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

Good

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

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The children and young people living at the home have all made significant improvements across most areas of their lives. These include improving their physical and emotional health, attendance in education and keeping themselves safer.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The manager and staff team have built trusting and secure relationships with the children and young people. They listen to them and ensure that any concerns are addressed quickly. They celebrate their achievements and encourage them to try new things.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The staff team has helped children and young people to understand risks that they are often exposed to. This has seen a reduction in the episodes of being missing, and being involved in exploitative and abusive relationships.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The manager has developed unique professional relationships with others who work with the children and young people. He is highly regarded by other professionals.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The manager and staff team are creative in the way that they address issues with young people’s behaviour. The staff team regularly reviews behaviour management strategies and quickly establishes what works, and changes plans accordingly.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The manager and staff team have excellent examples of innovative practice, specifically around outreach to support placements.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 Children should be encouraged by staff to see the home's records as 'living documents' supporting them to view and contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.19).

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Recommendations

In particular, risk assessments and placement plans need to be easier for children and young people to understand and access.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should oversee the welfare of the children in their care through observation and engagement with: each child; the home's staff; each child's family/carers where appropriate; and professionals involved in the care or protection of each child including their social worker, Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO), teachers, clinicians and other health professionals, etc. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.23).

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Recommendations

In particular, there should be a more defined process for monitoring to ensure all aspects of care are included. The reviews of quality of care need to be evaluative rather than descriptive.

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Information about this children's home

This home is provided by the local authority, and is registered to care for up to three young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

p.5

Good

The children and young people who live in this home have been able to develop secure, trusting relationships with the manager and the staff. The staff ensure that they have detailed information about the children and young people, and speak to all those professionals and family members who will help them to understand the child or young person quickly. This enables assessments to be as detailed as possible, and helps the staff to make plans to ensure that the children and young people have the best possible experiences.

p.5

Good

Information about any past experiences and traumas is responded to in a non- judgemental way. This, and the relationships that they build with children and young people, enables staff to discuss sensitive issues and to support the child or young person in gaining some understanding of what has happened. Life story work and collating clear chronologies enhance this. Children’s and young people’s self-esteem and self-identity improve and encourages them to be more confident.

p.5

Good

Children and young people are encouraged to attend school and other educational placements. The manager and staff team act as excellent advocates for them, and encourage them to work hard. There is excellent communication between educational professionals, which assists children and young people to engage fully. When there are difficulties, the manager has confidence to challenge other professionals and involves others, for example the Virtual School, to ensure positive outcomes.

p.5

Good

Children and young people are involved in a wide range of activities, including learning to swim and ice-skating. The staff team takes photographs and celebrates achievements in many different ways. This helps to encourage participation. Each child and young person is offered individual activities, but is also encouraged to become involved in community groups. Young people are encouraged to do voluntary work and have raised funds for local groups. They gain an understanding of helping others and start to understand important lessons regarding personal responsibility.

p.5

Good

Children and young people say that they are comfortable living there, and said that ‘staff really understand me and listen to me’. The staff team works hard to ensure that the home is maintained, and encourages children and young people to be part of refurbishments.

p.6

Outstanding

Children and young people living in the home say that they feel very safe. They suggest that this is because staff are ‘really clear about what they like to do’ and also are ‘quick to pick up when we may not be making positive choices’.

p.6

Outstanding

Staff have an excellent understanding of emerging risks which can place children and young people at risk of exploitative and abusive relationships or situations. Staff are well trained in these areas and respond robustly to safeguarding concerns. As a result, children and young people are safer, particularly in terms of use of the internet and social media. Innovative and creative work with the young people has resulted in reducing risks and raising awareness of this particular area.

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Outstanding

Staff understand and promote the importance of family contact, and how this promotes a sense of identity. For some young people, family contact is encouraged and has helped them to rebuild relationships with their families. For others, family contact has to be carefully managed to ensure that everyone remains safe. Where possible, families are encouraged to work in partnership with the staff team. One family member said, ‘I can’t believe how things have changed. The staff are really good at keeping me informed. I think my child is safer and I feel better about that.’

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Outstanding

Risk assessments are very thorough and are reviewed regularly. The manager has regular oversight of these, and ensures that children and young people have clear safety plans, and that all staff fully understand them. The way that information is recorded has an adult focus. While the risk assessments are thorough and robust, they do not allow for children and young people to have access to them.

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Outstanding

Children and young people still go missing from the home, but this has been reduced significantly. There are very clear protocols in place which staff adhere to if a young person goes missing. Staff work proactively with children and young people, and have excellent communication skills. This allows children and young people to talk to them about why they go missing. This often results in the young people remaining at the home and being safer. Staff will go looking for children and young people, and they use information gathered from ‘return’ interviews and discussions to ensure that searches are focused. Young people returning from ‘missing’ episodes are welcomed home and given opportunities to reflect on why they went missing. Lessons are learned from these conversations and support the young person to stay safer.

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Outstanding

The manager and staff team also use an innovative way to ensure that young people remain safe, either when leaving the home or waiting to come into the home. The use of outreach activities, working both with children and young people and their carers, has seen significant improvements in the lives of young people. The approach involves consistency, targeted support, and a focus on developing or maintaining relationships. There is significant evidence within files that this approach has prevented emergency placements, reduced the number of moves experienced by a child, and has improved engagement and participation.

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Outstanding

The manager and staff team are reflective in their practice, and are using theories and research to increase understanding of the children and young people. Staff were able to talk about how this approach has helped to reduce risks, and encourages them to be more proactive in safeguarding the children and young people.

p.7

Good

The manager has extensive experience of working and managing residential care for children and young people. He has appropriate qualifications. His approach of ‘be interested, be involved’ demonstrates his ‘hands on’ approach to supporting children and young people and his staff team.

p.7

Good

Morale within the staff team has improved considerably from the previous inspection. Members of staff said that they feel well supported and that the management team understands them. There was evidence of appropriate challenge and using events to learn lessons from. Reflective supervision and practice are becoming embedded within this team.

p.7

Good

Other professionals speak highly of the manager, saying that ‘he is really easy to talk to and is very good at seeing behind the difficult behaviours that some of the young people demonstrate. He sees them, rather than behaviours’. Another social care professional said that he was ‘an excellent advocate for the young people’. The manager works well within the multi-agency teams supporting young people. He is also extremely confident in challenging slow progress.

p.8

Good

The manager ensures that children’s and young people’s files are up to date and that recording is improving. Some forms have become too complex and do not allow young people to understand their care plans. The manager identified this as part of the strengths and areas for development, demonstrating a clear action plan.

p.8

Good

The manager has a good system for monitoring and reviewing the quality of care. He has responded positively to recommendations and requirements from previous inspections. The reviews of quality care do not always take into account the internal monitoring reports and feedback from the independent visitor. They do not contain sufficient analysis and evaluation. This may result in unclear and unfocused direction in development plans, as the importance of the data gathered is not fully understood or scrutinised.

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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.

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What the inspection judgements mean

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.

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What the inspection judgements mean

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.

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What the inspection judgements mean

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 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 ‘Guide to 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, work- based 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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