Children's Home run by North East Autism Society in Durham

Inspection report children’s home: SC458415 1 SC458415 Registered provider: North East Autism Society

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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 privately owned home provides short-breaks care and accommodation for up to six children and young people who have a learning disability. The home specialises in looking after children and young people who have an autism spectrum disorder.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered since 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 good

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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: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC458415 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/07/2017 Full Outstanding 20/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 10/08/2016 Full Outstanding 16/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC458415 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, 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that–

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to–

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, file audits should record actions required, with timescales for completion, to ensure that staff are accountable for maintaining accurate and up-to-date records. 21/02/2019

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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. (‘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 added as a stand-alone item to ensure that it is discussed on each supervision session.

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Recommendations

 As set out in regulations 31-33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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Recommendations

In particular, the registered manager should keep recruitment files that contain application forms, and ensure that they are accessible for scrutiny by the Inspection report children’s home: SC458415 4 regulator.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children and young people receive outstanding care that meets their complex needs. The staff are proactive in working with children, young people and their parents after their short-break stays in order to gain feedback. Children and young people who are unable to express their views verbally are supported through the use of pictures and symbols. This ensures that children and young people’s views, wishes and feelings inform their care planning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

On display in the computer room for children and young people, there is a very striking wallchart. There are photographs of children and young people enjoying their short-break stays with their peers and staff. The title of the display is ‘You ask us, so we did it’. This is a positive example of staff listening to children and young people to ensure that their well- being, confidence and self-esteem are all promoted during their stay.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The manager and staff are extremely creative in recognising and celebrating children and young people’s achievements. Examples on display were a ‘WOW’ tree, on which children and young people place ‘leaves’ which describe each achievement. They receive a ‘WOW’ certificate to share with their families. Additionally, all children and young people get an achievement album for when they leave. These are full of positive memories that show children and young people trying new experiences and developing independence skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

All the children and young people have progressed from their starting points. Many have surpassed parents’ and professionals’ expectations. The children and young people have been ice-skating, to fairgrounds, and to a Laser Quest venue. One parent commented, ‘I would never have believed I could have taken her there, but I would now.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff are very skilled at developing trusting relationships with the children and young people. They are attentive to their individual needs. Key workers provide individual one-to- one support, including identifying the best way to communicate with children and young people by using a range of communication aids. This promotes their equality and diversity and gives them a voice in their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Healthcare and education needs are met. Good inter-agency working enhances positive outcomes for children and young people. A healthcare professional said, ‘The staff are incredibly person-centred [about the] individual needs of children and young people and are passionate about finding the right care. They really do go the extra mile. The children and young people could not cope in other environments without that level of commitment.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Transitions are well planned. This helps to reduce the anxieties that children and young people have about either coming to the home for the first time or moving on to an adult short-break provision. A social worker commented, ‘Transition planning is working really well. Staff often come up with ideas which have been invaluable. There have been lots of Inspection report children’s home: SC458415 5 challenges and I am really pleased at the staff and the manager in their support.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home environment is kept to a very high standard, and rooms are a blank canvas until the child or young person arrives. They are safe, clean and very comfortable. The home also has a small apartment fitted with a lounge and kitchen. Individual children and young people use this invaluable space to help them settle on arrival, as sometimes they can be overstimulated and need a quiet space in which to regulate their emotions. The space is often used as an area for quiet reading or watching television. It is also used to develop independence skills, such as cooking.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Every room in the home has picture exchange communication system ( PECS) symbols displayed in a very simple way, to inform children and young people about the purpose of the room. Short social stories aid understanding. The strength of this home centres on the efforts made to ensure that children and young people contribute to their own care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff are well trained in theory and research linked to children and young people’s complex disorders. The manager and staff provide exceptional bespoke care packages that ensure that children and young people are supported throughout their short-break stays. Children and young people’s well-being and personal development are promoted consistently.

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

The children and young people are kept safe during their short breaks. The staff know the children and young people well and they put in place well-written risk assessments. This keeps children and young people safe from potential risks or harmful situations.

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

A parent said, ‘I have no negatives. Staff are very friendly. [Name] is very happy there and he is safe. I never worry while he is there. I know he is absolutely fine and well looked after.’

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

No children or young people have gone missing. Good staffing levels and close supervision support children and young people’s safety inside and outside the home. They are not at risk from being radicalised or exploited.

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

Risk management and behaviour support consistently meet children and young people’s needs and keep them safe. The staff ensure that risk assessments are reviewed regularly and that strategies in place support safe care. The staff are highly trained in safeguarding and associated behaviours that are often linked to children and young people’s complex behaviours. This helps reduce known and potential risks.

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

A social worker said: ‘[Name’s] behaviours used to be very challenging, and with input and support from staff his outcomes have very much improved. He is very settled and relaxed. He gets to go out all the time in the community.’

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

The children and young people are making considerable progress in coping with being out Inspection report children’s home: SC458415 6 in the community, often at places where there is considerable noise. Children and young people’s tolerance levels vastly improve. Staff use good communication and are proactive in recognising triggers to behaviours that cause anxiety.

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

Children and young people with little or no communication benefit from the use of social stories to help them prepare for activities and everyday tasks. These often help them to feel less anxious and thus develop a feeling of safety. The staff use PECS very well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is experienced and suitably qualified. She is supported by an assistant manager who is very experienced in working with children and young people with a disability, and who is suitably qualified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership and management team has focused on developing a strong and stable workforce. The staff are committed and motivated to providing the best possible experience for children and young people during their short-break stays.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff receive regular supervision and they said during the inspection that this is supportive, both personally and professionally. However, supervision does not cover safeguarding as a stand-alone agenda point. This does not encourage staff to consistently use opportunities to learn and develop as a team while considering and discussing the safe care of children and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

During inspection, electronic records were unavailable. As a result, recruitment paper records were reviewed. They did not, however, show fully an individual staff member’s employment history. This limits the ability of the regulator to review and check all recruitment information. Therefore, a recommendation is made to ensure that, at the next inspection, all records are retrievable when requested.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Once a child or young person is referred for short-break stays, the registered manager and her staff team work proactively with parents and social workers. This helps to ensure that every aspect of care is recorded in well-written care plans. The registered manager facilitates visits from parents, children and young people and social workers to prepare for the transition. Additionally, high levels of communication with health and education professionals provide a comprehensive support package that is of a consistently high quality.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A previous recommendation to improve the monitoring of the home is not fully met. There has been some positive progress since the last inspection. This includes recording and responding to children and young people’s views and a specific service development plan that identifies what actions will be taken to ensure the ongoing improvement and development of the home’s operation. However, the current audit tool does not consistently specify timelines for completion of identified actions. This does not make staff accountable for maintaining accurate records and could result in inconsistency in practice . Inspection report children’s home: SC458415 7

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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: SC458415 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: North East Autism Society

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 15 Lumley Court, Drum Industrial Estate, Chester Le Street, County Durham DH2 1AN

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Inspector

Michael Dack, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC458415 9 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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