Children's home run by Duty of Care Limited in County Durham

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 leadership and management are strong. The registered manager provides efficient and effective leadership. Policies and procedures are up to date, and recording systems are well developed.  The registered manager is an excellent role model for staff. The manager is committed to continued development of the staff team and the service and to achieving good outcomes for children and young people.  Children and young people are kept safe. Although some children and young people have engaged in some risky behaviour, staff are quick to address issues and to support them well to change their behaviours to become safer. Staff are thorough and tenacious in their efforts to keep children and young people as safe as possible.  Staff form good relationships with children and young people and provide firm, clear expectations and boundaries. They balance children and young people’s need for nurture against the need for boundaries well, creating a

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

relaxed and orderly environment.  Children and young people are supported to maintain good contact with their families and friends. Staff make good efforts to facilitate this for those who live further away.  Children and young people are encouraged to take part in a range of activities that prepare them for adult life helping them to build social skills.  Staff offer children and young people support through key work and life story work, and this increases resilience and confidence.  The registered manager and staff make good efforts to ensure that children and young people receive the best education. Most children and young people have taken advantage of this and have made good progress at their schools and colleges.  Children and young people are encouraged to participate in a wide range of leisure activities and trips, and staff are enthusiastic to join in activities where appropriate.

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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 and young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

20 January 2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

p.4

Good

The home has been open for just over one year, and the registered manager has developed the service well during this time. The registered manager ensures that children and young people are admitted only when appropriate, and this has meant that numbers have grown steadily over the year rather than there being a rush to fill places. The registered manager has also developed the staff team during this time, giving members ample time to train and to form a strong, effective, caring team.

p.5

Good

The home is characterised by its warm, nurturing environment, and several social workers spoken to said how important this was in helping the children and young people whom they have placed at the home.

p.5

Good

Children and young people form good relationships with the staff and receive individualised care. During the inspection, one young person was going to the gym with a member of staff, while another young person was about to go shopping. It was evident from their demeanour that they had a good rapport with the staff that they were spending time with.

p.5

Good

Children and young people living at the home are making good progress in many areas of their lives. One young person has grown in confidence and is now more confident in social situations. This progress has been slow, but staff have persevered well to encourage this young person to do more for themselves. Other young people spend time with external counsellors, and are making clear progress in dealing with their difficulties.

p.5

Good

One of the young people attends college and is nearing the end of a level 2 vocational course and taking additional English lessons to improve their qualifications. Another young person attends school with full attendance and is doing well. One other young person has not engaged well with further education or training, but is now starting to engage better with training and work-related services.

p.5

Good

A social worker said that the young person whom she had recently placed had made ‘huge progress’, in such a short space of time. A grandparent who cares for one of the young people when they are on home contact was very complimentary and said of her grandson, ‘He is a changed lad. The staff are absolutely brilliant… I can’t praise them enough.’ Children and young people are consulted by staff about their views and wishes. Their views are listened to regularly in meetings, key-worker sessions and in day- to-day living situations. One young person, when admitted, found their bedroom to be too big and asked to change to a smaller room where they would be more comfortable. This was arranged very quickly. Another young person wanted to be part of arranging family contact because they had clear views about who should attend and who should not. Staff worked hard to ensure that their views were made known and acted on. Family contact is well supported by staff, and several

p.5

Good

of the young people whose family live quite far away are well supported to have regular home contact.

p.6

Good

Staff keep good records of health needs and health appointments. One young person, who had not previously attended any health appointments, has been encouraged to attend some. Other young people attend health appointments regularly, as needed. Two young people are meeting workers from the child and adolescent mental health services on a weekly basis, and are clearly benefitting from this as they have asked for these services to continue when they might otherwise have been stopped.

p.6

Good

Two of the young people are approaching independence, and staff have worked hard to assist them with learning the necessary skills prior to moving. As a result, one young person has become a good cook. Both these young people are about to start driving lessons, which is really positive. One of these young people is helping to organise a short foreign holiday, to be taken this summer. Two young people who have recently been admitted have had good experiences of moving to this home. One admission was very well planned with several introductory visits, and another admission, although taking place in more of an emergency situation, was well thought through and went smoothly.

