Children's home run by North East Autism Society in County Durham

Inspection report for children's home: SC416136 1 SC416136 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 five children and/or young people who may have learning disabilities. Currently, there are four children living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2012.

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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: 14 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 for children's home: SC416136 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/01/2020 Full Outstanding 05/02/2019 Full Outstanding 14/08/2017 Full Outstanding 22/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: SC416136 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is tastefully decorated and provides children with a comfortable living space. Children’s bedrooms are personalised and there is ample room for them to live and relax in. The chill-out room and the conservatory provide extra space for the children to play games and have fun in with the staff. The children enjoy the use of the home’s minibus, which is used to support the children’s everyday needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported well to build good relationships with the adults who are looking after them. Positive interactions were observed between the children and staff. These positive relationships have helped the children who have moved into the home to settle in quickly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff help the children to feel safe and secure. Children are able to develop a sense of permanence and belonging. When it is time for the young people to move on to their adult provision, this is done carefully to ensure that this is successful.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to build good relationships with the adults who are looking after them. Children are able to develop a sense of permanence and belonging. Since the last inspection, two young people have moved on to adult provisions successfully. The children who are currently living in the home have settled in quickly. Positive interactions were observed between the children and staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff support the children to take part in activities so that they can make memories. These memories are captured in the children’s ‘Wow book’. The staff ensure that positive memories are made with all of the children by celebrating their special occasions together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have regular opportunities to spend quality time with family members. The staff work closely with the children’s families and the important people in the children’s lives. Due to the support that is provided by the staff, the children’s relationships with their family members have improved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and the staff support the children to do well in education. When the children struggle, the staff work persistently with the other agencies to help the children to return back to school. At times, the children need a more individualised approach. The manager and the staff provide this through activities at home. As a result, the children’s anxieties lessen, and they begin to enjoy the experience of learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and the staff are attentive to the children’s emotional and physical health. The children are supported to attend all their health appointments. They have access to mental health services which support the children’s emotional well- being. As a result, the children start to develop new ways to manage their feelings. Inspection report for children's home: SC416136 4

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

The manager and the staff understand the risks posed to and by the children well. The manager and the staff have a good understanding of the children’s histories and the impact of their medical conditions and life experiences on their behaviour and presentation. This knowledge provides the foundation for well-informed risk assessments.

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

Risk assessments are child-focused and contain an up-to-date chronology of the children’s behaviour. The manager updates the children’s risk assessment in a timely manner to reflect any changes in their lives. The manager and staff work in accordance with the agreed strategies to minimise the risks and to maintain the children’s safety. This means that the staff are consistent in their approach to safeguarding children.

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

The staff use their skills and knowledge of the children to keep significant incidents to a minimum level. The staff maintain a positive atmosphere in the home, which prevents situations from escalating. When incidents do occur, they are managed safely. Support is provided to the children afterwards to help them to recover.

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

The staff encourage the children’s individuality, and they support the children to get along with each other in the home. The staff recognise the early signs and the triggers for the children so that they can provide them with a high level of emotional support. This reduces the need for the staff to physically hold the children when children are in crisis. Additionally, the staff help the children to embrace each other and their differences. Restorative measures are used to help the children to learn from their behaviour and live together in a safe way.

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

Surveillance is used in one child’s bedroom for the purpose of safeguarding as outlined in the child’s risk assessment. However, the manager has failed to obtain written consent from the child’s parent and placing local authority to use the surveillance. While this has not negatively affected the care that the child receives, Ofsted cannot be assured that this practice has been agreed by all of the parties who are responsible for the child’s care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

At the time of the inspection, the registered manager was on annual leave. The deputy manager has taken on the role of supporting the staff and overseeing the running of the home. This has ensured that the quality of care remains consistent while the manager is off work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Family and professionals provide positive feedback about the care that the staff provide to the children. Positive working relationship and effective communication have been widely recognised as one of the strengths of the staff team. A parent said regarding their child, ‘Staff go above and beyond for [name], and I could not be happier.’ Inspection report for children's home: SC416136 5 There has been an outbreak of COVID-19 in the home recently, and the staff have worked well together to minimise any disruption for the children. However, the sickness and absence in the staff team have affected the quality of some of the recordings in the children’s file. The shortfall has been identified by the independent visitor in a recent visit, and a plan has been put in place by the management team to address the issue.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A review of the staff’s recruitment records found that there is an isolated incident where there is insufficient information regarding a member of staff’s education and work history. This means that safe recruitment checks are not consistently thorough.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses regular team meetings, reflective supervision and annual appraisals to help her to develop her staff and their practice. The staff say that they feel valued and supported in their role and that this helps them to improve the children’s experiences. Records of supervision are maintained at the home. However, at the time of the inspection, some supervision records were not readily available. This means the quality of those missing records could not be considered. Inspection report for children's home: SC416136 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 registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if —

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Requirement Due date

the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance. (Regulation 24 (1)(b)) 31 January 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d)) 31 January 2022

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all records are made readily available to view for anybody who has legitimate reason to view them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 14.2) Inspection report for children's home: SC416136 7

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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: SC416136 8

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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 for children's home: SC416136 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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Inspector

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