Children's Home run by Darlington Borough Council in Darlington

Good

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

p.2

The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people benefit as a direct result of living at the children’s home. They have progressed from their starting points and continue to develop positively across all outcome areas. Young people’s day-to-day experiences are good and they achieve their full potential.  Young people’s relationships with staff are good and are based on trust and respect. Young people’s health needs are met and they access the services that they need. Educational outcomes are very good.  Young people are consulted and their views are seen as important. Their wishes and aspirations are highly respected and supported.  Young people’s risks are known and minimised. Behaviour is managed positively and there are appropriate, realistic boundaries in place. There has been no bullying and where young people are absent, robust measures are taken to keep them safe.  The registered manager and staff team have a very good knowledge of child

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

protection matters and actively promote young people’s care and welfare. There is good inter-agency and partnership working, which includes involving parents and significant others.  Leaders and managers operate a good home that meets young people’s needs. They provide a stable, nurturing environment. The staff team is experienced and feels very well supported. The registered manager’s practice is open and transparent and monitoring is effective.

p.3

Information about this children's home

The children’s home provides care and accommodation for three children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. It is operated by a local authority.

p.4

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.4

Recent inspection history

13 August 2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

p.4

Recent inspection history

4 March 2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

p.4

Good

Young people receive consistently good care and support that meets their needs. Pre-admission information is actively sought to ensure that staff know young people’s history and background. This adds value and clarity to day-to-day planning arrangements where young people have complex needs or have experienced childhood trauma. It also gives staff an insight into why young people display signs of distress or difficult behaviours. Staff quickly engage young people and develop good relationships. This introduces trust and enables young people to form positive bonds. A young person said, ‘The staff are great. You can talk to them and they care about you.’ A parent said, ‘This is a lovely home, the staff are lovely. This is the best placement my child has had since they came into care.’ Both of the current young people have progressed from their starting points and continue to flourish and thrive. Their health needs are very well met. They have

p.5

Good

access to all primary healthcare services and have additional, regular support from the looked after children nurse. Staff are very good at informing and advising young people about teenage issues associated with growing up and puberty. For example, staff are trained to support young people in sexual relations education. They have a range of resources that are child-friendly and encourage young people to talk about their feelings and any worries that they may have about safe sexual health. This approach is proving effective in helping young people to understand positive relationships and potential risks around exploitation. Staff work closely with the local authority therapeutic team that includes two therapeutic social workers. The social workers undertake direct work with young people and are available to guide and support staff. They also deliver staff training in attachment and childhood trauma. This creative joint-working is proving

p.5

Good

beneficial and is directly impacting on improved outcomes. One of the social workers said, ‘I have constant contact with staff and we work really well together. This is the most settled I have seen my young person. They are making lots of progress.’ Educational outcomes are very promising and are enhanced by staff and education providers working together. A teacher said, ‘This is a good home, they have a consistent approach and there is nothing negative. Staff really make an effort.’ Both of the present young people are doing exceptionally well, taking into account their starting points. Staff support out of school activities and events such as education meetings and parents evenings. Teachers and staff fully embrace and include young people’s interests and aspirations within school routines, which have significantly improved school attendance and engagement. For example, one young person loves animals and the school have arranged for them to be a

p.5

Good

‘zookeeper’ for a day if they maintain 100% attendance. This positive approach actively contributes to young people achieving their full potential. A social worker said, ‘My young person is now in education, which is remarkable.’ Activities are a strength. Young people are offered a wide range of leisure opportunities and have recently booked a holiday. They access local amenities such as the gym and swimming baths and have outings to the cinema and other favourite venues. Where young people have individual hobbies and interests, staff go over and above to support them. For example, a young person has a horse that is really important to them so staff arranged for the home to pay for the livery. Another young person loves outdoor activities so they have a bespoke activity holiday each year. This level of support is exceptional and significantly values young people. Young people are settled, happy and relaxed in their home. They have local

p.6

Good

friends, access to their families and local interests and hobbies. Day-to-day experiences are good and the young people get along very well. Staff regularly consult with young people about all aspects of their care and how the home is operated. This values young people’s views and promotes their rights. A professional working with a young person said, ‘This is the happiest I have ever seen my young person.’ Young people are supported to learn and develop independence skills to prepare them for later life. They take responsibility for their bedroom and personal laundry and help with other household tasks such as shopping and cooking. Individual needs are considered and planned for more formally when young people move towards their transition. This equips young people to better manage their lives when they move on from the children’s home.

