Children's Home run by Active Young People Limited in Stockton-on-Tees

Inspection report for children’s home: 2625941 1 Registered provider: Huntercombe Young People Ltd 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 company. The home changed ownership in March 2021 .

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Information about this children’s home

In March 2022, the company applied to vary its conditions of registration to only provide care for up to nine children with learning disabilities or social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is no registered manager in post. The responsible individual currently manages the home with support from other managers.

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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: 22 February 2022

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Ofsted carried out a full inspection on 22 and 23 February 2022 and judged the home to be inadequate. Serious and widespread failures were identified in relation Inspection report for children’s home: 2625941 2 to the safety and protection of children and the leadership and management of the home. Ofsted issued three compliance notices under regulations 12, 13 and 32.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A monitoring visit was carried out on 4 April 2022 to monitor the action taken by the provider in response to the compliance notices. The inspector found that, since the previous inspection, the provider had taken some action to improve the service. However, some of the steps in the compliance notices had not been met and two notices, under regulations 13 and 32, were reissued in part. Inspection report for children’s home: 2625941 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/02/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2625941 4

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improvement to be good

Children’s overall experience and progress have improved since the last full inspection in February 2022 and the subsequent monitoring visit in April 2022. This is because the provider has taken action to improve the service. Some requirements have been reissued because there has been no opportunity to meet them. These relate to regulations 14, 32, 33 and 39. The two compliance notices issued at the monitoring visit under regulations 13 and 32 have been met.

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improvement to be good

Children now live in a more homely environment. Broken windows have been repaired and, unless it would pose a risk to a child, doors are now unlocked throughout the home. This allows children greater freedom and more opportunities to socialise with their peers.

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improvement to be good

There is significant work being undertaken to improve the living conditions for all of the children. Children’s apartments are being redecorated and the children have chosen the colour schemes as well as new bedding, curtains and soft furnishings. Kitchens have been replaced, and bathrooms and furniture are in the process of being replaced. Soft play and sensory rooms are being created. This will bring about a consistent standard of living conditions for all the children, which is more homely and comfortable and meets their various needs.

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improvement to be good

Children’s views are now being sought in a variety of ways, such as through meetings, forums and key-work sessions, all of which take place regularly. Children are encouraged and supported to interact. They feel able to express their views, which are listened to and acted on by staff. Key-work sessions show that staff are responsive to children’s questions and feelings and that they try to help children to understand why things happen. This provides children with a better understanding and helps to reassure them. However, not all records are dated. This makes it difficult to understand why some discussions took place and what happened afterwards.

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improvement to be good

The home’s chef has helped the children to reinvent the menu, and he takes great care and pride in providing nutritious and tasty meals. Children are provided with photographs of the daily options and this enables all children to choose what they would like.

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improvement to be good

Activities are plentiful and varied and captured in photographs that evidence the children’s engagement and enjoyment. Children have their own individualised weekly activity plans, which are based on their likes and wishes. There are also daily group activities for all the children to participate in if they would like to. The enthusiasm from staff helps engage the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2625941 5 Since the last full inspection, one more child is receiving an education, and this is significant progress for him. For another child who has not been in education for a considerable time, staff are attending his weekly reviews. Staff and managers have escalated their concerns about the delay in his plan to return home.

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improvement to be good

There remains a reliance on the use of agency staff. Often, more than half of staff on shift are agency staff. Leaders and managers have, however, ensured that the same agency staff are used so that the children have familiar faces caring for them. In addition, agency staff are being trained in restraint and are therefore better able to respond safely to incidents requiring physical intervention. Newly recruited agency staff must now have experience of working in a children’s home and the relevant qualification for their temporary role. This will help ensure that agency staff have the necessary skills and knowledge to work in this home.

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improvement to be good

Children’s files are well organised, and documents are informative. There are photographs of the child throughout and care plans are written as if by the child. This brings the child to life. Risk assessments are clear, comprehensive and individualised. However, risk assessments are not always updated following a significant incident. As a result, a risk may be incorrectly rated and the guidance for staff no longer appropriate.

