Children's home run by Together For Children Sunderland

Inspection report children’s home: 1254843 1 Registered provider: Together for Children Sunderland Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is operated under trust arrangements to accommodate up to six children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The manager is suitably qualified and experienced for the position held.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 12 to 13 November 2019

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 good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1254843 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/10/2018 Full Outstanding 24/01/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 12/09/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: 1254843 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, 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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if–

p.3

Requirement Due date

the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance. (Regulation 24(1)(b)) 14/12/2019

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

p.3

Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child–

p.3

Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

p.3

Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 14/12/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 1254843 4

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people live in a high-quality and well-equipped home, many aspects of which have been redesigned and improved. Young people have been involved in this process either through fundraising or by helping with the improvements. This involvement gives young people the opportunity to contribute to and invest in their home. As a result, incidents of damage to the home have been greatly reduced. This demonstrates that young people are learning to value and respect their home and each other.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and his team have advocated effectively on behalf of young people to secure appropriate educational placements. Young people are encouraged to attend and to understand the importance of education. One young person has been supported to gain full-time employment, which is significant progress from their starting point.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are offered a wide variety of activities and trips, which have included a special trip abroad. Photographs around the home capture these experiences and show that young people are given opportunities to enjoy themselves and to make positive memories. This means that young people feel valued and achieve a sense of belonging.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and his team seek the involvement of health professionals so that young people’s needs can be understood and responded to effectively without delay. Members of staff use the strong and positive relationships that they have with the young people to promote good health and to provide support. This means that young people develop a strong sense of how to look after their health and, as a result, they are healthy and happy. Young people say that it is the relationships with staff that they value the most.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager has a thoughtful approach to supporting young people to develop independent living skills. Through careful and individualised planning, young people are making progress in areas of their lives that benefit them. For some, this means managing medication, while for others it has meant building the confidence to access services in the community, such as public transport. Young people are developing the skills that they require to increase their capability, which improves self-esteem and supports their development towards adulthood.

p.4

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

Young people’s care plans and records are kept up to date with significant information so that areas of risk are clearly identified. The staff team works closely with other agencies, sharing information so that risks can be understood and reduced. This collaborative approach is helping to protect young people from harm.

p.4

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

Members of staff develop good lines of communication with other professionals linked to the young people to assist in keeping them safe. When young people go missing, staff follow the home’s procedures and deliver a strong message through their actions, such as persistently looking for them both to keep them safe and to show young people that Inspection report children’s home: 1254843 5 their welfare is important.

p.4

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

Safeguarding concerns are managed effectively and there is strong evidence that the team works proactively to help and protect young people. However, not all reportable incidents have been notified to Ofsted, although the home’s own safeguarding processes have been followed and relevant others informed. This has not impacted upon young people directly but is a regulation that must be followed to allow Ofsted to maintain oversight of safeguarding practice.

p.5

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

Devices for surveillance of the home are used appropriately to help to promote the welfare of young people. However, consent from the young people’s placing authority is required to use such devices yet this is not in place. The manager recognises the need to obtain consent and has a plan to address this shortfall.

p.5

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

Young people have a range of resources that contain information designed to develop their understanding of what it means to stay safe. Individualised key-work sessions take place regularly and include topics to develop young people’s understanding of safety.

p.5

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

The relationships that young people have with the staff are a significant aspect of what is keeping them safe.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is highly experienced and leads a well-established and resilient team. The feedback from professionals includes that this team is relentlessly committed to young people and achieving positive outcomes for them.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that his staff have regular supervision. He challenges and encourages his team to reflect on their experiences so that further improvements can be made to practice and to young people’s positive outcomes. Team meetings are also held regularly and offer another opportunity to discuss ideas. The manager shares information through these processes so that young people are cared for by a team that provides consistency, which helps young people to learn to respect boundaries. This improves their day-to-day experiences.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has effective auditing processes in place to monitor the care that young people receive. Records capture the progress that young people are making, as well as identify areas for further work. Strategies in place to assist the team are often inclusive of input from other agencies.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and his team have completed a variety of training programmes to enhance their skills and to keep up to date with issues that may affect young people. The manager looks to identify areas of need prior to young people moving into the home and puts training in place so that the team proactively meets the needs of young people. Inspection report children’s home: 1254843 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 difference 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: 1254843 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Together for Children Sunderland Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Civic Centre, Burdon Road, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear SR2 7DN

p.7

Inspector

Paula Kelly: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1254843 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.

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