Children's home run by Durham County Council in County Durham

Assurance visit report: SC034741 1 SC034741

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Information about this children’s home

The home is managed by a local authority. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children and/or young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At this assurance visit, Ofsted issued an emergency variation. This has restricted the number of children being accommodated in the home to one child or young person. The registered manager resigned from his position in August 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection judgement: Requires improvement to be good

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Information about this visit

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), Ofsted suspended all routine inspections in March 2020. As part of a phased return to routine inspection, we are undertaking assurance visits to children’s social care services that are inspected under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF).

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Information about this visit

At these visits, inspectors evaluate the extent to which:

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Information about this visit

 children are well cared for  children are safe  leaders and managers are exercising strong leadership.

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Information about this visit

This visit was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000, following the published guidance for assurance visits.

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Information about this visit

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is leading Ofsted’s work into how England’s social care system has delivered child-centred practice and care within the context of the restrictions placed on society during the COVID-19 pandemic. Assurance visit report: SC034741 2

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Findings from the visit

We identified the following serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit:

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Findings from the visit

 children say that they do not always feel safe or well cared for in the home  children’s views, wishes and feelings are not given consideration in relation to their care planning  staff do not always recognise children’s risk-taking and bullying behaviours. Children have suffered harm as a result  when children make complaints about their care and experiences, leaders and staff do not take effective action  children are given inconsistent messages from staff about acceptable behaviour  leaders, managers and staff do not consistently follow safeguarding processes  some conditions in the home are poor, exposing children to the risk of harm  leaders and managers have not ensured adequate monitoring of staff practice. This has led to serious and widespread failings being identified during this visit.

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The care of children

There are serious and widespread concerns relating to the care and protection of children. These failings have resulted in children suffering actual harm and being at risk of harm. This is because managers and staff have not managed risks that children are exposed to effectively, leaving them vulnerable and unsafe. Some children said that they do not want to live in this home as they do not feel safe.

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The care of children

Education attendance and attainment is mixed. Staff do not always ensure that children engage in alternative educational activities when they are absent from school or their educational provision.

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The care of children

Staff respond inconsistently to children’s challenging behaviours. Staff do not always consider restorative approaches or respond proportionately with sanctions. This includes when children’s behaviours have been harmful to each other, and when the home is damaged. This gives children conflicting messages and does not help them to learn from their behaviours.

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The care of children

Children, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, maintained contact with family and friends. Staff support children to do so, and appropriate ongoing arrangements are in place to help children maintain contact with people who are important to them. Assurance visit report: SC034741 3

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The safety of children

Some conditions in the home are hazardous to children. Inspectors found a child’s bedroom to be dirty. The room was also dangerous due to damaged furniture. Leaders and staff had been aware for several weeks of the poor and unsafe condition of the child’s bedroom and failed to make improvements.

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The safety of children

When children have made allegations against staff these have not been investigated or taken seriously by leaders and managers. Due to this, some safeguarding processes have not been followed, which leaves children at risk of harm. Children reported that they have not been listened to and their concerns have not been acted upon.

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The safety of children

Safeguarding training has not adequately equipped staff with the skills that they need to identify and respond to all types of risks. Some staff failed to recognise and respond effectively to children’s risk-taking and bullying behaviours.

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The safety of children

Children’s care plans and risk assessments are poor. They do not contain enough information about children’s individual needs and risks. Children do not contribute to their care plans; therefore their views are not represented. This means that staff are unable to adequately support children and help them to achieve good outcomes.

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The safety of children

Children are not adequately safeguarded. Missing-from-home incidents have increased. Children do not want to be in the home. Staff do not identify the link between missing-from-home incidents to children not feeling safe, or the increased risk of exploitation. When children return from an episode of going missing from home, they are not always offered the opportunity to speak with someone independent of the home.

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Leaders and managers

The current management and oversight of the home are ineffective. The registered manager left the setting at the end of August 2020. Several acting managers are assisting with the running of the home on an interim basis. This has resulted in inconsistencies in the management of staff, the running of the home, and the care and protection of children.

