Children's Home run by Interactive Development Residential Limited in Durham

Inspection report children's home: 2534102 1 Registered provider: Interactive Development Residential Limited 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 an independent provider. The home provides care and accommodation to four children who are aged between 10 and 17 years old. The manager registered with Ofsted in 2019 and is suitably qualified for the role.

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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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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 30 September 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. 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: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 2534102 2

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected. Inspection report children's home: 2534102 3

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improvement to be good

Children’s progress is mixed. Their day-to-day experiences vary depending on their reactions to individual situations and their sense of belonging to the home. Despite this, some children are enjoying positive experiences and forging trusting relationships with staff.

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improvement to be good

Children are involved in the day-to-day decisions about their lives and their views are respected. Children take part in weekly meetings with their peers and are actively encouraged by staff to take part in activities. Children enjoy playing on their bikes and exploring the local areas. Some children maintain their interest and involvement with community groups, such as youth theatres. This promotes children’s well-being and social skills.

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improvement to be good

Children are given advice and support during their introduction to the home. This covers the expectations and boundaries that are covered in the children’s guide. However, staff do not consistently support and educate children on the upkeep of their bedrooms. Staff do not fully understand their roles in respecting privacy and keeping children’s spaces clean and tidy. This means that children are not developing independence skills that support their resilience and promote their dignity and respect.

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improvement to be good

Children are welcomed into the home. The staff and managers spend time getting to know children, which supports their care planning. However, care planning for children moving on from the home is not proactive. Staff do not follow clear plans to support timelines and goals for children. This means that children are not supported adequately with their next steps towards adulthood.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to attend education and their general health needs are met. Staff are proactive and support children to attend specialist health services when required. External professionals confirm that they have positive relationships with the staff. This ensures that children’s needs are met quickly by the relevant agency.

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improvement to be good

Children’s relationships with staff are mixed. Some children engage well with staff. However, another child is reluctant to engage with the staff and uses the home as a base.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always identify and support children to manage risks safely in the community as staff’s practice is inconsistent. Some children’s individual risk assessments and behaviour management plans are well written. This enables staff to follow and implement clear strategies to support risk reduction for children who Inspection report children's home: 2534102 4 go missing from the home. However, some children spend long periods of time in the community without staff knowing where they are or what they are doing. The actions taken by staff to identify and implement protective factors are not proactive. This exposes children to the risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

In situations where risks are identified, staff work well with a range of professionals. Staff manage known concerns in respect of substance and alcohol misuse, and the potential exploitation of children well. This means that some children become increasingly safe and can build on their resilience and confidence.

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improvement to be good

Staff use formal and informal one-to-one discussions with children to discuss challenging and inappropriate behaviours. These sessions are well recorded and purposeful, and support children to reflect on and learn from their behaviour.

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improvement to be good

Children are provided with guidance and support throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to understand and follow government guidelines. This supports change through education and respect is built through positive relationship building.

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good

The manager is supported by an able deputy manager. They both demonstrate a commitment and desire to improve outcomes for children. They have both experienced times away from the home during the pandemic. Although contact was maintained via an on-call system and video links, oversight and monitoring of staff’s practice have not been consistent.

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good

External monitoring takes place monthly by an independent visitor. The relationship is professional and respectful. The manager acts to address any concerns. During the visit by Ofsted, the independent visitor arrived on site. The manager responded appropriately and with confidence and composure. This showed his professionalism and desire to learn and support positive outcomes for children.

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good

Staff receive regular supervision. Team meeting minutes provide a consistent overview of children’s day-to-day experiences. These opportunities provide staff with the information they need to care for children and allows staff to reflect on and develop their practice. This means that children receive care and support from staff who know and understand their needs.

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good

The home has seen two experienced members of staff leave. However, recruitment action has taken place and new staff have commenced their employment. Management are always looking to promote development for those staff in the team who demonstrate the ability and desire to progress. This means that children receive support from suitably qualified staff. Inspection report children's home: 2534102 5

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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 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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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Requirement Due date

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) (2)(a)(b)(iii)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that the conditions of children’s bedrooms are appropriate and meet their needs. 26 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 26 August 2021 Inspection report children's home: 2534102 6 help each child to understand how the child’s privacy will be respected and the circumstances when it may have to be limited. (Regulation 7 (1)(b)(c) (2)(v))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the staff’s skills in maintaining positive relationships with children that enables trust and respect to be established.

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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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 are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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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 protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1)(a) (2)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This is specifically about staff assessing the risk for children while children are out in the community and identifying what steps staff will take to minimise the potential risk of harm to children and others. 26 August 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 26 August 2021 Inspection report children's home: 2534102 7 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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experience of each child and use this understanding to inform the developments of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

use the 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

This refers specifically to the manager’s evaluation of the effectiveness and oversight of staff’s practice in order to provide positive outcomes for children.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

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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

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(b)(iii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the need for a child’s up-to-date pathway plan to be in place. 19 August 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: 2534102 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Interactive Development Residential Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 3-5 Brenkley Way, Blezard Business Park, Seaton Burn, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear NE13 6DS

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Inspector

Michael Dack, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2534102 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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