Children's home run by Stockton on Tees Borough Council in Stockton-on-Tees

Inspection report for children’s home: SC040583 1 SC040583 Registered provider: Stockton-on-Tees Borough 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 to provide care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There are two children living in the home. The inspector spoke to both children during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2020.

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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 good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 17 January 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC040583 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/01/2023 Full Outstanding 02/11/2021 Full Outstanding 22/01/2020 Full Good 12/03/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC040583 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children continue to experience long settled periods living in the home. One child has successfully moved on from the home in accordance with their plan. Staff remain in touch with the child to offer a good level of consistency.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff strongly and persistently advocate for children to receive education that meets their needs. The manager challenged senior managers effectively to ensure that the most appropriate education provision was secured for a child. Staff support the children to improve their reading levels. This helps children to make progress from their individual starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to spend time with those who are important to them. Staff know the children’s family and friends, and they are welcome in the home. For children who have difficult family relationships, staff support them using therapeutic resources to help them make sense of their emotions and feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to learn about the local area, cultures and diversity through themed discussions and activities. For example, children took part in a charity event to raise money for a good cause. These acts of kindness teach the children to treat others with humility and respect.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met, and their well-being is promoted. Staff ensure that children attend all their routine appointments and have access to specialist services, such as mental health services.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Photos of the children and certificates of their achievements are displayed throughout the communal areas. This helps to show the children that the staff are proud of them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are not able to access communal areas of their home. The downstairs bathroom is kept locked for reasons not related to the children’s needs or risks. This has created unnecessary restriction for the children, which detracts from what is otherwise a welcoming home.

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

Children have trusting relationships with staff who know them well and meet their needs. Children’s care plans and risk assessments are detailed, clear and regularly updated. This provides staff with the information they need to understand how to meet each child’s needs.

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

Staff use a therapeutic approach to speak to the children about their behaviour and the impact it can have on the other children in the home. Some of these discussions can be upsetting for the children. However, the staff are skilled in managing these Inspection report for children’s home: SC040583 4 conversations with care and sensitivity. This prevents the children from becoming overwhelmed and enables them to listen, reflect and adapt their behaviours.

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

Staff hold children as a last resort to keep everyone safe. Staff keep professionals and family informed following any incidents. The manager reviews all incidents and has discussions with staff and children to reflect on them. This helps to ensure safe practice around the use of holds and allows staff to consider how to improve their approach to supporting children.

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

There have been no incidents where children have been missing from home. The manager has identified that staff may not know how to respond if children were to go missing. Consequently, the manager arranged specialist training that was delivered by the police to enhance staff’s skills and knowledge.

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

The use of consequences to address negative behaviour is fair and balanced. Staff use a restorative approach to work with the children. Staff help the children to explore their feelings, which supports the staff to identify triggers. This reduces the frequency of incidents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced. He is well supported by an experienced deputy manager. Together, they work effectively to ensure the smooth running of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good oversight of the home and of the quality of care provided to the children. The manager uses a range of monitoring processes to scrutinise and raise the standard of care that the children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All staff have completed the local authority’s mandatory training. The manager has a good understanding of the staff’s strengths and areas for improvement. Staff said that they are well supported by the management team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular reflective supervision that they use to discuss the children’s current needs. The manager brings a theme to each monthly team meeting to focus on enhancing staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Multi-agency working is strong. Professionals and family members give consistently positive feedback that the children are making progress because of the support they receive from the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has not notified Ofsted of one allegation against a member of staff. This oversight has prevented Ofsted from understanding how allegations are investigated to safeguard the children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC040583 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children have access to all shared areas of their home unless there are specific reasons why this would not meet a child’s needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)  The registered person should notify Ofsted and other relevant persons if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home which the registered person considers to be serious. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10)

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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: SC040583 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Municipal Buildings, Church Road, Stockton-on- Tees, Cleveland TS18 1LD

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Inspector

Cherie Chen, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC040583 7 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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