Children's Home run by Highfield North East Limited in Redcar and Cleveland

Inspection report children’s home: SC476512 1 SC476512 Registered provider: Highfield (North East) Limited

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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 home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children or young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is operated by a private company. The emphasis of care is to encourage children and young people to develop strong and secure attachments to their carers, and become confident adults.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is registered and has many years of experience working with children and young people.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be 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: SC476512 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/06/2017 Full Good 13/02/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 05/09/2016 Full Good 18/01/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC476512 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, the 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff— protect and promote each child’s welfare; and help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect. (Regulation 6(1) and (2)(b)(ii)(v)) 17/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children. (Regulation 11(2)(a)(ix)) 17/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account 17/08/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC476512 4 information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12(2)(a)(i)(vi)) In particular, this requirement relates to impact risk assessments and online safety. The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved

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Requirement Due date

by taking into account and acting on— research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1) and (2)(g)(i)(h)) 17/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. (Regulation 23(1)) 13/07/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. The registered person may only— employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). The requirements are that— full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(3)(d)) In particular, ensure that staff subscribe to the update service for disclosure and barring checks. 13/07/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC476512 5 The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which— is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the

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Requirement Due date

children’s home from abuse or neglect. (Regulation 34(4)) In particular, the policy should include online safety and strategies for managing access to gaming sites and chat rooms. 17/08/2018

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Recommendations

 Evaluation of missing incidents should be undertaken to identify any gaps in training, skills or knowledge for staff or to record and retain evidence of what worked well. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.31)  The registered person should support staff to be ambitious for every child in the home and to gain skills and experience that enable them to actively support each child to achieve their potential. To ensure that staff understand and can meet each child’s needs, in line with their responsibilities, the registered person themselves will need to have a high level of understanding of the needs of the children in their care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.5)  The home’s records on each child represent a significant contribution to their life history. Children and their parents should be supported to understand the nature

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Recommendations

of records kept by the home and how to access them. Staff should understand their important role in encouraging the child to reflect on and understand their history, according to their age and understanding. Staff should keep and encourage children to keep appropriate memorabilia of the time spent living at the home and help them record significant life events. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5)  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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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Outcomes for the children and young people have improved following the departure of a young person who was inappropriately placed. Progress can be seen for all children and young people from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care plans identify individual day-to-day needs and strategies to ensure that the needs are met. Targets are then linked to an incentive scheme allowing young people to identify the reward they would like to achieve. One child received a gaming device for Inspection report children’s home: SC476512 6 meeting the target linked to education attendance and achievements. Children and young people are regularly consulted about living at the home and stated that they feel they are listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

However, there is no evidence of children and young people being involved in the decision-making about their plans or contributing to these in a meaningful way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team members demonstrate commitment to the children and young people and interactions between them observed during the inspection showed mutual respect and a level of trust.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education for young people is achieved in a variety of ways, including mainstream schools, home tutors and attendance at specialist placements. Older young people have managed to engage well in education since coming to the home and all are sitting examinations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people are healthy and overall follow a healthy lifestyle. Several use medications but records seen during the inspection indicated mistakes made in the auditing of medication which could pose a risk to children and young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people benefit from a wide range of activities on offer.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people can maintain family and friend relationships with support from the staff team. There is a comprehensive independent living plan that is completed once young people reach the age of 15 to prepare them for their transition into adulthood.

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improvement to be good

A range of risk assessments contribute towards protecting the children and young people. There have been episodes of going missing from home by a small number of young people, including one episode during this inspection. In this instance, the staff team members did not follow the young person’s individualised missing person risk assessment to locate and safeguard them. The risk assessments, at the point of children and young people being referred to the home, do not adequately measure the impact of the admission of that person on those currently living at the home.

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improvement to be good

The staff team models consistent and caring behaviours. The sense of security and belonging this engenders encourages the children and young people to behave appropriately. The use of physical intervention has been minimal to safeguard the children and young people.

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improvement to be good

Care plans provide detail of the presenting behaviours and offer strategies to deal with such behaviours. However, the plans do not demonstrate links with previous experiences of children and young people and how this may influence current behaviour. In some cases, a lack of inappropriate behaviour has been taken as an indication that young people are managing well, without exploring some key indicators of emotional Inspection report children’s home: SC476512 7 difficulties.

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improvement to be good

The home’s safeguarding arrangements in relation to online security are not wide enough to ensure that children and young people are safe. This is particularly relevant when equipment is being supported financially by family or the young person themselves. This lack of monitoring of online usage by children and young people leaves them at risk of exploitation. There is no evidence that this is currently happening but is a potential risk.

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improvement to be good

Recruitment processes have been strengthened since the last inspection, but one member of staff who works in the home on occasions was found to have an out-of-date check. This should be addressed as a matter of urgency and a risk assessment put in place to ensure that this person does not work unaccompanied with children or young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager is registered and has many years of experience working with children and young people. He is supported by a deputy and a team of staff that has a mix of experience and knowledge.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The training matrix in place shows a wide range of online training. However, not all of the staff team has completed core or specialist subject training, including around the risks and issues of child sexual exploitation and autistic spectrum disorder.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

All of the staff team has had supervision sessions and annual appraisals, which include all the necessary information to ensure that practice is consistent. The morale of the staff team is positive as the staff feel listened to and valued by senior managers. However, there is a lack of oversight by the manager in looking at practice in an in- depth way, for example evaluating missing episodes. In addition, the monitoring of key documents addresses whether plans and risk assessments are completed, but does not address the content of such records to ensure that they are helpful to staff, children and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Directed and collaborative working with appropriate partner agencies ensures that the children and young people receive a consistent approach to their care. All agencies spoken to during the inspection gave positive feedback about the communication from the home and the support that staff offer to families, children and young people. Inspection report children’s home: SC476512 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 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: SC476512 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Highfield (North East) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 37 Emerald Street, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Cleveland TS12 1EE

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Inspector

Susan Atkinson-Millmoor: social care inspector Angela Norrie: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC476512 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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