Children's Home run by Young Foundations Limited in Darlington

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC061439 1 SC061439

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Registered provider: Young Foundations Limited

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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 with social and emotional difficulties, learning disabilities and mental health disorders.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since September 2023.

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Inspection date: 4 January 2024

Date of last inspection: 28 November 2023

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Inspection date: 4 January 2024

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 4 January 2024

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC061439 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

There is currently one child living in the home. The manager’s post remains vacant. The interim management arrangement has resulted in progress being made since the last full inspection. Leaders and managers continue to take steps to fill this vacancy with a suitable manager.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers are also taking proactive steps to address the number of staff vacancies in the home. While recruitment is taking place, there are clear contingency plans to ensure that the child receives consistent care from suitably vetted and qualified adults. Additionally, the leadership team has maintained its commitment and will not welcome any other children into the home until a suitable manager is in post and staff vacancies have been filled.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff support the child to build trusted and secure relationships with them. They spend time with the child, understand the child’s needs and provide individualised care. This promotes the child’s safety and well-being. Additionally, this has helped the child to make good progress from their starting point.

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Findings from the inspection

The individual plans for the child have improved since the last inspection. They set goals for the child to meet and help them to understand the progress they are making. This includes staff supporting the child to attend their educational placement on a full-time basis.

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Findings from the inspection

The child enjoys living in the home and takes part in a range of activities that they enjoy. The child has developed good relationships with the staff and has people that they can talk to if they have any worries. The child said that staff do things for them that make them feel cared about.

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Findings from the inspection

The home is in good repair and maintained to a high standard. It looks and feels like a family home and is personalised to the child’s individual tastes. Photos of the child are visible in the home and mark their various achievements. This helps the child to build positive memories and supports them to feel valued and have a sense of permanence.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff promote positive behaviour through regular, meaningful conversations with the child. This includes staff actively advocating for the child, which results in a reduction in how often staff need to physically intervene to keep the child safe. When the child needs to be held, staff do this as a last resort and use the least restrictive methods. However, the manager’s conversations with the staff involved are still not being consistently recorded. This shortfall weakens management oversight of incidents, staff’s accountability and the opportunity for learning to take place. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC061439 3 Staff enjoy working in the home and feel supported by the leadership team. Improvements have been made in relation to the frequency of supervision and training that staff receive. However, there continue to be shortfalls in the recording of supervision and the completion of induction documents. Some staff have not

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Findings from the inspection

Since the last inspection, leaders and managers have made improvements. They are addressing the shortfalls identified. This includes them taking steps to ensure that Ofsted is notified of any serious incidents. This supports the regulator to assess the safety of the child living in the home.

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Findings from the inspection

The requirements previously issued under Regulations 12, 13, and 6 were either not met or are yet to be tested. For this reason, they are restated. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC061439 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/11/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 04/10/2022 Full Good 14/06/2022 Full Inadequate 28/09/2021 Full Good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC061439 5

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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 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

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; and

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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))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 1/03/2024

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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. 1/03/2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC061439 6 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

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

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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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))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 1/03/2024

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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 1/03/2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC061439 7 have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all staff induction and supervision records are fully completed and placed on staff files and that all staff receive appropriate training for their role.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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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.

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Requirement Due date

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 (3))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the complaints policy is reviewed without delay.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 1/03/2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that records of restraint are kept and that the records enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. 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) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC061439 8

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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 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC061439 9 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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