Children's Home run by Spark of Genius North East LLP in Stockton-on-Tees

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has declined in effectiveness . Young people continue to make steady progress in all areas of their lives. Comprehensive care plans detail the progress made from their starting points. Daily records tell the, ‘story’ of the young person’s life and include comments by young people most days. A member of staff commented that they are, ‘proud of the progress [Name] has made’. In discussing another young person, the manager said, ‘He is a great young man. He has completely turned his life around.’ Education is well supported in the home. Two young people have gone on to identify their next steps of college and apprenticeships, while they await the results of their recent exams. The attendance of the young people still at school ranges from 98-100%. For one young person, this was achieved by additional support put

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

in place following advocacy by the home. There have been no transitions to or from the home since the last inspection. The impact is that the group of young people is settled and achieving as a result of the stability they experience. Complaints from young people are responded to well. There have been five complaints since the last inspection, all of which have been investigated at an early stage by the manager, and young people have been informed of the outcomes. This ensures that young people feel that their views are listened to and valued. There have been no restraints since the last inspection. Behaviour is managed through sanctions and a restorative approach. However, a plan of action to manage a risk was noted as a sanction. The impact is that the young person is receiving a sanction for sharing their concerns rather than for a behaviour. This could result in confusion for young people and impact on the trust that they have

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

in the adults who care for them. The manager of the home is now registered from July 2016. She continues to work towards her level 5 qualification and anticipates this being completed in January 2017. Since the last inspection, she has made a number of significant improvements in the building, including addressing the health and safety monitoring issues. Re-decoration was in progress during this inspection. All young people have contributed to re-decoration plans, including the addition of a communal cinema room. This will further re-enforce their sense of belonging and ownership of the home. This also impacts on their sense of positive well-being and self-esteem. Deficiencies highlighted in leadership and management in the last inspection have been addressed, and a workforce development plan and locality risk assessment are in place. However, in examining records, two serious incidents were identified

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

that had not been notified to Ofsted. The impact is that this prevents the regulator from ensuring that all steps to protect young people have been taken. In addition, the risk assessments for the young people involved and the locality risk assessment were not updated. This results in inaccurate assessments of the risks to young people, causing unnecessary confusion for staff about the most effective action to take to keep young people safe. Inaccurate recording continues to be an issue in a range of records and logbooks. The inaccuracies in records include dates and about where information is recorded. This leads to a lack of clarity about the actions taken in response to incidents. There are a large number of logbooks used as monitoring tools. However, the numbering system in them is inconsistent. The impact is that monitoring is complicated, leading to difficulties in following individual recordings to their

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

conclusion. Supervision has improved in frequency but not at intervals that would guide and inform staff to maintain a level of consistency in practice. Appraisals have taken place, and targets against competencies of the job role are assessed. The result is that the manager has a good understanding of the levels of competency in the team. A member of staff said, ‘I feel well supported by the management team.’ A training matrix is now in place that complements the workforce development plan. However, training is not held regularly enough to enable improvements in practice. In particular, safeguarding training needs to be up to date. In addition, new members of staff have not received their full training and development as identified in the matrix. The impact is that staff do not always recognise the need to take additional action when young people are at risk.

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Information about this children's home

This home accommodates up to five young people, who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is provided by a private company.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

17/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

13/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that must be taken so that the registered persons meet 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 persons must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

(4) The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if (a) a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation; (b) an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; (c) there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; (d) a child protection enquiry involving a child (i) is instigated; or (ii) concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or (e) there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (5) A notification made under this regulation (a) must include details of (i) the matter; (ii) the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and (iii) any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the

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Requirement Due date

matter; (b) must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40(4) & (5)) 18/08/2016

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Requirement Due date

(1) The registered person must (a) ensure that each employee completes an appropriate 21/10/2016 induction. The registered person must ensure that all employees (a) undertake appropriate continuing professional development. (Regulation 33(1)(a)(4(a))

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Requirement Due date

13. In order to meet the leadership and management standard, with particular reference to safeguarding training, the registered person must ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. 21/10/2016

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Requirement Due date

12. In order to meet the protection of children standard, with particular reference to assessing and evaluating risk and acting to prevent harm, the registered person must ensure (2)(a) that staff (i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child's relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; (iii) have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; and (v) understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. 14/10/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Regulation 19(2) details sanctions that are prohibited in behaviour management. Any sanctions used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. In particular, actions taken to protect a child must not be used as a sanction. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)  When establishing the home, the registered person must ensure that it is suitably located, so that children are effectively safeguarded and can access services to meet needs identified in their relevant plans. (See regulation 12(2)(c)). Under regulation 46, the registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least

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Recommendations

once a year. The review should include 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)  Staff should be familiar with the home's policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including 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 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 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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