Children's Home run by Durham County Council in Durham

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.2

The children's home provision is good because:

 The manager and the senior management team are very experienced and skilled and offer an excellent role model to the staff team. They are able to create a warm, caring and fun environment where young people can relax and feel like they belong.  The staff team work well with challenging behaviour. Work with young people is based on negotiation and support with clear underlying boundaries and expectations. Young people have very good relationships with staff and this is the basis for progress, as well as providing young people with a good experience of living in the home.  The home is a safe place for young people. Staff understand risks and manage these to ensure that young people become increasingly safe. Some young people have engaged in some risk taking activities but these all reduce over time because of the skill and persistence of the staff team.  Young people make good progress in all areas of their lives. Education

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

achievements are improved and most young people attend school and college well. Some have gone on to higher college courses and have continued with their success.  The manager and staff have good links with other professionals involved in the care of the young people and in the community and use these links well to ensure young people get a better service.  Young people are supported to prepare well for independence. Most of the young people have had part time jobs or work experience prior to leaving and this provides them with confidence, skills and knowledge as well invaluable experience.  Young people are able to keep in contact with their families and often they are able to improve family relationships with the support of the staff. This is really important as the young people move to independence.

p.3

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 (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

p.4

Requirement Due date

6 The Quality and Purpose of Care Standard

p.4

Requirement Due date

In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, with particular reference to ensuring that appropriate key-work sessions take place, the registered person must ensure that staff:

p.4

Requirement Due date

(2)(b)(iv) provide personalised care that meets each child's needs, as recorded in the child's relevant plans, taking account of the child's background. 10/12/2015

p.4

Requirement Due date

In order to meet the care planning standard, with particular reference to ensuring children have a consistent and positive plan for moving on from the home, the registered person must ensure that arrangements are in place to:

p.4

Requirement Due date

(2)(b)(iii) plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child's placing authority. 10/02/2016

p.4

Information about this children's home

The home is managed by a local authority and is registered for the care and accommodation of up to four children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties (EBD).

p.5

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.5

Recent inspection history

10/02/2015 Interim Sustained Effectiveness

p.5

good

The young people living in this home have very good relationships with staff and are supported very well by the staff.

p.6

good

One young person who is in the process of leaving the home and the area in order to attend college said of the staff, ‘They have given me the world.’ They went on to say, ‘I’ve had loads of opportunities at the home. I’ve had a much better life there than I would have had at home.’ Another young person who said he was now ready to move on said the home was, ‘good’ and that staff had helped him get ready for independence.

p.6

good

The home is a homely and comfortable place to live with good facilities. The strength of the home is in the skilled and committed staff team who are enthusiastic and motivated to care for and support the young people as well as they can. The manager is very experienced who is very child centred.

p.6

good

During the inspection, staff and young people organised a buffet dinner to celebrate one young person who was about to leave and move to independence. This was an occasion full of laughter and positive memories and perhaps typifies the atmosphere in the home and the attitude of the staff.

p.6

good

The young people make very good progress and in some cases their progress has been exceptional. Young people are part of running the home and do have a say in many areas. They are able to negotiate with staff and influence issues like menus, activities, house décor and holidays. A number of the young people attend the Children In Care Council and contribute to this. There are plans to start growing vegetable in the garden which the young people can assist with.

p.6

good

Most young people have had very good attendance at school or college although one young person has not. Several of the young people came to the home having missed a good deal of schooling and have been supported to catch up and do well at GCSE level and beyond. Young people who have not been able to attend mainstream school have been found suitable alternative education in an appropriate time scale. There are appropriate education plans in place for all young people. One young person has done exceptionally well, having achieved a distinction in their college course results and also winning the pupil of the year award in a large mainstream college. This young person has now gone to study at a higher level and has moved to a college out of the area to do this. The young people are well supported to move on to independence. They are encouraged to learn all the required skills and are supported to gain experiences

p.6

good

which build confidence and knowledge. Several of the young people have been able to get part-time employment and others have been able to get work experience. One young person had a summer job working in a hotel and others have worked locally in a variety of part-time jobs including working in local takeaways and on a community farm. These experiences will be invaluable as they move to independence. One young person who had an interest in cooking has been encouraged and taught how to cook by staff at the home. He was then able to gain part-time work in a local takeaway food outlet and is now pursuing a career in the catering industry with a place at a local college and the opportunity of an apprenticeship with a nearby large company.

p.7

good

Young people are supported to maintain good contact with their families and also with their friends in the local area. There is clear evidence that some young people have been able to build better relationships with their parents while living in this home which bodes well for the future as they move to independence.

p.7

good

Although it is clear that staff do work with young people around all sorts of areas this is not very well recorded or evidenced. The young people would benefit from a more planned and more in-depth approach to key-working and a requirement has been made to do this. This would allow staff to plan effectively and address a wider range of issues that are appropriate for the young people.

p.7

good

Care planning is good for most young people and they have appropriate plans in place. The manager and staff have recently introduced a new system for placement planning and this is positive. One young person who has recently left to go to another children’s home did not have such a positive experience. This young person had complex mental health needs and placed themselves in risky situations. The staff team were not well supported by outside professionals but did manage to help this young person settle down well in the weeks before they moved on and this young person is now having a better experience of residential care.

