Children's Home run by Hartlepool Borough Council in Hartlepool

Inspection report for children’s home: 2490894 1 Registered provider: Hartlepool Borough 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 two children who may have social or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2022. She holds suitable qualifications for this role.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 25 May 2021 to carry out a full inspection. The report is published on our website.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2490894 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/05/2021 Full Good 25/02/2020 Interim Declined in effectiveness 17/09/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2490894 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There was one child living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is a family home. Care has been taken to make it look and feel that way. It is cosy and comfortable, pleasantly decorated and furnished. The inspector saw that one child’s bedroom was clean and tidy and furnished to the child’s individual tastes and needs. Personal belongings are evident throughout the home, as are photographs of children both past and present. This helps children feel important and gives them a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children like living here and feel safe. One child gave the home ‘10 out of 10’. They develop close, trusting relationships with a small, yet strong, staff team that cares for them and nurtures them. In turn, children are caring and thoughtful towards the staff and others. Little touches by the staff help children feel thought about and special. For example, every day staff stick notes around the house with praise and positive messages for individual children, which are then transferred to a folder for them to keep.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to understand and think about their behaviours in a variety of ways. Daily one-to-one work enables children to talk about, learn, reflect on and raise any concerns. Children’s meetings take place, which staff have made more interesting by bringing in activity sheets to engage children in important issues such as racism and kindness. This helps children to think about their behaviours and learn to empathise with others.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are reassured that staff are there for them at any time. Children tell staff about incidents they have been involved in and seek support from staff. When children become distressed, staff are there to help and comfort them. One professional said, ‘Staff give children a safe place to vent.’ Another said, ‘Staff never see behaviour as negative, rather it is about children communicating something which staff try to understand.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in many different activities, both inside and outside of the home, and attend groups in the community. This promotes children’s physical health, emotional well-being and social relationships. Experiences are captured in photo albums and memory books, which children can and do look back on fondly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Room searches are undertaken when there are safeguarding concerns. This uncovers items which are of risk to the children. As a result, all children in the home are better protected. However, records do not detail what has been done with the items that have been removed. In addition, it is not clear that the child is aware of the search or what their views are about it. This means their voice is not heard. Inspection report for children’s home: 2490894 4

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

Staff know the children particularly well. Clear, concise and up-to-date risk assessments which the staff are familiar with mean that staff understand children’s risks. They are alert to children becoming heightened and are skilled in deescalating situations. When a restraint is required, staff are trained to do so safely. However, not all restraints are fully recorded. This prevents the manager from being assured that the action taken was necessary and safe.

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

When children go missing, staff know what to do. They actively look for children. However, on one occasion when a child was missing, the police were not provided with the necessary information. This could have delayed the child being found. While return home interviews take place, they are not always undertaken by a person who is independent from the home. This may prevent children from sharing safeguarding concerns and is not good practice.

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

Great care is taken by the manager and staff team in ensuring that documents they complete about the children capture their many attributes and strengths. This helps to ensure that children are seen in a positive light. Children’s needs are identified and understood. The manager ensures that relevant professionals have sight of and approve these important documents. As a result, there is a shared knowledge and children receive consistency from those who care for them.

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

Children are supported to attend routine health appointments and access specialist services for more complex health needs. Staff are proactive in seeking professional discussion, advice and support when new situations occur. One professional said, ‘The staff do a really good job of trying to hypothesise and never blame [name of child]. They work hard to put in place the advice they are given.’

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

The competing risks and needs of the children are not always fully assessed before children move into the home. As a result, there is a lack of guidance for staff to help them reduce the children’s competing risks, which could increase risk.

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

In the event a child makes an allegation, staff know what action to take. This protects children. However, staff are often on their own in the home. This means they are more vulnerable to allegations and being hurt when children are displaying physically aggressive behaviours.

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

Measures are in place and followed to ensure that new staff are recruited safely. This prevents unsuitable people from being recruited to work with the children in this home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a clear drive to achieve positive outcomes for the children who live in this home. She is always seeking to make improvements for the benefit of the children and staff. This leads to a happy home and children making Inspection report for children’s home: 2490894 5 progress. One professional said, ‘[Name of child] has made such progress. She is much more secure, and trusts staff and opens up to them.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager understands the impact that the staff team has on the children and has worked hard since her appointment to improve staff morale. Staff are happy in their role and like the ethos within the home. One staff member said, ‘It is the best place I have worked.’ Another described, ‘A supportive team, who work together, following routines and boundaries for consistency. We all want the best for [name of child].’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

While supervision is regular, staff can and do speak with the manager as and when they need to, including about personal issues. Every staff member commented on how approachable and supportive the manager is. They also reflected on the positive changes she has made in the short time she has been at the home. A staff member said, ‘[Name of child] is more settled’ and is ‘thriving’. Staff are encouraged and enabled to develop professionally and this is very much appreciated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive a debrief after serious incidents. They provide staff with an opportunity to reflect on what took place and identify what they have learned. It also enables them to receive emotional support, which helps them continue to support the children effectively. However, it is not always recorded when debriefs take place or whether any learning has been identified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a monthly monitoring system in place which enables her to know what is happening in the home, that documents have been reviewed and are up to date, and that tasks have been completed. She has a clear understanding of the progress children are making from an overview which she completes. She welcomes monthly external monitoring and responds proactively to any recommendations made. The six-monthly quality of care review which the manager completes evidences an understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. Inspection report for children’s home: 2490894 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

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the Philomena Protocol is forwarded to the police when children go missing. 23 November

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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

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that when more than one restraint takes place during one incident, each is fully detailed. 23 November

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that a child’s bedroom is only searched if the child has been informed or have been asked for their permission. In particular, ensure that search records include if the child was present, their comments about the search and details of the safe storage of any items removed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.20) Inspection report for children’s home: 2490894 7  The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing, the child is provided with the opportunity to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 45, paragraph 9.30)  The registered person should plan staffing levels to ensure that they meet the

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Recommendations

needs of children and can respond flexibly to unexpected events or opportunities. In particular, keep under review staff levels, considering the presenting behaviour of children and the impact of prolonged and frequent incidents on all. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 54, paragraph 10.15)  The registered person should only accept placements for children where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 56, paragraph 11.4)  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful and clear recording. In particular, detail the medical attention children have received when they are hurt, and the date of staff debriefs and their outcome. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations,

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Recommendations

including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2490894 8

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Children’s home details

Registered Provider: Hartlepool Borough Council,

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Civic Centre, Victoria Road, Hartlepool TS24 8AY

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Inspector

Emma Ridley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2490894 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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