Children's Home run by Durham County Council in Durham

Inspection report children’s home: SC035137 1 SC035137 Registered provider: Durham County 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

The home is run by a local authority and is registered for the care and accommodation of up to three children or young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC035137 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/05/2017 Full Good 19/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 27/09/2016 Full Good 16/02/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC035137 3

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Recommendations

 The importance of understanding who we are and where we come from is recognised in good social work practice, for example undertaking life story and other direct work. Staff in children’s homes should play a full role in work of this kind. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 3.14)

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Recommendations

In particular, a consistent approach should be taken to recording one-to-one sessions and linking them to the placement plan.

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Recommendations

 Children should be actively encouraged to read their records and to add further information to them. They should be regularly reminded of their rights to see information kept about them and be given information about how they might be supported to access their records in later life. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.6)

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Recommendations

In particular, children’s views should be recorded to reflect their opinions and demonstrate that they have been consulted on all aspects of their care planning.

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Recommendations

 Regulations 35–39 detail the records that must be kept in children’s homes. All children’s case records (regulation 36) must be kept up to date and stored securely while they remain in the home. Case records must be kept up to date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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Recommendations

Signing and dating records after each entry would demonstrate accountability by the author.

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Recommendations

 Supervision of staff practice should ensure that individual adults in the home are 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)

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Recommendations

In particular, safeguarding should be a standard agenda item in supervisions. This could also include the manager’s own supervisions.

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Recommendations

 Staff skills for safeguarding should include being able to identify signs that children may be at risk, and support children in strategies to manage and reduce any risks. Staff should encourage children to express their views about whether they feel safe both within and outside the home. Staff should support children to understand how to ask for help to stay safe and that the home is an environment which supports this. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the Inspection report children’s home: SC035137 4 quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.10)

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Recommendations

In particular, safeguarding should be a standard agenda item explicitly referred to in team meetings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people who live in this home receive a good standard of individualised care. Staff recognise the importance of educational attendance and attainment. Each young person has access to an educational placement tailored to meet their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The practice in the home is built on positive reinforcement. Young people are rewarded and praised for their achievements. This enables the staff to be creative in how they can acknowledge young people’s achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

House meetings allow the young people to be consulted. One young person requested a pet. This was achieved following consultation with the other young people. For that young person, managing the responsibility of a pet will form part of their independent living skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When young people leave the home they continue to receive outreach support from the staff team. This enables young people to develop a sense of belonging and enhances their self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people enjoy spending time with the staff team and can identify a trusted adult to help them with any issues they may have. Relationships develop quickly and help to settle young people well. Consequently, missing-from-home episodes have reduced and physical interventions are used rarely.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Each young person has their own placement plan and risk assessment. Placement plans are written in a way that is beneficial to the young people. To strengthen the placement plans, the young people’s comments and views could be recorded explicitly. This would help young people to track their own progress and feel that they are able to contribute in a positive way. Additionally, placement plans should inform key-worker sessions to demonstrate how young people are being supported to make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are excellent working relationships between the staff team and a range of professionals. One professional commented, ‘This has to be one of the best homes. The manager and the staff really understand the young people and respond to them in a nurturing way. They are impeccable. It’s just how they are with the young people that helps young people to settle.’ Another professional said, ‘[Name] has very complex needs, but the staff are so dedicated and work relentlessly to ensure the young people are supported and become the sole focus of what they do.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people identify this as their home and a place where they like to spend time. Inspection report children’s home: SC035137 5 One young person said, ‘It’s just like any other home, but this is my home.’ The young people have individual needs and differences. They are supported by the staff team to accept and understand differences. Consequently, bullying is not an issue in the home and young people can enjoy spending time with each other.

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

Where there have been incidents of young people placing themselves at risk of harm, the home’s manager has taken decisive action to safeguard those young people. The home works well with a range of professionals, including the police and social workers. Multi-agency risk assessments are completed to identify specific risks and ensure that strategies are put in place to interrupt harmful behaviour.

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

The young people say that they feel safe. One young person commented, ‘I never feel isolated. When other young people have had difficulties and the staff have had to step in I always had someone like [name] who stayed with me.’

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

Safeguarding is part of the home’s daily practice. Safeguarding procedures are followed and appropriately recorded. The home’s manager is currently updating the home’s locality risk assessment. When completed, this should inform the risk assessment of each young person. To enhance the safeguarding culture in the home, safeguarding should be referred to explicitly in supervisions, including the manager’s own supervisions. Additionally, safeguarding should be included as a stand-alone agenda item in team meetings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is experienced and appropriately qualified to fulfil the objectives as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. The home’s manager is supported in his role by a hard-working and dedicated staff team. There is a shared focus within the team to improve outcomes for the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s manager had some time away from his duties to assist with wider organisational tasks. He resumed his position as the home’s manager approximately five months ago. There has been no impact on the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s manager is clear about the home’s strengths and areas of development. He is recruiting for a new team member. His aim is to have a varied and skilled workforce.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is confident in his ability to challenge other professionals and members of the staff team. There is evidence of this recorded in staff supervisions. A professional commented, ‘The manager is great. [Name] has the young people at heart and it shows in the progress that [name] is making. He is the right manager for that home.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are some good examples of direct work having been completed with young people. However, recordings are not always consistent and should be signed and dated by the author, to demonstrate accountability. Inspection report children’s home: SC035137 6 The home’s manager is very much hands-on and present in the home. The young people enjoy spending time with him. They also feel confident to complain and express their views about a range of topics. This means that the young people know that their comments will be listened to and acted on.

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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: SC035137 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Durham County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, Durham DH1 5UL

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Inspector

Jacqueline Tate, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC035137 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 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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