Children's Home run by Park Blue Homes Limited in Durham

Unique reference number SC453372 Inspection date 17/10/2013 Inspector Nicholas Murphy Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection N/A Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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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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Brief description of the service

The home provides care and accommodation for a maximum of three children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is owned and operated by a private provider.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements Adequate : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be inadequate .

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Overall effectiveness

The home was registered in April 2013, the first young person being admitted in June 2013. This is its first full inspection. The home is judged to be inadequate in overall effectiveness.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are making satisfactory progress, and the support and care provided by staff is sound. Young people’s experience of living here is good. One young person said, ‘It’s good here. I like the staff. I would rate the home nine out of ten.’ However, there are significant shortcomings in the home’s safeguarding practice and the quality of leadership and management. Areas of poor practice include: absence of placement plans; lack of understanding of when to notify external agencies of child protection concerns and allegations; inadequate training for staff in safeguarding children; inadequate recording of sanctions and restraints; unsafe recruitment practice; and ineffective internal and external monitoring of the home’s operation.

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Overall effectiveness

Some of the shortfalls which resulted in the statutory requirements and recommendations made at this inspection were addressed and rectified by the registered persons during the inspection.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that a written record is made of any complaint, specifically that there is a central record of all complaints to allow for effective monitoring (Regulation 24(5)) 31/10/2013

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) promote and make proper provision for the welfare of children, specifically that each child has a detailed placement plan which is tailored to the individual child, focused on clear measurable outcomes, and fully involves the child (Regulation 11(1)(a)) 31/10/2013

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) make prompt referral to the local authority in whose area the children’s home is situated, of any allegation of abuse or neglect affecting any child accommodated (Regulation 16(2)(b)) 31/10/2013

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Reg. Requirement Due date

17B (2001) ensure that within 24 hours of the use of any measure of control, discipline or restraint, a written record is made in a volume kept for the purpose, specifically that all the required information is included and that the nature of any restraint can be understood by any person reading it (Regulation 17B(3)(a) to (i)) 31/10/2013

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that no person works in the children’s home unless they are fit to do so, specifically that all required information is available prior to employment (Regulation 26(3)(d)(Schedule 2)) 31/10/2013

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that all parts of the home to which children have access are so far as is reasonably practical free form hazards to their health and safety, specifically that risks arising from the keeping of animals on and around the premises are assessed and managed (Regulation 23(a)) 31/10/2013

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that all persons employed receive appropriate training, specifically in safeguarding procedure and practice (Regulation 27(4)(a)) 06/12/2013

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that the home’s statement of purpose contains all the required information, specifically details of staff qualifications and experience and the methods used for the control, discipline and restraint of children (Regulation 4(1) Schedule 1 (5) and (16)) 31/10/2013

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) keep under review and, where appropriate, revise the statement of purpose and notify HMCI of any such revision within 28 days (Regulation 5(a) and (b)) 31/10/2013

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that the person carrying out visits to the home interviews, with their consent and in private, children accommodated there, their parents and persons working at the 31/10/2013 home, in order to form an opinion of the standard of care provided (Regulation 33(4)(a))

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) establish and maintain a system for improving the quality of care provided in the children’s home, specifically to provide for consultation with children accommodated in the home, their parents and placing authorities. (Regulation 34(3)) 31/10/2013

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure that the home only carries out searches of a child’s room in accordance with the home’s guidance (NMS 3.20)  ensure if a child is missing from the home that the home’s procedures are compatible with and have regard to Runaway and Missing from Home and Care (RMFHC) protocols and procedures maintained and managed by the local authority (NMS 5.6)  make telephone enquiries as well as obtaining written references as part of the selection process for people working in the home (NMS 16.1)  ensure that the home has a written development plan, reviewed annually (NMS 15.2)  ensure that visits to the home under Regulation 33 include relevant checks set out in regulations and guidance and checks of any disciplinary measures and use of restraint (NMS 21.7)  ensure that new staff undertake the Children’s Workforce Development Council’s induction standards, commencing within seven working days of starting their

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Recommendations

employment and being completed within six months. (NMS 18.3)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for young people are adequate .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are making positive progress. They are relaxed and comfortable within the home and are developing their ability to do things for themselves with the support of staff. Young people are demonstrating an increasing commitment to life within the home. This is shown in their readiness to help out with household chores, such as clearing the table and keeping their own bedrooms tidy.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are in good health. They understand the benefits that healthy lifestyles bring and take full advantage of the physical activities on offer here. Young people also engage positively with health services in the community, including those which meet their emotional needs. Young people have a sound attitude towards education. Their school attendance is good and they are making reasonable progress. One young person is looking forward with enthusiasm to starting a new school in the next week.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Some young people have complex family relationships which affects the frequency and type of contact they can safely have with relatives. However, all are able to see family members and they derive benefit from this. In addition, some are beginning to make friendships in the local community, which will consolidate their feelings of belonging.

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Quality of care

Relationships between staff and young people are generally warm and relaxed. Young people also get on well with each other, and mostly enjoy each other’s company. Staff treat young people with respect while ensuring that boundaries of acceptable behaviour are understood. Although there has been no need to search any young person’s room, there is a policy in place. This states that any room search will be recorded in a bound book. However, this was not in evidence, meaning that the home’s stated policy is not being followed and accountability for the use of this measure is weak.

