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

Outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 The registered manager is an exceptional leader. She has developed an effective learning culture within the home.  Outcomes for young people are excellent. All young people settle and make progress while at the home.  The quality of relationships between the adults and young people is excellent. They are warm, evident and effective.  Young people understand that the staff are aspirational for them, and this enables them to develop the same within themselves.  Young people say that they feel safe because of the way that the registered manager and the staff team listen to them and support them.  The registered manager ensures that the well-informed team receives up-to- date guidance from the government and other agencies of expertise. This further enhances the learning culture.  Young people are fully involved in the running of the home. This helps them to feel respected and included. Their behaviour is exemplary and they are well-

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

mannered and courteous.  Young people are continually supported after they leave the home. They visit regularly to talk issues through and share good news.

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

In particular, that risk assessments are regularly updated and fully understood by all staff. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Information about this children's home

The home is owned and operated by a local authority. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for a maximum of three 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

30/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

26/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Outstanding

Young people receive high-quality, individualised care from a committed, caring and professional staff team. The staff know the young people well and provide excellent advocacy on their behalf. This enables young people to develop a strong sense of being valued and belonging.

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Outstanding

Plans are reviewed and updated regularly. These are shared with young people and other professionals, as appropriate. This ensures that a culture of openness and transparency forms the basis for communication within the home. A social worker said, ‘The staff are brilliant at communication. They keep everything updated and share plans with me.’

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Outstanding

Relationships between the registered manager, staff and young people are strong, and effective. A member of staff said, ‘If (home’s name) decides to do something – we all do it.’ Staff are aware of the plans for young people and offer consistent messages of love and support, as well as guidance. This helps young people to feel cared for and improves their emotional well-being.

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Outstanding

Young people make excellent progress across a range of areas, such as education, emotional and physical health, and behaviour. There has only been one episode of returning late and no missing episodes in a year. Young people recognise the progress that they have made and appreciate the efforts that staff make. A young person said, ‘It’s great here. The staff are brilliant; they care about you and they show it.’

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Outstanding

The registered manager and staff are also effective in helping young people to maintain and strengthen relationships with their families. They supervise contact where needed or offer support around transport. The result is that young people are not conflicted between their family and the home. This allows them to settle and achieve what they want for themselves. Families are also supported, where needed, and visit the home for a catch up, gaining their own support and guidance.

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Outstanding

Young people achieve well at school, college or on work placements. They all have 100% levels of attendance. All young people know what their career goals are and what is needed to achieve these. This gives young people a sense of aspiration and achievement that is entwined around all areas of their lives. They are supportive of each other and recognise each other’s talents. A young person commented positively on the artistic talents of another, encouraging the inspector to view the pictures. This mutual support between young people enables the family atmosphere to develop, giving a strong sense of belonging. A social worker said, ‘(Name) 100% sees this as his home.’

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Outstanding

Young people contribute well to the running of the home. This helps them to feel valued and respected. The staff hold a monthly meeting with young people where they are able to discuss issues and make contributions. This also includes talking about when things have happened throughout the month. Discussions involve each young person talking about what has gone well or not so well. Support is offered from the group, as well as from staff, empowering young people to learn to develop. A member of staff said, ‘There is a learning culture here. Everyone is allowed to make mistakes and learn from them.’

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Outstanding

A range of activities such as swimming, cinema and bowling are planned with input from young people, and the ability to relax at home is also encouraged. There is a wide range of resources available in the home for such times.

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Outstanding

The staff enable young people to consider other people in the community and in the wider world. While on a recent holiday abroad, staff and young people spent one of their days helping out at a local dog pound on a voluntary basis. Young people regularly take part in fundraising activities that give them new experiences as well as a sense of achievement. This is marked with certificates from a variety of charities, recognising their contributions. This enriches their lives while helping them to develop empathy and a social conscience.

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Outstanding

Each week, the staff introduce a meal reflecting the culture of a particular country and they provide young people with information about that country. Young people help with shopping and preparation of such meals, then an arrow is highlighted on a map of the world in the dining room to mark the occasion. The impact is that young people gain a sense of the cultures of the wider world and experience differing diets, helping their own health and nutrition.

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Outstanding

Young people feel and are safe and secure in the home. This promotes an atmosphere that enables young people to discuss issues as they arise, which limits the possible impact on their behaviour.

