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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC477031 1 SC477031 Registered provider: Spark Of Genius North East LLP 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 private provider to care for up to five children with emotional and/or social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in October 2021. She does not have the required management qualification but is working towards this.

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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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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 20 November 2019

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC477031 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/11/2019 Full Outstanding 20/03/2019 Full Outstanding 02/05/2017 Full Good 16/08/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC477031 3

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improvement to be good

The children have experienced a period of instability that has significantly affected their experiences of living in the home. This is because of a high staff turnover, which includes the managers. This means that the children have struggled to form secure and trusting relationships with those who are responsible for their care. One social worker said that there was ‘no connection’ between their child and the staff.

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improvement to be good

Children have given mixed feedback on what it is like to live in the home. Children have struggled with the changes to the rules that have resulted from the changes in the management team. Some children feel supported by staff, while others do not. This means that the children do not always feel able to talk to the staff about their worries and concerns.

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improvement to be good

The home is decorated well and is generally in a good state of repair. Some concerns were highlighted over the condition of the children’s bedroom furniture. This was addressed during the inspection.

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improvement to be good

Children who move into the home enjoy positive introductions. Those children who are already living in the home are included in the preparation for those children who move in. This helps them to feel part of the process. Most children who move out of the home are supported with their move. Some children have had to move out immediately for safeguarding reasons and they have not had a positive experience.

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improvement to be good

Children receive individual care and support. Children have made progress from their starting points. The staff make good use of the in-house therapeutic support that is available to them. One staff member secures time with the psychologist to ensure that her practice meets the emotional needs of the children. The independent reviewing officer and the social worker for one child said that they felt the child had made good progress with managing their feelings.

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improvement to be good

Children are involved in their care planning. They are supported well to access independent advocates who help them to express their views.

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improvement to be good

When children have opted out of attending school or college, the staff and manager have been proactive in identifying alternative provisions for them. This has resulted in some of the children re-engaging with their education and achieving recognised qualifications.

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improvement to be good

The children accessed a wide range of activities during the COVID-19 restrictions. The children continue to participate in community-based activities, which contributes to them having a sense of belonging in their local community. Positive relationships have been forged with the local residents, resulting in the neighbours fundraising for the children and providing the children with Christmas gifts. Inspection report for children’s home: SC477031 4

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improvement to be good

The approach to keeping the children safe has been inconsistent due to the changes in staff and management. The children’s risk assessments are not always complete. One parent said that a member of staff did not know the details of their child’s risk assessment and that the member of staff asked the child about their risk assessment. This could lead to unsafe decision-making.

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improvement to be good

There have been a high number of episodes of children going missing from the home. In one case, staff did not follow the safeguarding policy and failed to report the child who went missing. This was because the child’s risk assessment did not contain the correct procedure to follow when a child goes missing from the home. This was rectified during this inspection.

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improvement to be good

The quality of the children’s risk assessments is inconsistent. The managers have failed to prepare and plan well for children who move into the home. Despite the managers being aware of one child’s risk-taking behaviours, they failed to identify and secure the additional support to manage these behaviours until after the child had moved in.

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improvement to be good

When complaints are raised, the provider investigates these thoroughly and quickly. Children know how to make a complaint. Complaints made by the children against other children or members of staff are dealt with quickly and safely. Safeguarding investigations are completed and children are kept informed of the outcome.

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improvement to be good

When the manager recognises that children are unsafe, she challenges the views of professionals to ensure that the children are safeguarded. She challenges the local authority in other safeguarding matters, such as requesting that children have independent interviews within the relevant time frame when children return home from being missing from care.

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improvement to be good

Positive behaviour is promoted well by the staff. The infrequent use of physical restraints and room searches indicates that the children’s behaviour-management plans are effective.

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improvement to be good

The children’s health needs are met. They enjoy a healthy balanced diet, which they choose. The children have been supported to understand the health risks associated with COVID-19. Some children have had their COVID-19 vaccines.

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good

The registered provider has failed to ensure that there has been a consistent staff team and manager at the home. A senior staff member was supported in becoming the registered manager on a temporary basis, to provide some consistency for the children. During this time, the provider recruited another proposed registered Inspection report for children’s home: SC477031 5 manager, who has been responsible for the day-to-day management of the home. This has led to confusion and conflict about who is responsible for the management oversight and decisions in the home. This has resulted in a number of shortfalls being identified during the inspection.

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good

The manager’s auditing processes are inconsistent. When audits are conducted, they are not consistently effective. These have failed to identify shortfalls in the records and in the staff’s practice. Several safeguarding records do not have any management oversight and are not up to date. Some documents do not contain the dates and time of the events and the incidents. This means that it is unclear whether the processes designed to keep the children safe are being executed.

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good

The manager ensures that safeguarding agencies are informed when serious incidents occur. However, the manager has not submitted notifications to Ofsted when there has been a concern that a child may have been at risk of child sexual exploitation, or when an allegation has been made about a member of staff’s conduct. In addition, one notification received by Ofsted contained information that was not reflected in any other documents seen during the inspection. Therefore, the accuracy of the information available does not stand up to scrutiny or challenge. Furthermore, this has prevented Ofsted from being assured that all the necessary actions have been taken to safeguard the children.

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good

The manager has failed to demonstrate how she uses the support systems to address and improve the staff’s practice. Staff supervision is inconsistent and is not consistently reflective. From the records, it is unclear whether the shortfalls in the staff’s practice have been identified and challenged.

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good

The statement of purpose is out of date. It does not include all the staff’s details. This oversight prevents the children, their parents and the local authorities from being assured that only those who are skilled, experienced and qualified provide care to children.

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good

The children’s guide is child-friendly. However, it contains incorrect details for the children’s commissioner. This oversight prevents the children from having quick access to external support and resources.

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good

The manager has taken steps to ensure that all staff receive the basic training required to keep the children safe. This has included regularly asking the in-house psychologist to attend team meetings to provide therapeutic training to the staff. As a result, the staff have some understanding of the therapeutic approach required to help meet the children’s needs.

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good

The manager has a vision for the home, but this has not been executed due to the high staff turnover and the changes in the management team. She has led by example, and the current staff team thinks highly of her. Staff feel that she is supportive and they recognise that she has a nurturing approach, which the children benefit from. The manager has supported the team well through the COVID-19 Inspection report for children’s home: SC477031 6 pandemic and promoted their welfare. One member of staff described her as inspirational. A child said, ‘She is the best manager we have ever had.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC477031 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, 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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider should ensure that the children are asked about the care provided by staff and about their relationships with staff. 8 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; 8 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC477031 8 understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider should ensure that the staff know the children’s risk assessments and safety plans.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(e)) 31 May 2022

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h)) 8 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. 8 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC477031 9 (Regulation 14 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider should ensure that the impact risk assessments identify how the staff will reduce all the children’s known risks prior to their admission into the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(b)) 8 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 8 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 8 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date; and 8 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC477031 10 are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry). (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(c)(d)) 8 April 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of its children and is a homely environment. In particular, the bedroom furniture should meet the children’s needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s guide helps the children to understand how they can contact the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. In particular, the children’s guide should contain the correct details for the children’s commissioner. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.22)

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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: SC477031 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Spark Of Genius North East LLP

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Julia Hagan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC477031 12 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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