Children's Home run by Durham County Council in Durham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC035235 1 SC035235 Registered provider: Durham County Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated and managed by a local authority. It provides care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties, and who may have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, there was one child 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 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

Date of last inspection: 27 September 2022

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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 children’s home: SC035235 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/09/2022 Full Good 22/11/2021 Full Good 26/11/2019 Full Good 24/07/2018 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC035235 3

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improvement to be good

A number of children have moved out of the home since the last inspection. There is currently one child living in the home.

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improvement to be good

The condition of the home environment is poor, with damage throughout. Repairs are not completed in a timely way. There is a lack of personal items around the home, such as photos, artwork and soft furnishings. This prevents children from living in a homely environment in which they can flourish.

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improvement to be good

Children do not receive consistent care, as there is a shortage of permanent staff due to difficulties in the recruitment and retention of staff. Staff and managers seek to develop positive and trusting relationships with children. However, this is hindered by the high turnover of staff.

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improvement to be good

When some children lived together, they experienced difficult relationships with each other. Managers seek to understand the causes for changes in behaviour, and staff offer reassurance to children. Staff challenge children’s worrying behaviour but fail to educate them about the impact of their behaviours on others. One child said that they did not feel safe living in the home.

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improvement to be good

There is a robust assessment completed before a new child moves into the home. Children have personalised transition plans to support them moving in. Staff welcome children into the home. This supports children to feel less anxious. Managers remain in touch with those children who have left the home, enabling them to continue to be supported.

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improvement to be good

One child is accessing full-time education and is making good academic progress. Managers have strongly advocated for one child when they felt their education plan was not ambitious enough. This supports children in meeting their educational potential.

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improvement to be good

Children have individualised care plans in place. This includes a child-friendly pictorial version, which helps children to be included in their care planning. Staff engage children in meaningful discussions about their feelings. This allows children to feel comfortable expressing their views.

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improvement to be good

Staff and managers speak in high regard and with compassion about the children, even in challenging situations. One professional said, ‘Managers outline the best of [name of child], even when times are difficult.’ This helps children to feel valued by those caring for them. Inspection report children’s home: SC035235 4 Children access activities of interest, such as Scouts. Staff advocate on behalf of the children to ensure that they can access community activities even when difficulties arise.

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improvement to be good

Children’s health needs are not consistently met. One child did not have glasses, despite this being recorded in their health assessment. When children do not take the correct prescribed medication staff do not seek medical advice. Staff are therefore not aware of whether there is any impact on the children’s health.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing from home, staff actively look for them and follow the children’s safety plans. However, children do not always have a discussion with an independent person when they return to the home. Staff do not challenge partner agencies when they fail to provide this interview. This limits the opportunity for children to share any worries. Additionally, vital information to inform safety planning can be lost.

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improvement to be good

The children have personalised risk assessments, which managers regularly review. However, these do not contain all the known risks for one child. This means that staff do not have full information about one child’s vulnerabilities and the guidance on what action they need to take to protect them. Furthermore, the home has a locality risk assessment, but this does not include all the risks, particularly for younger children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are ambitious and have a clear vision for the home. They recognise the areas for development and have an action plan in place. The responsible individual ensures the children are at the forefront of planning. This means that there is a drive to ensure better outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is inspirational and values her staff. She is committed to ensuring that the staff develop their confidence and skills. Staff express that there have been positive changes made by the manager and deputy manager. Staff say that they feel supported by the managers. This creates a positive working environment where children are cared for by skilled and valued adults.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When children make allegations about staff’s conduct, they are thoroughly investigated. Leaders and managers take effective disciplinary action to address practice shortfalls. This promotes children feeling that their concerns have been addressed and that they are cared for by safe carers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager receives support from therapeutic professionals linked to the home. This is received through a range of means, such as one-to-one support for staff, team meeting discussions and direct work with children. The clinical therapist said, ‘Staff are receptive and want to understand behaviours.’ Additionally, the manager Inspection report children’s home: SC035235 5 ensures staff access training in line with the presenting needs of the children. This means children are supported by a staff team that understands and meets their needs well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have not always accessed consistent supervision, although this is improving. Supervision focuses on staff well-being and daily practice. However, supervision sessions lack reflective discussions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children feel that staff listen to them. The home received an Investing in Children Award linked to listening to children’s views. This means children feel supported and listened to. Inspection report children’s home: SC035235 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; and

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them 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

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(vii)(c)(i)) 1 April 2024

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; and 1 April 2024 Inspection report children’s home: SC035235 7 ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(d)(e))

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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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health; (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(c)(d)) 1 April 2024

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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 develop socially aware behaviour; 1 April 2024 Inspection report children’s home: SC035235 8 encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(xiii)(b))

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 10 (1)(a) (2)(a)(i)) 1 April 2024

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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 children’s home: SC035235 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, Durham City, Durham DH1 5UJ

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Amy Philbin-Robinson

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Inspector

Jess Elliott, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC035235 10 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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