Children's home run by North East Autism Society in County Durham

Inspection report children’s home: SC416136 1 SC416136 Registered provider: North East Autism Society

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to five children or young people who have a learning disability. The staff specialise in looking after children and young people with an autistic spectrum disorder. A private provider operates this service.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: Improved effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is outstanding because: Inspection report children’s home: SC416136 2  The children and young people have excellent day-to-day experiences. They have exceptional relationships with the staff and with each other. Individualised care and support is unquestionably outstanding. The children and young people are regularly consulted and their views and wishes are taken into account.  The children and young people have significantly progressed from their starting points and they continue to flourish. Activities are a strength. Educational outcomes are consistently very good.  The children and young people are healthy and happy. They continue to thrive as a direct result of living at this children’s home. Inter-agency working is highly effective, and support for parents and families exceeds expectations.  Comprehensive safeguarding measures ensure that the children’s and young people’s safety and welfare outcomes are superior. Transitions for the children

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Key findings from this inspection

and young people moving into, and leaving, the children’s home are meticulously planned.  Leadership and management are strong. Leaders and managers support a highly trained, experienced workforce. Ongoing improvement and development continually promotes inspiring outcomes for the children and young people.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Not all of the children’s and young people’s individual risk assessments correspond with their placing authority plans.  Some statutory guidance is not available in the children’s home.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 05/12/2016 Full Good 09/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 21/12/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC416136 3

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them, including any risks identified in plans provided by the child’s placing authority. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  Ensure that where there is a potential risk that a child may go missing, the home has available a copy of the statutory guidance for children who run away or go missing. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.25)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children and young people have extremely positive day-to-day experiences that enrich their lives. They have very nurturing relationships with the staff, and they have formed positive friendships with each other. Developing meaningful attachments enables the children and young people to form positive bonds, which develops their feelings of self-worth and gives them a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

A young person said: ‘It is very good living here, I really like it. I have made friends with [Name] and [Name] and I like the staff. They are all good to me. This is the best place to live and I am very happy.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Dynamic individualised care unquestionably leads to the children’s and young people’s very rapid progress. Comprehensive assessment and child-centred planning significantly contribute to the children and young people achieving their goals and aspirations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

An independent reviewing officer said: ‘Since my young person has been here he is learning to control himself and his behaviours. He understands social interactions much better, which is all down to this placement and the guidance and support from the staff. I think this is a wonderful placement for him.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff are very skilled in consulting with children and young people who have communication difficulties. Using a range of communication aids, the staff are able to engage all the children and young people, which supports their inclusion and promotes equality. This gives the children and young people a voice in important decisions that affect their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

A staff member said: ‘[Name] gets a bit anxious about things. He has a lot to think about and he worries about upsetting people. He gets on really well with his key worker and he is able to talk to her when he feels upset. He is always happy and content after he has Inspection report children’s home: SC416136 4 had his key-worker time. He is doing brilliantly for his age.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children and young people enjoy good health and they live a healthy lifestyle. This helps them to thrive and to meet their developmental milestones. They have good access to the health services they need, and the staff ensure that all medical appointments are attended.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Educational outcomes exceed expectations. This is largely due to how the children and young people are supported by the staff in the home and at school. Extensive joint working to support the children and young people is reaping rewards. Consequently, all the children and young people have excelled academically.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The director of education for the school that the children and young people attend said: ‘The teachers speak very highly of the manager and the staff. Good learning cannot happen without the positive input offered by the staff. This home is particularly strong in working in partnership with the school and individual teachers. The feedback I receive is excellent. I believe this is an outstanding children’s home. All the children and young people are achieving, and achieving very well. I believe living at this home has a significant impact on the children and young people achieving in education.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The range of activities for the children and young people are extraordinary. The staff actively encourage and support the children and young people to follow their dreams and aspirations that are linked to their hobbies and interests. A young person who loves trains has travelled, by train, to different locomotive museums; another young person who is interested in history regularly visits large historical tourist attractions; and the third child is pursuing his interests in the local community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

A social worker said: ‘The activities are great, fantastic. It is all about the young people’s choices, and [Name’s] favourite place is [Name] Museum. The staff have taken him there on a number of occasions and he loves it.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Transitions for the children and young people moving into, and leaving, the home are exceptional. Their needs, during this sometimes stressful period, are given the utmost priority. Superior planning ensures that all transitions focus on each child’s and young person’s ability to cope with change, which can greatly vary due to their autistic spectrum disorder. As a result, successful transitions enable the children and young people to adapt to, and settle into, their new placements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

A parent of a young person who has recently moved on from the home said: ‘I cannot say enough about this home, the manager and all the staff. They have given me my daughter back, and I can never express my thanks and gratitude. I never ever thought that [Name] would come back to us, both physically and emotionally. Her progress at the home was amazing, and far beyond any expectations. [Name] is enjoying her life now, she loves being at home and her new education placement, and she loves her new key worker.’

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

Inspection report children’s home: SC416136 5 Safeguarding the children and young people is a priority. Good staffing levels ensure that the children and young people are suitably supervised and safely observed, without the staff being invasive or restricting the children’s and young people’s liberty. The staff are extremely knowledgeable about keeping children and young people safe, particularly those who are vulnerable because of their learning disabilities. Comprehensive child protection training ensures that the staff know what to do if they are concerned about a child’s or young person’s welfare. These stringent measures keep the children and young people safe.

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

A social worker said: ‘I have no concerns about my young person’s safety whatsoever. This is an excellent placement.’

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

There have been no missing incidents and none of the children and young people are at risk from exploitation or radicalisation. They is no bullying and there have been no child protection referrals.