p.6

Good

Young people are safe and live in a safe environment. Staff have a good knowledge of child protection matters and potential risks that can specifically impact on vulnerable young people. The home has a wealth of resources available to explain to and teach young people how to stay safe and how to avoid risk-taking behaviours. Dedicated key worker sessions to address safety and staying safe happen regularly. Individual risks to young people are known, monitored and evaluated. These measures promote young people’s welfare and positive well- being. There is no bullying and no complaints have been made since the last inspection. Young people know how to complain. They have monthly contact with the home’s external monitoring visitor, when they are given the opportunity to talk about any worries or concerns that they may have about the home or staff. This ensures that young people have a suitable adult to talk to who is independent of the home.

p.6

Good

There have been no incidents of children going missing and two incidents where young people were not where they were supposed to be. On both occasions, actions were taken to make sure that the young people were safe. Local police visit the home informally and have good relationships with the young people and staff. This helps young people to see the police in a positive light and provides another point of contact if they feel that they need independent advice. Behaviour management is a strength. Staff are instrumental in creating a positive ethos that focuses on incentives and restorative approaches as opposed to sanctions or punishment. Young people readily engage in their incentive plans and behaviours have improved alongside their confidence and self-esteem. A young person said, ‘We can earn extras for things like going to school and doing jobs. I think this is [a] good and it makes you want to do more.’

p.7

Good

Health and safety is taken seriously to keep young people, staff and visitors safe. Regular environmental and fire safety checks are carried out and all utilities are regularly checked and serviced. Staff receive health and safety training. Routine monitoring visits by the local authority health and safety officer provide an additional layer of scrutiny to ensure that the premises are suitably maintained. There have been no new staff employed. Visitors to the home are checked and vetted and required to sign the visitors’ book.

p.7

Good

The registered manager has been in post since January 2014. She has worked for the local authority for 18 years in a number of roles looking after children and young people. The registered manager has the required qualifications, skills and experience to undertake her role. A senior residential worker supports the registered manager and deputises in her absence. Both leaders work very well together to focus on improvement. The home has progressed by meeting a previous requirement. Young people’s written residential plans now include all their known needs, which provides for continuity of care. A recommendation is also met. Arrangements are in place for staff to have further attachment training that will underpin their day-to-day practice. Young people’s needs and outcomes are the focus of the home’s ethos. All staff have a very good knowledge of each young person and the aims of their placement. The registered manager oversees all care planning and ensures that

p.7

Good

statutory requirements are met. For example, social worker visits and placement reviews. A social worker said, ‘I am very happy with the home and I am always kept updated. Communication is very good. If I had any concerns I would talk to the manager.’ Young people are cared for by an established, experienced staff team. All staff have a level 3 children and young people’s qualification. A range of additional training is provided and undertaken to ensure that staff’s practice and knowledge is current and relevant. Regular formal and informal supervision takes place and all staff have an annual performance appraisal. This ensures that staff are very well supported and valued. A staff member said, ‘One of the best things about our home is working relationships. We are a small, flexible team who work well together. We are supported, have regular supervision and regular team meetings.’ The statement of purpose clearly sets out the services offered and what the home

p.7

Good

sets out to do for children and young people. The children’s guide is informative and in a format that is suitable. This ensures young people, parents and placing social workers have the information that they need to make appropriate referrals and placements. Monitoring systems are effective. The registered manager regularly scrutinises the home’s performance and identifies strengths and areas to develop. Development plans are updated to reflect progress and actions. Young people are consulted about how the home operates and the registered manager has recently introduced a separate young people’s development plan that highlights young people’s ideas and wishes. External monitoring is robust and supports improvement and continued good outcomes for young people.

p.8

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’.

p.9

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

p.9

What the inspection judgements mean

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

p.9

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

p.10

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 .

p.10

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,

p.11

Information about this inspection

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

p.11

Information about this inspection

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

p.11

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

p.11