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improvement to be good

While physical restraints are fully recorded, there is sometimes a delay in management oversight and debriefs for the staff involved. In one case, it was three weeks before the relevant agencies were informed of an unsafe hold. This means the staff involved continued to work in the home during this time and could have caried out further unsafe holds, potentially causing harm to children.

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improvement to be good

There has been one complaint from a child, which was acted on swiftly and robustly by leaders and managers. However, the child was not informed of the outcome and therefore is likely to feel he hasn’t been taken seriously.

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improvement to be good

Managers and leaders advocate on behalf of the children. They have repeatedly challenged one child’s placing authority and medical professionals to ensure that the child’s needs are met. A medication review was requested for a child, which resulted in a change to the child’s epilepsy medication to help reduce his seizures.

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improvement to be good

Daily body check sheets are confusing and do not always correspond with the body map sheet. Furthermore, times of checks are not always provided and not all staff sign their entries, which means there is no accountability. There is also no management oversight of these checks and records. As a result, managers are not fully aware of children’s injuries and, therefore, are unable to respond to any concerns or to identify any patterns. Inspection report for children’s home: 2625941 6

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good

Mandatory training is being undertaken by all staff, as is additional training that is relevant to staff roles, such as supervision and appraisal. Permanent staff feel safer because agency staff are familiar and better trained. All staff are happier and more confident in their role. A number of observations carried out during the inspection showed that children were smiling, laughing and engaging well with staff. The parents of one child said, ‘Staff cope so well with [name of child]. Nothing phases them; they are very professional.’

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good

Staff supervision now takes place regularly for both permanent and agency staff. These sessions also encourage staff to demonstrate their understanding of safeguarding. Concerns raised by staff are listened to and acted on, as are suggestions to improve the care of the children. However, the quality of supervision is not consistent, as not all staff are given the opportunity to reflect on or evidence their practice.

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good

In between supervisions, discussions take place when a practice issue is identified, and actions are carried out with support plans in place for the staff member if required. Staff are frequently praised in a variety of ways and forums. This helps staff feel appreciated and shows all staff that good practice is recognised by leaders and managers.

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good

Additional ways of communicating information to the staff have been introduced. However, there are still gaps. For example, whole-staff team meetings are not well attended, and leaders and managers have no way of knowing which staff have read the minutes of these meetings. Smaller meetings, such as those for a child’s core care team, are better attended and directly benefit the child by enabling a more informed and consistent approach.

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good

A system is in place to ensure that shortfalls identified during external monitoring are acted on. Issues are shared with the staff team, and this helps staff to feel better informed and part of the home’s development process.

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good

Leaders and managers have introduced some internal monitoring tools and are in the process of developing others. However, they are not consistently effective as they have failed to help managers to identify the shortfalls raised. These monitoring tools also do not show the progress children are making. Furthermore, the language used is not suitable for a children’s home and this is not respectful of the children who live in this home.

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good

Communication with professionals and family members has greatly improved. Weekly reports are appreciated, as is the staff’s attendance at meetings and the joint working that takes place. One education professional said, ‘The staff are working much better with the school and this is having a positive impact upon [name of child].’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2625941 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 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))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, these systems must be relevant to the children’s home and use language that will be helpful to the child. 28 August 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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that impact risk assessments are completed for each child prior to their admission and consider any training needs for the staff team. 28 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow 28 August 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2625941 8 that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (1)(a) (4)(a)(b)) 28 August 2022

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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. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)) 28 August 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 28 August 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2625941 9 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 ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (3)) 28 August 2022

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff supervision enables staff to reflect on and explore their practice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.15)

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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: 2625941 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Huntercombe Young People Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Morton House, Morton Road, Darlington DL1 4PT

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Inspector

Emma Ridley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2625941 11 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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