Children's home run by Highfield North East Limited in Redcar and Cleveland

Inspection report for children’s home: SC408656 1 SC408656 Registered provider: Highfield (North East) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to four children who may have social, emotional or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2010 and is suitably qualified for this role.

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Information about this children’s home

There were four children living in the home at the time of this inspection.

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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: 17 February 2022

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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: SC408656 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/02/2022 Full Good 05/11/2019 Full Good 12/03/2019 Full Good 16/10/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC408656 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s experiences of living in this home are good. The relationships between the children and the staff are positive. There was lots of laughter, fun and joking with each other seen during the inspection. The children can talk to staff about their views and feelings, and they are involved in decisions about changes to the home. There are ongoing plans in place to redecorate the children’s bedrooms and to refurbish the kitchen. Smaller repairs, such as replacing broken blinds, are needed to improve the communal space downstairs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is a welcoming environment. The children see this home as their ‘family home’ and talk about staying until they are adults. This sense of stability helps children to prepare for greater independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All of the children are currently in some form of education. Staff have advocated for children, and their views are considered. This has helped children access vocational courses that are better suited to them and meet their learning needs. Children are working towards agreed targets and are achieving for their future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff treat the children with dignity and respect. This helps children to develop a more positive view of themselves. Children are well supported with their health. They have access to primary medical support, such as doctors and dentists. Staff ensure that they make referrals to specialist mental health agencies or paediatric services when children need additional support. This means that children have the right help in place when they need it to support their physical and emotional health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote an inclusive and anti-discriminatory environment. This is important for children as they grow up. Discussions happen openly and without judgement. Children talk about their experiences and feel comfortable about asking questions. Staff make sure that the right support is provided through local groups, and this helps to ensure that children do not feel isolated or alone.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When possible, children get together with their friends and families. Some friends and families can visit the home for tea. Staff make efforts to get to know the people who are most important to the children. Families have developed relationships with the staff. This helps to reassure them that their children are being well cared for.

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

The manager and staff understand the risks to children’s safety well. There are individual risk assessments for each child in the home. These help to reduce and minimise these risks as much as possible. Clear guidance helps staff in their response to events as they arise, and this ensures that children have a consistent response to their behaviours. There is a suitable response to issues such as self- Inspection report for children’s home: SC408656 4 harm. For example, more ligature cutters and grab bags were brought. This approach helps to keep the children safe from harm.

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

The number of occasions when children go missing from the home has been reduced in the last six months. There are now detailed protocols in place if children go missing, and staff know what steps and actions to take in these circumstances. This practice helps to ensure that children are quickly located and returned to the home.

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

Staff rarely use physical restraint. This measure of control is only used to protect children from immediate harm or to prevent them hurting themselves or others. Conversations with children and staff happen afterwards to ensure that these incidents are reviewed and that any learning is shared.

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

During the inspection, a complaint came to a placing authority about the home. The manager took decisive action, accepting the concerns raised. The quick response gave the placing authority the information that was missing. An action plan is in place that involves staff training. These steps ensure that the concerns raised will not happen again. This helps keep children safe in the future.

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

The provider has a good recruitment process for new staff. This involves seeking relevant references and completing background checks. This helps to ensure that people who come to work at the home are suitable to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has been through a difficult period since the last inspection, with a lot of change. This has involved children coming to the home and leaving again quite quickly. The manager has reflected on these circumstances and identified learning to improve practice. Changes to the admissions process have stabilised the situation. Moving into the home has been successful for the children who live there now.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are well supported in their role. The manager and deputy manager are approachable, and there is an open-door policy. This means that staff can ask for help or advice as and when they need it and do not have to wait for formal supervision. Staff benefit from regular supervision sessions, team meetings and appraisals. These help them to reflect on their practice and promote consistency for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff work in partnership with other agencies and professionals, and communication is good. This sharing of information helps to ensure that other professionals know about children’s progress and that children’s plans are amended when needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is aware of the strengths of the home and the areas for development. There is a plan in place to make improvements, which the manager has discussed. This is not reflected in the manager’s six-monthly quality of care review reports. Inspection report for children’s home: SC408656 5 Additionally, the independent visitor’s monthly reports do not include feedback from children or their families. This is a missed opportunity to further develop practice.

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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 registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)) 29 March 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review, the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(c)) 29 March 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any broken fixtures and fittings in the home are mended when necessary, for example the blinds and thermostat cover in the conservatory. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15 paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that children have their own book or a file with photos from shared activities and their time in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 31 paragraph 6.7) Inspection report for children’s home: SC408656 6

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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: SC408656 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Highfield (North East) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 37 Emerald Street, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Cleveland TS12 1EE

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Inspector

Miriam Dolman, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC408656 8 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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