Children's home run by North East Autism Society in County Durham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC416136 1 SC416136 Registered provider: North East Autism Society Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to five children and/or young people who may have learning disabilities.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2012.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The inspectors spoke to all the children who live in the home.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

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.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC416136 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/01/2022 Full Good 14/01/2020 Full Outstanding 05/02/2019 Full Outstanding 14/08/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC416136 3

p.2

improvement to be good

There are four children with complex health and emotional needs living in the home.

p.3

improvement to be good

While children make progress, their overall experiences have been compromised by poor safeguarding practice and ineffective leadership and management arrangements.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff have not maintained the home well in all areas. Some areas of the home need repair cosmetically, and damaged furniture has not been replaced in a timely manner. This does not encourage children to have high aspirations for their future living environment.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff want the best for the children they care for. Staff are skilled at engaging with the children well and they speak about the children with warmth and affection. This ensures that the children build and maintain positive relationships with the staff.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children are encouraged to have fun and enjoy themselves. They enjoy a variety of activities, such as swimming, walking, trips to the local shops and going to the theatre. Two children have learned how to ride a bicycle recently. This helps the children to develop their skills and confidence.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff understand the importance of education and routines for the children. Staff work collaboratively with schools to meet the children’s educational needs. For example, some children struggle with the journey to school, and the staff accompany the children to travel to school to ease their anxiety. As a result, the children have good school attendance and make good progress with their education.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff help the children to maintain good routines, rules and boundaries in the home. These provide children with consistency, stability and structure. The children’s daily routines are produced in an alternative communication method and are displayed throughout the home, including in the children’s bedrooms. This helps the children to understand their routines so that they know what to expect. This also helps the children to develop a sense of security.

p.3

improvement to be good

The children’s health and emotional needs are being met. When required, the staff support the children to engage with the relevant mental health services. Children also attend routine health appointments, such as with the dentist, doctor and optician. Inspection report for children’s home: SC416136 4

p.3

improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have failed to ensure that the children’s care plans and risk assessments are reviewed on a regular basis. Information is not up to date, which does not help the managers to review the children’s progress or assess the quality of care that the children receive. This shortfall has resulted in one child’s risk assessment not being updated despite a significant increase in their risk. Consequently, the managers have failed to provide the staff with the most up-to- date information to keep the children safe. This has compromised the staff’s ability to promote the children’s welfare.

p.4

improvement to be good

Not all children have an up-to-date care plan from their placing local authority. Two of the children’s care plans have changed, and the statutory documents are out of date. Other key documents, such as the children’s annual looked after healthcare assessment and their education, health and care plan, are also absent. This means that the managers and the staff cannot be assured that the care they provide is in line with the children’s current statutory care plans.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff physically hold the children when it is necessary to prevent the child from hurting themselves or others. Staff carry out a welfare check on the child following each incident. However, the managers have missed an opportunity to support the children to make sense of the events and learn how to manage future incidents more effectively, as the managers have not always spoken to the child after the incident.

p.4

improvement to be good

The managers have worked hard to recruit new staff. However, safer recruitment processes have not always been followed. This means that some staff have been employed without demonstrating their full employment history. This shortfall hinders the manager’s ability to be assured that the staff are safe and suitable to work with children. This unsafe practice increases the children’s risk of being cared for by inappropriate adults.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff know the children’s medical needs well. They work with the relevant professionals to ensure that the children’s changing medical needs are kept under review. When children’s medication changes, the staff are quick to amend the child’s records so that everyone involved is clear about the arrangements. However, the staff do not consistently follow the provider’s medication policy when administering medication. This shortfall increases the risk of errors occurring. This could have a detrimental effect on the children’s health.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff have positive working relationships with external professionals. They feel confident in seeking help and accessing support for the children, which ensures that the children can access help and support quickly. Inspection report for children’s home: SC416136 5

p.4

good

Leadership and management of the home are not yet consistently good. However, the registered manager and the deputy manager are passionate about providing good-quality care to the children. They work closely with external professionals, and feedback is positive. These partnerships mean that the children feel secure and know that everyone has their best interests at heart.

p.5

good

Leaders and managers continue to face significant challenges in the recruitment of suitable staff. As a result, they have been reliant on agency staff, which reduces the stability and support that some of the children receive. In addition, staff shortages have led to the managers being more involved in the children’s day-to-day care. This has reduced the managers’ ability to maintain adequate oversight of the staff’s practice and ensure that the quality of leadership in the home is maintained. The managers acknowledge these shortfalls and are determined to make the necessary improvements.

p.5

good

The staff feel supported by their managers and receive regular supervision. However, the quality of supervision is not consistently good. The safeguarding arrangements for children are not always included in these sessions, and the staff are not provided with an opportunity to reflect on their practice. When practice issues are identified, the staff’s supervision records do not show the action the managers have taken. These missed opportunities prevent the managers from demonstrating how they are identifying and then supporting staff to improve their practice.

p.5

good

The staff’s training records are disorganised, and it is difficult to understand what training they have completed. This hinders the managers’ ability to be assured that they have a skilled and trained workforce.

p.5

good

Staff meetings are held regularly and are well attended. Children are routinely discussed so that the staff remain current in their knowledge of how to meet each child’s needs. The managers are clear on their expectations. They promote good practice and confidently address any shortfalls to improve the care that the children receive.

p.5

good

The children remain the focus of practice in the home. The managers work well with other agencies and professionals, which is a strength of the home. Feedback from professionals emphasises excellent communication and effective multi-agency working. One professional said, ‘When the registered manager is concerned about the service provided by another agency, she is not afraid to challenge this, she is an advocate for the children.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC416136 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

p.6

Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the damage in the home is repaired and that the damaged items and furniture are replaced in a timely manner. 28 October 2022

p.6

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

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)) 28 October 2022

p.6

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— 28 October 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC416136 7 receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.7

Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii))

p.7

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the children’s care plans and risk assessments are reviewed on a regular basis.

p.7

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.

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

p.7

Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all the staff follow the provider’s medication procedures when they are administering children’s medication. 28 October 2022

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

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 that individual to work at the home,

p.7

Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). 28 October 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC416136 8 The requirements are that—

p.7

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)(d))

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out— how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children's home; and

p.8

Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

p.8

Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (3)(c)) 28 October 2022

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

p.8

Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

p.8

Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b))

p.8

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the children’s statutory review documents, such as their annual healthcare assessments and their education, health and care plans, are obtained and kept up to date. 28 October 2022

p.8

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: SC416136 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: North East Autism Society

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: North East Autism Society, 15 Lumley Court, Drum Industrial Estate, Chester-le-Street, Durham DH2 1AN

p.9

Inspectors

Cherie Chen, Social Care Inspector Claire Webster, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC416136 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.

p.9

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.10