Children's home run by North East Autism Society in County 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 young people have significantly progressed from their starting points and they continue to thrive. They have formed positive bonds with each other and they have very good relationships with the staff.  The staff see the young people as unique individuals with strengths, hopes and aspirations. Their needs, feelings and wishes are paramount. The registered manager and the staff team put the young people at the heart of their practice.  The young people are healthy and they live a healthy lifestyle. They are learning a range of independence skills, in preparation for later life. Contact with family and friends is good.  The young people are safe and feel emotionally secure. Individual behaviour management is very good. Activities are varied and meaningful, and the young people are achieving in all areas of their education.  There are strengths in leadership and management. The staff team is very

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The children’s home provision is good because:

experienced, and staff members receive the training that they need to meet the young people’s needs. The staff team feels valued, and leaders and managers are approachable and very supportive.  There is a range of systems to monitor and oversee the home, which includes external monitoring. However, the external visitor does not always fully evaluate the care practice; nor does she demonstrate that the home promotes the young people’s well-being. Some of the internal monitoring lacks evaluation, and it is not fully clear that monitoring outcomes drive improvement.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person(s) meet(s) 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

The registered person must ensure that the independent visitor’s report sets out their opinion as to whether the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. (Regulation 44(4)(b)) 31/01/2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Ensure the registered person makes best use of information from independent and internal monitoring to ensure continuous improvement. The registered persons should be skilled in anticipating difficulties, reviewing incidents, learning from disruptions and implementing lessons learned to sustain good practice. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home provides care and accommodation for four children and young people who have autism and a learning disability. A private provider operates the home.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

03/02/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Good

All the young people have been living at the home for some time and they are very settled, happy and relaxed. They have formed good friendships and they are considerate of each other. This creates a family atmosphere in the home, which enhances the young people’s lives and day-to-day experiences. A parent said: ‘The home has a really good atmosphere, really relaxed. Everything is lovely.’ The staff regularly consult with the young people to offer them choices and to ascertain their views and their wishes. The young people use a range of communication aids to help them to express their feelings, which significantly promotes their rights and equality. Relationships with the staff are very caring and nurturing. The young people respond warmly to the staff. They experience genuine, affectionate relationships that are based on trust and respect. This values the young people and gives them a sense of positive well-being.

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Good

The young people are thriving and reaching their full potential. They have progressed in all their outcome areas. Individual plans include a range of goals for each young person, which develops their skills and experiences. This ongoing learning is teaching the young people a range of independence skills that prepares them for later life and adulthood. It also increases their confidence and self- esteem. A parent said: ‘The home is brilliant, a brilliant place. [Name] is achieving so much, much more than we ever expected. She is really coming out of her shell. She is confident and doing a lot more activities.’ The young people are very healthy and they access all the healthcare services that they need. They lead a healthy lifestyle that includes having a balanced, nutritional diet and lots of exercise and outdoor activities. All the young people are reaching their developmental milestones, and the staff support each young person’s

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Good

emotional and psychological needs. A social worker said: ‘The staff noticed [Name] seemed more anxious than usual, so they took him to the doctor. He got some new medication, which really helped. The staff are really good at noticing any changes.’ All the young people are achieving educationally. They all have 100% school attendance and they are meeting their predicted targets. The staff and teachers work together to support the young people’s learning. This gives them consistency in their routines, which is paramount to their needs and ongoing development. A headteacher said: ‘The home [makes] sure all the young people have everything they need for school and that they arrive on time. The educational outcomes for all the young people are very good. We have very strong relationships with the home, and we hold them in very high esteem. They consistently work in the best interests of the children.’ The staff support the young people making their transitions into adulthood. They

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Good

work with the young people’s placing authorities to ensure a smooth transition from the children’s home. When young people have left to move into adult services, the registered manager and the staff team have worked closely with the new providers to minimise any feelings of stress or anxiety. This supports the young people to see that moving to a new home can be a positive experience.

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Good

The staff team members are experienced practitioners, who have a very good understanding of the young people’s known and potential risks. Each young person has an individual risk assessment that shows that their risks are minimised. This keeps them safe. All the staff receive regular child protection training, and they know what to do if they are worried or concerned about a young person’s safety or welfare. The registered manager has good links with the local safeguarding agencies and actively seeks their advice or support if she has any child protection concerns. This open and transparent way of working provides the young people with additional independent safeguards. A social worker said: ‘I have no concerns at all about safety in the home.’ Behaviour management is highly individualised. All the young people have a comprehensive behavioural assessment to determine their needs, which informs their unique behaviour management plans. Individualised behaviour management

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Good

strategies support the young people to reduce their stress factors and anxieties, which are linked to their autism. This significantly enhances the young people’s quality of life. A social worker said: ‘This is a very positive placement, with very few incidents. [Name] is showing no challenging behaviours, and is very settled. He needs structure and routine, which he has. He has very good relationships with the staff. They know him very well.’ Restraints are very rarely used, and the staff only consider physical interventions as a last resort. There have been no missing young people, and there are no risks of exploitation. No young person has been bullied, and there have been no complaints. The young people live in a safe environment that meets their needs. The registered manager ensures that all the home’s utilities are routinely maintained and serviced. Regular fire and health and safety checks are carried out, and all the staff have a

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Good

valid first-aid certificate. These measures promote the young people’s welfare. Staff recruitment procedures are robust. The registered manager checks all new staff to make sure that they are suitable to work with vulnerable children and young people. The staff also check and vet all visitors to the home to further keep the young people safe.

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Good

The registered manager is very knowledgeable and experienced. She has worked with children and young people who have autism for many years. During this time, she has developed a wide range of skills that promote good outcomes for the young people. The registered manager has been in post for four years, and she has the right qualifications to undertake her role. An experienced and established staff team gives the young people stability and consistency. All statutory training is up to date, and all the staff have a level 3 qualification in caring for children and young people. They also have a level 2 qualification in autism. This ensures that the staff have the skills and knowledge to meet the young people’s needs. Communication between leaders and managers and the staff team is very good. They have regular team meetings, supervision, reflective practice and yearly performance appraisals. The staff feel valued, appreciated and listened to. This

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Good

demonstrates that they are highly valued. A staff member said: ‘I am very happy at the home. It is great place to work. I feel very well supported and valued. All the training is very good, and we have a great team.’ The home fully operates within the statement of purpose. The young people, parents and social workers are given good information about living at the home. Ongoing, regular communication with parents and social workers ensures that they know how their children are progressing and developing. The registered manager and the staff also consult them about their views. This professional co-working and family involvement enhance the young people’s day-to-day support and their good outcomes. A parent said: ‘I am kept up to date with everything. I can talk to the staff about anything. The communication is excellent.’ There is a range of monitoring activities to review the quality of the care delivered

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Good

to the young people. The registered manager carries out monthly checks that inform her regulation 45 report, an independent visitor visits monthly and the registered person carries out a six-monthly audit. There are some elements of positive monitoring, but overall the monitoring is not fully effective. The majority of information gathered is data based and lacks evaluation and outcomes for the young people. It is not clear how the outcomes from the monitoring drive improvement or how they anticipate potential difficulties. There are no examples in which the monitoring has reviewed events or practice shortfalls, to show any lessons learned, which would enable the staff to learn from their experiences. This way of working does not fully encompass the purpose of robust monitoring and potentially impedes the home’s development. There are also shortfalls in the independent visitor’s report. Again, the reports are

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Good

primarily data based and they do not include the visitor’s opinion as to how the conduct of the home promotes the young people’s well-being.

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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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