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

Inspection report children‟s home: SC408656 1 SC408656 Registered provider: Highfield (North East) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and operated by a private provider. It provides care and accommodation for up to four children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered since 2010 and is appropriately qualified.

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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

Date of last inspection: 16 October 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/10/2017 Full Good 13/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 10/11/2016 Full Good 23/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC408656 2

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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 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 information in the child‟s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; help each child to understand how to keep safe; have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child‟s welfare; and are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home‟s child protection policies. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)

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Requirement Due date

and (vii)) In particular, staff, including the management team, are required to undertake training on the issues relating to county lines behaviour, as it might affect young people placed in the home. 31/05/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16(3)(a)(b)) 26/04/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months. 31/05/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC408656 3 In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating— the quality of care provided for children; the feedback and opinions of children about the children‟s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home. The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45(1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(3)(4)(a)(b)(5))

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Recommendations

 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) In particular, the registered person should ensure that leaders and staff receive further training on the principles of attachment and trauma as they affect the children and young people in their care. This will promote more consistent practice in responding to behaviours that relate to such difficulties. Inspection report children‟s home: SC408656 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people are settled and happy and usually stay in this home for a long time. They view it as their „home‟. Children and young people speak positively about the home. One young person said, „The staff are great listeners, helpful, kind, have chats if you‟re uncomfortable about something. They are nice people who make sure you are happy.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people form positive relationships with members of staff. Members of staff work at the home for a long time and children and young people grow up being looked after by the same carers. This stability means that children and young people feel secure and they invest in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people make considerable progress from their starting points. They improve their health and education outcomes. Their social skills improve because of the efforts made by members of staff. Children and young people have increased self- esteem and confidence because of the consistent, high-quality care they receive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Members of staff are very nurturing and do all they can to meet the needs of the children and young people. Meals are freshly prepared and are eaten together. Staff show an interest in the children and young people and know what is important to them. Children and young people know that staff care for them, which improves their sense of self-worth.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people attend school, college or work-based training. For some, this is remarkable progress from their starting points. If children and young people struggle with their education, staff make every effort to re-engage them and advocate on their behalf. Children and young people grow up knowing that education is a normal part of life. This has long-term, positive benefits for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote the physical and emotional health of children and young people effectively. They attend routine and urgent health appointments, including for their emotional well-being. Children and young people learn the importance of looking after their health. This has beneficial consequences for their long-term development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The views of children and young people are regularly sought. Children and young people choose the decor in the communal and personal spaces in the home. They agree with staff what activities they will do, including where they will go on holiday. Children and young people learn that their views matter and can influence their world.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people are supported to develop independence skills. Staff encourage them to take responsibility for domestic and budgeting tasks. Independence plans help to develop trust, responsibility, confidence and social skills. Members of staff support young people to leave the home and live independently in the community. Young people do this successfully. Inspection report children‟s home: SC408656 5 The staff team has had some training on attachment difficulties and the impact of trauma on children and young people. The care and help that members of staff provide are not routinely informed by this knowledge. Staff would benefit from having further training. A recommendation is made.

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

Children and young people are generally safe in this home. There are very few significant incidents. Children and young people do not tend to go missing; there are no issues with substance misuse; and there is no concern about criminal or sexual exploitation.

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

Members of staff prepare and regularly update individualised risk assessments for children and young people. Staff recognise new concerns and update plans to reduce the risks.

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

Staff talk to children and young people about risks, including exploitation and substance misuse, and respond quickly to any risks that occur. Children and young people are educated about making positive decisions around risk-taking behaviour. This helps to keep them safe.

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

Members of staff provide clear and consistent boundaries for children and young people. They encourage positive behaviour between the children and young people. Incidents of bullying are dealt with effectively and positive behaviour is rewarded. As a result, the behaviour of children and young people within the home is generally good.

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

Members of staff undertake training on a range of safeguarding issues, including risks from child sexual exploitation. Staff have not learned about risks related to county lines behaviour. A requirement is made in this respect.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is a skilled and effective leader, who is well supported by the deputy manager. The leaders are passionate about the children and young people in the home. They inspire the staff to do the very best for the children and young people in their care. Staff feel supported by their managers, who are readily available to provide support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager knows the home‟s areas for development and ensures that the home is forward-thinking and does not stagnate. The registered manager has a clear understanding of what the home does well, and is committed to improving the quality of care and outcomes for children and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager ensures good levels of staffing so that children and young Inspection report children‟s home: SC408656 6 people are looked after by carers they know well. Agency staff are not used in this home. The registered manager arranged for extra staff to be on duty during an unsettled period. This meant that the needs of all the children and young people continued to be met to a good, safe level.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager ensures that effective supervision and appraisal of practice take place regularly. New members of staff receive good-quality inductions into the home. Any practice issues are addressed swiftly. All staff receive training that is pertinent to the specific needs of the children and young people. Staff are prepared and supported to provide consistent, high-quality care. Children and young people thrive as a result.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager successfully challenges members of the professional network who do not prioritise the needs of the children and young people. As a result, children and young people receive individualised care that enhances their development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager monitors the service and the progress of children and young people. The registered manager did not use the views of children and young people, or those of their families, in the quality of care review. This was an issue at the last inspection. A further requirement is made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The statement of purpose needs to be updated with the qualifications of members of staff. A requirement is made.

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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 difference 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: SC408656 7

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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 TS12 1EE

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Inspector

Jane Titley: social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC408656 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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