Children's Home run by Hartlepool Borough Council in Hartlepool

Inspection report children’s home: 2490894 1 Registered provider: Hartlepool Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by the local authority and provides care and accommodation for up to two children who may have social, emotional, behavioural and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered in March 2021 but is currently away from work. An interim manager is in day-to-day charge of the home.

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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.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

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

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 25 February 2020

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: 2490894 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/02/2020 Interim Declined in effectiveness 17/09/2019 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 2490894 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build good relationships with children and these enable children to form secure bonds that support their development. Children are cared for by staff who know then well, and they can identify staff they trust to help with their problems. This gives children security and helps them to feel settled. As a result, children make good progress and their day-to-day experiences are positive. One child told the inspector that they know staff have their best interests at heart and that they are ‘loved and cared for’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress with their education. For one child, this means that they attend school full time and are now academically aligned to their peers. Staff have a good understanding of the challenges and barriers to education that another child faces. Staff continue to show their commitment to finding the right academic placement and encourage the development of other key skills. This means that the child is developing career aspirations for their future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who are preparing for independent living are encouraged to learn new skills. The staff work alongside the children and the local authority to plan their transition. Children are given an information pack which covers key aspects of independent living such as budgeting, cooking and shopping. This will help them to succeed when they are no longer supported by staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by staff to make healthy choices and attend routine medical appointments. The manager ensures that children access specialist help if this is needed. When children feel unable to engage with outside agencies, staff support them with bespoke key-work sessions. This means that children are able to express their emotions and learn strategies to better manage their feelings and behaviour.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have effective working relationships with professionals such as teachers and social workers. This ensures that children’s needs are well understood, and they are making progress in all areas of their development. Professionals report that staff communicate well and always advocate strongly for the children in their care.

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improvement to be good

Children’s risk assessments are not routinely updated with the most recent events and information. While information is passed on through handover meetings and information sheets, risk management plans do not always sufficiently guide staff in relation to how to reduce risks. This may mean that staff do not always know what response is required or where to find information. This could compromise the safety of children. Inspection report children’s home: 2490894 4 The home’s refuse bins are not adequate for all the rubbish, and therefore some bags are left on the ground. Staff do not routinely remove any excess bags to the local refuse centre. This presents a possible health and safety risk to the children from the rubbish itself and any pests it might attract.

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improvement to be good

Children who have previously gone missing from the home are now choosing to follow boundaries. Children feel listened to and able to contribute to the rules of the home. This empowers them to make better choices. This means that there have been no instances of children going missing from the home. This is significant progress for some children.

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improvement to be good

Staff work with children to increase their knowledge and understanding of their own responses to emotional trauma. Children learn and develop appropriate responses to their feelings of anxiety or stress. This has brought about a significant reduction in unacceptable or anti-social behaviour and, as a result, physical restraint has not been used. This creates a safer, calmer environment for children.

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good

The registered manager and the senior staff member are both currently away from work. This has resulted in instability and led to shortfalls in the leadership and management of the home. The current manager has been in post for two weeks.

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good

Leaders and managers do not have effective monitoring systems. This means that they do not have sufficient oversight of the progress of the home or areas of strength or development. The registered manager completed a review of the quality of care provided by the home. However, this did not demonstrate the impact of the care provided on the experiences and progress of children. This means that leaders and managers do not always have insight into how to develop the service.

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good

The registered manager does not ensure that they have the most up-to-date care plans for children. There is no evidence of consistent challenge to the local authority or escalation when this has been unsuccessful. This means that plans for the care of children may not be up to date or focused on their current needs.

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good

The manager has not reviewed arrangements for restricting children’s access to some areas of the home. Where it has previously been necessary to prevent access to the living room and kitchen at night, these safeguards have not been lifted despite no longer being necessary. This prevents children from moving freely around their home and impacts on their experiences of living there.

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good

The registered manager did not inform Ofsted of two serious incidents involving children, although other relevant agencies were informed. This prevents the regulator’s independent scrutiny of any actions taken to safeguard children. Inspection report children’s home: 2490894 5 Leaders and managers did not make or retain an adequate recording of an investigation into allegations made against a member of staff. Procedures were not followed, and leaders could not evidence that concerns were fully addressed.

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good

Staff report that they are well supported in their roles and that they receive regular supervision. Supervision records demonstrate a focus on the progress of children and the impact that staff have on that progress. There is a review of staff training needs and plans in place to address shortfalls. This supports staff development and practice. Inspection report children’s home: 2490894 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, 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—

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Requirement Due date

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 (c)) 29 July 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.

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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;

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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 serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

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)(v)(vi)(d)) 29 July 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— 29 July 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2490894 7 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

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;

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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)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 29 July 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect; and

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Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect. (Regulation 34 (1)(a)(b)) 29 July 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2490894 8 In particular, that accurate records are kept of any investigation into allegations of abuse or neglect.

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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

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 any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(e)) 29 July 2021

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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 least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)) 29 July 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) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: 2490894 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hartlepool Borough Council, Civic Centre, Victoria Road, Hartlepool, Durham TS24 8AY

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Inspector

Deb Duffy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2490894 10 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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