CF children’s home praised by inspectorate

Our residential children’s home in Felixstowe has been rated as ‘good’ for the quality of care it provides for young people.

Felix House, which is managed and run by CF Social Work, part of CF Group, was inspected by Ofsted in May and received this positive grading.

The home is one of two homes managed by CF Group. It provides residential care for up to two children who have been assessed as needing to live outside of a family environment for a temporary period.

The home is managed by a team of CF Group staff, led by an Ofsted-registered home manager, who each work to support and care for the children, responding to their individual needs and circumstances, and working with them to help them towards positive outcomes.

The in-person two day Ofsted inspection sought to understand the overall experiences and progress of children and young people, how well children and young people are helped and protected, and the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The home was rated as ‘good’ across all three areas.

Inspectors commented on the positive relationships children living in the home have with staff. They said “The staff know the children well. There is warmth in the exchanges between staff and children. This gives children a sense of stability, which is beneficial to their emotional development.” The report also identified that “the children trust the staff. This is demonstrated through them seeking out staff for company or a cuddle.”

Inspectors found that staff at the home were supportive of the children’s education, liaising with the school and helping children to complete homework and enjoy learning. They also commented on the children’s access to fun activities such as sport.

Registered Manager of Felix House, Stephen Robertson said: “It’s really encouraging to hear such positive feedback from our inspectorate. Everything we do at the home and as part of the wider CF Group, is built around achieving the best possible outcomes for children and young people in our care. Inspections such as this helps us to understand where we are getting this right and any areas where we can do even better.

“Every child that comes into our care has faced challenge or difficulty of some kind. It’s our job to understand this, and to build a package of care designed entirely around their needs. Our therapeutic approach helps us do this, and means we listen to their lived experience and make a plan entirely around them. This also helps us create relationships based on trust and respect, so that they feel safe and comfortable in a home that is full of people with their best interests at heart.

“I’m extremely proud of my team for the positive work they are doing with our young people and hope that we can continue to build on this, to ensure our home becomes a place of positive experiences for those in our care.”

*Picture shows the Felix House team, (l-r): Katie Bridge-Burns, Stephen Robertson, Natalie Eagling, Nicole Watling.