Children's Home run by Middlesbrough Borough Council in Middlesbrough

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC472374 1 SC472374 Middlesbrough Borough Council

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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 local authority. It provides care for children who may have physical disabilities or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

There is no registered manager in post. An interim manager is overseeing the home.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted carried out a full inspection on 20 and 21 February 2024 and judged the home to be inadequate. Failures were identified in relation to the safety and protection of children and the leadership and management of the home. In response, Ofsted issued two compliance notices under regulations 12 and 13. A further five requirements and one recommendation were raised.

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This monitoring visit

Ahead of this visit, the registered manager voluntarily cancelled their registration to reflect they are no longer in day-to-day charge of the home. An interim manager is in the process of applying to register with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

This visit took place to review the actions taken by the provider in response to the compliance notices. The inspectors found that leaders and managers have met one step in each of the compliance notices. However, the additional steps have not been met. Therefore, the compliance notices will be reissued alongside the remaining requirements and recommendation.

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This monitoring visit

The quality of care children receive is not reviewed. The interim manager said that one child’s quality of life was affected by the care that they received before moving out of the home. Leaders and managers did not challenge the child’s placing Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC472374 2 authority effectively to ensure that the restrictions in place were legal or that they had oversight of the child’s care.

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This monitoring visit

Managers do not ensure that children’s plans give effective and up-to-date guidance to staff about how to help children to manage their own emotions. This means that staff are not consistent in their efforts to support children when they are angry or upset.

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This monitoring visit

Risk assessments are not reviewed by managers when children move into the home or when issues emerge. This means that staff are not provided with effective guidance about how to respond to risks. This does not provide assurances to children that their carers will keep them safe.

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This monitoring visit

Managers do not ensure that all staff receive the necessary training and support to understand all the children’s needs. There are gaps in learning relating to restraint, behaviour management and communication. Consequently, children are being cared for by staff who are not trained to always care for them safely.

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This monitoring visit

Managers do not have effective systems for overseeing injuries to children. Body maps do not provide sufficient information. Body maps are not reviewed in appropriate time frames to ensure that leaders maintain effective oversight and understand and respond to patterns or trends.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have reviewed the staffing levels needed for each child. Children receive one-to-one support, and additional staff work in the home each day to offer further support. Staffing levels are now appropriate to support children.

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This monitoring visit

There have been some improvements to children being able to access all areas of their home. Fobs and key access have been removed from the kitchen and a toilet on the ground floor. However, children are not able to freely access a lounge as this is locked with a key, and access to the back garden is by fob only. This prevents children from using all areas of the home without needing a member of staff.

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This monitoring visit

The remaining five requirements and recommendation raised at the full inspection were not reviewed as part of this visit. These will be assessed at the next full inspection. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC472374 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/02/2024 Full Inadequate 26/10/2022 Full Good 09/11/2021 Full Good 28/01/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC472374 4

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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 with the given timescales.

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 12 May 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;

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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 the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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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 12 May 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC472374 5 child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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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)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

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; and

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)(d)) 12 May 2024

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and 12 May 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC472374 6 allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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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 the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(d)) 12 May 2024

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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)) 12 May 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure no measure of control or discipline which is excessive, unreasonable or contrary to paragraph (2) may be used in relation to any child. (Regulation 19 (1)) 12 May 2024

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject of a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should gain consent to any monitoring or surveillance by the placing authority in writing at the time of placement. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.16)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC472374 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Middlesbrough Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Middlesbrough Borough Council, Middlesbrough House, 50 Corporation Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RH

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Inspectors

Joanne Wallis, Social Care Inspector Lee Riley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC472374 8 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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