Children's home run by Outdoor Care Limited in Northumberland

Inspection report children’s home: SC000678 1 SC000678 Registered provider: Outdoor Care 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 one child or young person who has emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The manager was registered in October 2019 and is working toward a suitable 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 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC000678 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/01/2019 Full Good 29/11/2017 Full Good 28/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 26/07/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC000678 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 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)(2)(h)) 25/02/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. The registered person may only— employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). The requirements are that— the individual is of integrity and good character; the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 32(1)(2)(3)) 25/02/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC000678 4

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair and the above principles as set out in 9.35 are respected. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)  The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should:  detail the necessary management and staffing structure, (including any staff commissioned to provide health and education), the experience and qualifications of staff currently working within the staffing structure and any further training required for those staff, to enable the delivery of the homes Statement of Purpose;  detail the processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction, probation and any core training (such as safeguarding, health and safety and

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Recommendations

mandatory qualifications);  detail the process for managing and improving poor performance;  detail the process and timescales for supervision of practice (see regulation 33 (4)(b)) and keep appropriate records for staff in the home. The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff – including the home’s manager. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people. The system should cover the action that should be followed if the event arises at the weekend or on a public holiday. Notification must include details of the action taken by the home’s staff in

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Recommendations

response to the event. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person, who has lived in this home since the last full inspection, has made progress from a particularly challenging starting point. The home is situated in a small village that is peaceful and safe. This offers him the chance to get away from any influences and situations of concern in his home areas. This will improve his emotional well-being and sense of stability. The staff are skilled at building trusting relationships. Inspection report children’s home: SC000678 5 This support has enabled the young person to repair relationships with loved ones and helped him to make positive choices about his life. Staff are skilled at building effective relationships with other professionals and family members This ensures that all parties can work together effectively. This helps the young person to receive a consistent level of support from the adult involved in his life. The result is that he has been able to stabilise his emotional well-being and make

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

progress. Staff have worked closely with the young person to help him to engage in education. When school placements are disrupted, staff work closely with other professionals to ensure that alternative arrangements are put in place until a more permanent solution is found. This ensures that routines are maintained, so that the young person continues to gain skills and knowledge that will improve his opportunities in later life. The young person has benefited from experiencing a wide variety of fun and exciting activities with staff. Staff use their local knowledge and connections to access activities such as sea fishing and working with birds of prey. Taking part in fun and challenging activities helps to improve confidence and feelings of self-worth as well as giving a sense of achievement.

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

Risk assessments are good with detailed management strategies for staff to follow. High levels of supervision, good levels of support and advice from staff have seen the young person’s risk-taking behaviour reduce in several areas. This has encouraged the young person to learn how to keep himself safe and find alternative ways to manage his own behaviour. Staff have been effective in reducing the amount of times the young person has been missing from the home. Staff work hard to stay in contact and actively search for him when he is missing. They speak to his friends and family, stay in touch by phone and develop strategies that reduce the amount of time the young person is missing. As a result, the young person learns that people value and care for him and want him to be safe. The young person receives good 1:1 support and guidance from staff who take time to explain routines, boundaries and expectations while living in the home. An incentive

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

system is in place that rewards the young person for achieving targets relating to positive behaviour and progress. This encourages him to make positive choices and improves feelings of well-being and security. All staff have received appropriate training in safeguarding. Safeguarding is discussed in team meetings and with individual staff. This means that staff have the skills and knowledge to raise any concerns they have about the young person. However, safer recruitment processes that are in place are not as effective as they could be and this could allow access to any young person placed from unsuitable adults. Inspection report children’s home: SC000678 6

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

The registered manager is clear about the progress that the young person is making, and plans are carefully monitored by an effective care team. This ensures that the young person is receiving the best possible all-round support to achieve his full potential. The registered manager has not completed a review of the quality of care provided by the home. This means that the manager is less effective at understanding the home’s strengths, weaknesses and shortfalls. As a result, there are no clear plans to continually develop the home. The quality and frequency of supervision has improved since the last full inspection. Induction plans are thorough and of a good quality. Training programmes currently offer staff the skills and knowledge required to meet the needs of the young person. However, there is no workforce development plan in place to ensure that staff retain and develop the skills and knowledge required to improve the support that they offer.

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

While the young person has not been adversely affected, there have been several other areas where management practice has fallen below the expected standards. The manager has not monitored whether disciplinary measures used are effective. Notifications of serious incidents are not sent to Ofsted within the required timescales. This limits the effectiveness of external scrutiny and could leave the young person at risk of further harm.

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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: SC000678 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Outdoor Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 16 Bondgate Without, Alnwick, Northumberland NE66 1PP

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Inspector

Mark Proffitt, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC000678 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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