Children's Home run by Middlesbrough Borough Council in Middlesbrough

Inspection report children’s home: SC472374 1 SC472374 Registered provider: Middlesbrough Borough Council Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is owned and run by a local authority. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children or young people who may have a learning disability. The manager has been in post since 1 September 2019 but is not yet registered.

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Inspection date: 28 January 2020

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC472374 2

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The children have progressed since the previous inspection. They are more settled in their home and are forming positive relationships with the staff. This is an important step forward for the children who have autism spectrum disorder, as the condition can affect the children’s ability to form positive bonds.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The children access the services they need to promote their health and well-being. These include specialist, therapeutic services that have been funded by the local authority. The manager has also worked closely with one of the children’s school’s therapeutic team to facilitate an independent professional assessment of the child’s needs. This good partnership working means the child does not have to wait to be seen by local healthcare services.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager and deputy manager have improved the children’s written residential plans and individual risk assessments. The plans clearly set out the children’s needs, and risks, and how these will be met. Good, effective planning gives the staff a written framework to follow, which enhances consistency and continuity for the children.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff receive regular behaviour management training that includes learning de- escalation techniques and how to safely restrain children. This helps to keep the children safe. Restraints are used as a last resort and a separate record is made of each restraint. There are some records that do not fully describe the restraint used, which could potentially compromise any future investigations around restraints.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff encourage the children to express their wishes and feelings, considering the children’s ages, understanding and their communication abilities. This encourages the children’s inclusion in decisions about their care and how they are looked after. However, children’s views are not always included in the manager’s report on the quality of care to demonstrate that their opinions are considered and acted upon.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There is information available about how to make a complaint, and children with communication difficulties are supported to express their views. However, there has been a complaint from a parent that has not been investigated in line with the home’s complaints procedure, and there is no record of the actions taken or verification that the complainant was happy with the outcome.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Not all parts of the home provide the children with a comfortable, homely living space. There are no carpets in the home, including on the staircase. The floor is a dark coloured vinyl and the walls are painted magnolia cream. This contrast gives Inspection report children’s home: SC472374 3 the home a stark, institutional appearance. Additionally, there are locks fitted to the internal doors in the house. This potentially restricts the children from accessing the sitting rooms, dining room and the kitchen.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home’s statement of purpose has not been updated to include a change of registered manager, who has since left the service, or information about the staff currently employed in the home. Consequently, the last statement of purpose sent to Ofsted is factually incorrect. Inspection report children’s home: SC472374 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/10/2019 Full Good 20/03/2019 Interim Not judged 05/02/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/02/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: SC472374 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, 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; and

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff ensure that the premises used for the purpose of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(i)(ii)) 17/04/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (‘the statement of purpose’) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (3), the registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1)(3)(a)(b)) 29/02/2020

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises. (Regulation 21 (b)) 29/02/2020

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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)) 29/02/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC472374 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that records of restraint are kept and should enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. The review should provide the opportunity for amending practice to ensure it meets the needs of each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 40, paragraph 9.59)  The registered person should oversee the welfare of the children in their care through observation and engagement with: each child; the home staff; each child’s family/carers where appropriate; and professionals involved in the care or protection of each child including their social worker, Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO), teachers, clinicians and other health professionals etc. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54,

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Information about this inspection

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: SC472374 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Middlesbrough Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Middlesbrough House, 50 Corporation Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RH

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Inspector

Debbie White, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC472374 8 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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