Children's home run by Middlesbrough Borough Council

Inspection report for children’s home: SC472392 1 SC472392 Registered provider: Middlesbrough Borough Council 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 local authority. It provides care for up to five children who may have experienced emotional and/or social difficulties and/or mental health issues.

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Information about this children’s home

The children who live at this home are usually between the age of 16 and 18 years old. The home provides services for children as they transition towards independence.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is suitably qualified for the role and registered with Ofsted in 2019.

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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: SC472392 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/03/2022 Full Good 11/02/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good 27/02/2019 Full Outstanding 21/03/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC472392 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are welcomed into the home following a planned introduction to the environment, the staff and the other children. This supports children to start to develop relationships and to become familiar with their new home before they move in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager carefully considers all new referrals to the home to ensure that the needs of all of the children can be met. When children are unsettled, staff and managers work closely with other professionals and agencies to determine what additional support children may need and how to deliver this. This integrated and thoughtful approach means that children feel safe, well cared for and listened to. This enables the children to make good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to pursue their hobbies and interests. Children enjoy spending time with staff and discovering new activities and widening their experiences by going on holidays together. Children each have a memory book that is filled with pictures of activities and outings with staff and each other. This supports the children’s social skills and enhances their progress and positive experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health and well-being are priorities for staff. The children are registered with local dentists, doctors and opticians. Staff refer children to specialist external services when additional support is needed, or they encourage the children to make self-referrals to these services. Children take an active role in making their own appointments as part of their journey towards greater independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children do well in education and are making good progress. This is because staff support the children to attend their education provisions regularly and are enthusiastic about children’s achievements and progress. The home has an education champion who encourages the children to explore their next steps in education. This includes arranging for children to visit universities to help them to make decisions about their future. These aspirations mean that children remain motivated to continue with their studies.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to develop their independent living skills in preparation for leaving care. The provider has developed a ‘staying close’ framework, which details planning and support for children as they prepare and transition to independent living. This benefits children as they keep the security of their place in the home and the support from consistent staff, while being supported through a stepped approach to independence. Children who move to their own property post-18 receive outreach support from staff over a three-month period. This provides children with the security of a support network and the consistency of caring adults when they have left care. Inspection report for children’s home: SC472392 4 The guidance that the young people receive after they have turned 18 years old and moved from the home is excellent. Support is unconditional. Staff use their positive relationships to keep in touch. Help, which can include ad hoc discussions, support

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

with finances and the provision of food, is both natural and meaningful to the young people. This makes a significant difference to their experiences and is a strength of the service.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some of these young people have experienced financial difficulties relating to issues with their welfare benefits. The support that staff offer to these young people once problems arise is excellent and includes emotional and practical help. However, the work that the young people do before they move out is not supported by experts who can provide more bespoke advice and guidance. This limits how prepared the young people are when difficulties arise.

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

Children are better protected because staff understand their individual risks and ensure that their safety plans are updated when any changes occur. These safety plans also provide the children with information about how staff will try to manage and reduce risks and what actions they will take. This helps children to feel safe.

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

Some children go missing from the home. Staff know what protocols to follow and actions to take if a child was to go missing. Staff work together to ensure that children are supported to return home safely. Staff use their professional judgement and knowledge of the children to manage these situations and to consider the factors leading up to these episodes. This well-rounded approach gives children the opportunity to reflect on their behaviour and discuss their worries or concerns with staff.

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

Managers regularly update children’s safety plans, and all incidents of concern are discussed in staff supervision sessions and during team meetings. This ensures that all staff are aware of any changes to children’s risk assessments and the actions expected of them to keep children safe.

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

There have been no incidents of physical restraint since the last inspection. Staff work with children to help them find alternative ways to express their frustrations and manage their anxieties.

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

Staff have a good awareness of safeguarding and child protection referral processes and undertake regular training in these areas. The children are confident that any issues and concerns that they raise will be listened to and taken seriously. This helps the children talk about any issues that worry them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has high expectations for the standard of care for children. She is ambitious for children, and she fosters a positive culture of achievement that is embedded in the ethos of the home. This means that managers and staff provide Inspection report for children’s home: SC472392 5 children with a good level of personalised care and support as they work towards independent living.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular and reflective supervision sessions and team meetings. This provides them with the opportunity to discuss their practice and how this may impact on children and their learning needs. This learning culture means that staff continue to develop and gain the skills that they need to support children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Internal monitoring systems and external reports by the independent visitor support managers to effectively scrutinise children’s records and information. It also ensures that staff practice is reviewed. When shortfalls are identified, the manager and senior staff quickly address these issues. Consequently, children’s progress and the development of the service are continually reviewed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers use the feedback from young people who have moved on from the home into their own accommodation to develop the service and improve experiences for other children. They are proud of the model of care they provide to children and continue to evaluate their learning to support other care providers.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the planning for each child who is leaving the home includes specific information about claiming welfare benefits from people with relevant expertise. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.9)

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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: SC472392 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Middlesbrough Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Middlesbrough House, 50 Corporation Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RH

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Kalia-Marina Kourou-Paradeli

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Inspectors

Joanne Wallis, Social Care Inspector (7 and 8 February 2023) Cherie Chen, Social Care Inspector (7 and 8 February 2023) Jane Titley, Social Care Inspector (22 February 2023) Inspection report for children’s home: SC472392 7 inspects 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. 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 .

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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

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