Children's Home run by Durham County Council in Durham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC449096 1 SC449096 Registered provider: Durham County Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated and managed by a local authority. It provides care for up to four children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

There were four children present at the time of the visit by Ofsted.

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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: 31 January 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC449096 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/01/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 04/05/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 23/07/2019 Full Good 30/05/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC449096 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are provided with individualised care and support. The manager and her staff work in collaboration with multi-agency professionals to provide comprehensive care plans. At the time of the inspection, four children were living at the home, with three having a plan for moving on. Children are at distinct stages and are being supported through regular care team meetings. This ensures that the children’s identified needs are recognised and that their views, opinions and worries are addressed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children are in some form of education or employment. Some children have an identified college course to attend in September 2022, and others have apprenticeships and career opportunities already in progress. This helps the children to access future learning and employment, which enhances their life chances.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support and encourage the children to maintain healthy lifestyles, and to attend general physical and specific health services. Staff are effective in encouraging and supporting the children to attend services that help them to manage their emotional well-being. When the children are in crisis, the staff are calm and nurturing. This calm approach means that the children are protected from further harm and helps them to develop trusting relationships with their carers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is nicely decorated. The children are encouraged to express their wishes in the design of the home. Children’s bedrooms, which all have ensuite bathrooms, are maintained to a high quality. In general, the children’s bedrooms are tidy and clean. When children require further support in this area, the staff provide consistent encouragement. The home benefits from a vast outdoor space that is well equipped with plenty of play and sitting areas. Children have taken part in painting fences and in choosing items for all to enjoy in the garden. This provides the children with a safe space to relax and provides them with a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff involve the children in local fundraising activities, such as twinning toilets with other less-resourced countries and in a bicycle challenge to support families escaping the conflict in Ukraine. These are positive and creative activities that help the children to be socially aware, and to develop empathy for others.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to spend time with their families in line with their individual plans. Staff communicate openly with professionals and families to support this process. A parent spoken with was particularly appreciative of the positive support that the staff provide to their child and their family and confirmed that working together was a strength of the staff.

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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC449096 4 There have been a high number of missing-from-home episodes since the last inspection. However, these have reduced significantly over several months. Staff work proactively as part of a multi-agency response to protecting the children. This includes putting together detailed support plans to help the children to move on from the home as part of the local authority’s ‘staying close’ project. As a result, children’s ongoing safe care continues to support the move into adulthood.

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

Staff are particularly good at talking to the children about the risks that are associated with all forms of exploitation. The staff listen and reflect on the children’s behaviours, such as misuse of drugs and alcohol. Additionally, the children can share their concerns and anxieties regarding their preparation for moving on. These sessions are well written, and they help the children to build on their resilience and to recognise the support networks that will be available to them.

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

Professionals confirm that the children are increasingly safer because of the staff’s commitment and consistent approach to safe care.

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

Children’s safety plans are comprehensive and well written so that the staff know the presenting and emerging risks that can put children at risk of harm. However, on one occasion a member of staff did not follow a child’s safety plan. A delay in action being taken has left one child vulnerable to being criminalised.

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

Systems for recording safer recruitment checks on staff are held and maintained electronically by the human resources professionals in the local authority. Therefore, it is difficult and confusing for the manager to check and identify what actions have been taken to ensure that the children are safeguarded from unsuitable adults. This has been identified by the manager and plans are in place to review the current system.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a thorough understanding of the needs of the children and she has a nurturing and supportive approach to ensuring that they reach their potential. She ensures that children’s achievements are celebrated and that the staff, past and present, are united in building the children’s resilience. This can be seen in the range of positive memories provided for children to celebrate birthdays, special events and moving on from the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and her team ensure that the children’s career aspirations are promoted and supported. The manager recognises when the children need additional support and guidance. This is seen in the increase in communication with professionals and family members to collectively support the children when potential risky behaviours may derail their career ambitions. Staff use the positive relationships that they have with the children, and they evidence this in the quality of their recordings on the children’s files.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Multi-agency professionals comment positively on the sharing of information. A social worker commented on a child by stating, ‘If it were not for the support from Inspection report for children’s home: SC449096 5 the manager and staff, [name of child] would not be in such a positive situation now.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager leads a resilient and dedicated staff team. Staff spoke positively about being debriefed following all incidents that occur and confirmed that these are discussed in supportive and reflective supervisions. They commented on their respect for the manager and recognised her qualities in being fair and open. Staff have opportunities to reflect on their practice to develop their understanding of the progress children make.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

During the COVID–19 pandemic, all appraisals were put on hold. However, staff have still not received an appraisal and are not informed of when or how this is to take place. This does not support the development of staff through the identification of performance targets.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a marked improvement in the manager notifying Ofsted of serious incidents which involve children. The quality of the recording and the description of the actions taken by the staff enables Ofsted to scrutinise this practice independently, to ensure that the children’s safety is prioritised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has effective monitoring and audit systems in place. These are enhanced by the thorough independent scrutiny that is provided by the independent visitor every month. This relationship is positive and is welcomed by the manager in developing the service and quality of care provided for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The provider has mandatory training in place for staff, and staff are up to date with this. The manager and her staff are keen to develop training opportunities and individual accountability. However, there is a gap in the staff team’s awareness, knowledge and skills through formal training in the specific needs of children living at the home. This oversight could diminish the quality of care provided to the children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC449096 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

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

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

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that the staff follow the children’s safety plans, and that a contingency plan is in place should the initial plan not be effective in safeguarding children from harm and the potential harm of others. 30 September 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)) 30 September 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC449096 7 This relates to the provider ensuring that the staff have the relevant training that is specific to the individual needs of the children in their care.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the recruitment of the staff safeguards the children and minimises the potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should ensure that all the staff have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. This appraisal should ensure that the staff are fully aware of the process and timescales for completion. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, 13.5)

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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: SC449096 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Durham County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, Durham DH1 5UJ

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Inspector

Michael Dack, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC449096 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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