Children's Home run by We Care Bespoke Ltd in Durham

Inspection report for children’s home: 2650092 1 Registered provider: We Care Bespoke 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 one child who may have a sensory impairment, learning disability and mental disorders.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager at this home since 25 August 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

One child currently lives in the home. The inspector spoke to the child and observed the staff supporting the child during the inspection.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 2650092 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/05/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2650092 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide consistent and predictable care, which has helped the child to make good progress. The child is provided with nurturing care from a small staff team that gets to know the child well. This helps the child to build trusting relationships and to feel comfortable in their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have been effective in helping the child to improve their independence skills. This has enabled the child to meet some of their hygiene and self-care needs, which increases the child’s confidence and development. The child’s bedroom is personalised which helps to give them a sense of belonging. Daily recordings are written in a sensitive and considerate way that is empathetic to the child’s needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to attend school consistently, which helps them to make good progress. Staff transport the child to and from school which helps the child’s transition between environments. Furthermore, staff have regular communication with the teaching staff to ensure that there is a consistent approach to the child’s needs. Education staff are positive about the staff’s support to the child and describe the communication between home and school as ‘excellent’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s communication skills have increased which has enabled them to make choices and share their views. Staff use communication systems to help the child to communicate. This includes pictures and talking tiles to give the child options to choose from. This increases the child’s independence and development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is supported to attend activities that are specific to their choices and interests. Staff risk assess any new activities both inside and outside of the home. This means that staff can remove or reduce any barriers to the child’s participation. These opportunities enhance the child’s social development. Achievements are celebrated and photos of activities show that the child’s experiences are valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build respectful relationships and engage with the child’s family members. Family members are consulted about the child’s care. This promotes the child’s identity and increases the likelihood of meaningful relationships that benefit the child. Family members describe the progress that the child has made as ‘amazing’.

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

Staff understand the risks to the child, both inside and outside of the home. Risk assessments and care plans clearly identify strategies staff should use to help the child. This ensures that the child receives a consistent response to situations that they may find difficult. Inspection report for children’s home: 2650092 4 Physical holds are used as a last resort. If a hold is necessary, they are used appropriately and to ensure a child’s safety. Positive behaviour is promoted by staff, and the child responds to praise. Incidents are reviewed in a timely manner and staff engage in reflective discussions. This increases opportunities for staff to learn and prevent future occurrences.

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

Staff care for the child with sensitivity and respect. Staff respond appropriately to protect the child if they display behaviours in public that may compromise their dignity and privacy. This helps the child to understand societal behaviours and protects them from being a victim due to their own vulnerabilities.

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

The child has been appointed an advocate. As an impartial person, the advocate can help to raise any issues and influence decisions on behalf of the child. This helps to ensure that the child’s opinions are valued, and their rights upheld.

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

Staff understand the child’s complex health and development needs. This includes understanding about specialist equipment that the child uses. However, when there is a need for specialist equipment to change, staff do not consistently advocate on the child’s behalf. This has impacted on the child’s quality of life and mobility restrictions. Additionally, when a child’s health needs change, staff are made aware, but the information is not always updated in the child’s plans. This does not ensure that staff are following the most up-to-date care plans.

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

The environment of the home is safe and appropriate for the child’s physical needs. Some areas of the home such as bedroom furniture are not repaired promptly. This detracts from a homely feel. Additionally, restrictive measures such as safety closures on the kitchen cupboards prevent the child from accessing items either independently or with minimal support.

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good

The quality of management oversight is inconsistent. A new manager started managing the home in November 2023 and is still to make an application to become the registered manager. The interim management arrangements have not been effective in ensuring monitoring and oversight of the home during the period that the home was without a manager. Since working at the home, the interim manager is becoming familiar with systems and is supported by the responsible individual and deputy manager.

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good

Staff said that they feel well supported and describe working together as a team. Most staff receive regular practice-related supervision which helps them to reflect on their work. Most of the staff are new to the role of working in children’s residential care and are working towards the required qualification. Team meetings are used as a forum to reflect on and improve practice. Additionally, group training activities help to improve staff awareness of safeguarding and to discuss the care that the child receives. Inspection report for children’s home: 2650092 5 The manager and leadership team do not have effective systems in place to monitor the child’s records. This means statutory documents are not received in a timely manner and therefore not reflected in the child’s plan. This limits the ability of staff to ensure that they provide consistent care in line with the children’s assessed needs.

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good

The manager and leadership team do not follow their escalation policy to challenge the placing authority or other professionals when information or services are not received. In one example, this affected the pace and progress of a child’s assessment by another agency. This is a missed opportunity to advocate on behalf of the child and to positively influence their continued progress.

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good

Staff have opportunities to attend training courses to enhance their skills. The system for monitoring staff training is not effective as information about when staff have completed mandatory training is not always available. This limits the ability to monitor and ensure that suitably trained staff are always supporting the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2650092 6

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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 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; and promotes their welfare.

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h)) 4 March 2024

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

understand the child's health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child's health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child's age and understanding; and

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child's well- being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) and (2)(a)(ii)(iv)) 4 March 2024

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff— 4 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2650092 7 seek to involve each child's placing authority effectively in the child's care, in accordance with the child's relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child's needs;

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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 (a)(b)(c)) The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to statutory documents 4 March 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that repairs to furniture are completed promptly and all areas of the home, including children s bathrooms, are clean and regularly maintained to provide a homely and nurturing environment. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that training records are kept up to date to be confident refresher training is completed in a timely manner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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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: 2650092 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: We Care Bespoke Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 164A Front Street, Chester Le Street, County Durham DH3 3AZ

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Inspector

Cat Makel, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2650092 9 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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