Children's home run by Middlesbrough Borough Council

Inspection report for children’s home: 2567557 1 Registered provider: Middlesbrough Borough Council Full 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 local authority. It provides care for up to two children who may have social, emotional and/or mental health difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager were registered in March 2020. The registered manager is on extended leave from the home. There is an experienced acting manager in post, who is applying for registration.

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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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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 21 January 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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2567557 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2567557 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are settled living in the home. They build good relationships with staff who they come to trust. This helps them to invest in their home. Children talk to staff about the issues that matter most to them, and their views are included in their care plans. The strength of their relationships means that children respond well to the advice and guidance from staff. Children live in the home for a long time and make good progress from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s emotional well-being is supported by staff. Mental health practitioners who support the children provide training for staff. This improves staff knowledge and skills and helps them to be responsive to children’s needs. Children show a remarkable level of insight into their own issues and progress. This demonstrates that the care that staff provide is meaningful and of value to children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to be healthy. Children attend routine and more urgent medical appointments with staff encouragement. Some of these appointments have an immediate, positive impact on children’s day-to-day lives. For example, staff talk to children about the pandemic and urge them to take it seriously. Although staff want children to be healthy, they do not make stringent efforts to help children to stop smoking. The resulting impact on children’s long-term health and well-being is likely to be significant.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s educational outcomes are improving. Children who have a history of not going to school are attending more often. Effective work with the professional network means that the right educational placement for each child is identified. Staff talk to children about the potential consequences of not going to school. However, work to help children overcome anxieties linked to school attendance is not effective. This limits the progress that children make.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities with staff and each other. Their ability to do so has been affected by the pandemic, particularly during periods of restrictions. Staff helped children to cope with feelings of frustration and the home remained generally calm. More recently, children have enjoyed go-karting, bowling and trips away. These activities help to build and sustain relationships between children and with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to maintain relationships with friends and family. After the lifting of restrictions, staff helped children to celebrate seeing their relatives again. These enjoyable experiences also help children to preserve their sense of identity. Having positive family relationships is invaluable for children who are thinking about their plans for independence. Inspection report for children’s home: 2567557 4

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

Staff are helping children to reduce how often they are missing from the home. Staff search for children and talk to them about their concerns. Professionals who work with children who go missing build strong relationships with them. This emphasis on relationship building helps children to understand adults’ concerns. This has a positive impact. Children are safer when they are missing less often.

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

Staff prepare individualised risk assessments that set out how they will protect children. Managers review risk assessments regularly, to ensure that they are effective. This means that strategies designed to protect children are purposeful. As a result, children are becoming safer the longer they live in the home.

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

Staff talk to children about drug and alcohol misuse. Staff help children to know what to do, to avoid situations involving drugs or alcohol when they are out of the home. If required, staff refer children to specialist agencies that have a proven track record of helping children. As a result, children are reducing their drug and alcohol misuse.

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

Children’s behaviour in the home is generally good. Staff provide clear expectations about behaviour, which children understand and generally follow. There have been very few incidents when staff had to manage behavioural difficulties and there has been no use of physical restraint in the home. Children are growing up in a calm and settled environment. This helps their sense of belonging to the home.

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

Staff undertake behaviour management training. Some new staff have not yet done this training, although it is planned to take place. There is no risk assessment in respect of those staff. This means that new staff do not have recognised strategies to minimise possible difficulties. This is particularly important when they work alone with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is well led by the acting manager, who is in day-to-day charge while the registered manager is on extended leave. The acting manager is passionate about providing a high level of care to children. This is shared by the staff team. The acting manager focuses on the well-being and progress of children. At the same time, she maintains a good level of oversight of staffing and other issues. This gives children and staff confidence about the way the home is being led.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The acting manager has aspirations for the home. She recognises the positive impact of her leadership. Some new initiatives that she has introduced are likely to remain once the registered manager returns from leave. This means that children and staff will not be adversely affected by changes in the management of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are well supported by the acting manager. They talk to her about any concerns and find her both available and approachable. The acting manager is child centred. She promotes a shared ethos in the staff team, with the well-being of children at the Inspection report for children’s home: 2567557 5 centre. This means children are cared for by staff who have a consistent approach. This is reassuring to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with regular supervision of their practice. Staff are encouraged to reflect on their own skills and areas for development, as well as children’s progress. Supervision sessions and team meetings include a check on staff members’ emotional well-being. This means that staff feel valued by leaders, which helps them to perform well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive the training that they need to care for children. They learn about the specific issues that affect children in the home. Creative use of webinars and video conferencing maximises the value of learning that cannot be carried out face to face. The approach to staff development means that children are cared for by staff who have been equipped with the knowledge and skills to do so.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The monitoring of the home is effective. Managers review and comment on records, such as incident reports, care plans and key-work sessions. Managers also monitor the overall development of the home, including staffing matters. This means that any shortfalls are identified quickly. Action is taken to correct errors and, when necessary, to improve practice. The quality of monitoring is a strength of this home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers in the home have good links with other professionals. Effective multi- agency working ensures that children’s needs are understood by the wider professional network. This leads to the correct services, including the most appropriate personnel, being provided for children. Children make progress and become safer, because the right people are helping them. Inspection report for children’s home: 2567557 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff help children to work through past experiences and present needs, before they take part in education that meets their needs. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations, including the quality standards’, page 26, paragraph 5.3)  The registered person should ensure that children are offered advice, support and guidance on health and well-being. This should include helping children to stop smoking cigarettes. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.18)  The registered person should ensure that staff have been adequately trained in the principles of restraint. When staff have not undertaken this training at the beginning of their employment, an assessment of any associated risk, any mitigating factors and the strategies to reduce risk should be undertaken. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49,

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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: 2567557 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Middlesbrough Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Middlesbrough House, 50 Corporation Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RH

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Inspector

Jane Titley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2567557 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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