Children's Home run by North East Autism Society in Durham

Unique reference number SC458415 Inspection date 11/02/2014 Inspector Deborah White / Dennis Bradley Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 20/11/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This children’s home provides short-breaks for six children and young people with a learning disability and autism. The home is operated by a private provider.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Good progress The children’s home has demonstrated continued improvement in quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the large majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Satisfactory progress The children’s home has maintained quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Inadequate progress The children’s home has failed to address one or more requirements and/or has not met the majority of recommendations and/or the quality of care and outcomes for children and young people have declined since the last full inspection.

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Progress

Since their previous inspection the service is judged to be making good progress .

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Progress

This is the first interim inspection since the home became operational in December 2013.

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Progress

An inspection of the premises was undertaken on 20 November 2013 to ensure the home was prepared and suitable to accommodate children. The outcome of the inspection was the home was able to offer good quality accommodation and a range of good services for children with a learning disability who need short-breaks care.

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Progress

A full inspection was planned for today but this was changed to an interim inspection. This is because the home have only very recently looked after children having a short-breaks placement. Therefore it was judged the home could not reasonably be expected to provide the range of evidence needed to meet the children’s home evaluation schedule and grade descriptors for a full inspection.

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Progress

The outcome for this visit is good progress. The home has improved in a number of areas and initial feedback from parents and social workers is very positive. The recruitment of new staff ensures staffing levels are good and new starters have the skills and experience required to meet the children’s needs. A parent said, 'I am really happy and my child is happy too. The staff are brilliant. I am not on edge and I trust the staff. My child enjoys the home and is relaxed when they come home'.

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Progress

The environment has been further decorated to provide a pleasant, homely place for children to enjoy their short-breaks. The furniture and fittings are good quality and the bedrooms are comfortable and very welcoming to children. There is appropriate use of signage that includes pictures and symbols for children with communication difficulties.

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Progress

There are lots of separate rooms that offer a very good range of activities and positive experiences for children. For example, there is a computer suite; a toddler room that is full of toys; a small kitchenette where children can learn to cook and make snacks and an arts and craft room where children can express themselves creatively.

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Progress

Children’s case files are very well organised and clearly show the aims and objectives of each placement. Personalised ‘all about me’ books record children’s needs, wishes, likes and dislikes, and usual routines. This helps staff to provide good consistent care. A staff member said, ‘this is a great place to work. We are just starting out and I think children will love it here’.

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Progress

Additionally children have regular social worker contact and placement and care meetings. As a result, children’s placements are very well planned and informed by good supporting documentation. A social worker said, ‘I have no concerns about the home. My child is very happy and their parents feel very relaxed and at ease with the staff. My child’s need are very well met’.

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Progress

The Statement of Purpose is informative and clearly sets out what services the home offers. This informs children, parents and placing social workers about what it is like to stay at the home. There are effective monitoring systems in place, to continually improve and develop the home, and good arrangements to supervise; support and develop the staff team. This provides a stable, well-managed children's home. The Registered Manager and staff team are very positive and committed to providing a good quality service for children and families. There are no requirements or recommendations arising from this inspection.

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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 progress made by the provider since the last full inspection, identifies any further strengths, any areas for improvement and makes judgements as outlined in the Inspection of children’s homes – framework for inspection.

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