Children's Home run by Resilience North East Limited in Durham

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1248773 1

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Resilience North East Limited

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 managed by a private provider. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered in February 2017.

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This monitoring visit

An on-site monitoring visit was carried out to investigate potential breaches of regulations following information being shared with Ofsted. There are concerns regarding whether children are effectively safeguarded and their well-being promoted. Additionally, there are concerns as to whether the leadership and management of the home is effective.

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This monitoring visit

This children’s home was last visited on 18 September 2019, when we carried out a full inspection.

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This monitoring visit

Some children’s bedrooms are unsafe, with hazards that pose a serious risk of harm. There is a significant level of damage to several of the children’s bedrooms, some of which are sparse with only basic items provided to children. They have been in this condition for up to seven months. The immediate risks were rectified during the inspection. However, the manager has failed to identify and address these risks prior to this time, exposing children to the potential risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

Staff use incentives to help children to gain a reward. However, the tasks assigned to children are not always appropriate. One child is asked to report daily on repairs required in communal areas of the home. This means that the responsibility Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1248773 2 regarding health and safety matters and the condition of the home is unfairly placed on the child .

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This monitoring visit

Risk assessments are poor and do not always identify children’s known vulnerabilities. Children’s case records, including care plans and risk assessments, are not subject to regular review, with some having not been reviewed for over 12 months. When assessments have been reviewed, recordings are vague. These failings mean that staff are not provided with information to help them to understand children’s needs or the risks that children face.

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This monitoring visit

Not all children receive a suitable education, with some not attending school for over a year. Some children do not have a current education, health and care plan, which means their needs are not identified. The manager has not escalated matters to advocate on behalf of children’s educational placements. This has resulted in significant delay in progressing children’s plans and a failure to support children’s learning and development.

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This monitoring visit

Restraint recording is poor with no detail about what led to the incident or the specifics of how the child is held, and there is a lack of debriefing. Where records identify that debriefs have been completed, there are often no correlating records. This means that there is insufficient scrutiny of staff practice to keep children safe, indicating poor management, which exposes children to the potential risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

There are shortfalls in relation to safer recruitment processes. There is no audit trail for some necessary checks and many Disclosure and Barring Service certificate details are missing. This does not provide assurances that the adults working with children are suitably vetted, exposing children to a potential risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

There are gaps in staff supervision and appraisal records. This demonstrates that staff do not have opportunities to reflect upon their practice and that the manager does not effectively scrutinise whether staff provide children with safe care.

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This monitoring visit

Poor leadership and management has resulted in serious failings. The responsible individual, who took up her position in January 2021, had recognised some of the shortfalls identified and served notice on all of the children placed in the home. However, the further shortfalls identified demonstrate that children have lived in unsuitable and unsafe conditions for a significant period of time. The manager has failed to identify shortfalls in the quality of care provided or understand the impact that this has on children’s experiences and progress. The manager has not implemented a suitable action plan to address these shortfalls.

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This monitoring visit

Following this visit, Ofsted issued a restriction of accommodation to prevent any other children being admitted into the home. Three compliance notices are issued under regulations 6, 12 and 13 to address serious concerns relating to children being provided with poor and unsafe living conditions, poor risk management and Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1248773 3 widespread failings with the leadership and management of the home. A further three requirements are issued to address other shortfalls.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 17/09/2019 Full Good 19/06/2018 Full Good 24/01/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 15/08/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1248773 4

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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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff— seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs; if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to escalating concerns when children do not have a current education, health and care plan. 25 April 2021

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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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff— understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; protect and promote each child’s welfare; provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background; 04 April 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1248773 5 provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably; provide to children personal items that are appropriate for

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Requirement Due date

their age and understanding; and ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to— meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iv)(vii)(viii)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans; understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers; help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment; promote opportunities for each child to learn informally; maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement; raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision

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Requirement Due date

in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority; 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 as possible; help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(x)) 25 April 2021

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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. 04 April 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1248773 6 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; have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; 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; and 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; that the premises used for the purposes of the home are

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Requirement Due date

designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(b)(d))

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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— 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; ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; 04 April 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1248773 7 understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each

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Requirement Due date

child and use this understanding to inform the development 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)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at last once every six months. In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating— the quality of care provided for children; the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report"). The registered person must— supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report

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Requirement Due date

within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home. The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to an action plan being included within each quality of care review and that reviews are submitted within the correct timescales to HMCI. 25 April 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1248773 8 *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.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Resilience North East Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Fellingate Care Centre, Fox Street, Felling, Gateshead NE10 0BD

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Inspectors

Paula Kelly, Social Care Inspector Jacqueline Tate, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1248773 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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