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Outstanding

There is a comprehensive and effective system in place to identify risks and offer subsequent strategies to reduce them. Risk assessment documentation is up to date and easy to understand. The staff know and share with them the risks that young people may face and offer strategies on how keep themselves and others safe. This replicates family life and allows young people to explore the world and their feelings safely, improving their ability to self-protect. However, the home’s risk assessment for the pet bearded dragon had not been updated and shared with staff, as required.

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Outstanding

The manager and staff consistently promote and role model effective positive behaviour. In some cases, they have had a dramatic effect in extinguishing risk- taking and aggressive behaviour, and enabling positive behaviour to become the norm. Training provides the staff with the knowledge and skills to be successful in promoting such positive behaviour. There has been a need to use physical intervention twice in the past year. Both occasions involved guiding the young person away from the situation and were recorded clearly, with relevant management sign off. The young people involved were also given the opportunity to reflect on the situation and understand why the intervention was needed.

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Outstanding

The use of sanctions for unacceptable behaviour is minimal. A young person said, ‘Sanctions are used but, to be honest, they are fair.’ A system of reward is preferred by the manager and staff, and this is effective in promoting good behaviour. In addition, an incentive scheme is in place for daily tasks, and young people respond to it well.

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Outstanding

Young people rarely go missing. There has been one incident of a young person returning late in the past year. This was seen as a stretching of boundaries and addressed accordingly, resulting in no further episodes. This demonstrates the view of young people that this is a safe and welcoming place to return to that they respect.

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Outstanding

There have been no incidents of exploitation at the home. Staff are aware of the risks to young people and discuss those risks with them. In addition, young people have undertaken the same online training the risks of sexual exploitation as staff. This sharing of knowledge extends to other subjects such as diabetes level 1 and first aid, and parents have also undertaken the courses online. This ensures a consistency of messages to all involved in the care of young people and reinforces the transparency involved in such care.

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Outstanding

Generic health and safety is taken seriously at the home. Risk assessments are carried out and reviewed regularly, including those associated with the home’s pet, a bearded dragon. Fire drills are carried out as required and all equipment in the home is well maintained and tested within timescales. This demonstrates that all aspects of the overall quality of care are given equal consideration. This ensures the safety of young people. Judgement grade

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Outstanding

The registered manager has been in the position for three years and holds a level 5 qualification relevant to the role. She is a highly effective and motivational manager who leads a very knowledgeable, committed and loyal staff team. She has the drive and determination to ensure that young people’s needs are met. This, combined with the expectation that all staff deliver care in this way, ensures that young people thrive and achieve during their time at the home. A member of staff said, ‘(the manager) is an inspiration to me. She has so much drive and focus for the young people.’ This was extended by an external professional who stated, ‘They are very child focused – not just the manager: all the staff.’

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Outstanding

The manager leads by example, working with the young people directly as part of the team as much as possible. This enables her to observe at first hand staff’s practice and how they interact with the young people in their care. This means that she can identify any shortfalls in their practice and offer support to develop their skills further, either by extra training or an increase in supervision. At each supervision session staff are asked, ‘What contribution have you made to the lives of the young people?’ The result is that staff remain focused on the delivery of high-quality care and their own learning and development.

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Outstanding

Recruitment practice is robust. One experienced member of staff has recently joined the team from another home run by the same provider, yet has completed a full new starter induction. This ensures consistency of practice throughout the staff team.

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Outstanding

The manager ensures that the staff are well supported to undertake their roles effectively. Supervision is regular and evaluative. Records show in-depth discussions with staff in relation to young people and their own practice. The impact is that staff have the right support to undertake their roles effectively, ensuring that they meet the needs of young people, and address the aims and objectives of the statement of purpose.

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Outstanding

Team meetings take place monthly and are well attended. The minutes show that the care and progress of the young people are always central to practice, planning and development. All decisions made focus on their best interests, promoting progress and excellent outcomes.

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Outstanding

The training matrix evidences that all staff have completed mandatory training, including first aid. This is in addition to a range of courses relating to safeguarding, including exploitation. The manager underpins this learning by using mock case studies to evaluate the response of her team to safeguarding issues that do not occur regularly in the home. This ensures that the team staff is well trained in the awareness and identification of any emerging safeguarding concerns. A comprehensive locality risk assessment is kept under regular review. It demonstrates that the management team has consulted relevant professionals such as police, local authority safeguarding officers, fire service, and drug and alcohol services to determine the continued suitability of the home’s location. This helps to identify any emerging issues in the community and ensures that young people are effectively safeguarded.

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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’. 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

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What the inspection judgements mean

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 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 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 0300 123 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

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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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