The registered manager has identified various areas that require development and has taken action to address these areas.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home. Thorough planning took place before they moved in. Staff met the child before they moved in, and this helped them to understand the child’s needs. The child was able to settle into the home quickly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child moved out in a planned way. They returned to their family. The move was managed with warmth and consistency, supporting the child to move on with confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home. They contributed to the inspection. They said the care they receive from staff is ‘amazing,’ and that staff know them very well. The child recognises the progress they have made from their starting point. They said that staff are ‘in tune’ with them and respond effectively to their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has formed secure, trusting relationships with staff through consistently warm, compassionate and genuine interactions. They frequently display affection and share moments of laughter with the staff. This nurturing, family-like environment provides a safe foundation that has enabled the child to make notable progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff consistently encourage the child to explore a diverse range of activities tailored to their personal interests. They have a passion for musical theatre, and staff have been fully committed to supporting them to attend drama club. This dedication has led to the child being cast in an upcoming short film. In addition, the child’s recent experiences include a holiday, trips to London theatre productions, swimming, golf and pamper nights. Staff take a highly creative approach to celebrating the child’s birthday and other milestones that hold personal significance. These milestones are thoughtfully documented. Staff frequently write personal notes to the child, sharing how much they Inspection report for children’s home: 2780150 4 value their time together and reflecting on the memories they have made. The child has expressed that reading these has a profound impact on them, significantly boosting their

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff consistently advocate for the child’s learning and proactively sought an education provider as soon as the child moved into the home. Despite the child’s initial reluctance to engage, the staff maintain a focus on encouraging their participation. The staff continue to speak regularly with professionals to ensure the child’s educational needs remain a priority. As a direct result of these consistent efforts, the child’s attendance has shown a gradual and sustained increase.

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improvement to be good

The child has complex needs, including a history of going missing from home and vulnerability to exploitation. The child’s lived experiences and history of placement instability mean they frequently express emotional distress through behaviours that compromise their own safety and that of the staff. Insufficient risk planning and a lack of professional curiosity have left gaps in safeguarding, subjecting the child to avoidable risks.

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improvement to be good

Despite the child expressing an explicit intent to self-harm, a staff member deviated from the risk management plan by allowing them to collect their own medication. The child subsequently said they had ingested all the medication at once. Immediate medical attention was sought, but because the child did not want to engage with medical professionals, the ingestion of the medication could not be confirmed. In another instance, the child administered the full contents of their inhaler at once, necessitating immediate emergency medical intervention. While awaiting the ambulance, the child went to bed. Staff did not increase welfare checks during this period, leaving the child unmonitored while asleep. Consequently, staff could not be assured of the child’s physical wellbeing.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not consistently taken effective action to secure vehicle keys following an initial incident where the child accessed them and attempted to start the car. Another failure by staff to safeguard the keys allowed a second incident to occur, resulting in the child successfully starting and moving the car. This recurrence indicated that staff had not effectively embedded safety learning into daily practice. The manager has since taken effective action, ensuring staff properly secure all keys.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not always demonstrated the necessary skills and confidence to manage challenging behaviour effectively. Consequently, this has led to instances where the involvement of the police was neither proportionate nor necessary. In response, the manager has implemented ongoing support alongside specialist, scenario-based training. This targeted intervention has successfully reduced unnecessary police callouts. Inspection report for children’s home: 2780150 5 Leaders and managers do not consistently follow safer recruitment processes. Specifically, pre-employment checks for one agency staff member revealed noted disclosures of which managers were unaware. Consequently, leaders and managers failed to review the suitability of this individual before they worked in the home.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, physical intervention has been used once to maintain the safety of the child and staff. This intervention was used appropriately and recorded clearly. However, the subsequent reflective discussion was led by a staff member who was directly involved in the incident. This practice compromises the child’s confidence to voice their views.

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improvement to be good

Staff support the child effectively to learn new skills regarding their personal safety. The staff use a trauma-informed approach to help understand the impact of the child’s lived experiences on how they communicate. Educational work and structured discussions are effective, and the child responds positively to clear boundaries and consistent expectations. As a result of this targeted support, the child has learned to safely access the community independently and is beginning to take responsibility for their personal finances, along with demonstrating safe mobile phone use. Subsequently, the child’s quality of life has measurably improved within a short period of living at the home.

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improvement to be good

The child has a complex, long-term health condition that was not managed effectively before they moved into the home, which impacted their overall health. In response, staff thoroughly researched the child’s specific medical needs and adapted daily routines to ensure the delivery of consistent care. As a result of this proactive support, the child’s health and physical wellbeing have vastly improved.

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improvement to be good

There have been several incidents of the child going missing from the home. Staff have responded in line with the missing-from-home protocol to help find and return the child as soon as possible. Incidents have reduced in frequency.

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improvement to be good

The manager has effective links with local authorities and designated officers. Where decisions have not aligned with the child’s known risks, these have been acknowledged openly and used as learning to strengthen practice, particularly in relation to medication management and environmental awareness.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and responsible individual were both on planned leave during the inspection. However, they both contributed to this inspection remotely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a permanent and qualified manager. A committed team, along with a knowledgeable and experienced deputy manager, supports her. Leaders and managers are enthusiastic about their roles, the staff team and the child. Together, they prioritise creating stability and opportunities for the child. The staff have high expectations for the home. They talk about the child’s achievements with pride. Inspection report for children’s home: 2780150 6 Challenges relating to recruitment have meant that staff, including managers, have worked long hours with little rest to provide consistency for staff and the child. The managers have successfully recruited for all available positions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers regularly review risk management plans. However, these plans do not account for how the child’s specific needs influence their perception of the world. Additionally, the child has a high number of risk assessments that feature conflicting information and do not always provide staff with clear strategies to help manage risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. Leaders and managers can evidence good progress for children based on their starting points. This helps to support the leaders and managers with knowledge of children’s lived experiences and areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children know how to raise complaints, with one complaint recorded since the last inspection. The manager investigated the matter thoroughly and provided the child with a compassionate response. This successful resolution indicates that the child felt listened to and valued in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers thoroughly evaluate staff experience and training to ensure the team possesses the required skills to support children with complex needs before they move in. Managers respond proactively to evolving training needs by arranging prompt, ongoing development opportunities that help keep staff knowledge current. Furthermore, new employees benefit from a comprehensive and supportive induction process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff said they feel well supported by managers who are approachable and present. Staff receive regular and good-quality supervision. This helps them to explore important topics and reflect on their everyday practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers respond appropriately when staff practice falls short of expectations; however, they do not always notify Ofsted in a timely manner. This delay limits necessary regulatory oversight. Consequently, the requirement made at the last inspection has been restated, and further requirements have been raised. Inspection report for children’s home: 2780150 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 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

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

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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;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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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)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)) 21 September 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; 25 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2780150 8 there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)(e))

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(b)) 21 September 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that any child who has been restrained is given the opportunity to express their feelings about the experience. To ensure impartiality, this opportunity should be offered by a staff member who is independent of the incident. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 50, paragraph 9.60)

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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: 2780150 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Schofield House, 1 Spar Road, Norwich, Norfolk NR6 6BX

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Rachel Watkinson

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Inspector

Lexi Mitchell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2780150 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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