Children's Home run by Duty of Care Limited in Durham

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

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

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home continues to operate at a good standard and further improvements have been made. There were three recommendations made at the last inspection and all have been addressed in full. Key work is now carried out in more depth and records of children and young people’s progress are more clearly evidenced. The staff now work more closely with placing authorities and essential assessments and documents are obtained when required. These improvements enhance the quality of support provided to young people.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home does not have a registered manager, however there is an application currently being processed which has been a little delayed. An interim manager has been in place throughout since the previous inspection and is already a registered manager at another small home run by the organisation. Leadership within the home is strong and effective. The home has continued to be settled. One member of staff has moved to part-time working and two new members of staff have been recruited. No children or young people have been admitted or discharged since the last inspection.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The three children and young people at the home continue to make good progress. All three have very good school attendance and all are making progress academically. All have interests outside school and are pursuing these and becoming more socially active. Staff encourage the children and young people to take part in more relaxed local activities such as fishing, walking and local farm activities as well as more organised entertainment and trips. One young person told the inspector about some driving experiences he was taking part in and was also keen to show off his pet rabbit. This young person has shown some interest in pursuing a career in animal care at college. Another young person has shown an interest in catering as a career and staff support them well in developing this interest.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff support young people to maintain family contact, sometimes in difficult circumstances. They supervise a number of these contact sessions which is reassuring for the children and young people. All three children and young people have external support workers in place with whom they discuss difficult emotional and family issues with. Staff also support this process well with key work sessions of good quality.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The house is very cosy and homely and has some nice small touches. There are pictures of garden birds on a wall in the kitchen overlooking the back garden. A themed evening involving Indian food is backed up with a very informative and interesting display about India. Also, a photo of the month completion is running. This attention to detail demonstrates thoughtfulness and genuine care and consideration.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home is a safe place for children and young people. There have been no missing from home episodes. There have been two incidents of concern, one where a child disclosed some historical abuse and one where a young person had some inappropriate texts on his phone. Both were reported to safeguarding agencies and both were fully investigated and managed appropriately. Staff have carried out a small number of appropriate physical interventions with one child who becomes angry at times. These incidents are reducing as further therapeutic work takes place to help the child deal with past traumas. There has been one minor incident of bullying in the home recorded where two of the children and young people fell out for a short period. This has been dealt with effectively by staff. No complaints have been made and staff have not used sanctions.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The interim manager has made significant improvements to a number of practices. Life story and memory work is carried out routinely now. A new system of identifying and evaluating goal-based outcomes is now in place. Also a system of formal consultations between the manager and the children and young people has been added. Children and young people are involved more fully in record-keeping and care planning. The manager has also recently developed a better life skills booklet where independence skills are recorded. The manager continues to liaise well with external agencies and professionals and this adds to the ability of the service to help young people achieve positive outcomes.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager supports and supervises the staff well. A number of additional training opportunities have been organised. Some staff are taking a longer course to gain greater understanding of attachment issues, and others are having mental health training.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

No requirements or recommendations were made at this inspection.

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Information about this children's home

The home is run by a private organisation and is registered for the care and accommodation of up to three children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties (EBD).

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection 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.

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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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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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