Children's Home run by TLC Youth Care Ltd in North Northamptonshire

Inspection report children’s home: 1183173 1 Registered provider: TLC Youth Care Limited Interim 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 four children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

A registered manager was appointed on the 3 September 2021.

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Inspection date: 22 February 2022

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 22 February 2022

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1183173 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. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has improved effectiveness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children are making progress. They are safe and well cared for. When the children disagree with each other, staff take action to ensure that any differences are worked through.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Although all children have education provision in place, some children lack motivation or struggle to learn. Staff put boundaries in place to encourage children to focus. Incentives are used to promote good educational attendance. One child has a part-time job and is on track to achieve good exam results.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Documents relating to the children are detailed and well organised. The registered manager has devised child-friendly versions of care plans and risk assessments. It is evident that children engage with these because one child has made amendments to their plan. The progress children make is recognised by staff and the children themselves. Reports about children’s progress are regularly shared with their social workers.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Overall, staff respond proactively to any safeguarding issues. Consequently, they keep children safe.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Incident reports are occasionally written in a way that is not clear. This is about the language used to describe incidents being vague and not providing a clear enough description of what happened. The manager does not always add the date when they have reviewed children’s incident reports.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Although children are rarely restrained, when this does take place, the records do not always accurately describe how a child was restrained or for how long. This impairs the manager’s oversight of the incident in terms of necessity and proportionality.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff receive regular supervision feel that there is strong leadership and management in the home. Overall, staff supervision is of good quality. However, more could be done to challenge staff if their approaches do not meet the needs of a child. For example, where a staff member suggested that a child should receive a consequence for taking food, there was no evidence of the manager challenging this member of staff’s viewpoint.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager is supporting staff to improve their knowledge base through relevant training. Team meetings take place regularly. Staff feel that the team is ‘pulling in the right direction’ and say that morale as good. Inspection report children’s home: 1183173 3 Care for children has significantly improved since the last inspection. The previous requirements have been met. Inspection report children’s home: 1183173 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/05/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/02/2020 Full Outstanding 23/10/2018 Full Outstanding 02/05/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1183173 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff understand factors that affect children’s motivation to behave in a socially acceptable way. Staff should encourage an enthusiasm for positive behaviour through the use of positive behaviour strategies in line with the child’s relevant plans. Staff should consider each child’s unique history when deciding what sanctions or approaches are to be used when caring for children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, 8.13)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information about individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that

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Recommendations

will be helpful to the child and should be clear and specific. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, 14.4)

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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: 1183173 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: TLC Youth Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 19 Harrier Park, Northampton, Northamptonshire NN4 0QG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Duncan MacKenzie

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Inspector

Andi Lilley-Tams, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1183173 7 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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