Children's Home run by North Yorkshire Council in North Yorkshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC034189 1 SC034189 Registered provider: North Yorkshire County Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to six children between the ages of 11 and 18 years who have social, emotional or mental health difficulties. The home can also care for a further two children in separate accommodation for up to 28 days.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a local authority under the ‘No Wrong Door’ model. Some children stay in the home for a short time; others are there for several months.

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Information about this children’s home

The qualified, experienced manager registered with Ofsted in August 2019.

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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 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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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 10 February 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC034189 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/05/2019 Full Good 05/06/2018 Full Good 10/10/2017 Full Good 15/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC034189 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress in this home. Many children experience a level of stability that previous carers have been unable to provide. Most children leave only when they are ready to move to their long-term homes. One child has made remarkable progress, which increases the range of potential long-term options. The child knows that they have done very well and that their future looks positive. This is an excellent outcome.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children build strong, trusting relationships with staff. Children learn that staff do not reject them regardless of their difficulties. This is a new experience for many children and helps them to become increasingly settled. Staff use their positive relationships with children to talk about their plans. Children feel included in care planning and decision-making. As a result, children feel able to move to their long- term homes and do so successfully.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to maintain or build relationships with family members. For example, some children had become estranged from their families. However, due to staff efforts, they overcome their difficulties. This means that families go on to support their children when they become young adults. This has a long-term positive impact on all their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s emotional development is well supported by staff. On-site specialists provide timely, targeted help for children struggling with their emotional well-being. Specialists also help staff to improve their understanding of and responses to the impact of trauma on children. This means that staff become more effective in their care of children. Over time, children’s progress is enhanced as a result.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s educational development mostly improve. When there are ongoing difficulties, staff work with professionals to identify barriers and find appropriate school placements. Some children move into the home after doing little meaningful learning for a long time. Staff work hard to help children to overcome anxieties about going to school. This means that children feel able to return to structured education. The benefit to children’s educational, social and emotional well-being is significant because of this input from staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The availability of activities outside of the home has been affected by restrictions related to COVID-19. In response, staff arrange events to take place in the home, including a Valentine’s Day celebration, baking days and pamper evenings. The situation has improved recently. Children again enjoy trips further afield, including holidays with staff. This helps children to strengthen their relationships with staff and to feel invested in the home. Children are developing their social skills while having fun and building positive memories. Inspection report for children’s home: SC034189 4 Children provide their views about living in the home. They attend regular meetings with staff. Senior staff provide careful explanations if their wishes cannot be carried out. Children know the process for making complaints and are encouraged to raise any worries with staff or leaders. As well as making their stay in the home more

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

enjoyable, this approach means that children learn that they have a right to have their views heard. This is an essential part of their development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is not well presented. Communal areas are institutional and lack personalisation. Issues with getting repairs done quickly mean that some damage is left for longer than is appropriate. Although children’s bedrooms are acceptable, the overall impression of the home does not indicate that children are valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The kitchen door is routinely locked at night. There is no safeguarding reason for doing so. This means that children do not have the same ability to go into all parts of their home, as would children living in a family home. The registered manager accepts that alternatives are available to ensuring the security of the home that do not exclude children from the kitchen.

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

Children become safer while living in the home. Staff use their positive relationships with children to talk to them about risk. Staff prepare and follow individualised and specific risk assessments to reduce the likelihood of children coming to harm. Children learn that staff care about them and will act to keep them safe. This is a powerful message and helps children’s sense of self-worth.

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

Staff understand the reasons why children go missing, including when there are concerns about exploitation. Staff search for children when they are missing. They work closely with the police and other professionals to ensure that vulnerable children are found quickly. This is effective and, over time, children go missing less often. As well as helping children to become safer, children are more likely to move to long-term carers who can meet their needs.

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

Multi-agency working helps the most vulnerable children to become safer. When there are serious or complex concerns, safeguarding professionals meet regularly to consider risks. Professionals share their expertise to identify solutions and marshal resources. This approach reduces the likelihood of professionals being at a loss to know what to do to help and protect children.

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

Staff do not always manage children’s behaviour effectively. When helping one child, staff follow behaviour management plans successfully. However, when there is a group of children, staff do not always present confidently. This means that children feel unsafe, which adds to their difficulties. Staff sickness and fewer activities due to COVID-19 exacerbated these problems. Recently, additional staff training has been provided. There has been a marked decrease in the number of such significant incidents in recent weeks. The registered manager is aware of these issues and plans to provide further support to consolidate recent progress. Inspection report for children’s home: SC034189 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The well-being of children is at the centre of leaders’ and managers’ thinking. The registered manager has high expectations for children, both in the home and in the longer term. Managers ensure that the wider professional network understands children’s needs. This means that the right long-term home is identified for children. The approach of leaders and managers means that decisions are child-centred and, ultimately, successful.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager understands when improvements need to be made to the service. For example, she accepts that, on occasion, some staff are not as available to children as necessary. In response, she is making alterations to the layout of the office space to make staff more visible. It is too soon to evaluate the impact of this decision. However, it indicates that the registered manager will act to improve children’s experiences in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported by leaders and managers. Staff receive regular formal supervision of their practice. They also report that leaders and managers are available for ad hoc conversations. This support has continued during the COVID-19 restrictions, when fewer staff than normal were in the home. As well as providing specific help when it is needed, this demonstrates that staff work in a setting where asking for advice is encouraged. This is good practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff undertake a wide range of training. When possible, training is face to face, which they value. Staff receive regular updates about the impact of trauma and how to respond to children’s difficulties. There is an emphasis on helping children to remain calm and build resilience. The impact of this ongoing training is becoming apparent, with fewer occasions when children are restrained.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home was affected by staffing issues during the pandemic. This coincided with reduced opportunities for staff to take children on activities. Difficulties within the home increased. As a result, some staff are tired and their resilience affected. The registered manager uses relief staff who are very familiar to children to fill gaps in the rota. This reduces the impact of fewer permanent members of staff in the home. In addition, a recruitment campaign has been successful. Although it is too soon to evaluate the impact of new staff, the registered manager is committed to improving the situation for her existing staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers respond well to internal and external monitoring. Over this period, a new independent person has been appointed to undertake monthly visits to the home. The reports following these visits are evaluative and include a range of views. This is an improvement. These visits help the registered manager to know what changes need to be made to improve children’s experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager develops effective relationships with members of the professional network. This is helped by having several different specialists based in the home. This means that children receive any required help quickly. When professionals are slow to provide a service that children need, the registered Inspection report for children’s home: SC034189 6 manager challenges this successfully. Children benefit from professionals working together to ensure that their needs are met. Inspection report for children’s home: SC034189 7

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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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(vii)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the provider should ensure that the home is decorated and organised so that it provides a warm and homely environment. 30 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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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 intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and 30 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC034189 8 allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the kitchen door should not be locked at night, unless there is a safeguarding reason to do so.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff use their constructive and warm relationships with children to plan their time with them effectively. Staff should manage conflict and react appropriately if challenged by the group of children in their care. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.14)

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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: SC034189 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: North Yorkshire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: North Yorkshire County Council, County Hall, Northallerton DL7 8AD

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Inspector

Jane Titley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC034189 10 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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