Children's Home run by Together for Children in Sunderland

Inspection report children’s home: 1254835 1 Registered provider: Together For Children Sunderland Limited Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides care and accommodation for up to six children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is provided by a limited company.

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Information about this children’s home

Date of last inspection: 8 November 2017

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has improved effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home has all the amenities required to meet the needs of the young people. The manager is currently undertaking the consultation stage of developing land to the rear of the property. The overall objective is to provide a social space for the young people and enrich their experiences. Education continues to be valued in the home and attendance within school placements has improved, although attendance still proves to be an issue with some young people. The home’s practice could be strengthened in response to this by care plans setting out clearly how young people would be engaged in suitable, structured activities when not in school. The manager and staff team have worked extremely hard to address the statutory requirements from the previous inspection. Care plans are clearer and are tailored to the individual young person’s needs. In particular, the cultural and identity needs of the young people are recognised and responded to. This is likely to enhance young people’s

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Inspection report children’s home: 1254835 2 self-esteem and develop their confidence. Robust risk assessments now link to the care planning of each young person. Additionally, key-worker sessions are undertaken based on identified risk and individual need, as opposed to generic interventions. This means that young people are responded to in a proactive way that helps them to make good progress. Recording on files is cross referenced to enable information to be accessed more readily. The number of missing from home episodes have reduced. The interventions that the staff have put in place for some young people aim to engage them and interrupt negative behaviours. One young person said, ‘I love it here. I get on really well with my key worker and there is nothing I would change.’ A member of staff has worked on a project with one young person to rebuild a bike. This has provided the young person with an incentive and reward. It has also assisted the young person to develop a trusting

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

relationship with an adult who cares for him. Several bullying incidents have occurred in the home. They have been taken seriously and risk assessments for all young people involved have been updated. One-to-one sessions with the young people have helped to focus on specific behaviours. These sessions have considered consequences to educate the young people. This is likely to assist young people to make positive choices. There is a bullying champion nominated to ensure that bullying is addressed preventatively, as opposed to being a reactive intervention. The staff team and manager have access to training around the impact of trauma and attachment. They are following a specific six-week programme that uses evidence-based theory, which will inform their practice. This is likely to provide the young people with more therapeutic responses from the adults that care for them once it is embedded in practice.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

There is a new member of staff who joined the team in January 2018. He has quickly formed positive relationships with the young people and the staff team. Individual members of staff are supported by senior members of staff. They are provided opportunities to reflect on their practice and discuss safeguarding concerns in team meetings and supervisions. The registered manager could improve the home’s practice around staff supervision to ensure that every member of staff receives regular supervision, as per the organisation’s policy.

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Statutory requirements

Inspection report children’s home: 1254835 3 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.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— undertake appropriate continuing professional development; and receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33(a)(b)(c)) 02/04/2018

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Recommendations

 Where children placed in a home are not participating in education because they have been excluded or are not on a school roll for some other reason, the registered person and staff must work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)

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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

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

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 Inspection report children’s home: 1254835 4 children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Together For Children Sunderland Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: City Of Sunderland, P O Box 102, Sunderland SR2 7DN

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Inspector:

Jacqueline Tate, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1254835 5 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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