Children's Home run by No. 57 Ltd in Stockton-on-Tees

Inspection report for children’s home: 1244413 1 Registered provider: No. 57 Ltd

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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 company. It provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post has been vacant since July 2023. An interim manager has been in post since August 2023 and has made their application to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the 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 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

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: 1244413 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/04/2023 Full Good 24/01/2023 Full Inadequate 18/10/2021 Full Good 27/02/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 1244413 3

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improvement to be good

This judgement of requires improvement to be good is because staff do not always manage difficult relationships between children, or risks within the home such as smoking. One child told inspectors that they did not always feel safe when they moved into the home.

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improvement to be good

Children’s progress in education is limited. One child’s progress has stalled since moving into the home. When children refuse to engage in their education or learning, staff do not provide them with structure in their daily routine.

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improvement to be good

Children’s health needs are not always met. Children’s care plans do not provide staff with information on how they should support children to live healthier lives. This means children have unhealthy diets or continue to smoke or use substances.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, two children have moved out of the home in an unplanned way. This prevents children from having a positive end to living in the home.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to develop positive relationships with staff. One child said that they have staff they can speak with if they need any additional support. The relationships that children develop with some staff are a strength of this service. However, children do not experience continuity of care due to the staffing difficulties.

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improvement to be good

New children are welcomed into the home and introduced to staff and other children at their own pace. These well-planned introductions help children to start to develop relationships and adapt to their new living arrangements.

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improvement to be good

Children’s risk assessments provide information about their behaviours and vulnerabilities. However, managers do not ensure that risk assessments set out what actions staff should take to help manage and reduce risks. Furthermore, the documents do not clearly outline the staff ratio that each child needs to support them in the home and when out in the community.

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improvement to be good

There have been errors with the handling and recording of medication administered to the children. This includes a child’s medication not being accounted for on two occasions. A new system was in place. However, errors have continued and the manager was not aware of this.

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improvement to be good

Staff physically hold children when necessary to keep them and others safe. Staff are trained to support children in crisis and records show that they spend time speaking with Inspection report for children’s home: 1244413 4 children following these events. However, the managers do not always have oversight of physical interventions, including when injuries to children are seen. This means that the actions of staff are not reviewed to check that they are appropriate and to review if changes need to be made to behaviour management plans.

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improvement to be good

The management of substance misuse and smoking in the home has not been effective. One child complained that another child regularly smoked in the home, including in communal areas. Although staff implemented consequences, these strategies did not work and the behaviour continued.

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improvement to be good

There is a lack of boundaries in the home. For example, one child has a key to the fire alarm system and regularly holds fire drills. Staff also allow children to access other keys to the property without supervision. Staff said this lack of boundaries within the home need to improve to better support children.

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improvement to be good

Staff follow procedures when children go missing from their care. Staff make efforts to locate children and follow children’s safety plans. Children are welcomed back into the home following a period of going missing. The documentation does not demonstrate that children are offered the opportunity to speak to someone independently when they return to the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

An interim manager is in day-to-day charge of the home and is in the process of applying to be registered. There is a small team of staff. However, to ensure that there are sufficient staff to care for the children, agency staff and staff from the provider’s other homes also provide care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Not all staff have the appropriate qualification, although two members of staff are in the process of completing a qualification and the remaining staff will be enrolled following a successful probation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has monthly monitoring systems in place and evaluates the progress of children. The reports are detailed and evidence that the manager knows the children in their care well. However, the manager does not audit all children’s records or systems in the home to be satisfied that they are up to date, effective and safe. For example, children’s statutory records are not up to date and not kept on file. One child has lived in the home for several months without the necessary documentation. This means staff do not have up-to-date information about the child’s care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Damage to the home is not always repaired in a timely manner and gardens are not well maintained. Gardens were seen to be unkempt, with rubbish stacked and damage to the property. The manager has a development plan to improve the home environment for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 1244413 5 Furthermore, fire doors in the home are not all in working order. Fire doors to children’s bedrooms and communal areas do not close securely. The system for testing fire doors has not alerted the manager to the need for maintenance of these safety measures. This could increase risk to children and staff in the case of a fire.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Managers do not always encourage communication with parents about their children. This prevents parents developing trusting relationships with staff to help them feel assured about their child’s care. One child’s parent said this is an area for improvement from staff. Additionally, the quality of care review does not always include consultation with parents and staff. This prevents the manager from receiving views from others about how the home and care can be improved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff said that they feel well supported by managers. Staff receive regular supervision, but the records do not provide evidence of there being reflective and child-focused conversations. Managers hold regular team meetings. These meetings have a clear agenda with a focus on children’s experiences and to provide staff with an opportunity to reflect on safeguarding concerns, training needs and the development of the service. Inspection report for children’s home: 1244413 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) 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 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

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

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(iv)(b)) 12 June 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

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;

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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)(b) (2)(c)(f)(h)) 12 June 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 1244413 7 In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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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. (Regulation 5(c)) 12 June 2024

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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 views of each relevant person are taken into account, so far as reasonably practicable, before making a decision about the care or welfare of a child. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(e)) 12 June 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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. (Regulation 23 (1)) 12 June 2024

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home. (Regulation 25 (1)(a)) 12 June 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 1244413 8 In particular, they must ensure that fire doors are in working order.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (5)) 12 June 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that there are systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. It is good practice for a note of the content and outcomes of supervision sessions to be kept and to ensure that both the person giving the supervision and staff member have a copy of the record. (‘The Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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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: 1244413 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 The Calls, Leeds LS2 7JU

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Inspector

Joanne Wallis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1244413 10 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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