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

Innovative behaviour management is significantly influencing the children’s and young people’s quality of life. Children and young people who have an autistic spectrum disorder typically experience behavioural problems, which are linked to their sensory needs. This can be very distressing for them. Highly skilled staff work alongside behaviour management specialists to identify and reduce triggers that lead to behavioural outbursts. For the children and young people living at this home, their positive results and progress are outstanding.

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

A social worker said: ‘The staff have a really good understanding of [Name]. He was unsettled before he moved to this home, with numerous restraints and behaviours in prior placements. He never gets restrained here. He can talk to the staff if he is worried or anxious about anything, and he has a particularly close relationship with the manager. This progress for [Name] has far exceeded all expectations.’

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

The children and young people live in a safe home that meets their needs. The detached house is extremely homely and it is decorated and furnished to a very high standard. Each child and young person has their own bedroom that they have personalised to reflect their individual choices and personalities. The large enclosed garden provides a secure area for outdoor play and relaxation. The location of the home is ideal for vulnerable children and young people. It is away from busy roads and other potential environmental hazards. The children and young people have excellent relationships with the neighbours, who are supportive of the home.

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

The staff have an excellent understanding of managing risk, taking into account the children’s and young people’s needs and capabilities. Careful risk management planning enables the children and young people to take age-appropriate risks, which values their equality. For example, a young person who had severe anxieties about accessing the local community is now able to use public transport with his key worker. He regularly goes out socially, for meals and shopping, and he now participates in a wide range of activities that he previously felt unable to access. Inspection report children’s home: SC416136 6 There are some minor lapses in risk management. For example, a potential risk that was previously identified by a child’s social worker has not been included in the child’s current risk assessment. The risk was that the child may go missing. In this case, there have been no missing incidents, so the error had not affected the child’s safety.

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

However, overlooking potential risks could compromise children’s and young people’s welfare.

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

Additionally, the home did not have a recent copy of the statutory guidance for missing children to guide the staff about actions they should consider to protect vulnerable children and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has been in post since May 2012. She has considerable experience, having worked with children and young people with an autistic spectrum disorder for over 30 years. She has the right qualifications to undertake her role. The registered manager is supported by a committed deputy. Together they form a strong management team, which actively drives improvement and promotes outstanding outcomes. The well-established staff team genuinely cares about the children and young people, and it wants the best possible outcomes for them. Staff retention is excellent, which provides consistency and stability. All the staff speak very highly of the children and young people, leaders and managers, and each other. They are a cohesive team that works flexibly to ensure that the staff rotas are covered by staff that the children and young people feel comfortable with. The registered manager and the deputy also cover

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

shifts, which gives them the opportunity to spend quality time with the children and young people and to observe how the staff carry out their day-to-day practice. Collectively, this dedicated team approach highly enhances the children’s and young people’s lives and their positive outcomes. Comments from the staff include:  ‘Things could not be better, everything is great. Everyone is happy. The managers are great and supportive. They are always just a phone call away. We have a really good team, we are flexible and we all work together.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

 ‘This is the best place to work. We work together as a team and everyone is happy. We are allowed to use our own initiative, we are listened to and we feel valued. It is like a family here, we are all a big family.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

 ‘There is nothing bad to say, nothing that I can think of and I really mean that. I think at the minute it is the best it has ever been, the young people are really settled and happy, which is what you want for them.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has a very good knowledge of the children and young people, their needs and their progress. She is a strong advocate who does not shy away from challenging services and other professionals. This ensures that the children’s and young Inspection report children’s home: SC416136 7 people’s happiness and welfare come first. Partnership and inter-agency joint working is a key strength, and the support offered to parents exceeds expectations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A social worker said: ‘What really impressed me is when the home got a referral for another young person, and following their assessment it was felt that a new admission might impact on my young person, so they said no. They did this because they put [Name] first. I have never come across this before in a private children’s home where they put the young people first, especially those who currently live in the home. This is excellent.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A parent said: ‘This home has supported me and my family more than I can express in words. I will never be able to thank them enough for everything they have done. They are my friends, and my family, and I love them for the happiness they have brought me. The home and the staff are the best thing that has ever happened to me.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home has progressed by meeting a previous recommendation to challenge a local authority to provide a pathway plan for a young person. There is now a plan in place that sets out the help and support the young person will need to move into adulthood, which ensures that he receives the services he needs to make a smooth transition.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has also progressed in a number of other areas. The training and development of the staff is regularly scrutinised to ensure that it is meaningful and effective. This equips the workforce with the knowledge and skills they need. All the staff have a minimum of the level 3 diploma in caring for children and young people, and they have taken on additional training to enhance their performance. Regular supervision and appraisal mentors and values the staff. These measures invest in the staff and their development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Changes in how the staff consult with the children and young people, and how achievements are recognised and celebrated, is a significant area of development. Improved child-friendly communication aids engage the children and young people and increase their participation. New ways of responding to their wishes and feelings, called ‘you asked, we did’ and ‘wow’ books, document each child’s and young person’s time living at the home. Improved children’s meetings, that focus more on outcomes, lead to meaningful changes. These innovations give the children and young people a range of opportunities to express their views.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The internal monitoring of the home thoroughly assesses the quality of care, which ensures ongoing progress. The registered manager’s six-monthly monitoring reports set out the home’s strengths and areas for development. There is excellent information that logs the progress of the children and young people, and consultation with parents and other professionals is taken into account in the registered manager’s findings and monitoring outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There are two new recommendations arising from this inspection. Inspection report children’s home: SC416136 8

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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.

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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: SC416136 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: North East Autism Society

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 15 Lumley Court, Drum Industrial Estate, Chester-le- Street, County Durham DH2 1AN

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Inspector

Debbie White, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC416136 10 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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