Children's Home run by Tees-Valley Care Limited in Redcar and Cleveland

Inspection report for children’s home: 1272220 1 Registered provider: Tees-Valley Care 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 two children who may have social, emotional or mental health difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The experienced and suitably qualified manager registered with Ofsted in August 2022.

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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: 1272220 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/07/2022 Full Good 05/01/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 24/05/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/08/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 1272220 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in this home for a long time. They are extremely settled and view this home as their home. The children know staff and managers well and have very good relationships with them. They trust staff to act in their best interests, and this is helping them to make ongoing and sustained progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s physical health needs are met. Staff spend considerable time reassuring children who are anxious about attending medical appointments. This support is very effective, and children receive the routine healthcare that they need. Children also have the option to go to the orthodontist and the opticians for contact lenses. This means that they have the same access to such services as other children, which enhances their self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s emotional health and development is fully supported. Staff from the clinical team help children to think about the effects of any previous trauma. This support is highly individualised and available to children when they need it. The clinical team also provides essential training and support to staff. This means that children receive a consistent approach from staff that fits well with their clinical support. This helps children to make good progress from their starting points. The approach to understanding and meeting the emotional needs of children is a strength of this children’s home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s educational needs are met. Staff reassure children who are anxious about going to school. Children respond well to this input because of the strength of relationships that they have with staff. When school leaders do not understand children’s needs, staff offer training to reduce barriers to success. This is very successful, and children make remarkable progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children undertake a wide range of activities. These are individualised according to children’s needs and interests. Some activities help to promote children’s health and well-being, such as ice-skating and running. Staff also help children to celebrate significant events such as the school prom. They go to great lengths to ensure that children thoroughly enjoy these experiences. Children are building wonderful memories by taking part in these activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children practise the skills that they need to become independent. Staff work with children to agree the targets that they want to work towards. Targets are regularly reviewed to ensure that they remain valid and achievable. Effective planning ensures that children have ample time to develop the skills that they need. Children are fully involved in all planning for their futures, which helps them to invest in these preparations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children do not have access to all parts of the home. Although this is necessary for one child, it is not appropriate for another. Inspection report for children’s home: 1272220 4

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

Children feel safe in this home. They take part in frequent discussions with staff about potential risks. Children respond well to these conversations because of the trusting relationships that they have with staff. Individualised risk assessments are reviewed regularly. This ensures that staff, including new staff, know how to minimize risks to children. This coordinated approach means that children recognise that staff act to keep them safe. Consequently, children turn to staff for help when they are worried, confident that staff will protect them.

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

Children contribute to their own safeguarding arrangements. For example, children routinely work with staff to identify potential risks from different activities, such as trips away from home. This helps children to learn skills that they will need to be safe as they get older.

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

Children rarely go missing from this home. When they do, staff follow the home’s protocols closely, including immediately searching for children. Staff communicate with each other to ensure that such searches are effective. Consequently, children are found quickly. Staff review the reasons that a child has been missing, which helps them to identify learning to improve practice. This leads to increased safety for children.

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

Consistent approaches to understanding and managing behaviour are successful. Staff follow plans that focus on supporting positive behaviour, and consequences are rarely used. Staff talk to children about incidents of poor behaviour. This ensures that children understand the effects of what has happened. This helps children to learn, and negative behaviour is rarely repeated.

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

Children are rarely restrained. Staff use their positive relationships with children to help them to become calm. This is generally successful. However, staff restrain children when this is needed to protect them or others. Management oversight, including discussions with staff and children, leads to learning for future situations. This is highly effective. The rate of physical restraint has reduced considerably over this period.

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

Staff have excellent safeguarding knowledge. They receive regular training on recognising and responding to risk. They are vigilant about concerns such as online safety and the potential for exploitation. They respond swiftly and successfully to keep children safe. However, not all staff have a full understanding of the whistle- blowing policy. Although there has been no impact, this could leave children at risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a highly effective registered manager. She is extremely aspirational for children and places their progress and well-being at the centre of her practice. She has high expectations of her staff team and leads by example. The registered manager is supported by a senior team who share her vision. Children Inspection report for children’s home: 1272220 5 and staff are confident in the leadership of the home. This enables children to flourish and staff to excel.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The views of children are incorporated into all aspects of the home. For example, one child wrote the care plan that underpins the care that they receive. Children go to team meetings to ensure that their views are heard by all staff at once. This approach to involving children means that they feel invested in their care. This helps them to make and sustain ongoing progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager understands the strengths and weaknesses of the home. She reviews what works well and where improvements are required. She has a vision for the development of the home and knows that, as the manager, this is her responsibility. This means that children are living in a home that is constantly evolving to ensure that it best meets their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management monitoring of the home is very effective. Managers oversee all records and ask for clarity where this is needed. This means that records are accurate and provide children with a clear account of their time in the home. The level of oversight following any incident is exceptional. Reviews focus on the experiences of the child and any learning to improve future practice. This means that staff improve their responses to children, who make ongoing progress as a result.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with the learning that they need to perform well. A comprehensive induction package prepares new staff for their roles. All staff benefit from a detailed training programme. Training is provided by those with expertise in the topic, to ensure that learning is effective. This means that staff have the knowledge that they require to understand and meet the needs of children to a high standard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are fully supported by managers. Staff speak warmly about the availability of managers for ad hoc discussions about work or personal issues. Reflective supervision sessions, focused on children’s needs, take place regularly. Staff value these opportunities to discuss their own practice as well as children’s progress. The registered manager has increased the number of staff who are working towards the required qualification. However, some longer-term staff are not suitably qualified. This was raised as a shortfall at the last inspection and insufficient progress has been made. Inspection report for children’s home: 1272220 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, 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

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises. (Regulation 21(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children’s access within the home is not limited due to restrictions on other children. 31 July 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(b) 4(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that any qualifications felt to be equivalent to the level 3 Diploma should include learning specific to the residential care of 31 July 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 1272220 7 children. This requirement is repeated from the last inspection.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all staff are familiar with the home’s internal whistle-blowing procedures. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.9)

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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: 1272220 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Tees-Valley Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: PO Box 547, Middlesbrough TS1 9HG

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Inspectors

Jane Titley, Social Care Inspector Shirin Kham, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1272220 9 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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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