Children's Home run by North Yorkshire County Council in North Yorkshire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC034235 1 SC034235

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a local authority under the ‘No Wrong Door’ model. The home provides care for up to six children between the ages of 13 and 18 years with social, emotional or mental health difficulties. The home can also care for a further two children in separate accommodation for up to 28 days.

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Information about this children’s home

There were five children living in the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2020.

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This monitoring visit

This children’s home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 17 and 18 May 2022, and 26 May 2022, because there were significant shortfalls in the leadership and management of the home and in the safety and protection of children. Ofsted issued four compliance notices under regulations 11, 12, 13 and 14, and a notice restricting accommodation. Ofsted also raised a further three requirements and two recommendations.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this monitoring visit was to review the actions taken to meet the steps set out in the four compliance notices, and consider the notice restricting accommodation. The remaining requirements and recommendations were not assessed at this monitoring visit.

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This monitoring visit

Children have been supported to understand the impact of their behaviour towards their peers. Staff have had conversations with children about bullying and this has resulted in there being no further incidents between children in the home. Children told the inspector that they have taken part in activities with their peers. This is helping to promote positive relationships between children. This part of one compliance notice has been met. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC034235 2 Children have stated that they feel more settled in the home and that things have improved. One child noted that staff now prepare lunch at the table, which encourages them to eat regular meals. This child also told the inspector that the home is calmer and a ‘much nicer place to live than it was before’.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s risk assessments and care plans do not contain all of the information needed to help staff to manage and reduce the risk of harm. For example, one child was found to have the remnants of a substance in their bedroom and also admitted to occasional substance use. This information was not reflected in their risk assessment or care plan. Staff did not take any action to ensure that the child received the necessary help and support to keep them safe. Managers had not identified this shortfall and therefore had not evaluated the risk to the child.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers do not ensure that there are comprehensive and effective plans in place for all children. Key information about known risks to children’s safety contained within care plans and risk assessments can differ between documents, and not all documents are updated after a significant event. This is confusing for staff and means that practice can be inconsistent. As a result, children’s safety cannot be assured.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has failed to ensure that staff complete accurate records in relation to incidents involving children. For example, when a child was missing from home, the daily log was not an accurate reflection of the attempts made to locate the child or how staff were assured of her safety. Decisions taken as to whether a child being missing constitutes a significant event are inconsistent. This means that some missing episodes are not scrutinised by managers. Consequently, the actions taken to safeguard children in these circumstances are not evaluated and their effectiveness is not known.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have not ensured that all staff receive training to meet all of the needs of children. The highest category of incident reporting relates to children who go missing. However, too many staff have not received specific training in relation to contemporary risks related to children going missing from home. This means that children are being cared for by staff who may not recognise the signs of exploitation or radicalisation.

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This monitoring visit

Senior leaders have produced action plans and introduced tools to support managers in identifying shortfalls and improving the quality of recording. In addition, staff have been provided with guidance and support in relation to improving the quality of care and children’s records. Although these are positive improvement measures, the impact of these actions is not yet fully evident in practice. Therefore, the four compliance notices and the notice restricting accommodation remain in place alongside the requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC034235 3 26/05/2022 Full Inadequate 15/02/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 03/09/2019 Full Outstanding 18/02/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC034235 4

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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 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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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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; and

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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. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

This is repeated from the last inspection. 3 July 2022

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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. 31 July 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC034235 5 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(v))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff must meet the behavioural and emotional needs of the group of children living in the home.

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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

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

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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)(vi)(b)) 31 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

promotes their welfare. 31 July 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC034235 6 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

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 work as a team where appropriate;

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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)(b)(c)(f)(h))

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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, staff must consider the impact on children already living in the home when planning for a child to move in to the home. 31 July 2022

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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

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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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

is instigated; or 3 July 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC034235 7 concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This is repeated from the last inspection.

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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

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) (5))

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Requirement Due date

This is repeated from the last inspection because a review of the quality of care is not yet due to be undertaken. 3 July 2022

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children live in a homely, domestic environment that limits an impression of being institutional. This will require that repairs are carried out swiftly. Children should have bedrooms that are well maintained and they should be helped to keep them in a reasonable state of order. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.19) Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC034235 8  The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulations 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. The reports from such monitoring should be provided to HMCI without delay. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: North Yorkshire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, Northallerton DL7 8AD

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Inspectors

Deb Duffy, Social Care Inspector Jo Stephenson, Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC034235 9 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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