Children's Home run by Durham County Council in Durham

Inspection report for children’s home: 2624251 1 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

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

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Information about this children’s home

The manager and the service registered with Ofsted in March 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children were living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

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

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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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.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 7 September 2021

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2624251 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/09/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2624251 3

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improvement to be good

Children’s experiences of living in the home are varied.

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improvement to be good

Children’s day-to-day care is inconsistent. Not all staff can link adverse childhood experiences and trauma with children’s behaviour. Staff struggle to implement consistent boundaries. One child said, ‘Communication between staff is poor; one staff tells me one thing and another something else. This confuses me and makes me frustrated.’ This care practice affects children’s well-being and gives children mixed messages about expectations of behaviour.

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improvement to be good

The self-contained living space offers the opportunity for children to learn and progress their skills for living independently. Children are provided with opportunities to manage their own finances, prepare meals and travel independently. As a result, children are prepared to move on, with increased confidence.

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improvement to be good

Children’s education experiences are mixed. Some children attend college and have successfully completed further education courses. This helps children to develop aspirations and pursue a career. When children do not attend education, staff do not promote routines or structure. This limits children’s learning opportunities and does not prepare or motivate them to engage in education.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not de-escalate situations or manage children’s behaviours effectively. This has left some children feeling scared and worried. Furthermore, some children isolate themselves in their own spaces to keep themselves safe. One child said, ‘I do get fed up with the threats, swearing and name calling. I don’t like it when the house is being trashed.’ Staff’s inconsistent response to these incidents compromises children’s welfare.

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improvement to be good

Staff are caring and nurturing and support children well when incidents of self-harm occur. However, staff do not always recognise the children’s behavioural cues and do not always intervene at the earliest opportunity, when children are communicating that they may need help. This leaves children unsupported at times when they are distressed .

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improvement to be good

Some areas of the home are well decorated and provide cosy and comfortable places for children to spend time with staff. However, without clear explanation, children are prevented from accessing all food in their home as there are locked cupboards. Furthermore, the inspector discovered out-of-date food in the freezer. The inspector addressed this with the manager, who took immediate action. Inspection report for children’s home: 2624251 4

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improvement to be good

The home has experienced an unsettled period, with an increase in serious incidents. This has resulted in greater police attendance at the home. Police have been called when staff have been unable to de-escalate incidents and manage children’s behaviour. This has resulted, on occasion, in children being arrested and increases the risk of children being criminalised. This may affect their later life chances.

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improvement to be good

The home has effective links with a number of safeguarding agencies. Staff communicate well with other professionals and share information so that the risks to children are understood. It is these relationships that are helping to protect children.

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improvement to be good

The quality of children’s individual risk assessments varies. While some documents are specific and detailed, others are inaccurate. For example, some documents lack clear strategies for staff to follow and others do not always include the child’s current risks.

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improvement to be good

When staff identify that children may be in possession of illegal substances or dangerous items, room searches are not consistently carried out. When room searches do take place, management oversight of the records of these varies. Some documents do not clearly show whether the child’s consent for the search was obtained, or whether the child was informed that the search had taken place.

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improvement to be good

Staff said that a lack of staff at certain times of the day prevents them from safely managing children’s escalating behaviours and ensuring that the other children are protected from harm. Consequently, staff do not feel safe or equipped to safely support children in line with the strategies that are identified in the children’s safety plans.

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improvement to be good

The home is fitted with alarms, which are used to monitor the movement of children in the home for a specific safeguarding concern. However, there is no consent in place from children or their placing local authority for this practice.

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improvement to be good

When children are missing from the home, staff take effective action. They understand their roles and responsibilities, such as searching for the child and alerting relevant professionals. The manager carefully reviews the action taken by staff to ensure that the correct procedures are followed.

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good

The manager and staff work well together as a team. The manager is supported by an enthusiastic deputy manager, who is newly appointed to the role. This strengthens management oversight. However, inconsistencies in practice are having a significant effect on the experiences of children in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2624251 5 The manager’s auditing processes are not consistently effective as they have failed to identify the shortfalls raised at this inspection. This prevents the manager from ensuring that children’s records are accurate, and that staff are correctly following children’s plans.

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good

The quality of record-keeping in the home varies. Sometimes, staff do not fully complete forms and sections are frequently left blank. Information recorded about the children is disorganised. This contributes to inconsistent practice and affects the manager’s ability to review and evaluate the information effectively.

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good

There has been a delay in notifying Ofsted of serious incidents. This means that Ofsted is unable to review the information in a timely manner to ensure that the provider has taken appropriate action to keep the children safe. This leaves children vulnerable to the risk of harm.

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good

The manager assesses the suitability and the needs of children before they move into the home. However, a child moved in despite the manager identifying significant risks and potential implications that this move may have on the children already living in the home, who were settled at the time. Therefore, this assessment process is not effective in ensuring that children are placed together safely.

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good

Complaints in the home are taken seriously. However, some complaints and the actions taken are not always recorded. This is a missed opportunity for the manager to review and understand the outcomes, to improve the quality of care provided in the home.

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good

Staff’s experiences of working in the home vary. Some staff feel supported by their managers and colleagues. Others are unhappy with working practices and inconsistent approaches towards children. This has caused discontent among staff, which may make children feel uncomfortable and anxious.

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good

Staff supervisions take place; however, staff said that their supervision does not always offer them the opportunity for reflection. Although practice issues are identified, actions to address and monitor staff’s performance are not always recorded. In addition, staff said that their well-being is not always discussed in supervision.

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good

Staff access regular training and all staff have completed the provider’s mandatory training courses. When training needs have been identified, these have been arranged promptly and have been attended by all staff members.

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good

Team meetings are held regularly and are well attended. They afford the opportunity for staff discussions about the children’s needs. Guest speakers attend the meetings to help improve staff’s knowledge and practice.

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good

Professionals are positive about the home and stated that, most of the time, communication is good. Staff ensure that the professionals involved in the children’s Inspection report for children’s home: 2624251 6 lives are consulted at appropriate times and are welcomed into the home for visits and meetings. Inspection report for children’s home: 2624251 7

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(v)(c)(ii)) 10 January 2023

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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 understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(iv)(v)) 6 December 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2624251 8 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

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

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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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. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(ix)(xi)(xii)) 10 January 2023

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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— 6 December 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2624251 9 that staff—

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi))

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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.

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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

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 the home has sufficient staff to provide care for 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; 10 January 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2624251 10 demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received;

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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) (2)(a)(d)(f)(g)(ii)(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.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(a)) 6 December 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance;

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Requirement Due date

so far as reasonably practicable in the light of the child’s age and understanding, the child is informed in advance of the intention to do the monitoring or surveillance. (Regulation 24 (1)(b)(c)) 6 December 2022

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)) 10 January 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2624251 11

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Recommendation

 The registered person should notify Ofsted within 24 hours, if one of the situations specified in regulation 40(4)(a)-(d) occurs, or if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home which the registered person considers to be serious. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)

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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: 2624251 12

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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

Claire Webster, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2624251 13 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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