Children's Home run by Tees-Valley Care Limited in Redcar and Cleveland

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1272220 1

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Tees-Valley Care Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered in May 2018 to provide care and accommodation for up to four children and young people. A new manager has been appointed since the last full inspection but is not yet registered. Ofsted has not received an application for registration of the new manager to date.

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This monitoring visit

A monitoring visit took place in response to a complaint and allegations made alongside concerns raised by the police about the management of behaviour in the home. Sue Atkinson-Millmoor, regulatory inspection manager, visited the home on 30 October 2019 and identified ongoing shortfalls in the care delivered, including in safeguarding children and young people and the admission processes for children and young people.

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This monitoring visit

Admissions to the home have not been sufficiently evaluated nor risk assessed to protect children and young people. For example, two children were admitted from the same geographical area with the same identified gang affiliations and needs associated with drug misuse. A young person who posed a risk to children under the age of 16 was placed in the home with other children under the age of 16. These failures in the planning and admission process potentially leaves children and young people at risk.

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This monitoring visit

On the day of the inspection there were two staff on duty, one who was identified as a shift leader, neither had any previous experience of working with children and young people in residential care before starting at the home a few months earlier. This lack of necessary skills and experience means that challenging and disruptive behaviour by children and young people is problematic for staff to manage. This results in an unsettled environment for children and young people. This contributes Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1272220 2 to children and young people’s progress being hindered and risks not being effectively managed or reduced.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have not responded appropriately to incidents (such as children refusing to observe reasonable curfews, refusing to comply with rules about accessing other children’s bedrooms and refusing to hand over electronic devices) nor have they implemented effective strategies to safeguard and protect the children and young people living in the home. The harmful behaviour of some individual children and young people is having a negative impact on other children and young people.

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This monitoring visit

Children and young people are not benefiting from clear and consistent boundaries or effective behaviour management strategies. This results in a lack of structure and routine. Records completed daily by staff show a significant number of incidents where children and young people are up and about in the home during the night. Incidents of risk and emotional crisis for children and young people during the night have gone unchallenged or unsupported at the time.

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This monitoring visit

An environmental hazard in the grounds of the home had not been recognised by staff as a potential high risk to children and young people. The inspector asked for this to be addressed during the visit to safeguard the children and young people at the home. The subsequent action taken by the provider did not reduce the risk sufficiently to children, some of whom are vulnerable because of very risky behaviours such as self-harm.

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This monitoring visit

There has been progress in some areas of leadership and management, and the newly appointed manager is developing new processes to promote good practice. The changes to team meetings and moving the therapeutic input to a venue outside the home are positive. However, the manager’s impact has not been sufficiently effective in the short time she has been in position to address some of the underpinning issues relating to the management of children and young people’s high risk behaviours.

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This monitoring visit

Following the visit, a suspension notice was issued with effect from 1 November 2019 to 23 January 2020 due to the potential risk of harm to children and young people living in the home from these issues. Three compliance notices followed and set the action that is needed to address the concerns identified at this visit.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

12/08/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 16/04/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 23/10/2018 Full Requires improvement to Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1272220 3 be good 13/09/2018 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1272220 4

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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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (b) that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(b)) 13/12/2019

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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— ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(2)(c)) 13/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

*The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(2)(a)) 13/12/2019 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1272220 5 *These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Tees-Valley Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Bhive, Skelton Industrial Estate, Skelton in Cleveland, Saltburn by the Sea TS12 2LQ

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Inspector

Susan Atkinson-Millmoor, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1272220 6 to 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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