Children's Home run by Darlington Borough Council in Darlington

SC068000 Unique reference number 4 September 2009 Inspection date Deborah White Inspector Key Type of Inspection

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20 January 2009 Date of last 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: SC068000

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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 home is located on a housing estate within walking distance of the town centre. The ground floor is made up of a lounge with a television and computer, a dining area with a computer game console, a kitchen, and toilet facilities.

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Brief description of the service

Upstairs there are bedrooms, a bathroom and the staff office. There is an enclosed garden with outdoor furniture.

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Brief description of the service

There were two children present during this visit.

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Summary

The purpose of this unannounced key inspection was to look at the key National Minimum Standards (NMS) and the actions and recommendations from the last inspection.

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Summary

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

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Summary

Children feel they are very well supported and enjoy a wide range of activities. Education is promoted, to help children achieve, and children are consulted about important decisions in their lives.

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Summary

Good placement, and healthcare plans promote positive outcomes for children and good health and wellbeing is encouraged.

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Summary

Children are not safeguarded by having access to a private telephone. Not all sanctions used are permissible and there are gaps in the recording of restraints.

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Summary

Possible child protection matters are not always reported to the appropriate authority and records kept, of possible allegations, are inadequate.

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Summary

There are 4 actions and 6 recommendations arising from this visit. The overall quality rating is satisfactory. 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 required to review, and update, the child protection procedures; improve staff training and record the hours staff work on the duty rota.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The child protection procedures are improved to provide clear guidance to staff about how they should manage concerns about children's welfare. Duty rota's now include the actual hours staff work to show which adults are working in the home. 4 of 9 Inspection Report: SC068000 Staff training is better, with courses being arranged to develop staff skills and knowledge, but there is still some statutory training outstanding. A recommendation will be made to ensure all staff are equipped to meet the needs of children.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Recommendations to improve placement, and healthcare plans are met but children still do not have access to a telephone to make, and receive, private calls.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children are provided with healthy nutritious meals to promote good health and wellbeing. There are ample stocks of fresh, and processed, food available and meals are social occasions. Children help to plan weekly menus and are able to prepare snacks and meals.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's health needs are met. Good healthcare plans show how individual needs will be met on a day-to-day basis and all children are registered with a local doctor; dentist and optician. Children feel they are looked after if they are ill and receive good support, and advice, about health promotion.

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Helping children to be healthy

Regular training provides staff with the skills they need to respond to accidental injury. There is a person on duty at all times, with a valid first-aid certificate, and first-aid boxes are adequately stocked. Parental, signed, consent is in place for the administration of first-aid, and non prescribed medication, to safeguard children who need emergency treatment.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Each child has their own bedroom, that they can secure, to give them private space. Toilets and bathrooms are lockable and the home has space for private meetings.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff know about confidentiality but not all records, about children, are private. The home's log contains private and confidential information about children that should be recorded in their case files.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

There is no private telephone that children can access without having to ask staff. Children have mobile telephones, and are given a £5 weekly top-up voucher, but there are no arrangements for children to access a private telephone when the voucher is spent.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Access to the home's office, cordless, telephone has been restricted. One child was refused access as a sanction and it is recorded in staff meeting minutes that children can not have access to the office telephone after 10 pm.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children know how to complain and there is good information available to ensure children know how to access advocacy services. Staff have regular, in-house, training in managing complaints and children feel they can raise any concerns they have.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Not all complaints are recorded adequately, including what actual complaints have been made. Where issues have been raised by children, via the complaints procedure, that could be child protection matters these have not been subject to the home's child protection procedures. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: SC068000 Records kept for monitoring child-protection matters are inadequate. An entry in the records does not detail the child protection concern raised or show what actions were taken in response.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

There is no bullying in the home and children know what to do if they feel threatened. A countering bullying risk assessment advises staff, and children, how to minimise the risk of bullying and the home promotes a zero tolerance attitude to any forms of intimidation.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children know the home's procedures to safeguard children who go missing. The home has good relationships with local police, to help children view the police in a positive light, and regular welfare checks ensure staff know that children are safe. Staff know to report notifiable events within the time scales identified in the NMS.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Where children are missing inadequate staffing levels, single cover, means staff can not always carry out local searches or pick up a child who may be stranded any distance away from the home.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Behaviour is managed positively and staff are seen to relate very well to the children living at the home. Reward schemes promote good behaviour and children know what sanctions can be used for unacceptable behaviour, however, not all sanctions used are permissible; for example restrictions on access to the home's telephone.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The recording of restraints, and physical interventions, does not always make the reasons for the interventions clear. Some essential details are missing, in one entry, and not all incidents are signed by the child.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

How children are restrained is recorded, however, it is noted that since the last inspection there has been six instances where single person restraints have been carried out due to single staff cover. This could put children, and staff, at risk of injury.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Individual risk assessments, for children, show known risks and strategies are in place to reduce or minimise these risks. Children know what is written in their assessments and feel staff work with them to keep them safe from harm.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

