Children's home run by Howard House Care Limited in Northumberland

Inspection report children’s home: SC065312 1 SC065312 Registered provider: Howard House Care Limited 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. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to eight children and/or young people, who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The experienced manager was registered with Ofsted in November 2018 and is working towards qualification.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 22 January 2019

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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

22/01/2019 Full Good 12/09/2017 Full Good 22/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 02/11/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC065312 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people are happy in the home and generally live there for a long time. They are invested in the home and feel pride in where they live. This gives them a sense of positive self-worth.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people make excellent relationships with members of staff. They trust their carers to look after them well. They generally respond to the structures and expectations in place. As a result, children and young people feel increasingly secure in their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people make progress in most areas of their development. They are healthy and attend routine and urgent medical appointments. Children and young people have good school attendance and take formal examinations. On leaving school, they attend apprenticeships or other employment or training schemes. For most, this is evidence of significant progress from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people take part in a wide range of activities. Members of staff have arranged several holidays this year. Some children and young people join local sports teams. Children and young people and staff regularly go out for meals. These experiences are very enjoyable. Children and young people feel a sense of achievement and they are building positive memories for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A qualified and experienced psychologist supports members of staff. This means staff provide care to children and young people that is specific to their individual needs. As a result, children and young people begin to recover from trauma and make progress in all areas of their development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Members of staff seek the views of children and young people, formally and informally. Children and young people contribute to the running of the home, including how it is decorated. Children and young people are learning that their views matter and that they can influence their world.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Members of staff help children and young people to prepare for their futures. They provide personalised support to develop independence skills. Children and young people are allowed the time they need to feel confident about moving on to their next placements. As a result, children and young people move when they are ready to do so and generally succeed in their lives as young adults.

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improvement to be good

Members of staff provide consistent boundaries to children and young people. However, the staff team struggles to manage challenging behaviour when children and young people are in a group. As a result, children and young people have been aggressive to Inspection report children’s home: SC065312 3 each other and to staff, leading to several assaults.

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improvement to be good

Members of staff have called the police to manage behaviour several times. Children and young people are at risk of becoming criminalised as a result. This also reduces the authority that members of staff have with children and young people. Some children and young people are anxious about the use of police and the potential for criminal involvement.

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improvement to be good

The response of members of staff to children and young people who are missing from home is good. Members of staff follow proper procedures, including searching the local and wider area. Children and young people know this is the response of the staff team, which reassures them.

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improvement to be good

Members of staff use physical intervention appropriately. Debrief discussions with children and young people and staff members always take place. Members of staff review the impact of physical intervention in supervision sessions and team meetings.

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improvement to be good

Children and young people do not have significant issues with substance misuse or exploitation. Members of staff undertake work with children and young people to educate them about these risks. Because of this approach, children and young people have improved knowledge about their vulnerabilities. Some children and young people make substantial progress from when they move into the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are very ambitious for children and young people and want them to be safe and to be happy. Leaders and managers know that recently, children and young people have not been as settled as usual and want this to improve.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers are actively involved in the running of the home. They know the progress that the children and young people make. When care plans do not meet the needs of children and young people, managers challenge members of the professional network. As a result, children and young people receive a good service from their wider network.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have good monitoring systems. They carry out regular audits of case files. As a result, the quality of records is excellent. There is a good balance between detail and evaluation. Each document adds value to the lives of children and young people. However, management oversight has not highlighted patterns of incidents of challenging behaviour. This has meant that each incident has been addressed in isolation rather than looking at an overall strategy to address the presenting behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Members of staff receive training to help them meet the needs of children and young people. Some training is specific, for example where a child or young person has a significant health condition. However, training to help manage challenging behaviour does not give members of staff the skills they need when children and young people are in a group. Inspection report children’s home: SC065312 4 Members of staff feel valued by their managers. They have high-quality supervision and appraisals of practice. Because of the approach to staff development, members of staff work in this home a long time. Children and young people grow up in the care of the same staff team. This helps them to identify with the home and to make progress from their starting points.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers know the home’s strengths and weaknesses. Managers accept the issues raised during this inspection. They are committed to making the changes required. Managers want to develop aspects of the home. However, the well-being of the children and young people currently placed is their priority. Inspection report children’s home: SC065312 5

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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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) and (2)(c)) In particular, the provider should ensure that staff are supported to understand the complexities associated with group living and learn the skills to manage challenging behaviours that arise as a result. 31/12/2019

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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— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) and (2)(f)) 31/12/2019

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Recommendations

 The registered person should agree with their local police force, procedures and guidance on police involvement with the home to reduce unnecessary police involvement in managing behaviour and criminalisation of behaviours. Children should not be charged with offences resulting from behaviour within a children’s home that would not similarly lead to police involvement if it occurred in a family home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, Inspection report children’s home: SC065312 6 page 47, paragraph 9.40) In particular, the police should not be used to manage behaviour that members of staff should be capable of addressing.

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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: SC065312 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Howard House Care Limited

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Inspector

Jane Titley: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC065312 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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