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Quality of care

Staff take time to seek the views of young people in a variety of ways. Young people’s meetings enable group discussion and decision making on topics such as behaviour and activities. Staff construct menus around young people’s preferences while ensuring that there are sufficient healthy choices. One young person said, ‘The food is nice. We get to choose the menu every week and it’s nicely cooked.’ There is a policy for making complaints which young people understand. However, the way that the home records complaints is not consistent with the home’s own policy and does not easily allow for evaluation of patterns and trends.

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Quality of care

Most young people have care plans which set out the objectives of the placement and how each young person’s needs will be met. These plans, however, do not readily evidence that young people themselves have been involved in drawing them up. Staff have adequate knowledge of each young person’s background and what needs to be done to promote their welfare and safety. Staff take account of the differences between each young person to ensure that each is treated as an individual. Key worker sessions help young people to be aware of the plans for them and the progress they are making against targets. However, in one young person’s file, there was neither a local authority care plan nor a placement plan drawn up by the home. This means that staff are unable to know whether their day-to-day care of the young person is consistent with the plan. Additionally, staff who may not be completely familiar with the young person’s circumstances cannot be sure what their

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Quality of care

Staff ensure that the health needs of young people are met. They promote healthy living and encourage young people to make informed choices about their own well- being. Staff also promote the education of young people, for example, by taking them to school where the use of public transport is not feasible. Staff have also been proactive in enabling one young person to receive tuition in the home pending the provision of a mainstream school place.

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Quality of care

The home provides a range of activities both on and off site. There are some farm animals on the premises, and young people take pleasure in helping to look after them. Young people can go horse-riding, as well as taking part in numerous activities in the local area. This ensures that young people are not isolated from the community.

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Quality of care

Material standards within the home are excellent. The building is very spacious, providing ample opportunity for young people to spend time with each other and staff, or to just be by themselves.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service is inadequate at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people say that they feel safe here. There is no significant bullying and young people are confident that if it occurs staff will deal with it. However, there are some serious shortcomings in the home’s practice in relation to safeguarding. One incident where a young person was allegedly injured during a restraint was not notified to the appropriate agencies. Consequently, there was no independent investigation which would have enabled a decision to be made about what action to take, if any, to protect young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff have a basic awareness of what to do if a young person expresses a child protection concern. However, although some staff have had training in relation to safeguarding, most have not. In addition, staff have little knowledge of local safeguarding procedures or the role of various agencies in keeping young people safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

It is good that there has been only one incident where young people have gone missing, and in this case their absence was brief. However, the home does not have a copy of the local Runaway and Missing from Home and Care (RMFHC) protocol. This means that it is impossible to know whether the home’s policy is consistent with this. The response when a young person goes missing may therefore not be as effective as it should be.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people’s behaviour is generally good. Staff use the quality of their relationships with the young people to manage challenging situations. As a result, the use of sanctions and restraints is relatively infrequent. However, there are deficiencies in the recording of measures of control and discipline. One sanction record was undated and unsigned. Within the restraint records, the description of how the young person was held is written in technical language. It is therefore impossible for anyone reading the record who is not familiar with this jargon to understand exactly what happened.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The process for the selection of staff is unsafe. The application form for potential staff does not require applicants to explain in writing any gaps in their employment history. The registered provider does not make telephone enquiries in respect of written references, and so is unable to confirm that they are genuine. Most seriously, in some cases staff have been appointed without a reference from their previous employer and with no arrangements for appropriate supervision pending its receipt. This means that the registered provider cannot know whether the member of staff left their previous post because of a safeguarding or disciplinary issue.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Arrangements for fire safety are adequate. Checks on the home’s electrical and other systems are carried out as required. However, some aspects of risk management are not adequate. The home’s cat has scratched young people on more than one occasion and there is no written assessment of how this risk will be managed and minimised. Also, the home has not taken sufficient account of the risk of infection from the farm animals on site. This exposes young people and staff to the possibility of harm.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are inadequate .

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Leadership and management

The high number of statutory requirements and recommendations made at this inspection reflects the general inadequacy of leadership and management. There is a business plan in place which confirms the financial viability of the home. However, there is no recognisable development plan setting out how the home intends to make progress in the quality of care it provides. This limits the capacity of the home to improve.

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Leadership and management

The statement of purpose for the home sets out its aims and objectives clearly. However, some parts of the document are inaccurate or incomplete. The majority of staff are not listed. This means that people, such as parents or placing social workers, are unable to know what experience and qualifications staff possess. The description of the methods of behaviour management used in the home does not accurately reflect practice. Furthermore, the Registered Manager has not sent revised copies of the statement of purpose to Ofsted. This means that the regulator is unable to become aware of any changes to the operation or staffing of the home.

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Leadership and management

Monthly monitoring visits by the registered provider do not meet requirements. They do not contain evidence that the visitor spoke with staff, young people, and where appropriate, parents. This results in an incomplete picture of how the home is operating. In addition, the report of one visit stated that no restraints had occurred in the period when in fact one had. This omission means that Ofsted is unable to maintain accurate oversight of the home’s performance. The monitoring undertaken by the Registered Manager does not take account of any consultation with young people, parents and social workers. This limits the opportunity to take account of the views of those who use the service in improving the quality of care. Staff in the home have received a range of basic training in such areas as fire safety, medication, and behaviour management. Although new staff receive induction in the home’s procedures and systems, they have not undertaken the Children’s Workforce

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Leadership and management

Development Council’s induction standards. This means that they may not have the foundation skills and knowledge necessary to provide a satisfactory standard of care for young people.

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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 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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About this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the Inspections of children’s homes – framework for inspection and the evaluation schedule for the inspection of children's homes.

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