Children's Home run by Durham County Council in Durham

Unique reference number SC034686 Inspection date 06/03/2014 Inspector Bill Drumm Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 29/10/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The home provides care and accommodation for up to 5 young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. It is provided by a local authority.

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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

At the last inspection in October 2013 the overall effectiveness rating of the home was good. The home has made good progress since the last inspection. Young people seen at the time of the inspection appeared happy and relaxed. They were also confident talking with both staff and visitors.

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Progress

Four recommendations were made at last inspection and all have been fully met. The first recommendation was to ensure that each young person understands how their views have been taken into account in the day to day running of the home. The home’s manager has reviewed the process for carrying out a young persons' meeting and linked these directly to staff meetings. Staff meetings now have a standing agenda item incorporated into them that relates to the suggestions young people make about how their life at the home can be improved. Additionally the home’s manager is looking at the opportunities young people get to attend staff meetings where their ideas and suggestions are being discussed. This enables young people to hear the reasons why their ideas or suggestions can or cannot be acted upon in the running of the home, which in turn helps them to feel listened to.

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Progress

The second recommendation was to ensure that the welfare and safety of young people is promoted at all times within the home. The home’s manager and staff have reviewed each young person’s risk assessment. Risk assessments are detailed, clear and easy to understand. Risk assessments have also been shared with individual young people and where possible, they have been signed by them to indicate they agree with the content. This helps to ensure young people are kept safe and free from harm.

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Progress

The third recommendation was to ensure that comprehensive written records are kept by the home for when a young person goes missing. The home’s manager ensures that when a young person returns from being missing they are spoken to in private by an independent person. The reason for this meeting is to ascertain the reasons why the young person has been missing, where they have been and to look at strategies that can be put in place to minimise this happening again in the future. Additionally staff have been reminded about the importance of accurate record keeping. Speaking with young people after they return from being missing from home and accurate record keeping helps to safeguard them and to maintain their welfare.

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Progress

The final recommendation was to ensure that young people are able to understand, within their level of understanding, the purpose and content of their care plans and the reasoning behind any decisions about their care. The home’s manager has, through staff meetings and individual supervision sessions, reminded staff of the importance of involving young people in reviewing their care plans. Key workers have discussed with individual young people the content of their care plans and risk assessments. This helps young people to understand what their placement at the home is meant to achieve.

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Progress

In addition to the above the home has also made further progress in a number of other areas. A group of young people and staff have recently completed a charity bike ride. A large sum of money was raised and donated to a local charity. This helps young people to reflect on the needs of those who are less fortunate than themselves and it helps to raise their self-esteem.

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Progress

The home’s manager has also attended a regional forum for managers of children’s homes. Attending a forum such as this enables managers from across the region to meet and share both good ideas and practice. This will help to improve services 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 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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