Children's Home run by Darlington Borough Council in Darlington

Inspection report children’s home: SC068000 1 SC068000 Registered provider: Darlington Borough Council 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 local authority and is registered for the care and accommodation of up to three children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The manager was registered in June 2007 and is appropriately qualified.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 16 to 17 December 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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be 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: 4 September 2018

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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: SC068000 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/09/2018 Full Good 14/11/2017 Full Good 28/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 16/06/2016 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC068000 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff–

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

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)(a)(vii)(b)) 18/01/2020

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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– use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b), (2)(h)) 18/01/2020

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children;

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Requirement Due date

the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance. (Regulation 24(1)(a)(b)) 18/01/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39(3)) 18/01/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC068000 4

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Recommendations

 Regulation 40(4) requires the registered person to notify Ofsted and other relevant persons if one of the situations specified in regulation 40(4)(a)–(d) occurs, or if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home which the registered person considers to be serious (40(4)(e)). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10) Inspection report children’s home: SC068000 5

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people live in a cosy and homely environment. A large piece of colourful artwork is displayed in the grounds, created with the involvement of each young person, and this gives the space a fun and vibrant feel. Young people choose colour schemes and items to personalise their bedrooms, showing that their views are valued, which helps them to feel respected.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people attend educational provision and are making good progress. They are supported by the care team to gain a broad range of additional qualifications at home. Education is promoted, which helps young people to value their learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are encouraged to access specialist services to reduce issues such as substance misuse. The manager and her team consult with health professionals on how they can provide additional support to young people and use the information gained to deliver one-to-one sessions. This proactive approach helps young people to understand the impact that lifestyle choices may have on their health and that their well-being is important.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are supported to maintain positive relationships with their family, where appropriate. Careful consideration is given to including family members, where possible, in significant and special events that young people experience. The manager arranges for photo-books to be created to capture these memories, providing copies for both the young people and their family. Young people are making positive memories while living in the home, and this improves their self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The views of young people feature in care plans and these views are then responded to by staff. This shows that their voice is heard. Young people have individualised reward schemes that link to their personal targets. Young people are encouraged to succeed in all areas of their lives and, when they do, each achievement is celebrated, which helps young people to understand the progress that they are making.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager works with other agencies when young people transition out of the home to help them to adjust to their new placement. The manager and her team continue to support young people after their move to provide continuity. This demonstrates to young people that they continue to be thought of and cared for once they have moved on, which promotes a sense of belonging.

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improvement to be good

Key work is carried out with young people to help them to develop an understanding of what it means to be safe. Sessions are tailored to cover topics intended to enhance the knowledge of young people in their areas of vulnerability. This means that young people are learning the skills needed to keep themselves safe. Inspection report children’s home: SC068000 6 The manager and her team work with other agencies, such as the police, to help them to protect young people. Feedback from professionals during the inspection gave a clear picture that some risk-taking behaviours have reduced. This demonstrates that young people are becoming increasingly safe.

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improvement to be good

Generic risk assessments are in place and are effective. Risk assessments in relation to bedrooms identify the relevant risks, however one assessment does not sufficiently consider all known risks within the room. Young people have not been harmed, yet additional measures are required to ensure that young people continue to be safe.

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improvement to be good

There has been a reduction in the instances in which young people go missing. There is a risk assessment in place which considers what staff should do in the event that young people are missing from home, and which staff understand. The strategies given in risk assessments are not individualised to each young person. This has not impacted upon young people, but if risk assessments are open to interpretation it can mean that staff respond inconsistently, which could make young people feel confused.

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improvement to be good

When there have been safeguarding concerns, the manager has acted quickly to protect young people and has communicated well with placing authorities and agencies such as the police. However, on one occasion the designated officer was not kept informed regarding a safeguarding concern and HMCI was not notified as required. There are no widespread failures, but an understanding of the procedures to follow when safeguarding concerns arise is an area that requires improvement. This is to ensure that safeguarding practice in the home is monitored sufficiently.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has conducted consultations with those living in the locality of the home to help her to build positive relationships in the community. The manager invites professionals to events in the home with young people. This helps young people to develop relationships with those involved in their care while in a familiar and relaxed environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Monitoring devices are fitted to the entrances of the home to enhance security. However, the manager has not gained permission for their use from young people’s placing authorities. The policies state that this measure is in place for the protection of staff, rather than for young people. Such policies need to be reviewed to ensure that young people remain the focus of practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There are systems in place to monitor young people’s records. Some managerial auditing processes have been delegated to staff. The inspector found that, at times, old information is still held within documents, which could cause confusion and make it difficult to ensure that young people receive consistent care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager makes a record of the complaints that she receives and puts protective measures in place immediately, in response. Neither the process that the manager or others have followed to investigate the complaint, nor its outcome are always Inspection report children’s home: SC068000 7 sufficiently recorded. This means that it is not possible to know if the manager and her team are learning from the complaints.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager and her team regularly refresh their knowledge by completing training so that they remain current in their practice. The manager keeps herself updated on topical issues and arranges additional training to develop her team’s awareness. This means that young people are looked after by carers who are aware of the potential risks and have the knowledge to deal with issues effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager ensures that her team members have regular supervision to assist them with their practice. Reflective practice is a skill that the manager is helping her team to develop so that staff can learn from their experiences and improve their practice. This ensures that young people are cared for by a team of staff who are willing to learn and respond. Inspection report children’s home: SC068000 8

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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 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.

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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: SC068000 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Darlington Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Town Hall, Feethams, Darlington, County Durham DL1 5QT

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Jane Kochanowski

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Inspector

Paula Kelly, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC068000 10 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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