Children's Home run by Durham County Council in Durham

Unique reference number SC035181 Inspection date 11/03/2014 Inspector Dennis Bradley Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 14/11/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The home provides care and accommodation for six young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is operated by a local authority. The particular remit of the home is to provide time-limited short break care with the objective of returning young people to their families on a permanent basis.

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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

The home was judged to be good at the last full inspection. Since the last inspection the manager and staff have worked effectively to further improve the service. There were two requirements and four recommendations made at the last inspection and appropriate action has been taken to address these. Young people’s placement plans have been developed to make sure they address all areas of need. Staff also actively involve young people in their preparation. This helps give young people ownership and control over the progress they make. The manager has also improved the arrangements for monitoring the quality of young people’s case records and placement plans. This helps to identify any shortfalls and ensure these are addressed appropriately. Risk assessments now address the particular vulnerabilities of each young person. This helps make sure staff have the information they need to support young people effectively.

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Progress

The self-closing device on one of the fire doors has been repaired. This helps protect young people and staff from the risk of a fire spreading rapidly within the home. The home now keeps a record of the recruitment and vetting checks carried out on staff. This enables the manager to confirm only people who are suitable to work with young people are employed at the home. Appropriate records are now kept of staff supervision. This enables more effective monitoring of the support staff receive in caring for young people. Effective support and oversight of staff promotes their development and also helps improve the quality of the service to young people.

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Progress

Since the last inspection there have been other developments which demonstrate the commitment of the manager and his staff to improving outcomes for the children. For example, staff are engaging some young people in life story work to help them make sense of their past experiences. The home has also received an award from a local agency for the work staff and young people have done on the home’s allotment. Plans are also underway to develop the support staff provide to young people and their families, when a young person’s placement at the home comes to an end.

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Progress

Young people benefit from the good relationships they have with staff. Staff actively encourage and support them to have their say about the care and support they receive, and their wishes and aspirations for the future. Young people also participate in regular meetings to have their say about how the home is run. This helps them feel valued and included. Young people are supported to engage in a range of positive activities in the local community. This helps them gain confidence in their abilities and builds their self-esteem. Staff also support them to engage in activities that contribute to their physical health such as walking in the country and using the local gym.

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Progress

There are clear and effective procedures for monitoring and controlling how the home is run and young people are cared for. For example, the management team ensures any recommendations made as a result of external monitoring visits are addressed quickly and effectively. There are also good internal quality monitoring systems in place for reviewing the service and young people’s welfare and progress. The management team use the outcomes of the monitoring of the service to assess how it can improve.

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Progress

The home is decorated and furnished to a good standard and provides young people with a homely, pleasant place in which to stay.

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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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