Children's Home run by Stockton on Tees Borough Council in Stockton-on-Tees

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC035387 1 SC035387

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Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and operated 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

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2020. She has been away from the home since September 2020. An interim manager is in day-to-day charge of the home.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit took place to review safeguarding practice and how well leaders and managers safely manage the home. Ofsted last visited this children’s home on 4 February 2020, when it carried out a full inspection. This monitoring visit comprised both on-site and off-site inspection activity.

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This monitoring visit

Since October 2020, there has been an increase in serious safeguarding notifications concerning the children living in the home. These incidents included significant damage to the home, violence and aggression towards staff, the use of illegal substances and frequent periods of children going missing from the home. Despite these significant concerns, leaders and managers admitted a vulnerable younger child to the home. This placed the younger child at risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers failed to ensure that the risk management strategies in place to safeguard and protect the younger child were implemented. These strategies included increased staffing levels to ensure that staff always supervised the younger child. As a result, the children were able to cause damage to the home and went missing from the home together. This placed all of the children at risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

Children do not consistently receive the support that they need. Leaders and managers do not make sure that there are adequate numbers of staff on each shift Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC035387 2 to respond to children’s behaviours and to keep children safe. As a result, staff have requested police assistance to manage children’s behaviours. This increases the risk of children being criminalised.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has been absent from the home since September 2020. Since this time, leadership and management arrangements have been inconsistent and ineffective. This is because the registered provider did not quickly arrange suitable management oversight of the home in the absence of the registered manager. As a result, staff were left unsupported and this impacted on the quality of care for children.

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This monitoring visit

The registered provider appointed an interim manager in November 2020. However, the interim manager has been required to spend periods of time working from home. This means that there has been an absence of on-site supervision and support for the staff, and a lack of effective oversight of the day-to-day management of the home. As a result, children do not receive consistent care and support that meets their needs. This is detrimental to their safety, development and progress.

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This monitoring visit

The registered provider does not yet know when the registered manager will return to the home. The interim manager has yet to apply to register with Ofsted. The lack of stable and effective management means that children’s day-to-day experiences are poor.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

04/02/2020 Full Good 26/11/2018 Full Good 30/05/2017 Full Good 31/08/2016 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC035387 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, 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a concern about a child’s welfare; and

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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)(i)(iv)(v)(vi)(b)) 28 February 2021

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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—

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 28 February 2021 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC035387 4 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 statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; and

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Requirement Due date

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 of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(b) (2)(a)(d)(e)(f))

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the children’s home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they consider how the known risks of the children already living in the home may impact on the safety and well-being of any child admitted to the home. 28 February 2021

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Requirement Due date

Any person who carries on or manages an establishment or agency of any description without being registered under this Part in respect of it (as an establishment or, as the case may be, agency of that description) shall be guilty of an offence. (Section 11 (1) Care Standards Act 2000)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the person in day-to-day charge of the home registers with Ofsted. 28 February 2021

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC035387 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Municipal Buildings, Church Road, Stockton-on- Tees, Cleveland TS18 1LD

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Inspector

Debbie White, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC035387 6 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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