Children's Home run by Investing in Children CIC in Sunderland

Inspection report for children’s home: 2522240 1 Registered provider: Investing in Children CIC Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to five children who may have emotional and/or social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There are four children currently living in the home. The inspector spoke to children during this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered in May 2019. There is no registered manager in post. The interim manager is in the process of applying to be registered with Ofsted.

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Inspection date: 13 December 2021

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 13 December 2021

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2522240 2

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement to be good at the last full inspection.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

At this interim inspection, Ofsted judged that it has sustained effectiveness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff respond swiftly and follow safety plans when children experience crisis incidents. However, staff often do not complete daily checks that are necessary to help to reduce risks to children. This means that there is not a proactive approach to help to ensure the children’s safety. This shortfall contributes to one child experiencing repeat incidents.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The interim manager shares concerns with relevant professionals without delay when children’s risks increase. This helps to ensure a prompt, multi-agency approach to safeguarding the children.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The interim manager assesses the suitability of admissions into the home and sensitively arranges introductions for children moving into the home. Routines are established to help the children to experience stability, which assists them to settle quickly into the home. One child said: ‘I’m really happy here. I really like the staff, they help me.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The interim manager has not used the care plan provided by one child’s placing authority to devise a bespoke care plan for the child. When the manager has not received documents that he has requested from the child’s placing authority, he has not challenged or escalated this concern. These shortfalls mean that there is insufficient information available to staff to help them to understand one child’s needs.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Medical needs are recorded incorrectly in one child’s records. There are discrepancies in medication records and these records do not include any information regarding who has administered medication. These shortfalls have not resulted in the child experiencing harm, but there is a potential risk of harm.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children are helped by staff to understand the importance of their education and to have ambition for their future. All the children have an educational placement which they attend regularly and are making good progress.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Supervision is not always held regularly and when staff raise concerns, these are not always followed up. This means that this process is not fully exploited to drive improvement forward.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff have completed mandatory training and additional training to help them to become skilled in meeting children’s emotional needs. However, a significant Inspection report for children’s home: 2522240 3 proportion of staff have still not completed training to help them to understand self- harm. This limits the possibility of staff having the knowledge to support children effectively with this specific need.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Safer recruitment processes are followed when staff are appointed. This provides assurances that the adults have been appropriately vetted before they care for the children.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The statement of purpose does not include any information regarding emergency admissions. Therefore, not all the required information is stated in this document.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The interim manager and responsible individual have devised tools to help them to monitor the care that children receive. However, some of these systems are not fully implemented. The monitoring systems that are in place have not identified the shortfalls raised. This demonstrates that the monitoring systems are not yet embedded into practice or effective. Inspection report for children’s home: 2522240 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/07/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/02/2020 Interim Declined in effectiveness 20/08/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2522240 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

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.

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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;

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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 to protect each child effectively from harm.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(vi)(b)) 14 January 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2522240 6 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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(e)(h)) 14 January 2022

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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 each child’s relevant plans are followed; and

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Requirement Due date

that staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(f)) 14 January 2022

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Requirement Due date

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

This specifically relates to ensuring that the statement of purpose contains information regarding emergency admissions. 14 January 2022

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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. 14 January 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2522240 7 (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure.

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35 (3)(a)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

There have been no measures of control, discipline or restraint since the last inspection, therefore this requirement cannot be assessed and is reissued. 14 January 2022

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Information about this inspection

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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 for children’s home: 2522240 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Investing in Children CIC

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Sjovoll Centre, Front Street, Pity Me, Durham DH1 5BZ

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Inspector

Paula Kelly, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2522240 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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