Children's Home run by Spark of Genius North East LLP in Stockton-on-Tees

Inspection report for children’s home: SC484242 1 SC484242 Registered provider: Spark of Genius North East LLP Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private provider to care for up to five children who have emotional and/or social difficulties. The manager has an appropriate level 5 qualification and was registered in May 2017.

p.1

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.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

p.1

outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

p.1

outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

p.1

outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC484242 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/08/2019 Full Outstanding 22/08/2018 Full Outstanding 21/06/2017 Full Good 26/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC484242 3

p.2

outstanding

The children have made significant progress in all aspects of their lives because of the care they receive. One social worker said [child’s name] has made ‘progress beyond that we could have hoped for’, while another social worker said [child’s name] has made ‘massive improvements’.

p.3

outstanding

The children have a sense of belonging in the home and have trusting relationships with the staff. The children say living in the home is like living with family. One child scored living in the home as 10 out of 10. Another child said that the staff have helped them to mature and have helped them to know what they want from their future.

p.3

outstanding

All children access education. The staff ensured that the children accessed education during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to maintain the progress that they had already made. The staff and the manager have advocated strongly for children who have experienced barriers to education. This has included identifying additional support and alternative education provisions which are better suited to meet the children’s needs. As a result, all the children are making exceptional progress with their education.

p.3

outstanding

Significant events in the children’s lives are celebrated, as are aspects of the children’s culture, heritage and identity. This means that the children feel treated as individuals and that they feel valued. Photos of special events, as well as daily activities, capture the children’s experiences in the home and contribute towards their life story work. This work is captured in creative ways, such as by video montages. This helps the children understand their journey.

p.3

outstanding

The children enjoy a wide range of exciting activities and new experiences, including enjoying holidays abroad. Each month the children celebrate a specific event, which often includes fundraising for local charities. Children choose and plan their activities and events during their meetings. Neighbours have been invited to events in the home when COVID-19 restrictions have permitted. This has contributed towards the children having a sense of belonging in their local community.

p.3

outstanding

The children are well supported by the staff when moving into and out of the home. The staff identify creative ways to build relationships with those children who are anxious prior to moving into the home. Children who move out of the home are supported until the staff’s help is no longer needed. Children who have moved out of the home keep in touch with both the staff and the other children and have invited staff and children to significant life events. This enables the children to develop networks in the area they have grown up in. Inspection report for children’s home: SC484242 4

p.3

outstanding

The manager and the staff thoroughly understand the diverse and complex needs of the children. The manager and staff have responded well to any incidents of concern. They have worked tirelessly with the children during key-work sessions to educate children about the risks associated with their behaviours. As a result, children have made exceptional progress and are now becoming increasingly safe.

p.4

outstanding

The children’s risk assessments are kept up to date. When risks associated with the children change, the children’s safety plans are amended with new strategies to keep the children safe. Risks to the children are tracked to identify trends and themes to better inform the safety planning process. This contributes towards the children’s safety increasing. The manager and a senior staff member have developed a child’s version of the risk assessment and care plan. This enables the children to understand the risks they face, using language which they understand, and it allows them to contribute towards their own safety planning.

p.4

outstanding

The staff know the children well, meaning that the staff can recognise changes in the children’s behaviour. The staff provide the children with support in a caring and nurturing way. As a result of this, physical interventions have not been necessary.

p.4

outstanding

The family ethos and culture in the home has created a strong sense of belonging for the children. This has resulted in no children going missing from the home.

p.4

outstanding

The children know how to make a complaint, and they feel confident in telling the staff when they feel unsafe. Allegations are taken seriously, and the staff and the manager take immediate steps to ensure that the children are physically safe, while providing the children with emotional support. This makes the children feel safe and listened to. The children’s guide contained some outdated information, but this was isolated to one document.

p.4

outstanding

The staff and the manager know the children’s family members and friends well through regular communication and spending time with them. The children appreciate the time the staff take to forge these relationships, which contributes towards the trusting relationships the children have with staff. The relationships the staff have with the children’s family members and friends allow the staff to assess any safeguarding risks. This enables them to take steps to protect the children.

p.4

outstanding

The staff and the manager advocate vigorously on behalf of the children. This has resulted in some of the children being reunited with family members and returned to their full-time care, and in all of the children spending Christmas with family members.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Inspection report for children’s home: SC484242 5 The registered manager is ambitious and passionate. The manager leads by example. The positive impact this role-modelling behaviour has is shown through the staff’s exceptional standards of practice in the home. The manager is supported by an equally enthusiastic and dedicated assistant manager.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has forged effective relationships with professionals. The manager is not afraid to challenge the decision-making of professionals on behalf of the children when they feel a misjustice has been served. One child said the manager ‘has their back’.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Supervision is reflective and regular. There is a robust system in place, and the quality of these supervisions can be clearly seen by the quality of care afforded the children. The manager ensures that the staff are accountable for meeting the children’s needs, but equally ensures that they are fully supported. The manager has high expectations of the staff team. When the manager has recognised that staff members’ practice has fallen short of the standards expected, this has been addressed through learning and development.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager uses team meetings productively in order to involve the staff in the development of the home and to facilitate training. This supports the cohesive approach the manager has achieved in ensuring that the children’s needs are met to an outstanding standard.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The paperwork in place for all the children is up to date and contains detailed information regarding the children and their progress. The documents give an excellent oversight into the children’s backgrounds and the progress that they have made. There was an isolated incident of a sanction log missing the date on which it was signed.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager constantly looks to improve processes in the home to enhance the way the children’s risks are understood and their needs are met. The manager recognises that this leads to improved outcomes for the children in their care. The manager has devised a tracking system, which provides measurable outcomes to monitor and assess risk, safety and progress. If progress is not being made, the manager addresses this by reviewing the plan. This tracking tool helps to provide evidence of the positive progress that the children have made during their time at the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff say that the manager is inspirational. They feel supported and can trust the manager. Inspection report for children’s home: SC484242 6

p.5

Recommendations

 The registered person should review and update the children’s guide as necessary and make sure the children are given an explanation of any changes. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.23)  The registered person should ensure that the case records are kept up to date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

p.6

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: SC484242 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Spark of Genius North East LLP

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: King Edwin School, Mill Lane, Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland TS20 1LG

p.7

Inspector

Julia Hagan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC484242 8 regulates and inspects 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8