Children's Home run by Break Charity in Norfolk

Inspection report for children’s home: SC025718 1 SC025718

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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 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, 2 children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2026.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC025718 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/06/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/10/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 04/04/2023 Full Good 23/08/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC025718 3

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Summary of findings

There are 2 children living at the home whose overall experiences and progress are good. Children enjoy activities and hobbies and have been on holidays of their choice. Children generally have positive relationships with each other.

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Summary of findings

The staff show genuine care and commitment towards children, and this continues once children have moved out of the home.

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Summary of findings

There have been several changes to the leadership and management of the home. The interim manager is aware of the strengths of the service and has plans to continue to develop the home. There are some gaps in management oversight, and when staff practice concerns have occurred these have not always been fully addressed.

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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 and 3 children have moved out.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves into the home are carefully planned and considered. Managers complete suitability assessments with the organisation’s therapeutic service. Assessments consider the suitability of children moving to the home, combined with the information shared by local authorities and the needs and risks relating to the children currently living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

On the whole, children get on well with each other and form positive relationships. For 2 children, risks emerged that meant that this dynamic was no longer positive. When these risks were identified, leaders and managers took decisive action. They provided advice and guidance for staff that helped them to understand and manage the emerging risks between children. This included written information and verbal conversations, as well as lesson’s learned and future risk-management strategies.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff make a great effort to ensure that children feel that they matter and are thought about. They put substantial effort into making personalised cakes for children’s birthdays, and staff and children attend birthday meals and celebrations. One child was worried about the care of their pet when they were on holiday with staff. The child wrote instructions for staff to care for their pet. In response, staff sent photos and updates of them caring for the pet to reassure the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have chosen their own holidays. Children have worked with staff to research, plan and book holidays of their choice. Children have been abroad and on UK breaks to seaside towns, walking holidays and theme parks. Inspection report for children’s home: SC025718 4

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

Children’s risks have reduced. One child who was regularly missing from the home has not been missing in 3 months. Professionals attribute this positive change to the trusting and secure relationships that staff have managed to build with this child.

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

Children are supported to learn how to keep themselves safe. This will continue to benefit them as they reach adulthood. Children are involved in writing and agreeing their own safety plans in relation to time in the community and contact levels with staff when they are out of the home. For one child, this collaborative working has led to a large decrease in risky behaviours when out of the home.

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

Other children have been supported to learn about how to keep safe online.

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

Children work towards individual targets and earn monetary incentives for things such as managing healthy sleep routines, attending school and building independence skills.

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

Children’s risk assessments, care plans and support plans are kept up to date with all relevant information. The information in these documents is clear and easy to understand. Risk-management strategies balance the need for children to make choices and have learning opportunities, with the need to keep children safe. Children are supported to take age-appropriate risks.

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

Children are aware of how to make a complaint. When children have made complaints, these have been appropriately explored and outcomes are shared with children.

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

Staff and leaders show a commitment to ensuring that children continue to be supported once they leave the home. One child moved out of the home into their own accommodation. The staff described the child’s progress with genuine pride in this child’s achievements. This genuine care is demonstrated in the staff’s continued support and outreach since the child moved out of the home.

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

Another child moved out of the home in an unplanned way. Despite this unplanned move, this child has continued to seek support from staff, who provide support and reassurance in an appropriate way.

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

Other children continue to maintain friendships with the current children. Other children who have moved out of the home continue to maintain friendships with the current children.

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

There has been a period of change and instability in the leadership and management since the last inspection. The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2026. The manager is not currently at work, and the home is being managed by an interim Inspection report for children’s home: SC025718 5 manager. Staff report that this change has been well managed to minimise any disruption.

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

Staff have not always followed children’s specified supervision levels. This has resulted in children going missing from the home together. The manager has appropriately reviewed records to pick up on staff practice concerns regarding supervision levels. The manager has taken appropriate action to guide some staff practice and reinforce expectations with the whole team. However, some gaps remain in terms of addressing individual staff practice.

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

Two children have been involved in prolonged incidents of barricading themselves in bedrooms. During one incident, staff felt it necessary to push entry into a bedroom due to concerns about children’s safety. One child sustained an injury from the door handle. Children repeated that they had been hurt during this incident to their friends and staff. Despite this, there is no management follow-up to explore this incident in relation to how children have been hurt or children’s views in relation to this. A member of staff spoke to children about this incident in a way that is not in line with the home’s therapeutic model. The member of staff disclosed a child’s private conversation with them to another child. The language used could have caused feelings of shame and guilt. This serious incident was not notified to Ofsted. The management review of this incident did not identify any of these concerns.

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

The interim manager is well supported by senior leaders in the service, with regular visits and supervision. Leaders and managers know the children well. They understand children’s strengths and are proud of their achievements.

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

Leaders and managers are child focused and have a clear objective to support children into adulthood and beyond. Staff practice is led by up-to-date risk assessments and care plans.

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

Professionals are largely positive about the home, the care that children receive and the communication from staff. When managers have not been satisfied with the response from professionals, they have challenged and advocated for children. Children have been supported to make a complaint when they are not happy with the response from external professionals.

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

Leaders and managers have worked hard to embed the changes that have been implemented since the last inspection. Staff receive regular, reflective supervision sessions and attend regular team meetings. Staff are guided in their practice from the in- house therapeutic service. Inspection report for children’s home: SC025718 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 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;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(h)) 4 November 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 any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(1)(e)) 4 November 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should strive to build positive relationships with children in the home, and develop a culture of openness and trust that encourages children to be able to tell someone if they have concerns or worries about their safety. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.11) Inspection report for children’s home: SC025718 7

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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: SC025718 8

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Andrea Bounden, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC025718 9 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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