Children's home run by Outdoor Care Limited in Northumberland

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 sustained effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The young person has been living here for over a year. The stability and consistency the home provides has helped him to make progress. The sound relationships he has developed with the staff have enabled him to confront some of his difficulties and deal with them positively. The staff recognise the needs of the young person very well. They understand his anxieties, and those areas of his life where he needs particular encouragement and support. For example, the staff continue to bolster his attendance at further education, despite some setbacks. The young person likes the staff and has developed a degree of empathy. For example, the young person apologises to staff when he has been abusive towards them.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The young person is vulnerable and needs the oversight of staff. They provide this consistently but with due regard for the rights of the young person to have free time. This is aimed at helping him to acquire some responsibility. As a result, he has been able to form, and maintain, some appropriate relationships with other young people in the community. The staff help the young person by getting to know his friends and encouraging him to bring them back to the home. When the young person makes inadvisable choices about who he is associating with, staff take action to keep him safe. They do this in consultation with the placing authority and parents. This helps to provide the young person with a consistent message about keeping himself safe in social relationships. The overall approach to managing free time has resulted in a reduction of missing-from-home incidents.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff have faced some particular challenges in protecting the young person from harm. They have managed these well, liaising closely with other professionals such as child and adolescent mental health services. They keep parents and other agencies fully informed and contribute effectively and intelligently to planning meetings and reviews. The home benefits from the services of a child psychologist. She provides advice to the staff and has a better understanding of autism and different models of behaviour management. Following a recent incident, she promptly drafted a protocol for managing similar incidents in the future. This gives staff added confidence in dealing with complex situations when the safety of the young person is under threat. Any incidents are promptly reported to social workers and parents. Both the registered manager and responsible individual are fully committed to partnership

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

working, and this is reflected in the home’s practice. However, following one serious incident, the registered manager felt that it was not necessary to notify Ofsted of what had happened. This was an error of judgement, and meant that the regulator was unaware of the incident and therefore unable to apply the necessary scrutiny to the actions taken.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The relationships between the staff and the young person contribute to effective behaviour management. A detailed incentive scheme rewards the young person for behaving acceptably and responsibly. Physical restraint has never had to be used. The reward scheme also encourages the young person to engage in work to develop the skills he will need in adulthood. The registered manager has responded to a requirement made at the last inspection to consolidate this work by developing a formal life skills programme, to be implemented shortly.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager’s regular monitoring is good at evaluating the progress made by the young person, and also where challenges remain. It makes use of consultation with parents, other professionals and the young person himself. The registered manager has addressed the requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection. Records of incidents when the young person has gone missing are more detailed and easier to read. Recruitment practice has been improved. Interview questions for candidates have been drawn up in consultation with the psychologist, and provide a more robust assessment of the person’s suitability.

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Information about this children’s home

The home accommodates one child who has emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 12/07/2016 Full Good 23/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 22/09/2015 Full Good 30/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which 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

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(e)) 31/01/2017

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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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