Children's Home run by Young Foundations Limited in Darlington

Inspection report children's home: SC061439 1 SC061439 Registered provider: Young Foundations Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private company, and provides care and accommodation for up to five children or young people who have emotional or behavioural difficulties, learning disabilities or mental disorders.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 11/07/2017 to 12/07/2017

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Declined in effectiveness

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is good because:  The new manager has driven forward a change in culture in the home.  The staff team is comprised of caring and committed individuals who work well in partnership with others.  The records are clear and concise. Inspection report children's home: SC061439 2  Young people regularly contribute to the planning process. The children’s home’s areas for development:  The culture change that has been introduced by the new manager now needs to be embraced by all the staff team to benefit the young people.  Training requirements must be addressed in a timely manner.

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/11/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 18/05/2016 Full Good 29/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 29/06/2015 Full Good Inspection report children's home: SC061439 3

p.2

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to 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 person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

p.3

Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

p.3

Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (‘the Level 3 Diploma’); or

p.3

Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

p.3

Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

p.3

Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32(4)(5)) 18/08/2017

p.3

Recommendations

 Staff need the knowledge and skills to recognise and be alert for any signs that might indicate a child is in any way at risk of harm. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.12) In particular, ensure that the safeguarding training is refreshed.  When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  Supervision of staff practice should ensure that individual adults in the home are Inspection report children's home: SC061439 4

p.3

Recommendations

engaged in the safeguarding culture of the home so they understand what they would need to do if they found other staff misusing or abusing their position to the detriment of the safety of a child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.14) In particular, ensure that safeguarding is a standard agenda item at team meetings.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people are happy and relaxed, and have built up trusting relationships with the adults caring for them that are characterised by warmth and humour. The young people are achieving in all areas of their lives, but the progress seen in educational attendance and attainment for both young people has been particularly impressive. A professional working with the home said: ‘The new manager is very driven to meet the needs of young people, particularly in education.’

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is facilitated in the home via tutors and the staff team. While this is recognised to be not an ideal situation, it is of benefit to the current young people and meets their needs. Attendance at tutor sessions is currently 100%. This learning is supplemented by staff taking the young people out on educational visits and by projects undertaken by the young people with staff support.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Progress can be seen both in the presentation of the young people and through the range of plans and documents introduced by the manager. The plans and documents show the clear progress of the young people from their starting points, and are accessible to the young people, their families and other professionals. The young people regularly contribute to their plans and are aware of the targets that they are working towards. The visual result gives confidence and raises self-esteem in a safe and secure atmosphere.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Each young person has a key worker with whom they review their plans and discuss issues of importance. This is supported by weekly individual sessions with a psychologist. In these sessions, the young people can reflect on past experiences and learn to address their own behaviours. This enables them to develop resilience, equipping them to address emotional issues in the future. In addition, the staff receive clinical supervision and guidance during these weekly sessions to enable them to meet the day-to-day emotional needs of the young people. A professional working in the psychology service stated: ‘I find the staff are open to clinical psychological change and find them keen to learn. They have a good handle on the needs of young people and what to do in dealing with behaviours.’

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff understand the importance of contact with family and friends for the young people. They promote and support contact well, either by transport or supervising the contact. Friends, family and professionals are welcomed in the home. A parent stated: ‘(Name) is really settled and doing well. I have seen a real, positive Inspection report children's home: SC061439 5 change in her.’

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people and their families are consulted regularly about the running of the home. This is achieved monthly through a questionnaire to families and weekly with the young people directly. There is evidence of change being achieved by the young people through their weekly meetings with staff. Activities are discussed and planned, along with the decoration and physical aspects of the home. Such meetings also offer an opportunity for staff to discuss wider issues of interest, such as bullying, exploitation and, following recent activity shown in the media, terrorism. Subsequently, the young people have undertaken projects and produced drawings and posters explaining what they have learned. This impacts positively on their education by widening their knowledge of world and life events, and on the skills that they demonstrate in researching the subjects and evidencing their work.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Transitions to and from the home are well planned, risk assessed and managed. The staff use the admission process to introduce staff to the young people and create opportunities for important relationships to develop, such as those with appointed key workers. The result is that the success and stability of the placements in the home have improved.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The overall appearance of the home has improved. It is welcoming, homely and well maintained. A young person said: ‘It was a mess before and looked uncared for; it’s lovely and homely now.’

