Children's home run by Darlington Borough Council in Darlington

Inspection report for children’s home: SC038237 1 SC038237 Registered provider: Darlington 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. The home provides short- break care and accommodation for up to five children with sensory impairment, learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in 2013. She holds suitable qualifications for this role.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 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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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

Date of last inspection: 14 January 2020

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC038237 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/01/2020 Full Good 18/02/2019 Full Good 12/12/2017 Full Outstanding 24/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC038237 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have a warm and welcoming home which has been carefully furnished and decorated for their comfort and enjoyment. Staff use a picture exchange communication system throughout the home, including in the children’s bedrooms. This helps staff to explain to children what to do in a variety of situations, such as if there is a fire. Most recently a comprehensive explanation of the war between Russia and Ukraine has been added. This helps children to understand important events in the world.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s individual needs are provided for and the relationships they have with staff are clear to see. A social worker described the staff as ‘brilliant in every way, shape and form’. The manager plans all children’s visits with care and consideration so that they are with peers who will enhance their experiences and improve their social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s care plans reflect how well the staff understand the children. Staff set the children goals and they monitor their progress and help them to achieve these. When staff discover a child’s new like or dislike, they will share this with parents and carers. For one child, staff have identified a particular food that he likes to take his medication with. This is a significant breakthrough and has had a positive impact on his health and well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The relationships that staff have developed with parents and carers are a particular strength of the home. Staff seek the views and consent of parents and carers in all aspects of their child’s care and are very respectful. Parents and carers are provided with an update at the end of every visit and are sent photos, via a social media app, of their child engaged in activities. This enables parents and carers to talk to their child about what they have been doing. This is particularly important for those children who are not able to communicate this themselves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager increased the opening hours of the service at the height of the COVID- 19 pandemic. This was done safely with small contact ‘bubbles’ in place consisting of the same children and staff. This reduced the risk of infection and proved successful as no child contracted COVID-19. This provided invaluable support to those children and families most in need. One parent said that he ‘wouldn’t have coped without this’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s wishes and feelings are captured in meetings which take place every two to three weeks. The frequency gives an opportunity for more children to participate and share their views. Staff respond to the children’s requests. The children have recently made an Easter wreath for the front door. They also participate in food shopping, which increases their independence skills. Inspection report children’s home: SC038237 4 Staff practise positive reinforcement. Children are frequently praised and rewarded for good behaviour and progress made. However, this is not recorded and therefore is a lost opportunity for the manager and staff to fully understand the children’s developments.

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

Referrals to the service are carefully considered by the manager and risk areas are understood. Referrals are only accepted when the needs of the child can be met by the home. Children are gradually introduced to the service over a number of visits, and this helps them settle. For one child who struggled to reintegrate after shielding at home during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, staff are described by his social worker as ‘doing their utmost’ to re-engage him.

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

Children’s individual risks are identified and rated within their risk assessments. They are regularly reviewed and updated whenever a new risk is identified. However, actions required are not always followed through by staff. For one child who is at risk of running away, her trips out of the home are not fully risk assessed in advance. This may mean the necessary safeguards are not in place.

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

Direct work sessions take place infrequently, and those identified within risk assessments do not take place. This is a lost opportunity to help children become safer.

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

Children do not go missing from the home. However, in the event that a child was to go missing, staff understand what they would need to do. There are very few safeguarding incidents at the home. For those that occur, swift action is taken to prevent a reoccurrence. All relevant people and agencies, including Ofsted, are notified, and the child’s risk assessment is updated.

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

Injuries or marks discovered on children are recorded on body maps and all relevant people and agencies are informed. This includes when the injury takes place in the care of others. This reduces the risk of harm to children going unnoticed or unaccounted for.

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

Restraints and sanctions do not take place at the home. This is a credit to the staff, who know how to distract and de-escalate each child to help them to manage their anxieties and frustrations. However, the techniques used are not reflected in children’s risk assessments. This means that new members of staff will not be clear about what to do and the incorrect approach could be used.

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

Measures are in place and followed to ensure new staff are recruited safely. This prevents unsuitable people from being recruited to work with the children at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Inspection report children’s home: SC038237 5 The manager advocates on behalf of the children. Currently two children are unable to get into the home’s vehicle safely because of the size of their wheelchairs. The manager has made several requests for a new lift to be fitted to the vehicle. This will enable all children to participate in the same activities and opportunities as their peers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is supported by a stable staff team. This helps the children to experience consistency and familiarity. The staff team is diverse and brings a wealth of experience, knowledge and skills to the children. Staff like working at the home and feel supported by each other and the manager. Staff feel able to address any issues with their colleagues and the management team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are good communication systems. Any concerns or issues are immediately emailed to all staff, as are any actions which have been put in place. This means all staff have that awareness and can take a consistent approach. Professionals value the communication they receive from the manager and the staff team. One social worker said, ‘They can’t be faulted.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision and team meetings are reflective, and staff feel able to contribute and share their ideas. This practice helps to involve the whole team in raising the standard of care that the children receive. Safeguarding is always on the agenda and every child is discussed in team meetings. Staff notice when a child’s behaviour or presentation is different. This is monitored and revisited in the next team meeting. This demonstrates the care and commitment the staff team has for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

While staff are routinely praised by the management team, action is taken quickly and thoroughly to address any areas of concern. This safeguards children and promotes their well-being. Staff are supported with issues at work and in their personal lives. This helps them feel valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good monitoring systems. They have identified medication errors, which were responded to immediately and resulted in training for the whole staff team. However, the manager has not responded to some shortfalls identified within her monitoring systems. Some staff have not had regular supervision sessions. This means that all staff are not given the same opportunities. In addition, some children have not experienced a fire evacuation, which potentially places them at risk of harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Except for the newest member of staff, all staff have completed all mandatory training. For some however, they have not completed their refresher within the timescale and therefore they may be lacking up-to-date knowledge. Staff have completed additional training in several areas which will enable them to better understand and respond to children’s specific needs and risks. Inspection report children’s home: SC038237 6

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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 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 that staff —

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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. (Regulation 12(1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that a risk assessment takes place prior to an outing for those children at high risk in the community. 4 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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff attend all mandatory refresher training within timescales. 4 May 2022

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as 4 May 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC038237 7 reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all staff attend mandatory refresher training within timescales and that all staff receive regular supervision. 4 May 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children feel safe and be safe. Staff should support children to be aware of and manage their own safety both inside and outside the home to the extent that any good parent would. Staff should help children to understand how to protect themselves, feel protected and be protected from significant harm. In particular, that direct work is undertaken with children in line with their risk assessments. (Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards, page 43 paragraph 9.9)  The registered person should ensure that staff understand the system for rewarding and celebrating positive behaviour and recognising where children have managed situations well. In particular, staff should record children’s progress and any praise and rewards given. (Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards, page 47 paragraph 9.39)

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Recommendations

Inspection report children’s home: SC038237 8

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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: SC038237 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Darlington Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Town Hall, Feethams, Darlington, County Durham DL1 5QT

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Christopher Bell

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Inspector

Emma Ridley, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC038237 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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