Children's home run by Middlesbrough Borough Council

Inspection report children’s home: SC472381 1 SC472381 Registered provider: Middlesbrough Borough Council

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a local authority home. The home provides care and accommodation for up to three young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 18 to 19 December 2017

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 3 November 2016

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is good because:  Children and young people receive good-quality, individualised care from the caring staff team.  Staff spend time with children and young people, who form trusting relationships as a result.  Children and young people are involved in their care planning and have many Inspection report children’s home: SC472381 2 forums through which they can express their views, contributing to the running of the home.  The forward-thinking manager has made many positive changes to the running of the home to improve outcomes for children and young people.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:  Staff do not always alert the regulator about serious incidents, including those involving the police.  The risk assessment looking at the impact of one young person on other residents was not robust. This resulted in the young person causing disruption for existing residents.  Although the manager encourages staff to reflect on their practice, they are not always provided with this opportunity, particularly when they are busy dealing with children and young people’s negative behaviour.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/11/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 10/05/2016 Full Requires improvement 08/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 01/12/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC472381 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered persons 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 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 an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; and if there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(b)(e)) 15/02/2018

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Recommendations

 The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. The statement of purpose is an important document in the process of care planning as it sets out the needs of children the home is set up and equipped to care for.(‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.4)  Staff supervision must enable staff to reflect and act upon how their own feelings and behaviour may be affected by the behaviour of the children they care for. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.15)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The experienced staff team provides good-quality, individualised care to children and young people. Staff respond quickly in emergency situations, and for one child this included him receiving a unique, bespoke package of care. This enabled continuity of carers, and the time to carefully plan for his future. Children and young people remain living at the home for many years, and the progress made from their starting points is monitored through individual placement plans that are regularly reviewed. One young person has made significant progress in his personal hygiene and appearance, which in turn has improved his self-esteem. Children and young people’s education outcomes are mixed. Some attend school or have Inspection report children’s home: SC472381 4 lessons with home tutors, whereas others refuse to engage in education. Staff work with the virtual school and make efforts to encourage children and young people to engage

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

with more formal and structured education. For those children and young people not in school, adherence to education routines within the home and everyday life prevents them losing focus. During this time, staff provide a flexible approach which includes informal educational opportunities, such as calculating ingredients during baking. Weekly planners provide routines for children and young people, and give them a clear understanding of their planned activities for each day. This level of structure helps reduce boredom that could potentially lead to negative behaviours. Staff spend time getting to know children and young people at the home and while they are out on community activities together. Friends are encouraged to participate so that staff get to know children and young people’s peers. Those who have struggled to trust adults in the past now form well-established relationships with staff. A professional said, ‘[Name of

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

young person] developed relationships with staff and did not want to move, which speaks volumes about the relationships he made.’ There is an open and relaxed dialogue between the staff and the children and young people, which results in a multitude of opportunities for informal key-working sessions. Furthermore, staff provide different forums for children and young people to express their needs and views and contribute towards the running of the home. Children and young people confidently express themselves and use the residents’ meetings to highlight areas for improvement, such as the home’s décor. The manager responds to their suggestions in a timely way. Children and young people know how to complain and who to complain to. Staff make considerable efforts to ensure that young people feel at home. Family photographs around the home and a well-furnished and comfortable environment contribute towards achieving this. Staff develop good communication links with family

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

members. For one young person, this has meant significant progress and has resulted in contact with family members taking place at the children’s home. There has been an unsettled period at the home as a result of one young person moving into the home and disturbing the group dynamics. The newly reviewed admissions procedure provides a more thorough matching process for children and young people referred to the home, but is untested since its introduction.

