Children's Home run by Young Foundations Limited in Darlington

Inspection report for children's home: SC061439 1 SC061439 Registered provider: Young Foundations Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to five children who may have social and emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities and/or mental disorders. There were four children living at the home at the time of the visit. The registered manager left the home in December 2021. The current manager is in the process of registering with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected and their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 28 September 2021

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC061439 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/09/2021 Full Good 27/08/2019 Full Good 31/07/2018 Full Outstanding 11/07/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC061439 3

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inadequate

Children’s day-to-day experiences are poor. Some children have been physically assaulted by other children. Staff have been unable to de-escalate situations and manage children’s behaviours effectively. This has left some children feeling anxious and suicidal, with some choosing to isolate themselves in their bedrooms to keep themselves safe.

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inadequate

Some children frequently experience name-calling and threats of harm from other children. Staff do not help children to understand or consider the needs and behaviours of their peers. This is a missed opportunity to promote tolerance, diversity and acceptance. Many of these incidents go unchallenged by staff. On the occasions when this type of behaviour is challenged by staff, the challenge is ineffective. This means that children are exposed to a continued risk of harm.

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inadequate

Children’s progress in education is limited. Some children have not had a suitable educational placement for a long time. In these circumstances, staff do not ensure that they advocate effectively for children or escalate their concerns. This does not ensure that children’s education needs are met or that they have access to the equipment they need to support their learning.

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inadequate

There is, sometimes, a significant delay in routine health appointments being made when children move into the home. Furthermore, referrals to specialist services based on children’s individual needs are not pursued. As a result, children’s health needs are not being met.

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inadequate

Children are not always supported to spend regular time with those who are important to them, even when children have expressed a clear wish and these visits have been agreed. This does not help children to feel listened to and does not promote positive relationships for children.

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inadequate

The experiences for some children are more positive. For example, one child has made considerable social and emotional progress since moving into the home. Children who move on from the home in a planned way are provided with good support from staff. They are carefully prepared both emotionally and practically, and extensive co-working takes place with the new placement. This helps to ensure a smooth and successful transition.

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

There has been a failure to recognise and respond appropriately to children who are at an increased risk of self-harm. There is an increase in incidents where children self-harm. When children tell staff that they feel suicidal, effective action has not Inspection report for children’s home: SC061439 4 been taken to help and support children. Furthermore, leaders and managers have not identified these shortfalls in staff practice. This means that children do not receive immediate support, and referrals to specialist services are not made. This leaves children in distress and at risk of further harm.

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

Children’s risk assessments are not always accurate. Leaders and managers do not provide staff with clear direction and guidance on how to manage or reduce risks to children. For example, some children are at a higher risk of harm from the use of mobile phones and access to social media. There has been a failure to ensure that appropriate restrictions and checks are in place to safeguard children effectively. As a result, children are accessing inappropriate information which significantly increases their risk of harm.

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

Leaders and managers do not suitably risk assess the needs of children prior to them moving into the home. As a result, there is an increase in bullying. Some children said that they were unhappy living in the home. Some children have experienced unplanned moves out of the home. This does not provide children with positive experiences.

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

Direct work with children is identified but not carried out. As a result, children are without the necessary support and interventions that they require. This leaves children vulnerable to harm.

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

When children are known to have items that they are using to self-harm, staff carry out room searches. These searches often uncover other items that may place children at risk. However, not all room searches are recorded. This means managers are unable to have full oversight of potential risks to children’s safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff have not received the relevant training to meet the children’s individual needs. As a result, some staff do not have the required skills and knowledge to provide good-quality safe care to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff are not consistently debriefed following physical restraints on children. This does not provide staff with opportunities to reflect on their practice and provide effective care and support to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Supervision arrangements for staff are not in line with the home’s statement of purpose. Some staff have not had supervision for several months. This does not help and support staff to develop their skills and knowledge or to identify areas of practice that are to be improved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff’s experiences of working in the home vary, and there has been a high staff turnover since the beginning of the year. The vast majority of current staff are new. Some staff feel supported by managers and colleagues. Others are unhappy with working practices and inconsistent approaches towards the children. This has caused discontent among staff and, at times, intolerance of the children’s Inspection report for children’s home: SC061439 5 behaviours. It is likely that the children will pick up on this and feel uncomfortable and anxious.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager’s monitoring systems are ineffective. This means that emerging themes relating to children’s care and safety are not quickly identified and opportunities to address shortfalls and make improvements are missed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has failed to notify Ofsted of one serious incident. This oversight has prevented Ofsted from having a full understanding and from being assured that all the necessary actions have been taken to safeguard the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

A quality of care review has not been completed within the required time frame. As a result, Ofsted is not able to review the progress that the children are making and the actions the home is taking to support this progress. Inspection report for children’s home: SC061439 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c)) 7 August 2022

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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

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. (Regulation 7 (1)(c)) 7 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment; 7 August 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC061439 7 promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(viii)(x)(b))

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Requirement Due date

*The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. 7 August 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC061439 8 (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(xi)(xii)(xiii)(b))

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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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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;

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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.

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)) 7 August 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— 7 August 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC061439 9 lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and

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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)(a)(c)(f)(h)

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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

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)) 7 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report").

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— 7 August 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC061439 10 supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: SC061439 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Young Foundations Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 7 Grosvenor Street, Chester CH1 2DD

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Inspector

Emma Ridley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC061439 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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