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 arrangements are now clear. The registered manager is settled in the post in a permanent capacity and is doing a good job of ensuring that the home is more settled. The registered manager is enthusiastic and committed and is providing a good service for the children and young people and good leadership for the staff team.  The staff team is strong and experienced. After an uncertain period of management, staff have been able to settle and produce some good work. They are all qualified and are committed and enthusiastic about their work with the children and young people.  The children and young people at this home are kept safe. Previously identified safeguarding concerns have been dealt with appropriately, and safeguarding practice has been good in the period since the previous inspection. The children and young people who are living in the home become safer over time, as staff work to help reduce any concerns and risks.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The children and young people are all being supported well in their education. They are all achieving well at school or college and are all making very good progress. All the children and young people have significantly improved their attendance at their education placements, and it is now excellent. Staff have worked hard to ensure that each young person is able to attend the appropriate school and they have challenged other professionals when this has been necessary, in order to ensure that this happens.  The home is cosy and relaxed. The children and young people clearly feel that they are part of the home. They have helped to improve the garden by building raised beds for growing their own vegetables and have helped to build a barbeque.  The children and young people are encouraged to participate in a range of leisure pursuits. These help self-esteem and self-confidence and contribute to a healthy lifestyle. They also provide good opportunities for staff, children

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The children's home provision is good because:

and young people to do things together, which is positive.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that 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

14. In order to meet the care planning standard, with particular reference to ensuring that good-quality care plans are in place at all times, the registered person must ensure that children – (1)(a) receive effectively planned care in or through the children's home. 28/10/2016

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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 three children who have 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

16/02/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

28/01/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Good

The children and young people at this home are settled and are making good progress in their lives. They say that they are happy at the home and that they feel safe and secure. The children and young people have good relationships with the staff and particularly good relationships with the registered manager. Interactions between the children, young people and staff are relaxed and easy. The inspector observed them approaching staff to discuss a range of issues or for general day-to-day conversation. When the inspector asked one young person about the registered manager, they said, ‘He is exceptional.’ When asked why he was so good they said, ‘He listens and tries his best.’ All three children and young people who currently live in the home have been admitted to the home since the previous full inspection. All three admissions were planned, and all three placements are progressing well. Of the three children and

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Good

young people who have left the home, two have left since the previous interim inspection. One young person went to live with their extended family in a planned move, which continues to be supported by staff and which continues to go well. The other young person left following some aggressive behaviour in the home. This young person left in a planned way but had significant emotional health needs and has not had such a successful move. Although this young person was close to independence, they were perhaps not yet as ready as they needed to be. However, the move was positive for the other young people in the home as there were ongoing safeguarding concerns, which were highlighted at the previous interim inspection. On balance, the inspector feels that moving this young person on was the right decision but that the decision-making and timescales for this move could have been better. This is a symptom of the unclear interim management that was

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Good

in place at that time. The staff are planning care well in most cases, but one care plan was poor and one pathway plan was missing. A requirement has been made to improve care planning because of these two omissions. The children and young people currently resident in the home have all done particularly well in their education. All of them had missed a good deal of education for various reasons prior to coming to live in this home, and all are now not only attending well but making good progress. The staff have supported all of them well, finding more appropriate schools and colleges when necessary. This is a real success. One young person was supported to change schools after he had been bullied in a previous school, and this change has proved positive. One other young person told the inspector about their ambitions to go to university and to study psychology to a higher degree level. This is certainly a realistic ambition for this

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Good

very capable young person and it is being fully supported by staff. This aspiration is particularly positive, as this young person missed a good deal of education in the past. The children and young people are supported by various external specialist workers and, because of this, they are making clear progress. One young person is tackling issues from their past, and another is receiving support for their emotional health. Other health issues are well taken care of by the staff. One older young person has found part-time work and excels at this. The job is working at an indoor climbing centre. It carries a great deal of responsibility and is skilled work, which the young person has learnt. This has not only provided a step into independence but has increased their confidence greatly. This young person has developed a real passion for indoor rock climbing and has recently won a national competition. This young

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Good

person now hopes to go on to represent the UK as part of the national team. The children and young people are consulted on aspects of their care and the day- to-day running of the home, and they clearly take an active part in this process. They are also well supported to maintain and improve relationships with their families and friends, and staff have been proactive here. It is clear that the children and young people currently living here feel at home. Over recent weeks, they have helped to build raised beds in the garden so that they can grow their own vegetables, and they have helped to build a barbeque, which has been popular. One young person, who has taken a little time to settle, has now asked to decorate their bedroom. The request is fully supported by staff and is a clear indication of good progress in this young person’s life.