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

Staff regularly review children’s and young people’s risk assessments and implement individual protocols for each child and young person. For one young person, this involves a high level of staff supervision to keep them safe from exploitation. This practice is underpinned by safeguarding training to ensure that staff know how to care for children and young people and keep them safe. Prompt action by the manager in convening multi-agency risk management meetings ensures that a coordinated approach helps to keep children and young people protected. Missing from home incidents are sporadic and relate to more than one young person. The frequency fluctuates, and sometimes the influence of one young person on others leads to an increase in absences. The home’s risk management plans are detailed and comprehensive, and are strengthened by being drawn up in partnership with other Inspection report children’s home: SC472381 5

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

agencies. Return to home interviews take place to try to understand the reasons why young people have been missing from home. Staff have clear information about how to respond, and the police missing from home coordinator collates information about missing episodes to monitor patterns in behaviours. They also visit the children and young people to give a clear message that their safety and well-being is paramount. Behaviour support plans, tailored to the individual child and young person’s needs, highlight how staff should respond to incidents of negative behaviour. The influence of one young person led to an increase in damage at the home. This resulted in the manager reviewing the home’s behaviour management policy and staff undertaking restorative work with children and young people. As a result, children and young people have been reflecting more on their behaviour, and one young person demonstrated their

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

learning through sending letters of apology, purchasing flowers for neighbours and hugging staff members. Staff’s positive relationships with the children and young people enable them to de- escalate most situations. Consequently, restraints are rare and there was only one in this inspection period, which was used to keep a young person safe. When police intervention has been necessary, young people are not unnecessarily criminalised. However, the staff have not always informed the regulator of incidents involving the police. This does not provide the regulator with the opportunity to maintain adequate oversight of the care afforded to children and young people. One young person was linked with criminal behaviour with peers in the community. The manager responded quickly, working with the police and moving young people to a holiday home outside the area. This kept young people safe until the full extent of the

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

risks were known. However, several young people have had to be discharged earlier than planned, for their own safety. These young people are reported as wanting to remain at the home but a move outside the area was necessary to keep them safe. Staff have remained in contact with the young people, offering support during this difficult time.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the summer, the home has had two registered managers after the permanent manager went on extended leave. Both are experienced managers and have worked in residential care for many years. The newly registered manager has the necessary skills to manage the home effectively until the original manager returns to work. The newly registered manager has worked with the responsible individual to make a number of positive changes which have improved the quality of care for the children and improved partnerships with parents. An overview of the placement plans has resulted in more child-focused documents, with the child or young person’s voice noted throughout. The manager has implemented a new behavioural management system using incentives linked to children and young people’s targets. The introduction of new recording forms makes the monitoring of the service easier and assists the manager in looking at trends

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

and areas for improvement. The manager reports that this is helpful when she completes her six-monthly review of the quality of care provided. The staff team consists of long-standing members as well as newly recruited staff. This provides a good mix of staff, who have formed a close-knit team. Workbooks are used Inspection report children’s home: SC472381 6 to support staff through their induction, enabling them to reflect on their practice. This support continues with regular supervisions and team meetings providing opportunities for staff to reflect on the impact they have on children and young people. This means that children and young people continue to be the focus of discussions to ensure ongoing progress and changes of approach when needed. However, this reflection has not been robust during times when children and young people have presented ongoing challenges; at these times supervisions and team meetings have become more task-

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

based rather than reflective in nature. The manager empowers staff and promotes their professional development. Staff attend training specifically focused on the children or young people living at the home, for example learning de-escalation techniques or obtaining clinical advice. This ensures that staff provide a consistent approach and have up-to-date knowledge to meet children and young people’s complex needs. The manager is forward-thinking and committed to improving the home further. Her passion filters through to the staff, who contribute to discussions about the strengths and weaknesses of the home. An independent monthly visitor provides external monitoring of the home and the manager quickly addresses any identified areas for improvement. External auditing by the managers of other homes provides further external scrutiny of practice and procedures.

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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 differences 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: SC472381 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Middlesbrough Borough Council, PO Box 99, Middlesbrough TS1 2QQ

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Children’s home details

Registered managers: Lynn Gunn Katie Dawson

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Inspector

Tina Ruffles, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC472381 8 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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