Children's Home run by North East Autism Society in Durham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC458415 1 SC458415 Registered provider: North East Autism Society 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 offers short-break stays for up to six children with a learning disability, specialising in caring for children with autism spectrum disorder.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2018.

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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

Date of last inspection: 31 October 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 for children’s home: SC458415 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/10/2022 Full Good 09/11/2021 Full Good 08/10/2019 Full Good 22/01/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC458415 3

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improvement to be good

There are difficulties recruiting staff to work in this home. The management team has therefore made the decision to support children when it is only safe to do so with the correct staffing levels. This means that the capacity to provide short-break stays to a wider group of children has been affected.

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improvement to be good

Children’s experiences when staying at the home are varied. The staff’s record keeping indicates that two children spend extended periods on a bus as an activity. Other children engage in activities to enhance their experiences and enjoyment. This means that not all children’s day-to-day experiences are supporting their well-being.

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improvement to be good

The property is well furnished and equipped to meet the needs of the children. Photos of children adorn the walls and children bring belongings with them to help personalise their bedrooms. The manager ensures that repairs in the home are completed in a timely manner, so that children have a safe and homely environment to stay in.

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improvement to be good

When children are considering staying for short breaks, they are supported to do this sensitively. Children have introductions to staff and the home before they progress to overnight stays. Additionally, staff meet with family and professionals involved to discuss the child’s care needs. This helps families to be assured that they can leave their children in the care of staff.

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improvement to be good

Staff work with children to help them develop new skills. This helps children to be more independent in tasks such as washing their hands, brushing their teeth or managing money. Staff document how children make progress, however big or small, in an achievement album for children and their family to see.

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improvement to be good

Parents said that they value the support their children receive when they access this service. Children have access to experiences that family members may not be able to provide, and parents described their gratitude to the staff and manager. This shows how valuable this short-break service is to children and their families.

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improvement to be good

It is not clear what level of support and supervision a child should have during the night as the placing authority’s plan differs to the home’s care plan. The child’s health plan details the impact on the child if they wake. However, the child’s care plan does not clearly outline what action staff should take if this happens.

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improvement to be good

Children’s risk assessments provide details about a child’s vulnerabilities and behaviour. Staff understand children’s behaviours and have the skills to support Inspection report for children’s home: SC458415 4 children to keep them and others safer. This means that children are guided rather than held by staff when they need help to keep themselves and others safer.

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improvement to be good

All staff have completed training in how to administer medication safely. When a medication error has occurred, the manager has responded by ensuring that new procedures are in place. Staff keep accurate counts and records of children’s medication to ensure safe practice in its administration.

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good

Monitoring systems are not effective in making improvements to children’s care. For example, the manager was not aware of shortfalls in how children are being cared for. Additionally, the manager’s audit did not identify that children do not have essential information held on their files. This includes local authority care planning documents.

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good

The manager does not ensure that the monitoring and surveillance policy is followed. Baby monitors are used when there are concerns about a child’s health needs. Staff do not seek advice from health professionals to inform them whether this device is necessary, or whether this is the correct form of monitoring for the child.

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good

Some of the children’s records are not up to date or on their files. These children do not have plans from their placing authority to help inform how children should be cared for. The manager failed to identify that this plan needs to be provided.

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good

Furthermore, the manager has not obtained the necessary delegated authority from the local authority for the child’s care when they stay at the home. This means that staff do not have the necessary information to provide consistent care for children, or the legal consent to make day-to-day decisions for the child.

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good

Changes have been made to ensure that there is safe recruitment of staff. Leaders and managers have systems in place to be assured that only adults who are safe to work in the home do so.

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good

The manager ensures that staff complete mandatory training and has systems in place to monitor this. However, one member of staff has passed the relevant date for attaining the necessary qualification to work with children in a residential setting. Inspection report for children’s home: SC458415 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

understand the impact that 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; and

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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)(f)(h)) 29 March 2024

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Requirement Due date

This regulation applies to a child who is not looked after by a local authority.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare a placement plan for the child before the child is admitted to the home or, if that is not reasonably practicable, as soon as possible after the child is admitted to the home.

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Requirement Due date

The placement plan must set out, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

how, on a day-to-day basis, the child will be cared for, and the child’s welfare safeguarded and promoted by the home;

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep under review and revise the placement plan as necessary. 29 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC458415 6 The registered person must so far as is reasonably practicable—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the placement plan is consistent with any plan for the child’s care prepared by the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 18 (1) (4) (5)(a) (7) (9)(a))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children;

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy. (Regulation 24 (1)(a)(d)) 29 March 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma").

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Requirement Due date

The relevant date is— 29 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC458415 7 in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32(1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(b) (4)(a))

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)) 29 March 2024

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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: SC458415 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: North East Autism Society

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Inspector

Joanne Wallis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC458415 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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