Children's Home run by Darlington Borough Council in Darlington

SC037861 Unique reference number 3 March 2010 Inspection date Deborah White Inspector Key Type of Inspection

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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You can obtain copies of The Children Act 2004, Every Child Matters and The National Minimum Standards for Children's Services from: The Stationery Office (TSO) PO Box 29, St Cripins, Duke Street, Norwich, NR3 1GN. Tel: 0870 600 5522. Online ordering: www.tso.co.uk/bookshop

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcome for children set out in the Children Act 2004 and relevant National Minimum Standards for the establishment.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is strong Good: this aspect of the provision is sound Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is not good enough Inadequate: 3 of 9 Inspection Report: SC037861

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Brief description of the service

This children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to three children of either sex, aged 12 years to 17 years.

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Brief description of the service

The house has two floors. The ground floor comprises of a kitchen, a living room with television and toilet facilities. Upstairs there are bedrooms for children, a staff office and a bathroom. There is a large garden at the back of the house.

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Brief description of the service

There were three children present at the time of this inspection.

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Summary

The purpose of this unannounced key inspection was to review all the key national minimum standards and to review the recommendations from the last visit.

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Summary

All outcomes for children were looked at. Outcomes for being healthy; enjoying and achieving and economic wellbeing are satisfactory and outcomes for staying safe; positive contribution and organisation are inadequate.

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Summary

Children's primary healthcare needs are met to enable them to grow and develop. Complaints are managed effectively and safety checks on new staff are robust. Children feel they are supported and regular key worker sessions and meetings give children a voice. Education is promoted and children live in a homely environment.

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Summary

Children are not protected from bullying and therefore their welfare is not adequately promoted to keep them safe from harm. There are not always enough staff on duty to meet the needs of the children and the monitoring systems do not address concerns raised by staff about the safe management of the home.

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Summary

There are four actions and ten recommendations arising from this inspection. The overall quality rating is inadequate. This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the registered person was recommended to improve outcomes for children in four national minimum standards.

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Improvements since the last inspection

There is now a telephone that children can access to make and receive private calls and staff can easily access all child protection procedures.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The behaviour management policy has been updated to include details of all sanctions used in the home and risk assessments record the seriousness and likelihood of known risks.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children are happy with the meals provided at the home. The kitchen is stocked with fresh produce and home cooked meals ensure a wholesome diet. Meals are social occasions and 4 of 9 Inspection Report: SC037861 children can help with shopping and food preparation. Planned menus are recorded but there are no records kept of what children eat so staff can monitor, and identify any potential eating problems or disorders.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's primary healthcare needs are met. They are registered with a local doctor; dentist and optician and are supported to attend regular appointments. Where children need additional support, appropriate specialist agencies are involved. The looked after children nurse is available to offer healthcare advice to children and staff.

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Helping children to be healthy

Staff receive regular training to safely administer first aid and medication to children. Written procedures and parental consent ensures additional safeguards are in place and all prescribed medication is stored securely.

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Helping children to be healthy

Records are kept of all medicines received into the home and medicines administered to children. This enables the registered person to check that children are given the tablets they have been prescribed by their doctor.

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Helping children to be healthy

Medication charts are kept for each child but the time medicines are to be given are not always recorded to ensure prescribing instructions are carried out.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is inadequate. Children's privacy is respected. Each child has their own bedroom that they can secure and staff knock before entering. Bathrooms and toilets have locks fitted and staff are aware of gender issues. There are room search procedures in place to ensure searches are only carried out where necessary.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Not all written information about children is secure. There are a number of detailed entries in the home's log that contain private and confidential information about individual children.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children know how to complain and are given information about how to access advocacy services. Complaints are responded to appropriately and staff have received training in the home's procedures. Children who go missing are safeguarded by agreed protocols with local police about who should carry out searches.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff receive regular child protection training to ensure they know how to report suspicions of abuse. Safeguarding procedures are easily accessible and records are kept of any concerns, or allegations made about children living at the home.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are not adequately protected from bullying. There have been a number of significant bullying incidents since the last inspection, and strategies implemented to address bullying behaviour are not effective.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff promote good behaviour by using rewards and praise. Sanctions are used where there are damages to teach children that there are consequences to destructive behaviour. All staff have received training in behaviour management and safe restraint techniques.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Individual risk assessments show known risks to children and how these can be minimised. They are regularly reviewed and updated to ensure all staff are informed about how to keep children safe. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: SC037861 Amenities such as gas and electrical installations are regularly checked and serviced to provide a safe environment. Fire safety measures are in place and fire drills ensure staff and children know how to evacuate the building quickly.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The current fire alarm system in place may not be appropriate as it consists of individual smoke detectors that can be disabled or tampered with. This could put children, staff and visitors at risk as the system does not alert staff if an individual alarm is not functional.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Careful vetting of staff and visitors prevents children being exposed to potential abusers. Recruitment procedures ensure all safety checks are carried out on new employees and all visitors to the home have their identification checked.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. There are some good examples where children receive individual support in line with their needs and wishes. Regular key worker sessions ensure children have one-to-one time to talk about their worries. External agencies are contacted where children need additional or specialist support and risk assessments ensure children are supported to take controlled risks.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Education is promoted and where children experience problems with school attendance there are individual, creative, educational plans in place. Staff work closely with the education department and there is good communication between the home and schools.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are consulted about their educational needs and are encouraged to achieve. However, where children are not in school there are no educational programs in place to offer children structured meaningful activities.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is inadequate. Placement plans reflect children's needs and how these will be met on a day to day basis. Plans are monitored by a key worker and children's views and wishes are ascertained.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Where statutory reviews take place the registered person and staff contribute and support children to attend their meetings. Children know about their reviews and feel able to express their wishes.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Where there have been significant events the registered person has not always requested an emergency review to safeguard children living at the home. Records show staff have voiced concerns about children but these have not been addressed by an independent reviewing officer who can recommend outcomes to keep children safe.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Contact arrangements are agreed at placement reviews and children are happy with the time they spend with family and friends.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Where possible the home admits children in a planned way, however, the Statement of Purpose has recently been amended to include emergency admissions. Children living at the home are not always consulted about new children moving in and there are no records to show the registered person considers the needs of the resident group when considering accommodating 6 of 9 Inspection Report: SC037861 a child in an emergency. A social worker said, 'The service needs to consider proper matching of young people before placing them in the home.'

