Children's Home run by Stockton on Tees Borough Council in Stockton-on-Tees

Unique reference number SC035387 Inspector Julie Rimington Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

p.1

Registered manager Stephen Martin McGill / Alan Keith Powles Date of last inspection 30/10/2014 2 of 5 Inspection date 25/02/2015

p.1

Previous inspection good Enforcement action since last inspection There has been no enforcement action since the last inspection

p.2

This inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has sustained effectiveness .

p.2

This inspection

This home was judged as good overall at the previous full inspection in October 2014. Following this interim inspection the home is judged to have sustained effectiveness. The Registered Manager and staff team have successfully addressed two of the requirements, but have not been effective in meeting the requirement concerning developing a system which monitors the quality and adequacy of record keeping. This inspection also identifies shortfalls in ensuring a comfortable and homely atmosphere in the home, specifically around the locking of doors and using rooms to store excess furniture and boxes that are used for young people’s education.

p.2

This inspection

The Registered Manager and staff team are ambitious for young people to succeed and provide consistent, targeted care within effective boundaries. As a result, young people make significant progress in some aspects of their lives, including significant progress in education .They have good attendance in education provision, some making significant improvements compared to their starting point prior to admission. There is a staff team member whose role is to ensure engagement in educational activities. This has made a significant difference to young people’s educational achievements. The staff team also continuing to work with young people on an outreach basis once they move on from this home. This is proving supportive in helping them move towards fully independent living or successfully reunite with their families. Young people are in good health, continuing to attend appointments to maintain their well-being.

p.2

This inspection

The home is good at keeping young people safe. Although there have been some incidents of challenging, risky behaviour, the Registered Manager and staff team deal with these well. The number of incidents of risk taking behaviour has significantly reduced in the last 3 months. 3 of 5 Contact with family members is a major strength in this home. The Registered Manager and staff team work hard to build and maintain positive relationships with parents. Contact arrangements are met in line with young people's care plans, including supervising all arrangements where necessary. Many of the young people admitted to the home are subsequently reunited with their families. Young people are safeguarded while their sense of self and belonging are enhanced as important family relationships are sustained.

p.2

This inspection

The Registered Manager and staff team enable and encourage young people to voice their opinions and make informed choices. Regular key worker sessions give young people the opportunity to discuss their plans and share any concerns they may have. There is also a system of formal consultation where young people can express their views about the home and what they might want to change. However, written placement plans do not demonstrate that young people know what they contain or what objectives they are meant to achieve. This reduces the influence that young people are able to have over their day-to-day lives and the plans for their future.

p.3

This inspection

The Registered Manager has addressed two of the recommendations made at the last inspection. As a result, there are improvements to the safety and hygiene of the building and placement plans are now signed. However, some aspects of recording are not sufficiently monitored for accuracy. For example, audits of some young people’s case files demonstrated paperwork was not been completed correctly or on time and monitoring systems were not robust enough to identify these shortfalls. 4 of 5

p.3

Information about this children’s home

The children's home is provided by a local authority and provides accommodation for up to six young people who may have emotional or behavioural difficulties. The home's particular remit is to provide short to medium term care, often to young people who are admitted in emergency.

p.4

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/10/2014 Full good 11/03/2014 Interim satisfactory progress 13/08/2013 Full good 16/01/2013 Interim good progress Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.4

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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.

p.5

What inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspections we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection.

p.5

Information 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.

p.5

Information 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 framework of inspection for children's homes.

p.5