There is careful selection and vetting of staff to safeguard children from potential abusers. Recruitment procedures are in place, and followed, and all required safety checks are undertaken.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children receive good individual support. Regular key-worker sessions give children one-to-one time and group meetings give children a voice in the running of the home. Children receive appropriate information, and advice, about growing up and where appropriate specialist agencies, and professionals, are involved. A child said 'The staff here are the best'.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Education is promoted and children benefit from good school attendance. Where children have difficulties, in mainstream school, creative and child focused educational packages promotes self esteem and feelings of achievement.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are very happy with the activities provided. There is a range of group, and individual, pastimes and children are encouraged to pursue their hobbies and interests. A child said 'There 6 of 9 Inspection Report: SC068000 is loads to do and the staff take us out. Activities are the best thing here, we can do what we want'.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Placement plans show children's assessed needs and how these will be met on a day-to-day basis. Children know what their arrangements are and care plans are discussed during key-worker sessions. Placement plans are monitored to ensure they are current, with what is happening in a child's life, and all plans are in line with placement review outcomes.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's care in monitored, independently, at regular placement reviews. Staff attend, to support children, and provide written progress reports to inform review outcomes. Children go to their meetings and feel they can contribute to review outcomes.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Contact arrangements are in place to ensure children maintain positive relationships. Family contact is facilitated, and enabled, and visitors to the home are made to feel welcome.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

New admissions, to the home, are made to feel welcome. Introductory visits are arranged and children are given good information about the home's expectations. The resident group are consulted, about who will live at the home, and children are encouraged to socialise as a group.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children feel they are consulted and their opinions are listened too. Significant views are taken seriously, and recorded, and staff are seen to have positive relationships with children.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Consultation with parents takes places, to give them a voice in their children's life. but not all elements about the home's operation are discussed.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The provision is satisfactory. Children feel they are supported in learning independence skills. They have responsibility for looking after their bedrooms and attending to personal laundry. Children help with the shopping, and preparation of meals, and learn about managing money.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

Support services, such as the local authority leaving care team, work with staff and children to promote good outcomes for care leavers.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The home is generally decorated and furnished to a good standard, however, some areas are showing signs of wear and tear.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The lounge and dining area is comfortable and homely and children are happy with their bedrooms. The garden is very nice with a decking area, a maintained lawn and outdoor furniture. Paintwork in the hall; staircase and bathroom is marked and looks unsightly and some of the carpets are stained.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. 7 of 9 Inspection Report: SC068000 Children, families and placing social workers are given good information about how it is to live at the home. The children's guide, and Statement of Purpose, are available, in the home, and children say they are given clear advice about the home's expectations.

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Organisation

Children are looked after by staff who are qualified. The home has over 80% of care staff with their Level 3 National Vocational Qualification, in caring for children and young people, and regular training updates ensure staff keep up to date with their day-to-day practice.

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Organisation

Staff are experienced but the home is not always adequately staffed, in number, to meet the needs of children. Single cover means some aspects of care, and management, are affected. For example; if a child goes missing staff can not always leave the home to carry out a search and there have been occasions where single person restraints have been carried out.

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Organisation

There are systems in place to monitor the home's performance. Actions are taken where issues are identified and children, and their parents, are consulted about the home's operation.

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Organisation

Children's needs and development are recorded in case files that are stored securely.

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Organisation

The promotion of equality and diversity is satisfactory. Children feel they are very well cared for and are included in choices about their lives. Opportunities for education and activities gives children positives experiences and good care planning shows how children's needs are met on a day-to-day basis.

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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 October 2009 ensure that children are provided at all reasonable times a telephone on which to make and receive calls in private (Regulation 15 (4) (a)) 31 October 2009 provide for the prompt referral to the local authority of any allegation of abuse or neglect affecting the child accommodated at the home and ensure written records are kept of any allegation of abuse or neglect, and of the action taken in repsonse Regulation 16 (2) (b) and (d)) 31 October 2009 ensure any restriction, other than one imposed by a court, is not used as a disciplinary measure Regulation 17 (5) (c) (iv)) 30 November 2009 ensure there is at all times a sufficient number of suitably qualified persons working at the children's home Regulation 25 (1). 8 of 9 Inspection Report: SC068000

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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 children's information is confidentially handled (NMS 9) • ensure the written procedures identify actions to be taken when a child is absent, including searching for any child missing or believed to have run away (NMS 19.2) • ensure a record of the use of restraint is kept that includes the name of the child; the date; the behaviour leading up to the restraint; the nature of the restraint and it's effectiveness (NMS 22.9) • ascertain, on a regular basis, the views and opinions of parents on the matters listed in this standard (NMS 8.6) • ensure children enjoy homely accommodation that is decorated to a high standard (NMS 24) • ensure staff receive training and development opportunities to equip them with the skills required to meet the needs of children (NMS 31.1).

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