p.6

Good

The children and young people are encouraged to attend various outside activities. One young person attends cadets regularly. Another young person had recently had an enjoyable visit to the theatre to see ‘Billy Elliot’. Two of the young people spoken to said that they were happy to be in this placement and that they knew that they had to work towards their goals. Judgement grade

p.6

Good

Children and young people are kept safe at this home. The registered manager and staff are very clear about risks. They assess these risks well and they take appropriate steps to minimise and control them. Staff give children and young people clear expectations and boundaries, and these work well. Consequently, the home is very settled and there are few instances of challenging behaviour. Two of the young people spoken to were very clear about being able to go to staff with any problems and named the staff that they would approach by preference.

p.7

Good

Two of the young people have been missing on a couple of occasions each. Staff have reacted quickly and taken appropriate steps to locate and return these young people as soon as possible. Staff have spent time discussing these situations and explaining their concerns, and this behaviour appears to have stopped. These young people now know that they can arrange to see family and friends rather than run off without permission. There have been concerns about child sexual exploitation for one of the young people, when they have been absent from the home but these concerns have now lessened considerably because the unauthorised missing incidents have stopped.

p.7

Good

Staff at the home use a nurturing approach that relies heavily on positive rewards and incentives, and largely this works very well. There have been no restraints used since the last inspection and no sanctions. There are many recorded positive rewards.

p.7

Good

The young people at the home report that they feel safe and clearly get on well with each other as well as with the staff. One young person is a little anxious when it is dark, but staff go out of their way to ensure that this young person always has someone around to accompany them during the evenings. There is no record of any bullying at the home, and child protection practices are strong.

p.7

Good

There have been no complaints made by any child or young person or any other person since the last inspection.

p.7

Good

Health and safety practices in the home are good, and there are no concerns outstanding. Judgement grade

p.7

Outstanding

The registered manager has been in post since the home opened in March 2015. She is very experienced in working with children and young people and holds appropriate qualifications. She is committed to ongoing professional development and undertakes further training on a regular basis. Recently, she embarked on an extended training course to look in depth at attachment theory and practice.

p.8

Outstanding

The registered manager has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. The home has been open for just over a year, and the registered manager has consistently worked on improving and developing the service during this time. The registered manager has taken her time to admit children and young people gradually and has only recently accommodated the maximum number of three. She has built a strong staff team and this team, is now up to full strength.

p.8

Outstanding

The staff team has done a great deal of training over the past year. Staff say that they are well supported and supervised, and records indicate that these processes are thorough. Two social workers spoken to commented on how organised the registered manager was.

p.8

Outstanding

The home clearly meets the needs of children and young people, as outlined in their statement of purpose.

p.8

Outstanding

The registered manager is very child centred and clearly gives the needs of the children and young people the highest priority. She has excellent relationships with all the children and young people and spends time with them individually on a daily basis.

p.8

Outstanding

The children and young people make clear, good progress in most areas of their lives. The registered manager has taken considerable time to ensure that the right education placements are in place for children and young people and that additional supports have been put in place when required

p.8

Outstanding

The registered manager works hard to establish and maintain good working relationships with families and with other professionals. She has put in place a formal system of consultations with families and social workers, and it is clear from recording that regular informal contact is also ongoing. The inspector spoke to family members and placing social workers, and they all commented on the high quality of communications between themselves and the registered manager. The registered manager will challenge other professionals when required.

p.8

Outstanding

The registered manager takes time to monitor the care of the children and young people. She offers excellent supervision to all the staff and gives training a high priority. All the staff either have a level 3 qualification or are undertaking one and are due to finish within required timescales. Annual appraisals have taken place and are thorough.

p.8

Outstanding

Recruitment practices are strong, and the registered manager has taken clear decisions not to employ some potential workers when there were doubts or concerns.

p.9

Outstanding

There were no requirements or recommendations made at the last inspection, and none have been made at this inspection.

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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 children looked after 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 that 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 whom 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’.

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Information about this inspection

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 . 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 .

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Information about this inspection

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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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