Children's Home run by Highfield North East Limited in Redcar and Cleveland

Inspection report children’s home: SC476512 1 SC476512 Registered provider: Highfield (North East) Limited Full inspection 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 private provider. It provides care for up to five children who may have social, emotional or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2021. She is undertaking the required management qualification.

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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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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: SC476512 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/06/2019 Full Good 21/06/2018 Full Good 19/06/2017 Full Good 13/02/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC476512 3

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improvement to be good

The planning for children moving into the home is not effective. There is no assessment of the impact that the new children will have on those who are already living in the home. In addition, leaders do not assess whether the staff have the knowledge and skills to care for new children who move in. As a result, children have moved into the home whose needs are too complex for the staff to meet. This has had a very disruptive effect on other children and resulted in one child leaving the home prematurely.

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improvement to be good

The planning for the children moving from the home is not always child centered. One child who lived in the home for many years had to move quickly. The child did not have time to reflect on what it meant for them to be leaving their home. This disregards the lived experiences of children. It does not help them to build trust in adults.

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improvement to be good

Education progress for children is not yet good enough. Children do not consistently attend school or take part in online learning. Staff encourage children to take part in education. However, their efforts to reduce barriers to learning are not structured and reviewed. This means that the ethos of the home is not one where children regularly go to school. However, there has been a significant improvement in school attendance since the start of the current term. However, it is too early to tell if this progress can be sustained.

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improvement to be good

Staff promote the general health and well-being of children. However, the approach to help children reduce smoking and learn about the harm caused by alcohol and drug misuse is not effective. Staff do not spend structured time talking to the children about these and other issues, and expert support is not arranged. Children are not learning healthy habits and they are at risk of harm when intoxicated.

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improvement to be good

Children have excellent relationships with the staff, who are warm and nurturing towards them. Because of the strength of these relationships, the children feel able to talk to the staff about their successes and their concerns. This aspect of the home is praised by family members and professionals, as well as the children. Developing trusting relationships with adults helps the children to invest and become settled in the home.

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improvement to be good

Children enjoyed a range of activities during the COVID-19 restrictions and continue to do so. Staff and children make good use of the local attractions. In addition, one member of staff carries out fun and interesting project work with children. For example, children learn about sexual health and aspects about their own identity. As well as the new information the children learn, this work helps them to strengthen the relationships in the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC476512 4 Children live in a large, well-maintained home which has been recently decorated. Children are helped to choose the decor and soft furnishings, to very good effect. There is ample room for the children to enjoy their time alone. There are also large communal areas that allow all the children to spend time together, for example watching a film. Living in such a lovely home gives the children a strong message that they are valued by the staff who look after them.

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improvement to be good

The approach to children who go missing from home is varied. The provision of effective boundaries helped two children to stop this behaviour. However, another child is at risk of harm when they go missing in the community. Staff do not prioritise the child’s immediate well-being, despite the potential harm the child faces. Staff respond to the child being missing as a behavioural issue. The potential risks for the child are not at the forefront of staff thinking. The child is not being helped to become safer when out of the home.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments are not specific and individualised. They do not help the staff to respond effectively to the children’s risks. For example, the strategies refer to monitoring, and offering advice and support. This does not tell staff, particularly new or inexperienced staff, what they need to do to safeguard the children. As a result, the children do not receive consistent care from staff when they need it most.

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improvement to be good

The registered person does not consistently notify Ofsted of serious concerns about children. When notifications are made, they do not contain all the required information. This means that Ofsted cannot be assured that children are being helped and protected.

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improvement to be good

In the home, children are becoming safer. They respond positively to staff, because of the strength of their relationships. This encourages children to spend increasing amounts of time in the home, rather than in the community. Children are encouraged to invite friends into the home. This helps them to expand their social networks, while protecting them from potential harm.

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improvement to be good

Staff use effective and accepted boundaries in the home. This means that the day- to-day expectations for children are clear and generally followed. Children agree that the rules are fair. These boundaries contribute to the children feeling settled and that the home is their home.

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good

The management arrangements are not consistently strong. During a period of management absence, there were shortfalls in the smooth running of the home. During this period, there were several incidents involving the children and some of the staff. The registered manager accepts these issues and has plans to improve the management team. It is too early to assess the impact of the new arrangements. Inspection report children’s home: SC476512 5 The monitoring of the service is not yet effective. The registered manager does not incorporate the views of children, their families and professionals into her monitoring processes. She does not evaluate what impact the quality of care has on the children. For example, the manager does not know if key-working sessions are helping the children with the issues that matter to them most. This means that the ineffective responses to the children go unnoticed. In addition, the reasons for the

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good

children’s progress are not well understood, meaning that they are not readily replicated.

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good

Staff do not receive supervision in line with the home’s workforce development plan. Staff sometimes have a gap of several months between supervision sessions. This includes staff who are new to working in residential childcare. This means that the registered manager does not have a structure for talking to staff about their performance. This shortfall was raised at the last inspection. A requirement made at the last inspection is repeated.

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good

The registered person does not ensure that all the regulatory tasks are completed. For example, Ofsted has not been provided with an updated statement of purpose as required by regulation. This means that Ofsted cannot assess whether the home is providing care as set out in this document.

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good

The registered manager ensures that the staff are provided with a broad range of training. Training continues during periods of national lockdown. More recently, face-to-face training has recommenced. Staff report that they value these learning opportunities. Staff learn important knowledge and skills to help them meet the individual needs of children.

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good

The registered manager is skilled at interacting with the children and their parents. She is a good role model for staff, who can learn from her abilities. Staff find her approachable and say that they can ask her for advice when it is needed. This means that the children are cared for by staff who feel valued and who receive the support they need to perform well.

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good

The registered manager is passionate about the children contributing their views about what happens in the home. Children meet regularly with the staff to discuss their wishes and feelings. The inspector was impressed with the level of ownership that the children clearly have for their home. Children are learning that they can influence their world, which is essential to help them to develop their sense of self. Inspection report children’s home: SC476512 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, 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

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

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

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, risk assessments must set out specifically what the staff must do, in order to reduce the risk of harm to children. Staff must act to keep the children safe, including when they are in the community. 31 December

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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

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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

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; 31 December Inspection report children’s home: SC476512 7 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)(a)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that management arrangements continue to be effective when senior leaders are absent from the home. In addition, the monitoring of the service must be able to identify gaps in practice and provision and ensure that such shortfalls are addressed.

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the 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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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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)(b) (2)(a)(b)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, children must only be admitted to the home when the registered person has assessed whether their needs can be met along with the other children who are already living in the home. Children who need to move from the home quickly must be given every opportunity to say goodbye to the children and staff with whom they have lived. 31 December Inspection report children’s home: SC476512 8 The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b)) 31 December

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This is a repeat of a requirement made at the previous inspection. 31 December

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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—

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 31 December Inspection report children’s home: SC476512 9

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that, where the children are not in school or college, staff support the child to enable them to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be engaged in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children are offered advice, support and guidance on their health and well-being. This can include help to stop smoking and the use of drugs and alcohol. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.18)

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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: SC476512 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Highfield (North East) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 37 Emerald Street, Saltburn-by-the Sea, Redcar and Cleveland TS12 1EE

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Inspector

Jane Titley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC476512 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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