Children's Home run by Durham County Council in Durham

Inspection report children’s home: SC449096 1 SC449096 Registered provider: Durham County Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a local authority. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children who may have emotional and/or social difficulties. The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020. The home was last inspected in July 2019. The report is published on our website.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC449096 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/07/2019 Full Good 30/05/2018 Full Good 13/06/2017 Full Good 09/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC449096 3

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improvement to be good

Children’s experiences of living in this home are mixed.

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improvement to be good

One child’s bedroom is in a poor condition, the wall has minor damage and the floor requires cleaning. The home is being redecorated to improve the conditions; however, there is insufficient monitoring of the children’s bedrooms. Living in poor conditions can have a detrimental impact on children’s health, well-being and feelings of self-worth.

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improvement to be good

Some children are attending education and making progress. For other children who are excluded from school or are not attending education in line with their timetable, staff support them to complete educational work at home. However, there is no clear guidance in children’s care plans for staff to follow. This can impact on children’s routines, which can undermine their progress in education.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to visit family and friends who are important to them. Each child has a family plan. However, these plans do not have sufficient detail around the frequency and expectations of family time to ensure this is promoted in a safe and consistent way for children. Records of family time are very brief and, in some cases, not recorded at all. This means that the manager cannot evaluate the safety and quality of children’s family time and whether it meets the child’s needs.

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improvement to be good

Children have very good relationships with staff. The manager and staff listen to children’s views about living in the home. Children’s meetings take place and give children the opportunity to make suggestions about how they spend their time, such as taking part in trips and activities. Children spoken to say the best part of living in the home is that they like the staff. A child said, ‘They are the best. They help me with anything I need help with. I wouldn’t change a thing.’

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improvement to be good

Children benefit from targeted key-work sessions that provide them with opportunities to discuss any worries or concerns with staff. This helps to better protect children and support their development. As a result, risks are reducing for children in some areas.

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improvement to be good

Children access a range of support services that they require to meet their individual needs. Where there are shortfalls in the services provided to children from external agencies, the manager advocates on their behalf. This supports children’s progress, improving their outcomes. A professional commented, ‘The staff team know the children so well. They have fantastic relationships and they go above and beyond to support their needs to benefit their development.’

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improvement to be good

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there are fewer activities available for the children to enjoy in the community. Staff support children to engage in alternative activities. Inspection report children’s home: SC449096 4 They held an activity day where both children and the staff team got together to do fun activities and spend time with one another. All of these activities help children to enjoy quality time with staff.

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improvement to be good

Children’s risk assessments do not sufficiently detail known risks, such as children’s offending behaviours, family time and access to the digital world, among other specific risks. Staff take appropriate action when incidents occur, which helps to better protect children. However, not providing staff with clear guidance in risk assessments on how to manage risks can lead to children receiving inconsistent care and support. This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently follow child protection procedures. On one occasion, a child made a disclosure about a family member. Staff reported this to the relevant agencies. However, staff did not review family time arrangements following the child’s disclosure in order to ensure that they were safe to continue. The child did not suffer any harm. However, a lack of risk assessing can leave children vulnerable to risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not clearly record significant incidents such as room searches. When this information is missing, the manager is unable to check events to ensure that staff have taken sufficient action to manage risk. This has an impact on the quality of children’s records and the manager’s ability to provide assurances to the regulator about the children’s experiences.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing from home, staff follow the necessary protocols to aid their safe return. Staff explain to the children through key-working sessions what the risks are when they go missing, including risks associated with exploitation. This helps children to understand ways of being safe in their community. Additionally, children have opportunities to speak to an independent person on their return.

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good

The manager is suitably qualified and experienced for the position held. She is supported in her role by a stable staff team that share her commitment to caring for the children. The manager and staff speak with positive regard about the children and want them to do well. Staff said that they feel supported in their role and that they have good relationships with the manager.

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good

The manager recognises areas of practice that require improvements to be good. She has devised a clear action plan and shared this at the inspection. She is beginning to address the shortfalls to help drive improvements forward. Inspection report children’s home: SC449096 5 The manager ensures that there are sufficient staffing levels in the home. However, there is inconsistent planning with how she considers the skills of staff on the rota. For example, there are multiple occasions where there are staff on duty, but none are first-aid trained. This leaves children vulnerable to risk of harm.

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good

When serious incidents occur which involve children, the manager and staff do not consistently inform Ofsted. This prevents independent scrutiny of the actions taken by staff in the home to ensure that children are safe.

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good

Staff receive regular supervision from a senior member of the team who is suitably qualified and experienced. This provides staff with opportunities to discuss their development as well as children’s progress. This means that staff have opportunities to reflect on their practice and make changes to the quality of care that children receive. This has supported children’s progress in some areas.

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good

Mandatory training for staff is up to date. The manager sources additional training for staff that helps them to understand children’s specific needs and risks. This demonstrates that the manager recognises the benefits of having a knowledgeable and skilled workforce to help meet the needs of children in their care. Inspection report children’s home: SC449096 6

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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, and 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;

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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—

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect; and

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Requirement Due date

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)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 4 May 2021

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that the provider has a clear plan of expectations for staff to follow when children are not in education, in accordance with their education timetable. 5 June 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC449096 7 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—

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, this relates to ensuring that risk assessments are detailed and include strategies to reduce risks.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 5 June 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

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the manager uses the monitoring systems in place to evaluate the quality of children’s experiences and their progress in the home.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the manager develops an effective monitoring system to monitor the conditions in children’s bedrooms.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager monitoring and reviewing the quality of recordings in children’s documents to ensure children’s experiences are clearly recorded. 5 June 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 5 April 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC449096 8 at all times, at least one person on duty at the home has a suitable first-aid qualification. (Regulation 31 (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation— must include details of—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4) (5)) 5 April 2021

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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) Inspection report children’s home: SC449096 9 Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: SC449096 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Durham County Council, County Hall, Durham DH1 5UJ

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Inspector

Jacqueline Tate, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC449096 11 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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