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

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC034235 1 SC034235 Registered provider: North Yorkshire County Council

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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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

At the time of this monitoring visit, the home was providing care for five children, although two of these children were living away from the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2019.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted carried out this monitoring visit due to concerns raised through safeguarding notifications. During this visit, the inspector found that a lack of leadership and management oversight has led to significant shortfalls in the help and protection of children, the management of children’s behaviour, safeguarding practices and the quality of recording of significant events.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has failed to ensure that the staff follow children’s risk assessments and plans. Staff actions have not been effective in managing the children’s behaviour. Consequently, some children have physically assaulted and harmed other children in the home. This has resulted in those children who carried out the assaults being involved in the criminal justice system. Children have been moved from the home in an unplanned way to manage issues related to their behaviour and as a result of the imposition of bail conditions.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager failed to review the safeguarding arrangements in the home when the children’s negative behaviours increased. For example, despite recognising Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC034235 2 the changing dynamics in the home following the admission of a child, supervision arrangements and staffing levels were not increased. The arrangements were not adequate in preventing repeated incidents of assault on a child over a three-day period.

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This monitoring visit

Some children have become involved in the safeguarding of other children. This is because staff have been unable to manage incidents in the home. On one occasion, staff did not intervene to prevent a child from assaulting another child. This led to a third child taking steps to protect their peer because staff failed to exercise their responsibilities to protect children effectively.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager does not maintain adequate oversight of the standards of practice in the home. Monitoring systems introduced following the previous inspection have not been used. This means that the shortfalls identified in previous visits remain, as do the risks to children.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers do not have effective monitoring and oversight of the quality of incident recording and reporting. Records of significant events have been reviewed and signed off by managers who failed to identify gaps in information. The records were not scrutinised for factual accuracy or quality, and did not demonstrate the actions taken to manage children’s behaviour. As a result, leaders and managers lack a clear understanding of whether staff are providing safe care to children. This places children at risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have failed to scrutinise the recording of debriefs with staff following incidents. One member of staff raised concerns in relation to their colleagues aggravating incidents through their responses to children. There was no evidence of these concerns being followed up by managers. The poor standard of record- keeping means that key details, themes and actions are difficult to track or analyse. This prevents the registered manager from making necessary improvements to the home. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC034235 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/08/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 26/05/2022 Full Inadequate 15/02/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 03/09/2019 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— 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; manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; and take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; 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)(iv)(v)(vi)(b)) 14 March 2023

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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— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 14 March 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC034235 5 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; ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; 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 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous

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Requirement Due date

improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(e)(f)(h)) The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that arrangements are in place to— ensure the effective induction of each child into the home; and plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(i)(iii)) 14 March 2023

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC034235 6

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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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Inspector

Deb Duffy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC034235 7 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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