p.7

good

One young person who is currently living in the home does not have a clear plan for moving to independence. Again this is around disagreements between professionals. This situation needs to be addressed quickly in order to support this young person to a successful move. A requirement has been put in place for the manager to address this issue.

p.7

good

Young people are supported to access external workers to deal with specific issues. Some young people have benefited from access to the Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service and others from interventions from drugs and alcohol counsellors. Judgement grade

p.7

good

The home is a safe place for young people to live. Staff are very experienced and skilled and have been able to support all the young people to become safer.

p.8

good

Some of the young people have displayed some behaviour which puts them at risk of harm. These risks are well understood by the staff and appropriate measures have been put in place. One young person with mental health issues did display some very high risk behaviour at times and staff were able to work successfully with this young person to reduce these risks considerably. Staff were able to support this young person to reduce some high risks around self-harm. Other young people have been supported to reduce their drug taking behaviour and this is really positive.

p.8

good

The staff put incentive schemes in place and these work well to reduce challenging behaviour. Sanctions are seldom used. Young people are sometimes asked to contribute to costs if they cause damage. However, because of the skill of the staff team, challenging behaviour is reduced at this home. There have been no restraints or physical interventions since the last inspection. Staff are able to be firm when required and put clear consistent boundaries into place. This is positive, and in the main the young people have respected these and have found them helpful. Staff try hard to ensure that older young people gain a realistic view of money and finance before they have to leave to become independent.

p.8

good

The number of missing incidents has reduced. When young people have gone missing, staff take great care to try and locate and return these young people. Young people that are felt to be at higher risk or to pose a risk to others are followed on the few occasions they do leave the home and have been encouraged to return without incident. All return interviews have been completed when young people have absconded and this allows them to talk about why they left the home.

p.8

good

A number of the young people stay out overnight with friends and this is encouraged when positive. Staff do take a pragmatic view to these situations and have been able to negotiate safe solutions to young people wanting to stay out with friends.

p.8

good

The home is very well maintained and is free of health and safety issues. All health and safety checks are completed and are up to date.

p.8

good

The registered manager is very experienced and has been a register manager for this home for over two years. He has a level five leadership and management diploma and has recently finished a degree in social work. The statement of purpose is clear and the manager and staff do work these aims and objectives.

p.9

good

The manager is very committed, enthusiastic and child-centred and is very well supported by his deputy manager and senior team of workers. The manager did take some extended leave from January to May this year and the interim arrangements with the deputy manager acting up were also strong.

p.9

good

The manager and his team clearly understand and meet young people’s needs and monitor their progress closely. The manager was described by a member of staff as, ‘a fantastic manager’, and as, ‘very hands on’, also as a people person who supports others well and a person who will make himself available at any time to help’.

p.9

good

The manager has overseen the change from this home offering short term placements to offering medium and long term placements and this has been positive. There are some aspects around longer-term working that could be improved. The planning and organisation of key-working could be developed to provide young people with more formal opportunities to discuss a range of topics and subjects according to their needs. The manager understands that this aspect of the work could be further developed.

p.9

good

The manager does support his team well and ensure that supervisions and appraisals are carried out regularly and that the content of these is good. There is also a comprehensive training programme in place and every member of staff is qualified to at least a level three standard, which is excellent. The staff team is longstanding and very experienced and contains a great deal of skill and knowledge. This strength means that young people receive a very good service.

p.9

good

The manager is overhauling the placement planning systems and this will provide a more targeted plan with monthly reviews which should ensure that young people’s needs are given the highest priority and that actions and progress can be monitored well. Most of the young people have good plans in place but planning for one young person has drifted and is now in need of greater clarity and agreement.

p.9

good

Young people make good progress from their starting points. Several young people have missed a great deal of school before coming to this home. They have now been supported to overcome their difficulties and are now attending very well.

p.9

good

The manager is proactive in communication with other professionals. Together with his senior team, he has clearly made his views known when others have disagreed and has good contact with a range of professionals involved in the care and support of the young people. During the inspection, the manager was following up a referral to an alternative education provider and this was successful as they were able to offer the placement required. This young person needed a greater input of core maths and english work to ensure his alternative placement contained a sufficient standard of academic work and this was sorted out quickly. The manager had also requested an education assessment for this young person to ensure the education provision was meeting all his needs.

p.9

good

During the inspection, I joined a staff handover which was thorough and efficient. The manager listened and picked up various issues which required further discussion. One young person’s sleep patterns were discussed and the arrangements for another young person leaving were discussed. The manager ensured these issues were dealt with by the staff on duty but also had further discussion with senior staff about how to meet these needs. This demonstrates that the manager is actively involved in day to day matters as well as taking an overview by monitoring the overall situation.

p.10

good

There were no requirements or recommendations from the previous inspection and two requirements have been made following this inspection.

p.10

What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

p.11

What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

p.11

What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

p.11

Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

p.12

Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.12

Information about this inspection

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

p.13

Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.13

Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.13

Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

p.13