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Leaders and managers

Leaders and managers do not have effective processes in place to monitor and ensure the quality of staff practice in the home. They do not ensure children receive consistent and appropriate care and protection.

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Leaders and managers

Leaders and managers have been ineffective in ensuring staff fulfil their roles and responsibilities, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. A professional commented, ‘The staff have varying skill sets, some are more equipped than others at managing the more difficult behaviours of children. Some staff are less emotionally available than others.’ Assurance visit report: SC034741 4 Staff do not receive regular or effective supervision. Leaders and managers have not ensured that staff performance and their fitness to suitably perform their roles are reviewed, despite this being a requirement at the last inspection.

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Leaders and managers

Staff do not always record information in children’s documents in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. This means that for some children their records contain inaccurate information about their lives and histories, which provides them with inconsistent messages and does not help them to understand their past experiences.

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Leaders and managers

Leaders and managers do not have an effective complaints procedure. They do not take appropriate action when children make complaints about their experiences in the home. Children are not informed of the steps that leaders and managers will take to address the concerns that they raise.

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Leaders and managers

Not all serious incidents have been reported to Ofsted. This means that there has been no regulatory oversight of these serious incidents, to satisfy the regulator that children are safe.

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Leaders and managers

Recommendations and requirements made at the last inspection have not been met. Additional requirements have been made following this visit.

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Leaders and managers

Following this assurance visit, Ofsted issued an emergency variation to reduce the number of children living in the home. One child remains in the home, whose risks have diminished by being the only child resident. Additionally, three compliance notices are served to address the shortfalls where serious and widespread concerns are identified.

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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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. 01/11/2020 Assurance visit report: SC034741 5 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff— protect and promote each child’s welfare; treat each child with dignity and respect; and provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (1)(2)(b)(ii)(iii)(iv)) * The education standard is that staff— help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon

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Requirement Due date

as possible. (Regulation 8 (2)(viii)) 01/11/2020

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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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; help each child to understand how to keep safe have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child

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Requirement Due date

effectively from harm. 01/11/2020 Assurance visit report: SC034741 6 that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(b)(d)) * 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— lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development

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Requirement Due date

of the quality of care provided in the home; use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(2)(a)(f)(h)) * 01/11/2020

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that- In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (2)(ii)(h)) 01/11/2020

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Requirement Due date

The behaviour management and discipline standard is that— No measure of control or discipline which is excessive, unreasonable or contrary to paragraph (2) may be used in relation to any child. imposing a financial penalty, other than a requirement for the payment of a reasonable sum (which may be by instalments) by way of reparation. (Regulation 19 (1)(2)(f)) 01/11/2020 Assurance visit report: SC034741 7 In particular, that behaviour management is balanced and fair. Sanctions should be restorative in nature, and help children to learn and modify challenging behaviours. The registered person must ensure that all employees— undertake appropriate continuing professional development; receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) 01/11/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the missing child policy”) setting out— the steps taken, and to be taken, to prevent children from being absent without permission; and the procedures to be followed, and the roles and responsibilities of persons working at the home, in relation to a child who is, or has been, so absent. Before implementing, or making an amendment which the registered person considers to be substantive to, the missing child policy, the registered person must— have regard to any relevant local authority or police protocols on missing children. (Regulation 34 (4)(5)(b)) In particular, that children have an opportunity to speak with someone independent of the home on their return, following an episode of going missing from home. 01/11/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation; an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; a child protection enquiry involving a child is instigated; or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or 01/11/2020 Assurance visit report: SC034741 8 there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. A notification made under this regulation— must include details of— the matter; the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the

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Requirement Due date

matter; must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(5))

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Durham County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, Durham DH1 5UL

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Inspectors

Jacqueline Tate, Social Care Inspector Sue Atkinson-Millmoor, Social Care Inspection Manager Assurance visit report: SC034741 9 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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