Children's Home run by Resilience North East Limited in Durham

Inspection report for children’s home: 1248773 1 Registered provider: Resilience North East Limited 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 one child who may have emotional and/or social difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The inspector spoke to the child and observed the staff supporting the child during this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in February 2017. There is no registered manager.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1248773 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/03/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/10/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 17/09/2019 Full Good 19/06/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1248773 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Before a child moves in, staff consult with the child, the child’s family and relevant professionals. Staff use the information that they gain to thoroughly prepare for the child to move into the home. This contributes towards a smooth transition, which has helped the child currently living at the home to settle quickly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The spacious home is very well presented and maintained. One of the enclosed garden areas has been developed by the staff to incorporate a themed play area, to appeal to the child’s interests. This provides the child with an additional vibrant place to play and have fun.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is supported by the staff to experience new and exciting activities in the community. One family member said, ‘The staff are amazing; [name of child] has far more opportunities thanks to the staff.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff liaise with education professionals to help them to understand how to support the child to overcome any barriers to their learning. The staff have helped the child to make a successful phased return to school, and the child is making good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to become healthier as they instil good routines that promote good health and hygiene. This helps the child to learn to tolerate and understand the value of self-care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have completed training with a specialist health professional so that they have the skills and knowledge required to respond to the child’s needs. Staff act swiftly and appropriately in response to the child’s urgent health needs, which helps to keep the child safe. Staff use a monitoring device during the night to help to manage the risks of epilepsy. However, the consent record for this practice is incomplete. This means that it is not clear whether consent for this practice is in place.

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improvement to be good

There continue to be inconsistencies in medication records. Staff sometimes record conflicting information, and some entries lack detail and accountability. This means that the medication records are still not always accurate.

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improvement to be good

Staff, who are suitably trained, hold the child during displays of crisis behaviour to help to keep the child safe. However, the restraint records do not include whether the child sustained any injuries during the restraint, or whether medical attention was offered. This means that there is insufficient information recorded to show whether the child’s well-being is promoted. Inspection report for children’s home: 1248773 4 Leaders do not consistently ensure that safe recruitment processes are followed. There are insufficient references for one newly appointed member of staff. This means that the necessary checks are not always made prior to staff caring for the child.

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improvement to be good

The child is provided with interactive visual aids to help them to express their wishes to the staff. This broadens the child’s communication options, which empowers the child and helps to ensure that their voice is heard. However, the children’s guide does not include details of how to contact the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. This means that this source of support is not available to the child.

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improvement to be good

Staff are attentive and watchful for the child’s cues, which they respond to quickly. Interactions observed between staff and the child demonstrate that staff have a nurturing approach, which supports the child to develop trusting bonds.

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good

There has been no registered manager at the home since February 2022. The deputy manager, supported by senior leaders, is currently overseeing the management of the home.

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good

Staff, including the interim manager, do not consistently have regular supervision. One member of staff has been provided with supervision only once this year. Additionally, there is not an effective process in place to appraise staff annually. These shortfalls demonstrate that leaders do not sufficiently prioritise support for staff.

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good

Care-planning documents include the input of the child and their family and provide the staff with guidance to help them to understand how to respond to the child’s needs. However, leaders do not make persistent attempts to gain all of the relevant information from the child’s placing local authority. This means that leaders do not always escalate concerns effectively.

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good

The interim manager values the input of the independent visitor and takes swift action to address the shortfalls that they raise. The interim manager shares and discusses feedback with the staff, so that there is a collective effort to improving the care that the child receives.

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good

Monitoring and reviewing processes are not consistently effective. In some examples, practice issues are appropriately identified, and effective action is taken. The staff demonstrate commitment to improving practice and this helps issues to be addressed. However, monitoring processes have failed to identify some of the shortfalls raised. This hinders the opportunity for continuous improvement.

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good

One serious incident has not been notified to Ofsted. Additionally, there was a significant delay in consulting with the appropriate safeguarding agency. While it Inspection report for children’s home: 1248773 5 was established that the child did not suffer harm, this shortfall demonstrates that leaders do not consistently ensure that the staff promptly follow the correct safeguarding processes. Inspection report for children’s home: 1248773 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—

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v)) 10 July 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)) 10 July 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that records of the administration of children’s medicines are accurate and sufficiently detailed. 9 June 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 1248773 7 The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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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) (3)(d)) 10 July 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; 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 (4)(b)(c)) 10 July 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

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(viii)) 10 July 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home connects with and is part of the wider support system for each child in their care. The registered person should evidence what they have done to achieve engagement, including any actions taken to escalate concerns. This specifically relates to escalating concerns when a care plan is not received from a child’s placing authority. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 11, paragraph 2.3)  The registered person should ensure that all children’s 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 16, paragraph 14.3)  The registered person should ensure that the children’s guide helps children to understand how to contact the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 24,

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Recommendations

paragraph 4.22)  The registered person should ensure that they gain consent to any monitoring or surveillance by the placing authority in writing at the time of placement. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 3.16) Inspection report for children’s home: 1248773 8  The registered person should ensure that Ofsted and other relevant persons are notified if one of the situations specified in regulation 40(4)(a)-(d) occurs, or if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home which the registered person considers to be serious (40(4)(e)). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10)

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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: 1248773 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Resilience North East Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Fellingate Care Centre, Fox Street, Felling, Gateshead NE10 0BD

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Inspector

Paula Kelly, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1248773 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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