Children's Home run by North East Autism Society in Durham

Inspection report children's home: SC458754 1 SC458754 Registered provider: North East Autism Society 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 private provider. It provides care for up to eight children and/or young people who may have learning disabilities and/or autism spectrum disorder. Currently, there are six children and two young people living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2019.

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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 carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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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 good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers 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: 21 January 2020

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC458754 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/01/2020 Full Outstanding 12/02/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 24/04/2018 Full Good 21/11/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children's home: SC458754 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people are all settled and thriving. Professionals and family members describe the staff as ‘welcoming’ and ‘nurturing’. The staff’s person- centred approach takes full account of the children and young people’s individual learning needs. This means that the children and young people receive a good level of individualised care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people’s wishes and feelings are at the centre of their care plans. Staff use various communication methods to engage with the children and young people to obtain their views. This approach enables the children and young people to fully take part in the decision-making process in respect of their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people respond well to their established routines. They have good school attendance and enjoy their time at school. This means that the children and young people are making good progress from their respective starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Independence is promoted at a pace that is right for each child and young person. Staff encourage the children and young people to meet their agreed targets, such as pouring a cold drink or using their preferred style of communication to make a request. When the children and young people achieve their goals, the staff provide praise and celebrate their achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Good staff support enables the children and young people to spend quality time with their close family and friends both in the home and in the community. Some children and young people have progressed and now have overnight stays at their family home. The children and young people form excellent support networks, which promotes social inclusion.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming. Children and young people have self-contained, single-occupancy apartments. These are fully equipped with a kitchen, a lounge, a bedroom and a bathroom. Communal areas help the children and young people to engage with each other socially. This supportive and child-centred living space enables the children and young people to flourish and be kept safe. The staff support the children and young people to follow appropriate COVID-19 procedures within the home and community.

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

The staff have a clear understanding of the children and young people’s individual needs and vulnerabilities. The staff use their knowledge and their relationships with the children and young people to recognise and reduce the potential risks. As a result, the children and young people are offered better protection. Inspection report children's home: SC458754 4 There is a strong multi-agency safeguarding response to any incidents of concern. The staff have a good understanding of the home’s safeguarding procedures and they consistently follow them.

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

Children and young people’s risk assessments are detailed and individualised. These assessments provide the staff with clear behaviour management strategies. The guidance that the staff receive in these documents ensures that the children and young people’s behaviour is managed consistently and effectively.

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

There are no incidents of bullying in the home. The staff work well with the children and young people to raise their awareness of being kind to each other. The staff developed this work by supporting the children and young people to take part in relationship-building activities for anti-bullying week.

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

The staff receive training in positive and proactive behaviour support. They have a good understanding of the children and young people’s needs and of why they may behave in certain ways. This helps the staff to respond to any challenging situations in a consistent and positive manner. As a result, the use of physical restraints has reduced.

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

Staff advocate strongly on behalf of the children and young people in all areas of their lives. The positive working relationships that are established with specialist services and professionals ensure that the children and young people’s needs are identified and responded to quickly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has established a team that consists of staff with a varied range of experience. The staff describe the manager as ‘supportive’ and ‘approachable’. The manager has high aspirations for the children and young people, and he ensures that his team does too. He can identify the progress that the children and young people have made since moving into the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and the staff work well with the children and young people’s families and professionals. Together, they identify the ‘skills for life’ targets for all the children and young people. This helps the children and young people to work towards achieving their own individual goals, so that they are better prepared for independent living.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a background in nursing. He has applied his knowledge and expertise in conducting a case study with a new medication that one of the children takes. Any changes in the child’s presentation are recorded, monitored and reported. This has supported specialist services to review the effectiveness of the medication for this child. As a result, the child is offered better care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff receive regular supervision from the management team. This provides staff with an opportunity and a safe space to reflect on their practice. This enables the Inspection report children's home: SC458754 5 manager to identity and monitor the staff’s performance and helps him to develop the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings for the staff are regular and purposeful. The manager brings research to the team meeting for discussion. This creates a mutual learning environment for all the staff team. As a result, the staff are better equipped with up- to-date knowledge and information on how best to support the children and young people in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and his staff are committed to achieving positive outcomes for the children and young people. The manager regularly reviews restrictive practice to ensure that the restrictions used are necessary and proportionate. However, he has failed to seek consent from the children and young people’s parents and placing local authorities to restrict the children and young people’s access in their home. This has not negatively affected the care that children receive, but it could lead to inconsistent practice regarding the use of restrictive measures. Inspection report children's home: SC458754 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

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 kept under review and, if necessary, revised. (Regulation 21 (c)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the appropriate consent is obtained from each child/young person’s parent/placing local authority to restrict the child’s/young person’s access in their home. 10 December

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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: SC458754 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: North East Autism Society

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: North East Autism Society, 15 Lumley Court, Drum Industrial Estate, Chester-le-Street, County Durham DH2 1AN

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Inspector

Cherie Chen, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC458754 8 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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