Children's home run by Stockton on Tees Borough Council 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 improved effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Despite an unsettled period resulting in the move of one child who was part of a family group in the home, the other children and young people are settled and progressing well. The staff have worked extremely hard to ensure that the disruption to others was kept to a minimum. The fact that this has had very little impact on the outcomes for the remaining children and young people is a consequence of the stability of the staff team and the continued level of care offered.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The transition of the child who has moved to another provision was planned well and managed successfully. It followed a difficult time for staff and all of the children and young people as a result of the risks being taken by the child, which eventually resulted in the move. During discussions with members of staff, the emotional impact of this child having to move, albeit for his own safety, was clear, as he had lived here for a number of years. The manager and staff team have clearly learned from the incident, and the result will be improved practice in the future should a similar experience occur. A social worker said: ‘The home went over and above trying to protect [name], they searched for him endlessly.’ There are no new children or young people in the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Attendance at education is valued highly by staff, children and young people, with all members of the current group achieving 100% attendance, and attaining good levels of academic success. A teacher said: ‘The school has good relationships with the home. There is definite progress. [name] is very settled. They help her with her homework and projects, and attend parents’ evenings.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Relationships between children, young people and staff continue to be strong. They are characterised by warmth, a good sense of humour and age-appropriate physical displays of affection. A child said: ‘I love the staff and want to stay here until I die!’ The age range in the home is wide, and it is commendable that the staff team is able to change its practice on a day-to-day basis, depending on the individual needs. A social worker said: ‘The key worker is excellent and has a really good relationship with both [name of child and young person].’ The home provides a safe and nurturing environment in which children and young people thrive overall. Activities are well promoted, and all of the children and young people attend clubs, classes and groups after school and at weekends. This ensures that resilient relationships are built outside of the home. This will positively impact on their ability to continue to thrive and grow, emotionally as well as

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Leadership and management remains good. The registered manager has improved the way in which information is communicated in staff meetings and recorded in the minutes. This enables a level of consistency to be evidenced, and ensures that such meetings also provide group supervision for the small team. Individual supervisions have also improved in quantity and quality, with opportunities for reflective practice included. For new members of staff in place at the last inspection, a more complete induction has been undertaken and evidenced. This ensures that staff are more likely to remain committed within the staff team.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home is warm and welcoming and well maintained throughout. The level of disruption experienced within recent months does show in the physical appearance of the building, but it is being addressed. This does not impact overall on the homeliness of the building. Health and safety is monitored regularly.

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Information about this children’s home

This home is provided by the local authority and is registered to care for up to four children or young people who have emotional and/or behavioural issues.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 22/11/2016 Full Good 07/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 03/11/2015 Full Good 12/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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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 who 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, 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

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

T: 0300 123 1231 Text phone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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