Children's home run by Stockton on Tees Borough Council

Inspection report for children’s home: 2568244 1 Registered provider: Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated and managed by a local authority. It provides care for up to five children who may have social or emotional difficulties, and/or physical disabilities. The placements are a combination of short breaks and short- to medium-term permanent placements.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were four children living in the home. There have been no short break placements since the last inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left the home in May 2022. A new manager was appointed in May 2023. They are in the process of registering with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

The full inspection of this home was completed on 19 and 22 July 2023. To ensure that the judgement was sound, a further inspection visit was completed on 9 August 2023 to gather additional evidence.

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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

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: 2568244 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/06/2022 Full Good 15/02/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2568244 3

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improvement to be good

The experience for one child is not positive. This has had a detrimental effect on their progress. One child is a victim of being bullied. This has resulted in the child’s placement coming to an end as the bullying continues. Staff’s actions to reduce these incidents are not effective.

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improvement to be good

The children who live in this home sometimes have poor experiences. This is because leaders and managers do not appropriately match the children’s competing needs before children move into the home. This has led to disruption and unsettled periods for the children who live in the home.

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improvement to be good

Children cannot access all areas of the home as doors are locked, and children do not have direct access to the garden. This creates an institutional environment rather than a welcoming home.

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improvement to be good

Children’s education and their identity are prioritised by the manager and staff. They challenge education providers to ensure that the children can learn about, and follow, their religious beliefs. Interpreters and mobile applications are sourced to overcome any language barriers. This supports the children while they learn English as a second language. Nevertheless, one child has not received any formal education since April 2023. The manager is working with the virtual school team, and with the child’s social worker. This is to ensure that there are relevant plans in place so that the child can attend a suitable provision in September 2023.

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improvement to be good

Children are involved in their care planning arrangements. They are supported well by the staff to visit and maintain contact with those who are important to them, regardless of the distance. The staff try hard to establish links with the children’s family and friends so that risk-taking behaviours reduce, and the children’s safety is promoted. This has resulted in the child spending more time with the ones who mean the most to them.

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improvement to be good

Staff promote equality and diversity in the home. Some children have accessed the local mosque and they have been introduced to the Imam. Sports clubs and social links have been sourced to engage and inspire the children’s involvement in life at the home and in the community. This has been a major success for one child, who has progressed into the adult cricket team and benefited from one-to-one tuition that may help to progress their sporting career further.

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improvement to be good

One child was left alone in the home by an inexperienced member of staff. This incident exposed the child to risk of harm. However, this incident was not shared Inspection report for children’s home: 2568244 4 with the designated safeguarding officer. Leaders and managers have since taken this incident seriously. They have addressed the staff’s practice formally through supervision and they have increased the monitoring of the staff. Leaders and managers have also reviewed and added to the induction process so that the staff are clear that they are not to leave the children alone in the home.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing from care, the staff conduct local searches, contact friends, family and share information with the police. Nevertheless, on some occasions, the staff cannot follow the missing-from-care protocol as there is no one who can drive during the night. This means that the children are not being located as quickly and safely as possible.

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improvement to be good

Policies are clear and individual to the children’s needs, and return home interviews are conducted regularly by commissioned case workers who know the children. When timescales have lapsed, the manager escalates these cases immediately to ensure that the children receive a timely response.

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improvement to be good

Staff have positive relationships with the children who live in the home, and the staff know the children well. Staff use these positive relationships, and they have conversations with the children when the children are anxious. This helps the children to manage their emotions without the need to be physically held by the staff. As a result, there has not been any physical interventions since 6 August 2022.

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good

The deputy manager and staff, who know the children well, have supported the home following the departure of the registered manager in May 2022.

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good

Leaders and managers do not always make the decision on which children will live in this home. There have been occasions when the leaders and managers from the local authority have overruled the deputy manager’s decision not to admit children in an emergency situation. While the deputy manager identified that the staff could not protect the children from harm, and that the admission of one child would be detrimental to the children already living in the home, the deputy manager did not escalate their concerns when her decision was overruled.

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good

The statement of purpose is not kept under review. Leaders and managers have not provided Ofsted with an up-to-date version as required by regulation.

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good

Information about the children is shared well. The staff attend team meetings. These meetings provide the staff with a full overview of the children’s needs, and the minutes from these meetings are shared with all the staff, so everyone is kept up to date.

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good

Leaders and managers support the staff through regular supervision sessions. However, leaders and managers have missed an opportunity to hold reflective discussions about all the children during these sessions. This oversight prevents the Inspection report for children’s home: 2568244 5 staff from learning and sharing new skills and approaches to better care for the children. Furthermore, poor recording means that it is unclear as to how often the new manager, who started in post in May 2023, is receiving guidance and support.

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good

Staff talk positively about themselves as a team and they recognise the effect of their work on the children’s lives. Staff know their responsibilities and they are supported well by leaders and managers. The manager and deputy manager review the systems and processes regularly. They use these, alongside the quality audits, to ensure that any actions are followed through so that the work is completed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2568244 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c)) 6 September 2023

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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

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

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; and

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Requirement Due date

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 (2)(a)(i)(v)(vi)(b)) 6 September 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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

promotes their welfare. 6 September 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2568244 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this specifically relates to the ineffective placement matching of some children. 6 September 2023

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 6 September 2023

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(i)(ii)(iv)) 6 September 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2568244 8

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the staff consistently pursue education attendance. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.14)  The registered person should ensure that all of the staff receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of all the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  A record of supervision should be kept for staff, including the manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation 33(4)(b). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3)

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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: 2568244 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Municipal Buildings, Church Road, Stockton-on- Tees, Cleveland TS18 1L

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Inspectors

Lee Riley and Emma Ridley, Social Care Inspectors Gemma McDonnell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2568244 10 regulates and 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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