Children's Home run by Enhanced Young Persons Care Limited in Durham

Inspection report for children’s home: 2715200 1 Registered provider: Enhanced Young Person’s Care Limited Full inspection 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 private provider. It provides care for up to three children who experience social and emotional difficulties and who may have mental health difficulties, learning disabilities, and alcohol or drug dependence.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the first inspection the home has received since it registered on 3 April 2023. There has been no registered manager at the home since 30 June 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home.

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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: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2715200 2

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improvement to be good

The manager and staff have not ensured that all children are attending school or college. The manager’s efforts to escalate concerns have limited success in returning the children back into full-time education. The staff do not engage the children in educational activities throughout the day. This means that children lose out on education during their time at the home.

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improvement to be good

Children do not have regular routines or structure to their day. Children go missing regularly and return late at night. Staff’s attempts to engage the children in positive activities have had limited success. Children continue to engage in risk-taking behaviours that impact on their routines the following day.

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improvement to be good

The children form attachments quickly with the staff at the home. Both children identified staff members who are important to them. Professionals and parents say that children have positive relationships with the staff, who support the children well. This is achieved despite the children knowing that they will be moving on from the home after 12 weeks. This allows the children to feel supported while their future plans are being decided.

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improvement to be good

Children’s health needs are met while living at the home as the staff register them with all health services. The children are supported to attend appointments and have health issues addressed in a timely way.

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improvement to be good

The children are happy and feel a sense of belonging. Children say that they are happy in the home and do not want to move on. One child has received outreach support beyond their time at the home. This has had a positive impact on the child’s well-being after they moved into their new home.

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improvement to be good

One child did not receive a strong and proactive response following an allegation of harm. The decision to follow the home’s allegation management procedure was taken two days after the initial allegation from the child. This delayed response placed a child at potential risk of further harm.

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improvement to be good

The current children regularly go missing from the home. This includes children walking into a city and have been found engaging with the homeless community. These incidents are increasing in frequency, duration and risk.

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improvement to be good

The children’s risk assessments do not contain clear instructions for the staff to follow. Furthermore, there is a lack of clarity on children’s missing-from-home procedures and no agreed missing-from-home protocol for individual children. As a result, children do Inspection report for children’s home: 2715200 3 not receive a well-coordinated response from staff to reduce the level of harm. However, the children receive return home interviews following episodes when they have been missing. These interviews offer a timely response for children to speak with someone independent from the home.

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improvement to be good

The manager and staff work well with the police and the local authority. The children have received safeguarding interventions. They know how to make a complaint and discuss issues on grooming and how to keep themselves safe.

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good

The interim manager has been in post since July 2023. Leaders and managers have recruited a full team of staff with varying degrees of experience and qualifications. The support and guidance for the team are provided by the manager, deputy manager and one team leader. To ensure that the staff have support, one team leader is working excessive hours due to them also working in another of the provider’s homes.

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good

Children have not had plans and risk assessments in place during their stay in the home. An internal peer audit identified the shortfall three months after the first child had been admitted into the home. Staff were not working to plans which identify the needs of the children. This means that children are not having their individual needs met while living at the home.

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good

Planned discussions with children have not taken place to talk about their care, views and feelings. This is in direct conflict with the home’s statement of purpose, which requires weekly sessions to be held. This means that discussions have been in response to behaviours and children have not had the chance to provide feedback on their experience and improve the care that they receive.

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good

Leaders and managers facilitate internal manager peer audits. These audits are in depth and have identified shortfalls for managers to rectify. As a result, the children now have up-to-date plans, and meetings are taking place regularly for children and the staff team.

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good

Staff say that they are supported and enjoy their role. They receive a thorough induction and training schedule. The manager identifies additional needs as part of the referral process to make sure that the staff have the skills and training to meet children’s needs, such as in respect of autism and self-harming behaviours. Leaders and managers have identified a particular model of care that they want to provide to children. This training has been introduced and is reflected on in supervision meetings, which are regular and supportive. Inspection report for children’s home: 2715200 4

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e)) 13 December Inspection report for children’s home: 2715200 5 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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(h)) 13 December

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager and staff must ensure that children are supported to meet their educational targets as recorded in their plans. Where these targets are not being met, children must be supported to attend informal education in the interim. 13 December Inspection report for children’s home: 2715200 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the behaviour management policy sets out how staff are trained and supported to meet children’s needs. Regulations 13(2)(d) and (e) require children’s homes to employ a sufficient number of suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.37)

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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: 2715200 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Enhanced Young Person’s Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 Fox Street, Sunderland Road, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear NE10 OBD

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Inspectors

Lee Riley, Social Care Inspector Kate Jackson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2715200 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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