Children's Home run by Young Foundations Limited in Darlington

Inspection report children’s home: SC061439 1 SC061439 Registered provider: Young Foundations 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

The home is operated by a private company and provides care and accommodation for up to five children or young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, learning disabilities and/or mental disorders. The manager has been registered since May 2017.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 31 July to 1 August 2018

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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 good

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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: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC061439 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/07/2017 Full Good 04/11/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 18/05/2016 Full Good 29/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC061439 3

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) In particular, this refers to recording in the home’s log book.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Transitions to and from this home are well planned and managed to suit the needs of the children and young people who live here, as well as those joining the group. Children and young people develop excellent relationships with the staff team, which knows them well. Staff understand the impact of early childhood experiences on children’s and young people’s mental health and their ability to develop and maintain healthy relationships. There has been a change in the knowledge base and understanding of this impact in the staff team and it has amended its practice accordingly. This has resulted in significant changes to not only the physical appearance of the home, but also the atmosphere, which is calm and therapeutic. The overall culture in the staff team has improved and this has enabled children and young people to settle quickly and have a clear understanding of their reasons for being at the home and the plans for their future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Feedback from professionals, children and young people throughout the inspection confirms this. Progress for all children and young people is clear within their own levels of self-esteem and, notably, in education. Education is well supported by the staff team members who have high aspirations for children and young people and believe that they can achieve. This has resulted in a bespoke area of the home being transformed into a space where education, with the help of tutors, can help children and young people take examinations and achieve results. A wide range of activities are offered to children and young people both in the home and in the community. The activities out in the community are supported by staff until a time when the children and young people feel able to attend on their own. These activities are individualised and well planned. The health needs of children and young people are well documented and supported by

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

the staff team and the organisation’s own psychologist. Physical and mental health are given equal attention, resulting in improvements in both areas for children and young Inspection report children’s home: SC061439 4 people. This can be seen by their general appearance as well as in the numbers of incidents of self-harming behaviours, which have reduced. Children and young people develop independence skills that prepare them for being adults. Young people are supported to move on from the home in a planned way which contributes to the success of transitions. Progress, no matter how small from their starting points, is recognised and rewarded for each child or young person with certificates and celebratory events, which give them a sense of pride. Professionals from other agencies spoke highly of their relationships with the manager and staff and the progress made by children and young people.

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

Risk assessment and risk management processes are detailed and have clear strategies for staff to follow. Staff have well-developed specialist knowledge around the risks relating to self-harm, and this enables them to pre-empt, plan, review and ultimately reduce the risks for children and young people. The registered manager and the staff team members are intuitive. They know children’s and young people’s presenting behaviours and underlying emotions well and identify potential risks and triggers. Plans to reduce these risks are detailed and effective. The incidents of children and young people going absent for extended periods of time have reduced because of the plans in place and the actions of staff. The staff encourage progress by balancing their interventions between keeping children and young people safe and recognising the need to take measured risks to develop appropriate skills. Throughout the inspection, children and young people shared that they have learned to

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

understand the risks and possible consequences of their behaviours. This, along with the feelings of safety and support that they have developed with the staff team, mitigates risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is passionate and inspirational and is supported by a knowledgeable deputy. Together, they form a strong management team that has high expectations of staff and is aspirational for children and young people. The manager knows the children and young people and the staff team well. The change in culture and expectations of the staff team has led to achieving improved outcomes for children and young people. The manager role models expected levels of direct practice in her interactions with children and young people and has adopted a coaching approach to changing some of the previously embedded practices. The whole staff team celebrates events with children and young people and advocates strongly on their behalf in a variety of situations. This develops feelings of improved self-worth for children and young people and a belief in the staff’s own abilities to improve the quality of the care that they provide.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Inspection report children’s home: SC061439 5 Through the provision and implementation of learning from carefully selected training, staff have gained the skills to meet children’s and young people’s very complex needs. The manager promotes embedded learning through the use of ‘fun’ quizzes after staff have attended training and to assess their key understanding of important documents, such as the statement of purpose. The manager provides staff with regular and effective supervision. This is in addition to monthly meetings, when the manager recognises the positive work of the staff team and gives clear direction where needed. Staff feel supported, valued and motivated as a result. The manager and staff strive relentlessly to promote positive outcomes for children and young people, while developing their self-esteem and confidence, and ensuring that they are more resilient in the future. Recording overall is of a good standard. However, the home’s daily log book contains

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

some extended entries. This does not impact on the care provided to children and young people, but could cause issues relating to privacy if the log was needed in an investigation situation.

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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: SC061439 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Young Foundations Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Head Office, Suite 1, 2 nd Floor, Southwood House, Greenwood Business Centre, Regent Road, Salford M5 4QH

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Inspectors

Susan Atkinson-Millmoor, regulatory inspection manager Dot McGough, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC061439 7 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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