Children's Home run by Middlesbrough Borough Council in Middlesbrough

inspection

Following the overall judgement of inadequate at the last inspection, five compliance notices were issued to the registered provider on 25 November 2015.

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Requires improvement

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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because:

 Recent improvements in the home’s practice have not yet had an impact upon outcomes for young people. Their attendance at education has declined and they remain habitual users of substances. They are not well prepared for independence and their behaviour is often challenging.

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because:

 Placement plans have improved but they continue to lack detail in some key areas such as behaviour management.

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The children's home strengths

 The home keeps young people safe. Systems to manage missing from home incidents are more robust. The safety and security of the building has been improved.

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The children's home strengths

 The registered manager and registered provider have addressed all the compliance notices, all but one of the statutory requirements, and the recommendation issued following the last inspection. This indicates good capacity to improve further.  Staff work as a team to ensure that they address young people’s needs. In particular, boundaries for young people’s behaviour are clear and consistently applied by all staff.  Staff foster good, nurturing relationships with young people. They have a very positive attitude towards them even in the face of verbal and occasionally physical aggression.  The registered provider has committed substantial resources towards improving the home. The premises have been significantly upgraded with more investment planned, and both young people and staff take pride in their home. Additional support for the registered manager and increased staffing levels result in a better organised and more orderly environment.

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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.

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Requirement Due date

14. The care planning standard In order to meet the care planning standard with particular reference to including sufficient detail about communication needs and behaviour management within the placement plan, the registered person must ensure that children: (1)(a) receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. 05/02/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure that the home provides a domestic and homely environment, specifically that staff do not openly carry large bunches of keys. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 15 paragraph 3.9)

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Information about this children's home

The home provides accommodation for up to four children with emotional and/or emotional difficulties. It is operated by a local authority.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

05/02/2015 CH - Interim declined in effectiveness

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requires improvement

The registered manager has reviewed and revised the format of placement plans for young people. As a result they are more focused on outcomes and are easier for both staff and young people to follow. One young person reportedly said that they didn’t realise how detailed their plan was. A member of staff said, ‘Care plans are much better, they are clearer in what we need to do to help young people make progress.’ Some plans are still lacking in certain areas, for example, one does not fully explain the young person’s particular communication needs and how they will be met in day-to-day interaction with staff. Also, guidance within the plans for how to respond to and manage challenging behaviour is not sufficiently tailored to young people’s individual requirements. Relevant information about young people’s health, for example, the outcome of annual assessments, is now recorded in their health plans. This enables staff to

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requires improvement

understand young people’s health needs and take action to meet them. The home’s no-smoking policy has been reinforced with staff and young people. This has resulted in a reduction in young people smoking within the building. In general, outcomes for young people remain poor. They continue to misuse substances and spurn attempts by staff to help them engage meaningfully with harm reduction services. Young people’s attendance at education and training has declined since the last inspection. Their behaviour continues to be challenging and at times aggressive. Staff have completely revised the content and format of the programme to prepare young people for independence. It allows for flexibility in amending the pace of the work to cater for individual young people’s needs and preferences. So far, young people have chosen not to engage with the programme, but staff are persisting. Staff display commitment to young people and have a good understanding of their

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requires improvement

needs and challenges. They remain positive and child-centred, and understand that young people’s negative and abusive behaviour is the result of their past experiences. Judgement grade

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good

Staff are effective in keeping young people safe. The registered manager has improved risk assessments, which now take account of all sources of potential harm and what measures are in place to manage them. Arrangements for fire safety have been reviewed, with individual staff being identified as fire wardens and all staff implementing fire precautions more consistently. When young people go missing, staff are proactive in trying to contact them and find out where they are. They work closely with police in reducing to a minimum the time that young people are away. Recording of these incidents has improved, its greater clarity enabling staff to understand more consistently the circumstances and how to protect the young person more effectively. The home has liaised with the agency which provides independent interviews of young people when they return to ensure a more consistent response. This provides an additional safeguard

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good

for young people. Staff are much more consistent in setting boundaries for young people, enforcing basic rules and challenging inappropriate behaviour. This is important in maintaining a safe and orderly environment. It also shows young people what is reasonably expected of them in their relationships with others, not only within the home but in wider society. A member of staff said, ‘We have rules and boundaries in place and staff are very consistent in maintaining them. Prior to the last inspection some staff would let rules slip and not carry sanctions through. Now, staff and young people are very clear what is expected of all of us.’ When sanctions are used, individual staff take responsibility for making sure they are carried out and all staff support the decision. In addition, recording of sanctions demonstrates that staff evaluate each one for its effectiveness. This means that managing behaviour by applying formal consequences is more likely to have a

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good

beneficial impact. The registered provider has improved the safety of young people and staff by upgrading the intruder alarm and installing CCTV which covers the outside of the building. Judgement grade

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good

The registered manager is suitably experienced and is working towards the required qualification. Since the last inspection she has worked hard with senior managers within the registered provider organisation to rectify the substantial shortfalls identified in the previous inspection. She has drawn up a detailed action plan which addresses each compliance notice, statutory requirement and recommendation issued at the time. The majority of the actions within this plan have already been achieved. Those which require a longer timescale have identified individuals and clear target dates for their completion. The quality and extent of the work undertaken indicates the commitment of the registered provider to addressing the home’s deficiencies and shows good capacity for improvement. Additional, experienced staff have been seconded to the home. Supervision for staff is of good quality and happens regularly. In addition, senior managers have

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good

provided the registered manager with dedicated support from another registered manager within the organisation whose home has been rated outstanding. This ensures that staff at all levels have the right support to be able to meet the needs of young people and improve their outcomes. In particular, the more robust leadership within the home has improved staff morale. This has enabled staff to implement the changes which have been made more effectively and consistently. One member of staff said, ‘At the last inspection things were pretty chaotic, but since then I feel that we have taken massive steps forward. We have had development days, team meetings, and additional training. Staff and management are all working as one unit which really benefits young people.’ Monitoring of the home’s performance is more effective. The registered manager is working with colleagues to devise a better system for internal reporting which

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good

takes full account of the view of young people. Additionally, discussions with the organisation which provides monthly independent reports on the home are taking place. This will ensure that the opinion of the independent visitor on the effectiveness of the home in safeguarding young people and promoting their welfare is clearly expressed and based on sound evidence. The most obvious improvements since the last inspection are to the premises. Damage has been repaired. The building has been redecorated and most of it re- carpeted. New furniture has been purchased. There are many homely touches, such as mirrors, side tables with ornaments, and vases of flowers. One young person has provided photos of themselves and their family to make a collage which is on display on the upstairs landing. Young people have made an investment in the home, as evidenced by the lack of deliberate damage since the improvements

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good

were made. One member of staff said of a young person, ‘They absolutely love the house now, they take pride in it, they helped to pick the decoration and furniture, they now want to bring their friends round whereas before they didn’t.’ The registered provider has secured capital funding for further improvements. Because few of the doors in the building have the same locks, staff on duty need to carry a large bunch of keys. This detracts from the overall impression of homeliness.

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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.

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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

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What the inspection judgements mean

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

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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

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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 .

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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,

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

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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

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