Children's home in County Durham

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judges that it has improved effectiveness . The two young people currently living in the home were living here at the time of the last inspection. The manager is working with the placing authority in relation to a potential change in placement. Steps are being put in place for a smooth transition, with planning around consistency for the young person. This is to ensure that any new carers fully understand the young person’s needs and behaviours. This will support the young person to move into the care of people who will have knowledge about their preferred method for care and who understand the most effective techniques for managing their behaviour, which will make them feel safe and secure. At the time of the inspection, the placing authority was hindering the effectiveness of the transition due to delays in engaging with the future authority.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Key workers have regular discussions with the young people to understand what they like and what they want to do. This has developed into a ‘you said... we did’ wall. This has a number of photographs of young people engaging in various activities. Key workers also use these sessions to promote positive behaviour and allow time between an incident and a discussion so that the outcome is more effective. Some messages that are given to young people are also transferred into a social story. This means that the young person has the learning or message as a short story which is personal to them. They can refer to this whenever they need to and it provides them with reassurance about what has happened or what has been planned, which reduces their anxiety. The staff have a good knowledge and understanding of the two young people. They speak about them fondly and refer to them as ‘my boys’. This demonstrates a

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

warmth in the home which feels caring and nurturing. Both young people are doing very well at school. The transport to school has recently been changed to use separate vehicles. This was as a result of the staff monitoring the boys’ relationships and taking time to understand why incidents were taking place. This change has reduced the number of incidents during transporting to or from school. One young person had a period when they were not looking forward to school. Staff took the time to explore what had changed and recognised that it timed with a key person at school being away from work. Young people have continued to progress. Behaviours are well managed and staff use their knowledge of the young people to anticipate when behaviour may escalate. They use techniques that they know work to distract young people away from a build-up of their anxiety. This reduces the number of incidents which might

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

progress to the use of a physical intervention. The young people’s health has improved due to taking part in more activities. One new member of staff has identified that the activities that were taking place to improve the health of the young people were not effective. Additional activities have been introduced, which supports the young people to lose weight and keep active. These include wall climbing and using the trampoline. New staff have undergone appropriate checks to ensure that they are safe to work with children and young people. They have embarked on a package of training and induction. A member of staff said that the induction gave them enough knowledge to work with the young people and that additional training was available to further improve that knowledge. Supervisions take place and allow for an opportunity for staff to discuss any concerns or to put forward any suggestions that they may have

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

to improve the service or the care being provided. Work has been carried out with young people to improve their independence skills. One young person now cooks meals and cleans and polishes their room. Another young person has shown more independence when they have been on visits home. When making a drink for themselves, the young people now readily ask others if they would also like a drink. The breadth of communication has been improved for one young person who has increased their use of Makaton. The staff has engaged teachers, parents and the young person to support a consistent use of clear signs. The staff now also promote a ‘sign of the week’ to further develop communication skills. Staff engage with parents to share their knowledge of what is working well for young people so that they can understand the triggers that their children have. This enables parents to manage behaviours more effectively and improve the

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

young people’s experience when they are with their family. The staff understand the young people well. Physical interventions in the home have reduced, and when an intervention is necessary, alternative techniques to avoid it have been used. The staff have been able to gain practical support from the psychiatrist, who also supports the staff to prepare the young people’s monthly reviews. The staff are able to work with a team of professionals who are described as ‘brilliant’. They work to appropriate timeframes and engage with the young people early. The staff team also works well with instructors who support managing new behaviours. They are working with the staff team to assess the environment so that strategies for managing incidents can be improved. The staff also utilise support from the occupational therapist. She has been able to provide some equipment to the home, where it can then be tested to see if it meets their needs, without first having to

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

purchase expensive items that might not be effective. One young person has been trying a new set of active noise cancelling headphones. The requirements and recommendations that were made at the last inspection have been met. None were raised at this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to four children or young people who have learning disabilities and autism. The home is operated by a private provider.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

26/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

12/02/2015 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 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 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. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the

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Information about this inspection

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 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 children looked after 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 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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