Children's home run by North East Specialist Therapeutic Services CIC

Inspection report children’s home: 1278217 1 Registered provider: North East Specialist Therapeutic Services Cic

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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 owned and run by a private provider. The home offers care and accommodation for up to two children and young people who are between the ages of six and 17 years on admission and who have had considerable trauma in their early years, which has led to them experiencing emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home was registered in December 2018 and this is its first full inspection. The manager was also registered with Ofsted at the same time.

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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: this is the home’s first inspection.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1278217 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The current children have lived at the home since its opening. They transferred with the manager and some staff members following a period of stability at their previous home. Their old home was owned by the same provider and is situated next door. The long- standing staff team provides the children with stable, trusting relationships, which has helped them to settle quickly. Both children spoke positively about the move to this smaller and quieter home as it provides a more grown-up environment for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children continue to make good progress in all areas of their development. They receive good-quality care from a small, nurturing staff team that knows the children’s diverse and holistic needs exceptionally well. Staff members provide positive role models and the children openly and honestly address any issues that arise.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff instil the value of education. Children’s attendance and engagement with their schools are good, which is due to staff supporting and promoting their learning and development. Staff have developed links with school professionals and attend regular meetings. This joined-up approach helps address any problems the children may be experiencing so the right support and guidance can be provided at school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Independence work is actively encouraged. Children develop daily living skills that are compatible with their age. However, the staff team is unable to provide the placing authority with a true reflection of one child’s skills or areas for development. This information would assist the planning for the child’s adult provision.

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

Staff understand how children’s previous experiences of neglect and trauma may affect their emotional well-being and behaviour. Regular supervision and meetings with an external psychotherapist and staff consultant provide staff with opportunities for reflection and advice. This helps build resilience and staff are perceptive and adjust their responses to children. This has led to a significant reduction in the children’s negative behaviours and staff do not need to use physical intervention. Children experience improved emotional stability and learn to self-regulate their emotions.

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

The children are kept safe due to the protection and intervention of staff. Children do not go missing from home. Risks associated with criminal or sexual exploitation are low, and the children are not known to have any substance misuse issues. The individualised behaviour and risk management plans provide staff with clear guidance on how to manage potential risks and behaviours. These are regularly reviewed and updated, but some historical plans brought from the old home are still being used. This is a missed opportunity to reflect the improvements that the children have made since being in the new home. Inspection report children’s home: 1278217 3 Staff benefit from regular safeguarding training, including attending external safeguarding meetings. This extends to discussions within team meetings that provide opportunities for constructive challenge and reflection. However, staff would benefit from training about county lines and other forms of child criminal exploitation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has over 20 years’ experience of working in residential childcare. This includes working as a deputy manager at the provider’s other home. The manager is still to enrol on a course to obtain her level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has helped get the home ready for the children, making sure that they have been involved where possible in any decision-making. Although the staff members had previously worked together, the manager has concentrated on helping them gel as a smaller team and adjust to working in a quieter home. The members of the staff team are open and honest with each other, which leads to transparency in the way they work and more consistent parenting for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is motivated, enthusiastic and leads by example. She has a visible presence in the home as well as working an evening each week to consult with the children during their children’s meeting. This allows her uninterrupted time with the children, with whom she has an established relationship. The manager makes sure that the children have the opportunity to be actively involved in the running of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The experienced staff team is supported through different forums to discuss the children and their own feelings, including in their regular supervisions and team meetings. Their practice is underpinned by research and staff are highly reflective. They feel supported in their roles and have the same passion and commitment as the manager for delivering the best possible individualised care to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has set up and implemented new policies, procedures and recording systems. Her regular monitoring of practice and outcomes for children informs her quality of care review. However, children’s care plans do not easily identify the progress being made against the children’s targets.

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Recommendations

 As the home will have a day-to-day understanding of young people’s capabilities and needs, children’s homes staff will have a valuable contribution to make to the pathway planning process. They should actively seek to make the fullest contribution, working with other relevant persons. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 18, paragraph 3.28)

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Recommendations

Specifically, to develop an independence plan to demonstrate children’s ability to care for themselves to feed in to the placing authority’s assessment for adult provision. Inspection report children’s home: 1278217 4  Staff need the knowledge and skills to recognise and be alert for any signs that might indicate a child is in any way at risk of harm. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.12)

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Recommendations

Specifically, for staff to receive information or training about county lines and child criminal exploitation.  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62 paragraph 14.4)

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Recommendations

Specifically, to ensure that risk assessments are not historical and commence from when the children moved in to the home. Records should also clearly indicate the work on children’s targets. Linking this information to the care plans will make it easier to identify the progress 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 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: 1278217 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: North East Specialist Therapeutic Services Cic

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 34 Westbourne Road, Hartlepool TS25 5RE

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Inspector

Tina Ruffles, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1278217 6 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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