Children's home run by Pear Tree Projects Limited in County Durham

Inspection report children’s home: SC418605 1 SC418605 Registered provider: Pear Tree Projects Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private organisation and is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The manager was registered in July 2018 and is appropriately qualified.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 27 November 2018

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC418605 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/11/2018 Full Good 14/11/2017 Full Good 16/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 15/11/2016 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC418605 3

p.2

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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

p.3

Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; or

p.3

Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child— is instigated; or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry). (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(d)(e)) 26/07/2019

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people living in this home receive individualised care. Comprehensive care plans and risk assessments reflect how children and young people will be supported and protected. They are regularly reviewed and updated to ensure that they remain relevant to each child and young person. This means that children and young people receive consistent care that is relevant to their care requirements.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people access support from a range of support services. This includes specialist support from forensic Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) as well as practical and emotional support from a nurturing staff team. Consequently, children and young people are making progress in most areas taking into account their starting points.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team members are confident in their approach to supporting children and young people with a diverse range of subjects. This includes supporting children and young people around identity and sexuality as well as safe and appropriate relationships. The registered manager has been proactive at researching what is happening in the local community as well as in the wider community. The use of news articles, videos and documentaries have helped to encourage children and young people to think, discuss and reflect on the world around them. This provides a safe environment for children and Inspection report children’s home: SC418605 4 young people to discuss any worries or concerns with trusted adults. Additionally, it encourages children and young people to understand matters around equality and diversity.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is a good ethos of education and attainment. The registered manager advocates well on behalf of children and young people so they can access the appropriate educational provisions and support. Subsequently, children and young people are making progress in their educational studies, as well as in their social interactions with peers and others.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people are consulted via regular house meetings and within key- worker sessions. The wishes and feelings of children and young people inform part of their care planning, including the activities that they access. A professional commented, ‘This is a fantastic home. They [staff] are very good at engaging the young people. The activities that they do are amazing. [Name] is doing the coast to coast cycle route. It has really brought on [Name’s] confidence.’

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Admissions to the home are well planned and considered. Impact risk assessments consider the needs of all children and young people to ensure that the mix of the group causes minimal disruption. Children and young people are sensitively welcomed into the home. This enables them to settle quickly. No placements have ended abruptly. The result is that the planned moves help children and young people to transition in a positive way.

p.4

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

There is a good safeguarding culture in the home. Safeguarding is included as a standard agenda item within team meetings and within staff supervisions. Safeguarding topics are also discussed within the children’s and young people’s house meetings as well as in individual key-working sessions. Where there have been safeguarding incidents, the correct procedures have been followed. The staff team follows individual risk assessments to manage risks effectively. The inspector found safeguarding incidents that had been notified to the relevant agencies, but no notification was made to HMCI.

p.4

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

Behaviour management in the home is good. Low-level disruptive behaviour is managed effectively. Children and young people have very positive relationships with the adults who care for them. Subsequently, missing from home episodes are not an issue of concern. There has been one incident of physical intervention that was used to safeguard the young person. There was good management oversight of the incident and the young person was consulted following the intervention. This means that children and young people receive nurturing responses to support them following crisis episodes.

p.4

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

Children and young people spoken to say that they feel safe and know the adults are there to help protect them. One young person commented, ‘I love the staff here they really care about you. You never feel lonely. I really want to stay here. It is my home.’

p.4

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

The use of social media and the internet is carefully managed to enable children and Inspection report children’s home: SC418605 5 young people to enjoy using it safely. The staff team has taken a rigorous approach to educating the children and young people around keeping safe in a variety of settings. This includes the risks of accessing social media, substance misuse, road safety, relationships and radicalisation. This helps children and young people to recognise risk and to help keep themselves safe in and outside the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is very experienced and qualified for the position held. He is supported in his role by a small staff team with varying skills and abilities. The registered manager leads by example, setting a precedent for high standards within the home. He is highly aspirational for each child and young person. Children and young people value his passion to affect and improve the quality of care that they receive. A young person commented, ‘[Name] is brilliant. He really cares, and I feel I have everything that I need. I wouldn’t change anything.’

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is confident in challenging other professionals where there are shortfalls in the quality of care provided to children and young people. He continues to maintain positive working relationships with a range of professionals. Feedback from professionals was very impressive. Comments such as ‘dedicated’ and ‘passionate’ were commonly used. Strong advocacy by the manager has resulted in positive outcomes for children and young people.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager recognises the importance of developing a highly skilled staff team. He continually looks for new learning experiences and opportunities for the children, young people and his staff. He sources training beyond mandatory training and encourages his staff team to access learning of interest as well as promoting professional development. Additional training includes suicide awareness, ‘Prevent’ duty, understanding the impact of psychology and county lines among others. His staff team members feel confident, motivated and valued as a result. Furthermore, he has shared with other managers networks to access different training from external providers.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is very present within the home. This means that he is able to monitor practice and to ensure that maintenance of the home is given priority. The children and young people have an excellent relationship with him and seek him out to speak with him. This means that if a child or young person has an issue they can speak directly to the registered manager. He also engages and promotes different activities such as cycling the coast to coast with some of the children and young people. His support and encouragement to help children and young people to try new activities enhance their experiences as well as provide them with a sense of pride and achievement.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager knows the home’s strengths as well as areas for development. He is able to accept constructive feedback from his independent visitor as well as the inspector to help drive improvements forward. His workforce development plan is excellent. He has a clear plan to drive improvements forward and to improve the standards of care for children and young people to enhance their life opportunities. Inspection report children’s home: SC418605 6

p.5

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.

p.6

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: SC418605 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pear Tree Projects Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Peartree House, Bolam, Darlington, County Durham DL2 2UP

p.7

Inspector

Jacqueline Tate: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC418605 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8