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Good

The children and young people at this home are currently being kept safe. At the previous interim inspection, a number of safeguarding concerns were apparent, and three requirements were raised about safeguarding. These have now all been addressed thoroughly and met. The concerns were that staff had not reported a safeguarding incident correctly, that they had incorrectly assessed the level of risk that one young person posed to other children and young people, and that staff had not taken sufficient action to protect some children and young people from another young person. In relation to the issue of reporting child protection issues correctly, the registered manager has ensured that all staff have completed additional refresher training in safeguarding. The inspector spoke to the staff who had not carried out the correct reporting procedure and it was clear that they have a good understanding of the

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Good

correct procedure now. In respect of the risk assessments, it is clear that all the current risk assessments are accurate and that appropriate measures are in place to minimise any identified risk. In relation to the issue of protecting some vulnerable children and young people from another more aggressive young person, the registered manager has taken action. The young person in question has been moved on, as previously described. However, this move was slow to be arranged, which means that there may have been continued risks in the period between the incidents in question and the move being made. However, staff have worked with all the children and young people involved to resolve issues and to ensure that they were kept safe, and there have been no further safeguarding issues. Some incidents of missing from home have occurred. Most of these involve one young person, and they are mostly late returns rather than anything more serious.

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Good

This is a young person with a history of going missing prior to coming to this home, and the incidents have generally been decreasing well. There has been one more concerning incident recently, when this young person was missing overnight, but it appears to the inspector that this may just have been a one-off incident that has now been dealt with. When children and young people go missing, staff follow the correct procedures, and good efforts are made to locate and return them safely to the home. There have been no recorded instances of bullying at the home since the previous interim inspection. There have been no incidents of self-harm, no safeguarding issues and no concerns about child sexual exploitation. There have been no complaints made by any of the children and young people or any other person. The staff have not had to use any physical interventions in the period since the previous interim inspection. They use a few appropriate sanctions and make good

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Good

use of incentives and rewards. They provide the children and young people with clear expectations and boundaries and use their good relationships to encourage appropriate behaviour and actions. The home is well maintained, and there are no health and safety issues that require attention. The independent visitor picked up some maintenance issues, but these have been addressed and dealt with, so that there are no outstanding issues. Judgement grade

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Good

The registered manager is suitably experienced and appropriately qualified. The home meets the aims and objectives set out in the statement of purpose. Over the past year, the management of the home has been unnecessarily complicated and has resulted in a rather unsettled period. The registered manager was registered in December 2014, after the sudden departure of the previous registered manager, and was offered this post on a temporary contract. Further changes to the management structure were not successful, and the manager was offered the position permanently from 1 May 2016. As a result, the home is more settled. These changes had an unsettling effect on the staff and are likely to have had an unsettling effect on the children and young people. The registered manager has a very good rapport with the children and young people. He makes excellent relationships with them and clearly gives them his highest priority. There is no doubt that all the children and young people who live

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Good

in this home make good progress, and the registered manager oversees this and monitors this well. Members of staff spoken to by the inspector confirmed that they receive good support from the registered manager, in terms of supervision and training. This is confirmed, as records show that staff receive regular and in-depth supervision as well as appropriate regular training. One member of staff said clearly that she was pleased that the management issue had been sorted out and that staff were pleased that the current manager had been appointed permanently to the post. They described him as, ‘open and approachable’ and commented on his good knowledge and experience. The registered manager has set about developing the home further. After a period when he settled things down and assessed the strengths and weaknesses of the staff team, he is now ambitious to further improve the home and the service. He has plans to develop key working and to increase training levels for staff, as well as

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Good

plans to make the home more homely. He is certainly a capable manager and has a track record of developing good relationships with external workers and agencies. He is also able to challenge others when this is required, in order to get appropriate resources and services for the children and young people he cares for. The requirements made at the previous inspection have all been met. One requirement about improving care planning has 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 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 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’. 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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