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

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has Sustained Effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people are settled and continue to make good progress supported by a strong, knowledgeable staff team. Each child and young person has a range of files, risk assessments and care plans. The number of files and the fact that some are held in part electronically means that on occasion staff miss completing some sections. In addition the fact that plans and risk assessments are long make them inaccessible to young people. The management team is in the process of streamlining and reducing the records to make them more manageable.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The group of children and young people have been stable with no one being admitted or discharged since the last inspection. Relationships with staff are good and are characterised by warmth, a sense of nurturing and good humour. This allows young people to feel safe and well cared for enabling growth and progression in line with their age and maturity. Records of a consultation event state all young people feel safe. A young person said, ‘The home is great, I really like the staff’. A relative said she has ‘seen a real change in (Name) for the better’.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Education is valued and well supported. The majority of young people attend well and are achieving in line with their predicted grades. Despite support all young people do not always achieve a good level of attendance. Staff continue to liaise with education providers to enable young people to find their niche course and fulfil their aspirations. As a result young people develop an understanding of the value of education and its potential impact on their future.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Contact is recognised as important in the lives of the children and young people. All have contact with one or more family members. Staff facilitate contact either via transport or by supervising the meetings in order that children and young people maintain links important to them.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Incidents of missing are reducing. When young people do go missing independent return interviews are conducted giving young people the opportunity to raise any concerns they have. No concerns have been reported. The use of physical restraint has also reduced along with sanctions. A restorative approach is now adopted allowing relationships to develop further and form the basis of young people’s choices in relation to negative behaviour. The home is well maintained and decorated to a high standard. Nevertheless the space both up and downstairs is small and not conducive to confidentiality for individuals. Staff take children and young people out to discuss personal issues. Professional meetings for individuals held within the home currently impinge on and limit other children and young people’s ability to use facilities. The result is conflict situations can occur on occasions. A member of staff said, ’It can make

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Leadership and management is strong and effective. The registered manager is moving the team towards a restorative ethos to manage behaviour and examples of letters and cards to staff from children and young people can be seen throughout the office and files.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff work well in partnership with other professionals to ensure children and young people progress well. Meetings are well attended and reports submitted to advocate on behalf of young people where necessary. A social worker said, ‘The staff are brilliant, they work well with other agencies’ and, ‘I am comfortable they would come to me if an issue arose’. As a result the care needs of children and young people are monitored allowing plans to be consistently updated as they progress and develop.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

New staff have joined the team since the last inspection. Recruitment practice is good and provides opportunities for new staff to undertake shadowing and learning before being part of the staff team on a shift. Supervisions are regular and afford staff the opportunity to reflect and learn from incidents. Appraisals are carried out in line with the homes policy and contain targets and timescales for review of actions. This ensures staff are supported in their development and continually improve the care provided to children and young people.

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Information about this children's home

This children’s home is registered to care for up to three young people with emotional or behavioural difficulties. The registered provider is a local authority.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

12/03/2015 Interim improved effectiveness

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Consideration should be given to the building's fitness for purpose in particular with reference to privacy and confidentiality needs of children and young people. (The Guide to Quality Standards page 16 paragraph 3.17)  Ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them, in particular that risk assessments are long and are easily understood by children and young people. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 42 paragraph 9.5)  Ensure that care plans are clear and are easily understood by children and young people. (The Guide to the Quality Standards page 25 paragraph 5.1)  Keep children's records are clear and distinguish fact and opinion. Records should be up to date and specifically that children's case files are well organised,

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Recommendations

accessible and do not contain unnecessary duplication. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 62 paragraph 14.4)

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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

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

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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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