Children's Home run by Resilience North East Limited in Durham

Inspection report children’s home: 1248773 1 Registered provider: Resilience North East 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 run by a private organisation and is registered for the care and accommodation of up to five children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties or learning disabilities. The manager has been registered since February 2017.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 17 to 18 September 2019

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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 outstanding

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good

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

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1248773 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/06/2018 Full Good 24/01/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 15/08/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1248773 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, the 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 registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— 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); or there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(d)(i)(ii) and (e)) 19/10/2019

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Recommendations

 Regulations 35-39 detail the records that must be kept in children’s homes. All children’s case records (regulation 36) must be kept up to date and stored securely whilst they remain in the home. Case records must be kept up-to-date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. Children’s case records must be kept for 75 years from the date of birth of the child, or if the child dies before the age of 18, for 15 years from the date of his or her death. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)  Supervision of staff practice should ensure that individual adults in the home are engaged in the safeguarding culture of the home so they understand what they would need to do if they found other staff misusing or abusing their position to the detriment of the safety of a child. (‘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 explicitly referred to as a standard agenda item in all staff supervisions and team meetings.  The registered person should oversee the welfare of the children in their care through observation and engagement with: each child; the home’s staff; each child’s family/carers where appropriate; and professionals involved in the care or protection of each child including their social worker, Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO), teachers, clinicians and other health professionals etc. (‘Guide to Inspection report children’s home: 1248773 4 the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.23) In particular, the registered manager should include an evaluation of consultations that have taken place within the review of quality of care report as set out in regulation 45.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people receive a very good standard of care. Care plans are bespoke and tailored to each child’s and young person’s care requirements. Children and young people are making very good progress in most areas from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care planning and admissions are based on careful consideration of each child’s and young person’s needs. Steps are taken to sensitively welcome children and young people into the home. This allows them to settle quickly. It also enables children and young people to develop trusting relationships with the adults who care for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Family time with children, young people and their families is supported well where it is safe to do so. Children and young people benefit from spending time with their families inside the home and out in the community. The home is well maintained, warm and homely. This supports family time being facilitated in a natural and relaxing environment. A professional commented, ‘This provision really invests well in children. They have a good understanding of individual needs. I am impressed at how well they manage behaviours. They are creative. They just have the right attitude and willingness to have positive relationships with families and they are excellent at supporting family time to get it right for the children.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people are very well consulted. This means that they can contribute to the care that they receive. Children and young people benefit from accessing a wide range of activities including cultural events, musical festivals, theme parks and much more. This enhances children’s and young people’s experiences and provides opportunities to develop friendships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Independent living skills are very well supported in line with each child’s and young person’s set targets. These targets are regularly reviewed to ensure that the appropriate level of support is given to aid progress. Life story books and the use of photographs help to capture the achievements and special memories for children and young people. This helps children and young people to recognise their own progress. Inspection report children’s home: 1248773 5

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

Risk assessment and risk management processes are effective. Appropriate training is received to ensure that the right support and care are provided to children and young people on an individual basis.

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

Missing from home episodes are not an issue of concern. The registered manager ensures that there is no complacency in practice and missing from care protocols are in place and regularly reviewed.

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

Disruptive behaviours are responded to with de-escalation techniques. Incentives and positive reinforcement are favoured strategies to manage behaviours. Physical interventions are only used to prevent further harm to children, young people and/or others. They are appropriately recorded and demonstrate the steps taken to prevent the need for the intervention. Regular training is provided to ensure that practice is in line with guidelines. The manager reviews the records to monitor practice.

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

Children and young people are helped to keep themselves safe. This was well evidenced through key-worker sessions. The adults caring for the children and young people recognise the need to support independence and educate the children and young people to make safe choices. Support is balanced between keeping children and young people safe and recognising that children and young people need to take measured risks to develop appropriate skills.

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

Where there have been safeguarding concerns, the registered manager and her team are confident in addressing matters. The inspector found one incident that had not been notified to Her Majesty’s Chief Inspectorate. All other relevant agencies were notified in line with the safeguarding protocol.

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

Regular staff supervisions and team meetings provide opportunities for professional development and to discuss the care provided to children and young people. Safeguarding is not included as a stand-alone agenda item. This means discussions do not reflect that safeguarding is at the forefront of thinking. There is evidence that children and young people are effectively safeguarded, and there are no serious or widespread failings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is passionate and inspirational. She is supported in her role by her manager and a highly effective team. Collectively, they share the same values and ambitions for children and young people in their care. Their enthusiasm means that children and young people receive nurturing and consistent care that supports good progress. A parent commented, ‘I cannot believe how well they manage the range of needs of all the children. [Name] has made massive progress. It is an amazing home. They just go above and beyond, and I cannot fault them. [Name] is very much loved by the team, and he loves them just as much as they do him.’ Inspection report children’s home: 1248773 6 The registered manager has been astute in her recruitment processes. She recognises that a strong value base and relevant experience can contribute to the good quality of care that children and young people receive. Training opportunities and qualifications for

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

the team are well supported. This demonstrates that the registered manager’s priority is to create a skilled workforce. Her team feels well supported and motivated as a result.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager and her team work effectively with a number of professionals to ensure that the very best care is provided. Where there are shortfalls in the quality of care offered to children and young people externally, the registered manager is assertive and appropriate in her challenge of other professionals and agencies. Her ability to advocate well on behalf of the children and young people means that they receive the appropriate care and support when they require it.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager demonstrates insight into the home’s strengths as well as areas that could be further improved. Her motivation and enthusiasm are highly effective at sustaining and driving improvements forward. She has plans in place that are currently at the consultation stage. Developments that she has planned are likely to enhance the overall experiences of children and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has excellent monitoring systems in place. She regularly reviews the quality of care. As part of this process, she effectively consults with all the children and young people. She is highly present in the home. This means that she can monitor and observe practice. Children and young people also benefit from being able to communicate any concerns or issues directly with her. However, her quality of care reports do not include in detail the consultations she has had with children, young people, stakeholders and other professionals. This means that there is no learning from consultations demonstrated in her development plan.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Practice in the home is very much based on research in practice and consultation with children and young people. The registered manager’s own research and learning are disseminated during team meetings. The registered manager delegates specific projects to her team to implement positive changes in practice. One member of the team has developed creative ways to help children and young people see how they are making progress. Journey paths on bedroom walls and life story books help capture this very well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Overall recordings are detailed and written in a way that is likely to be helpful for children and young people to enable them to see how they will be helped and protected. The inspector found recordings of which it was difficult to establish the author, after some individual entries. This means that it is difficult to demonstrate accountability.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: 1248773 7 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: 1248773 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Resilience North East Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Fellingate Care Centre, Fox Street, Felling, Gateshead NE10 0BD

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Inspector

Jacqueline Tate, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1248773 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 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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