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children feel they are consulted about important events in their lives. Key worker sessions and children's meeting are held regularly to give children a voice. Parents are kept informed about how their children are cared for but they are not regularly consulted about the operation of the home.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The provision is satisfactory. Children are supported to move into adulthood. Pathway plans are agreed in placement reviews and children are supported by a young person's advisor. Staff help and encourage children to learn independence skills and the leaving care team help with finding suitable accommodation. A social worker said, 'Staff encourage young people to acquire the necessary skills for independent living.'

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Achieving economic wellbeing

Children enjoy homely accommodation that meets their needs. The internal décor looks nice and the furniture is appropriate and comfortable. A lot of improvement work has been done in the garden to provide decking and a pleasant outdoor seating area. Children are happy with the environment they live in.

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Organisation

The organisation is inadequate. Children, families and placing social workers receive satisfactory information about how it is to live at the home. The Statement of Purpose reflects the function and services offered, and the children's guide spells out the home's expectations.

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Organisation

The home has a 100% of care staff with their National Vocational Qualification in Caring for Children and Young People at Level 3. Regular training updates ensure statutory training is up to date and staff feel they receive the training they need to do their job.

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Organisation

There is not, however, adequate arrangements in place to cover the absence of the manager to ensure the home will be run by a suitably trained and experienced person. Staffing levels are not always adequate to meet the needs of the children and shifts do not always include staff who are permanently employed at the home.

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Organisation

There are systems in place to monitor the performance of the home but these are not effectively safeguarding children. Concerns have been raised by the monitoring process, for example in Regulation 33 reports, but it is not clear that actions have been taken; especially with regard to bullying incidents in the home.

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Organisation

Monitoring systems refer to consultation with children, parents and placing social workers but there is no evidence that the operation of the home is discussed or that parents are asked for feedback about how the home is managed.

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Organisation

Children's needs, development and progress are recorded and all private records are stored securely. Children know they can access their records and know what is in their placement plans and risk assessments. 7 of 9 Inspection Report: SC037861 The promotion of equality and diversity is inadequate. Children are not adequately protected against bullying to ensure they live in an environment where they feel safe. Children's rights are not promoted by the registered person requesting emergency statutory placement reviews to ensure an independent person can determine if children are appropriately placed.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions, which must be taken so that the registered person meets the Care Standards Act 2000, The Childrens Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The Registered Provider must comply with the given timescales.

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Due date Action Standard

31 March 2010 prepare and implement a written policy for the prevention of bullying (Regulation 16(4)(a)) 31 March 2010 ensure the children's home is conducted so as to promote and make proper provision for the welfare of children accommodated there (Regulation 11(1)(a)) 30 April 2010 ensure there is at all times a sufficient number of suitably qualified, competent and experienced persons working in the children's home (Regulation 25(1)) 30 April 2010 establish and maintain a system for improving the quality of care provided in the children's home and ensure the system provides for consultation with children, parents and placing authorities. (Regulation 34(1)(a)(3))

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • ensure records of menus (as served) are kept to demonstrate a suitable diet (NMS 10.4) • ensure written records include the times medications should be given to children (NMS 13.2) • ensure children's information is confidentially handled (NMS 9) • ensure positive steps are taken to keep children, staff and visitors safe from fire (NMS 26.1) • ensure that for children of compulsory school age who are not in school the registered person has in place an educational programme during normal school hours (NMS 14.7) • ensure that children's needs are reviewed regularly in light of their care and progress at the home (NMS 3) • ensure that both the needs of the child concerned, and the likely effects of his/her admission upon the existing group of residents are taken into account, and recorded, in decisions on

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Recommendations

admissions to the home (NMS 5.7) • ascertain on a regular basis the views of parents on the matters listed in this standard (NMS 8.6) 8 of 9 Inspection Report: SC037861 • ensure there are clear arrangements for staff to deputising in the registered person's absence and the persons deputised have at least one year's relevant supervisory experience (NMS 29.2) • ensure that following a Regulation 33 visit a written report is produced within 2 weeks and a copy of the report is sent to the home. (NMS 32.1) 9 of 9 Inspection Report: SC037861

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