Children's Home run by Young Foundations Limited in Darlington

Inspection report for children’s home: SC061439 1 SC061439 Registered provider: Young Foundations 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 five children who may have social and emotional difficulties. They may also have learning disabilities and/or mental health disorders.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post is currently vacant.

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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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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A monitoring visit took place on 8 December 2022, in response to increasing concerns about the safety and welfare of the children living in the home. At that monitoring visit, serious concerns were identified, and two compliance notices were issued under Regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and Regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard). A further monitoring visit took place on 2 February 2023, when it was identified that the compliance notices had been met. Inspection report for children’s home: SC061439 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/10/2022 Full Good 14/06/2022 Full Inadequate 28/09/2021 Full Good 27/08/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC061439 3

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improvement to be good

There is currently one child living in the home. The leadership team has made the decision not to welcome any more children into the home. This is until a permanent manager is in post and there is sufficient staffing to care for more than one child.

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improvement to be good

The provider’s handling of new referrals is not consistently robust enough to ensure that all children who move in will have their needs met by the staff. This, coupled with poor planning, resulted in one child experiencing an unplanned move from the home.

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improvement to be good

The home’s care plans provide information regarding children’s health needs, education, goals, aspirations, likes, dislikes and arrangements for spending time with those who are important to them. This supports staff to care for the children living in the home. However, the plans do not contain clear milestones through which the progress of children can be measured. This limits the effectiveness of the plans in supporting children to make progress from their starting points.

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improvement to be good

Children can build trusting relationships with staff. The child living in the home said they like living there because ‘it is fun’, and they ‘like the staff’. The child feels safe and said that the staff understand them. They scored the home eight out of 10 and could not think of anything that the staff could do better. The child knows how to make a complaint and is supported by the staff to do so. However, records of complaints are not always readily available for those with a right to view them. This weakens transparency and accountability.

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improvement to be good

Children are encouraged by staff to lead a healthy lifestyle and attend routine and specialist health appointments. When a child is reluctant to attend such appointments, the staff spend time exploring this with the child and provide appropriate guidance, encouragement and reassurance.

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improvement to be good

When children are not in education, staff work with other professionals to identify suitable alternative education provision. In addition, staff promote education in the home through a variety of activities. This has helped one child to achieve their goal of attending school and develop skills that will support their independence.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to maintain links with those that matter the most to them. This allows children to develop their sense of identity and helps them to build a support network outside of the home.

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improvement to be good

The home is warm, welcoming and maintained to a high standard. It is a safe environment for children to live in. The child living in the home is encouraged to personalise their bedroom to suit their individual preferences and needs. There are photos of them living in the home on display, which mark their time in the home and Inspection report for children’s home: SC061439 4 the experiences they have had. This will help the child to feel a sense of belonging and permanence.

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improvement to be good

Children are held as a last resort to keep them and others safe from harm. Staff follow the behaviour support plans and work hard to de-escalate situations when children are in distress. Children are supported following a hold taking place. However, although the deputy manager states that staff debriefs have taken place, records of these were not made available to the inspector. This does not promote transparency, accountability, management oversight of incidents or staff learning.

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improvement to be good

When concerns regarding staff conduct are reported by children and staff, they are taken seriously by the leadership and management team and appropriately acted on. However, on one occasion, there was a delay in notifying relevant agencies when a child made an allegation regarding a member of staff.

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improvement to be good

Staff have a good understanding of the whistle-blowing policy. They understand the policies and procedures that are in place to safeguard the child living in the home. This means that staff can take appropriate action when they have concerns about the child’s safety.

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improvement to be good

Plans designed to promote positive behaviour and keep the child safe are robust. They support staff to understand how to help and protect the child living in the home. Positive behaviour is also promoted through rewards and incentives that are meaningful to children.

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improvement to be good

Staff know what to do when children go missing from care. They follow the child’s individual missing-from-care plan to support the child’s safe return home.

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improvement to be good

Conversations between staff and children are aligned with the children’s individual needs and vulnerabilities. Staff help children to understand risks and make safer choices.

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good

The registered manager post is currently vacant. Leaders and managers have put in place interim management arrangements for the home while they recruit for this position. These arrangements have supported positive developments with increased management oversight of the home, and staff recognise the improvements that have been made under this arrangement. However, the leadership team understands that this situation is not sustainable in the long term and is working hard to recruit a manager for the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC061439 5 The independent visitor provides external scrutiny regarding the safety and well- being of children in the home. However, the lack of a permanent manager means that the quality of care provided by the home has not been reviewed in line with regulations. This does not help leaders and managers to identify and remedy shortfalls in the quality of care provided.

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good

Staff enjoy their role and are passionate about helping the child to make progress. They describe the home as being ‘child-centred’. They receive support and challenge through team meetings, probation reviews and one to ones. However, staff do not receive support through regular practice-based supervision that is reflective. This does not support staff to continually develop their practice and is not in line with the home’s statement of purpose.

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good

The regulator is not consistently informed of notifiable events that have taken place in the home. This prevents the regulator from having oversight of the safety and welfare of the children living in the home.

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good

The locality risk assessment provides information about the local area and potential risks to children in the community. Consultation with partner agencies takes place to help inform this assessment. This helps support staff to keep children safe when they are in the community.

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good

The characteristics of good leadership and management are not fully embedded. However, leaders and managers have identified the issues, and there is capacity to take the necessary action. Inspection report for children’s home: SC061439 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

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;

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(d)(f)) 1 February 2024

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 1 February 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC061439 7 that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and

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Requirement Due date

the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii) (2)(a)(b)) 1 February 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)(c)) 1 February 2024

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must establish a procedure for considering complaints made by or on behalf of children. 1 February 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC061439 8 The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (1)(3))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 1 February 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that records of restraint are kept and that they are readily available. Records should enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and any emerging issues or trends. The review should provide the opportunity for amending practice to ensure that it meets the needs of the child.’ (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards, page 49, paragraph 9.59) Inspection report for children’s home: SC061439 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: SC061439 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Young Foundations Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Alexander House, Highfield Park, Llandrynog, Denbighshire, Wales LL16 4LU

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Inspector

Shirin Khan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC061439 11 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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