p.5

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The young people are safe and said that they feel safe in the home. Risk assessments clearly identify risk indicators and triggers, as well as strategies for mitigating against the risk. Such assessments and care plans are updated regularly by staff, monitored by the management team and shared with other professionals.

p.5

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Boundaries and expectations regarding the behaviour of the young people are clear and behaviour is well managed. Where behaviour needs to be addressed, the use of a restorative approach continues to develop, while the use of physical intervention and sanctions is being reduced. The young people are aware of how to complain and can each identify a trusted adult in the home. This contributes to the feeling of trust, well- being and security of the young people.

p.5

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Episodes of absence or missing are being reduced in frequency and, for one young person, do not occur at all. Staff have a clear process to follow in such circumstances, which involves making welfare calls to the mobile phone of the young person and actively searching known areas. A local police officer said: ‘They are good at communicating with us if there is an issue, and always make attempts to find a young person before reporting them as missing.’ This contributes to the young people feeling cared for and safe. When the young people return to the home, they are welcomed and their immediate needs addressed. However, return interviews, although requested, do not often take place with an independent person, and this needs to be addressed. Inspection report children's home: SC061439 6 Safeguarding arrangements in the home are clear, as are the processes to follow should a member of staff be concerned about a young person. Incidents of a safeguarding

p.5

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

nature are clearly recorded and shared with relevant professionals. A professional working with the home said: ‘There is a good flow of information from them.’ A parent also commented: ‘They keep me updated and I receive a weekly report .’

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The aspirational manager has been in post for nine months and been registered since May 2017. She is due to complete her level 5 qualification in one month and has significant experience of working with children in residential care. She is supported by a recently appointed deputy.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has shown strong leadership, which has made a huge impact on the culture in the home in the relatively short period of time that she has been in post. She has taken ownership of the home, and has enabled staff to share her passion and commitment to young people. She demonstrates high but balanced expectations of staff, and is aware of the team’s strengths and areas for development. A professional, in discussing the manager’s influence, commented: ‘Gaynor has been a great addition to the home. She is a credit to the organisation. She will take things forward and think through barriers to progression.’

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is clear about the home’s overall strengths. She is also aware of the areas that need development, and has a plan of how to achieve these. She has used research to good effect in developing practice in the home and enabling staff to improve their individual effectiveness with the young people. A professional working with the home stated: ‘They have made the young person feel at ease and have increased her confidence. They see her as an individual and have offered endless support to ensure her needs are met.’

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Monitoring of practice, systems and records is robust. This will be further helped by the recent addition of a deputy. This will enable the manager to step back from day-to-day practice and undertake further relevant development with the staff team.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The young people’s case files are excellent. It is evident that the manager has given direction and clear expectations to the staff, who have responded positively and creatively. The records, which are underpinned by theory in their methodology, are thorough, accurate and up to date. They create a very interactive record of what is happening in the young people’s lives, and their ‘voice’ is evident throughout.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff team is robustly recruited and records of recruitment are complete. Training for staff is ongoing, and is recorded via a matrix and in the workforce development plan. However, records demonstrate that, where practice falls short of expectations, the organisation’s training provision does not respond quickly and efficiently, and this needs to be addressed. In addition, not all staff are qualified to the required level within the relevant timescales. Although the manager has actively addressed this issue since she Inspection report children's home: SC061439 7 has taken over the leadership of the home, it remains. Addressing this will impact positively on the ability of staff to meet the needs of young people.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Supervision of the staff team is shared between the manager and senior team. Records show that supervisions take place regularly and address practice, as well as the needs of young people. There is the opportunity for reflection and learning on each occasion. This is underpinned by a yearly appraisal that identifies targets for the following year.

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home continues to achieve its aims and objectives as set out in the statement of purpose.

p.7

Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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.

p.7

Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, 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’. Inspection report children's home: SC061439 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Young Foundations Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: c/o Head Office, Suite 1, 2nd floor, Southwood House, Greenwood Business Centre, Regent Road, Salford M5 4QH

p.8

Inspector

Susan Atkinson-Millmoor, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC061439 9 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, 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 http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

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

p.9