Children's Home run by Durham County Council in 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 is experienced and qualified and leads the team well. The interim manager has stepped up from senior duties to cover for the absence of the registered manager. The interim manager is also very effective and has managed the home well. The senior team are also good performers and have supported the registered manager and the interim manager well. High standards of care have been maintained throughout this time.  The staff have had to deal with a number of very challenging young people during a recent unsettled spell and have pulled together well. The staff team is very settled, with nobody leaving or joining recently, and this has helped towards them providing good, consistent care to the children and young people that they look after.  The children and young people are well supported to keep in touch with their families. A number of them have returned home to live with their

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The children’s home provision is good because:

families after good work has been carried out by the staff team. At other times, children and young people are encouraged to mix with their friends and to attend leisure activities and clubs in the community, where they are able to make new friends.  The staff team place a high priority on education and make good efforts to ensure that children and young people attend school and make progress. While not every young person has attended school well, most do and most make good progress.  The staff team has been able to support some young people to reduce the number of times they go missing and has been able to support some young people to reduce their risk-taking behaviours. While there is still more to be done, the staff team has worked extremely hard with a very challenging group of children and young people over a prolonged period of time.  Generally, staff have been quick to plan for the children and young people

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The children’s home provision is good because:

admitted in hurried circumstances. They have been quick to engage the necessary services and external professionals to work with these children and young people. Working with other professionals is a real strength of the staff and the outcomes they have achieved are testament to this excellent work.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person(s) meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

8. In order to meet the education standard, with particular reference to ensuring that all children and young people receive an education, the registered person must ensure that staff– (2)(x) help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. 18/09/2016

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Requirement Due date

12. In order to meet the protection of children standard, with particular reference to the number and duration of missing-from- care episodes, the registered person must ensure that– (1) children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. 18/09/2016

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Requirement Due date

14. In order to meet the care planning standard, with particular reference to ensuring that admissions and discharges are well planned, the registered person must ensure that children– (1)(a) receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. 18/09/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:  Ensure that the review of premises includes the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a local authority and is registered for the care and accommodation of up to four children 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

10/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

10/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

p.5

Good

The home has been through an unsettled time over the past six months. The local authority’s, children looked after resources and systems have been under pressure and so some of that pressure has transferred to this home. The manager had been asked to take a number of admissions which were clearly going to be challenging and would require hard work to move a number of children and young people on quickly. The group of children and young people living in the home has therefore not always been the best mix and some problems which could have been foreseen have occurred. Some young people have led others astray and there has been quite a lot of damage caused by small groups or individuals. The number of missing from home episodes has been high and there has been some criminal activity at times. However, the leadership and management has been strong and consistent and the staff team has supported them well. This has meant that

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Good

children and young people have continued to achieve good outcomes despite the unsettled time at the home and despite some concerning incidents and situations.

p.6

Good

During the period since the last inspection, staff have worked with seven children and young people. Five of these have been discharged: four to positive, successful placements and one resulted in a period in custody. Two of the four successful discharges were for young people who only had short stays. They were seen as very vulnerable and it was felt that the influence of the group might have a negative impact on them, so their moves were planned quickly. Overall, this is a good record during a difficult time. Staff have worked hard, persevered and achieved much.

p.6

Good

The children and young people generally have good relationships with the staff. The staff work hard to achieve this and most of the children and young people have responded to this effort. The inspector was welcomed to a very relaxed lunch with a number of staff and the young people living at the home and the conversation was all about favourite meals, which staff were the best cooks and what dishes the young people like cooking. The atmosphere was homely, light- hearted and positive. The young people were relaxed and comfortable and enjoying the good relationships that they clearly had with staff. During lunch, one of the young people asked about Ofsted inspections and clearly knew about the grading and judgements used in schools; on hearing that children’s homes were judged in the same way, they quickly said that they thought the care at this home was ‘outstanding’.

p.6

Good

One of the strengths of the staff is the way they access a wide range of external and specialist services. They have ensured that children and young people have time with mental health workers, drugs and alcohol counsellors and youth offending workers, as appropriate. These services have played an important part in helping the children and young people achieve good outcomes. One young person is engaging well with youth offending workers and this is clearly having a positive effect on their risk-taking behaviour and will contribute to a more positive court recommendation. Another young person has engaged with mental health workers and is now engaged in positive life story work which is helping them to settle and understand their life and situation better. The staff have also maintained very good relationships with the local police and this has been beneficial in maintaining a calm atmosphere at times.

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Good

The staff have worked hard to ensure that children and young people have the right education placements and that they attend school. This has been difficult with a succession of short-term placements but has generally been successful. One young person has not attended school very well but others have increased their attendance and have started to achieve more. One young person was visiting their new school during the inspection and staff were working hard to ensure that this was a positive experience. This visit did go well and the young person returned feeling enthusiastic and keen.

p.7

Good

The health of the children and young people is well looked after, with all young people having basic appointments made. These have mostly been kept and any additional medical needs have been met.

p.7

Good

Another clear strength of the staff is the way they involve families in the work. They are often able to help children and young people maintain or improve their relationships with their families and this has led to several young people returning home when this had originally seemed unlikely. Two parents spoken to said that staff had, ‘done the best they can’ and one said that staff had, ‘gone above and beyond’ what was asked of them.

p.7

Good

There have been some challenges for the staff team around the admissions of some children and young people. Some children and young people have been admitted when assessments have suggested that their admission was likely to have a negative impact on those already at the home. However, once these children and young people arrived, staff were quick to plan their care appropriately. Most children and young people discharged during the period since the last inspection have moved on successfully to positive placements or back to their families.

p.7

Good

The children and young people have had opportunities to have their say on their lives. Staff have supported a number of them to have their say about care proceedings that are affecting their lives. Two young people were supported to write to the court during care proceedings. The children and young people also have a say in the running of the home and although group meetings have been difficult during this time, there is evidence that individual children and young people have been consulted about day-to-day activities in the home. Active planning was taking place at the time of the inspection over possible summer holidays and summer activities, which was exciting and positive. Children and young people were being supported to gain greater independence skills. Life story work was taking place and an organised approach to gaining life skills was evident.

