Children's Home run by Stockton on Tees Borough Council in Stockton-on-Tees

Inspection report children’s home: SC035222 1 SC035222 Registered provider: Stockton on Tees Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a local authority. It provides care for up to three children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2012.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020. We last visited this setting on 30 October 2019 to carry out a full inspection. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 30 October 2019

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC035222 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/10/2019 Full Good 28/01/2019 Full Good 12/12/2017 Full Good 06/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC035222 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are happy living here. The home is cosy and comfortable, and the staff provide a caring and nurturing approach. Several professionals noted how quickly the children settle in and develop close and trusting relationships with the staff. One child said: ‘There is always someone you can talk to.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make educational progress soon after moving into the home. Their behaviour at school improves and they engage more positively in their work. Private tutors are provided to supplement children’s learning from school. Care is taken to find the right tutor for the child. This helps the children achieve their educational potential.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff arrange activities based on the children’s wishes. Children are helped to learn new life skills such as learning to swim. Children are also encouraged to attend community-based groups independently. This helps the children to become more independent, make new friends and develop new interests. These experiences are captured in memory books for the children to look at and take with them when they move on from the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy spending time in their home. However, they have been prevented from accessing all areas of their home as one room downstairs was locked. This was raised with the manager who addressed this during the inspection. The provider has plans in place to increase the amount of space available to the children, and to improve the quality of the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children develop independent living skills. Staff provide an individualised approach which engages the children in the work. This work continues when children leave the home. The outreach support provided by the staff helps the children to manage such a significant transition successfully. It also helps the children to feel important and valued.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are obtained in monthly meetings. However, children who may not be able to speak up in these meetings are not provided with another way to share their views. The lack of alternative ways to seek children’s views may limit children’s participation in their care planning and involvement in the running of their home. Inspection report children’s home: SC035222 4

p.3

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Care is taken to ensure that the children’s needs can be met by the staff before the child moves into the home. The manager considers the impact on the children already living in the home. Additional resources to help the children are provided for as long as required. This includes specialist training, support and consultation for the staff.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The staff are skilled and responsive. The staff take appropriate action to keep the children safe, which has reduced the number of challenging behaviours and serious incidents. This has resulted in fewer restraints, police callouts, and missing-from- home episodes. One professional said: ‘The package of care delivered made these setbacks isolated incidents and not the norm, which had been the case in other placements.’

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children’s risk assessments are regularly reviewed and updated so that the staff are clear about the current risk issues for the children. Appropriate action is taken when a risk is increased. Relevant professionals are informed, so that a coordinated and consistent response can be provided to the children. Staff undertake one-to-one work with the children to help them understand the impact of their behaviours on themselves and others.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Suitable measures are in place and followed to ensure that the new staff are recruited safely. This prevents unsuitable people from being recruited to work with the children in this home.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The staff are not provided with a detailed understanding of what may trigger an incident for a child. Children’s risk assessments do not always identify the children’s triggers or early signs of anxiety and distress. This oversight prevents the staff from identifying and intervening early to distract and de-escalate situations for the children before they arise.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff know what to do when a child goes missing from the home. They also consider the individual risk factors for the child such as their age, vulnerability, risk of child sexual exploitation and child criminal exploitation. However, these individualised approaches are not written down in children’s risk assessments. This means that the newer staff are not provided with clear guidance on what actions they must take to keep the children safe.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a stable, experienced and committed staff team. Staff enjoy their work and feel supported by the management team. Managers are described as available and ‘very approachable’. Supervision is provided regularly, during which staff can talk openly. Managers take action to help staff with work and personal issues. Inspection report children’s home: SC035222 5 Staff have completed all their mandatory training. They also obtain additional skills through a programme of ongoing training. This enables them to better understand and respond to the children’s specific needs and risk issues. This means that children are better safeguarded and cared for.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Safeguarding concerns are discussed in team meetings, supervision and daily handovers and any actions agreed. This ensures that the staff have a current understanding of any issues and can respond appropriately and consistently.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff develop good relationships with professionals and family members. The manager and staff provide regular updates and attend and participate in children’s meetings. They encourage and facilitate family contact. One family member said: ‘Staff make me feel part of her life.’

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team has monitoring systems in place so that it knows what is happening in the home. The six-monthly quality of care review completed by the manager evidences an understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. The absence of an action plan, however, means that it is not clear how the areas for development will be improved. Inspection report children’s home: SC035222 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)) In particular, ensure that the children’s risk assessments identify their triggers and early signs of anxiety and distress. 24 November

p.6

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)) In particular, ensure that the children have individualised missing-from-home procedures for the staff to follow. 24 November

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children are able to access all shared areas of their home unless there are specific reasons why this would not meet a child’s needs. Limits on privacy and access may only be put in place to safeguard each child in the home (regulation 21(c)(i)). Any decisions to limit a child’s access to any area of the home and any modifications to the environment of the home, must only be made where this is intended to safeguard the child’s Inspection report children’s home: SC035222 7 welfare. All decisions should be informed by a rigorous assessment of that individual child’s needs, be properly recorded and be kept under regular review. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards,’ page 15, paragraph 3.10)  The registered person should ensure that the children are consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement

p.6

Recommendations

in the quality of care provided. Due consideration should be given to the child’s cognitive ability in the development and implementation of any consultation processes. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon. In particular, ensure that the children are provided with a variety of ways to share their views. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards,’ page 22, paragraph 4.11)  The registered person should ensure that the Regulation 45 report clearly identifies any actions required for the next six months of delivery within the home and how those actions will be addressed. The whole review process and the resulting report should be used as a tool for continuous improvement in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards,’ page 65, paragraph 15.4)

p.7

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: SC035222 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Stockton on Tees Borough Council

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Municipal Buildings, Church Road, Stockton-on- Tees, Cleveland TS18 1LD

p.8

Inspector

Emma Ridley, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC035222 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.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

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

p.9