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Requires improvement

Staff have worked hard to keep the children and young people safe but have been unable to do so for some of the time. A number of children and young people with known risk-taking behaviours were admitted into an unsettled group and this has predictably caused further difficulties and challenging behaviour.

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Requires improvement

Staff do understand risks and do develop good risk assessments. Both the manager and the interim manager had advised the local authority about not making a number of placements to the home but they have been under pressure and so have accepted these children and young people in order to support other residential services.

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Requires improvement

A number of young people have been admitted with known histories of going missing from home and so for a period of time the number of missing from home incidents increased. The number of incidents had started to decrease but at the time of the inspection they appeared to be rising again. Many of these incidents involve just one young person and although staff have managed to help the young person in question to decrease the number of times they were missing, this is again rising. Staff have tried hard to search for the children and young people when they do go missing in order to return them and they are active in this process. However, a number of young people have been missing overnight and on occasions for several nights. When they are missing this often, they are clearly not safe. While there have been no reports of child sexual exploitation during these missing episodes, there have been reports from the police of criminal behaviour

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Requires improvement

There have been some concerns around child sexual exploitation but these have been addressed by staff and risks appear to have lessened considerably. However, there is still an unknown element when children and young people go missing.

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Requires improvement

For some months, the staff have been dealing with groups of children and young people living at the home who have not really wanted to be there and whose behaviour has been challenging at times. There has been quite a lot of damage caused to the house. There have also been a number of incidents between young people that involved bullying. The staff have dealt with these well. They were isolated incidents and were resolved to the satisfaction of those involved.

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Requires improvement

Children and young people are challenged about their behaviours and are given firm, clear boundaries. They are offered incentives to improve their behaviour and are asked to help repair damage or make reparation in some appropriate ways. The staff team have done a good job here and have worked hard to ensure that these types of incidents have been kept to a minimum. Damage to the home has been quickly repaired and at the time of the inspection the home was very well presented and all the damage had been repaired and items replaced.

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Requires improvement

The staff have had to use physical interventions on a few occasions but these have all been appropriate.

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Requires improvement

More work needs to be done to ensure that children and young people go missing less frequently and that if they do go missing they are returned to the home more quickly. Much of this work is about planning admissions better. When the home already has a high number of missing from home incidents, it may not be the best course of action to admit more children and young people with known histories of going missing. One young person who was subject to a curfew order was clearly influenced by other young people who were going missing. This young person was already charged with a serious criminal offence and going missing caused them to be remanded to custody.

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Requires improvement

A requirement has been made for staff to be more careful around planning admissions in order to reduce the high number of missing episodes. A recommendation has also been made to review the location of premises risk assessment so that this is complete and of more use.

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Requires improvement

Some young people have been supported to become safer and to reduce their risk- taking behaviours such as going missing from home or taking drugs and alcohol.

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Requires improvement

The young people currently living at the home clearly feel safe and secure in the home but have been involved in recent missing from home incidents so that there is clearly work to be done with them to reduce risk-taking behaviour.

p.9

Requires improvement

There have been no complaints made by any children and young people. One young person made an allegation against a staff member. This was appropriately investigated and found to be untrue so the matter was dealt with appropriately.

p.9

Good

The registered manager has a great deal of experience and is appropriately qualified. He has also taken additional higher qualifications since being appointed and is continuing his studies currently. This demonstrates his motivation and continued enthusiasm for the work. He clearly has the care and welfare of the children and young people at the top of his priorities and works hard to support them to achieve the best possible outcomes.

p.10

Good

The registered manager has been required to manage another home within the local authority for some weeks now as an emergency arrangement. An interim manager was appointed immediately.

p.10

Good

The interim management arrangements have been strong, with one of the senior workers, who is experienced as a manager, having stepped up to take on the temporary role. This has worked well and has maintained high standards of practice.

p.10

Good

The home has continued to achieve the aims and objectives set out in the Statement of Purpose despite the challenging times. The registered manager and the interim manager are very aware of what is working well and what is not and they have taken steps to act appropriately when required. They have been able to move children and young people on quickly when required and to plan services and responses quickly. This has meant that overall most children and young people have continued to make good progress during their stay at the home.

p.10

Good

There is good evidence that staff are well supported with regular supervision and appraisals. Staff are all qualified and all have full training and refresher training in the core topics. Some staff have also undertaken additional training. There is a planned programme of additional safeguarding training in place for the coming year.

p.10

Good

Staff that were interviewed commented on the strength of the manager and have retained their enthusiasm and commitment throughout the difficult period that they have been through. Staff were knowledgeable and had an in-depth understanding of the children and young people and their needs. During the unsettled period, it has been difficult to hold long staff meetings and so they have extended handovers to ensure that details and important information are passed on accurately in order to maintain consistency.

p.10

Good

One clear strength of the staff is the contacts and networks which they have with a wide range of services and external professionals. They use these contacts well and the children and young people benefit greatly. The registered manager is quick to refer to appropriate services and quick to negotiate services when required. The registered manager has no difficulty in challenging others when services are not forthcoming and is prepared to challenge others in the authority when he feels his views are not being heard or taken seriously enough.

p.10

Good

At the previous interim inspection there were no requirements or recommendations made. At this inspection three requirements and one recommendation have been made.

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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 that 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 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 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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