Children's Home run by Ar Curam Limited in Stockton-on-Tees

Inspection report for children’s home: 2673776 1 Registered provider: Ar Curam Limited

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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 provide provider. It provides care for up to four children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

There were four children living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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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 outstanding

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good

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

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2673776 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/05/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2673776 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious, clean and modern, with good-quality furnishings throughout. Children enjoy spending time in their personalised bedrooms and in the ample shared space throughout the home. The kitchen is the heart of the home, where staff and children regularly congregate. This contributes to the overall warm, welcoming and homely feel.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children well and invest time in them listening to their views. Staff understand how each child communicates, including those who speak English as an additional language, to ensure that children can participate fully in their daily lives. Signs in the home are in different languages, and adaptations have been made for a child with hearing impairment so that they are not disadvantaged.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children know how to complain, and they are given regular reminders of this process. Their complaints are taken seriously and a thorough investigation is completed by the manager. Children are provided with a comprehensive response that is translated into their first language. This helps children to understand what happens when they complain and shows them that they are heard.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has regular children’s meetings which are well attended. The meetings encourage the children to add to the agenda, cover a range of topics and include the opportunity for children to share their own views. Some meetings focus on specific topics relating to a child in the home, such as cultural celebrations. All children are provided with a record of each meeting in a way each of them will understand and which lets them see how they have influenced decisions in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two of the children have excellent school attendance and are making good academic progress. Where children’s attendance is irregular, staff are creative in their efforts to motivate the child. There is regular liaison with the school and other professionals and where necessary matters are escalated to ensure an appropriate response.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to follow a healthy diet and active routine. Where children need support with their emotional or mental well-being, appropriate specialist advice is sought. Staff use this guidance to help children to explore how they feel. This has resulted in a consistent response to children’s overall health and well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to learn the skills they need to take into adulthood. The activities and responsibilities they have take into account their age and stage of development. This includes cooking, cleaning, money management and taking care of their bedrooms. One child is proud that they can cook their evening meal from scratch, using fresh ingredients. Inspection report for children’s home: 2673776 4 Staff understand the importance of children spending time with people who are important to them and support them to do so. This helps children to maintain those close bonds and keep in touch with family and friends.

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

Children have up-to-date care plans and risk assessments. Staff know the care plans and follow these for each child. Plans are updated following incidents and any changes to these are communicated to the social worker, other professionals and the child’s family. These documents keep staff updated in relation to the most current risks to children, which allows them to better safeguard them from harm.

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

Children’s safety is at the forefront of the recruitment process. Staff are suitably vetted, and references are checked before starting employment. Staff undergo an intensive induction programme, where they are given the appropriate training around policies, procedures and practice that they need for them to be able to work with the children.

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

Staff know the procedures to follow when a child is missing from home and ensure that they work together in a well-coordinated way, adhering to statutory guidance. Staff seek to understand the reasons for episodes of going missing and what can be done to reduce incidents. One professional said that the timely and firm action taken by staff has halted recent missing episodes for one child, reducing the risk they are exposed to.

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

Children are only held when it is necessary to keep them and others safe. The manager has oversight of all incidents, and debriefs take place with the child and the staff member involved. This helps the manager to understand incidents and review the actions taken by staff. Restraints are rare and those that do take place are effective in reducing harm to children and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is inspirational and ambitious for children. He sets high standards for all staff and professionals working with the children. The manager leads by example, creating a culture of respect. Staff are committed to working together and this motivates them to support one another. This means staff cover additional shifts to ensure that the children are not cared for by unfamiliar agency or temporary staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is innovative and strives to improve on practice. The manager has a meticulous method of gathering information, enabling him to maintain highly effective oversight of the quality of care provided to the children. Children’s progress is tracked and patterns of behaviour and incidents are analysed so that the manager can understand what impacts on the children. This allows him to act swiftly to formulate plans for ongoing staff training and development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager uses regular supervision to reinforce good practice and highlight areas for development. Monthly audits of individual supervision sessions are undertaken, which Inspection report for children’s home: 2673776 5 helps the manager to have a good understanding of staff skills and be confident in their ability to meet children’s needs. Staff are continually encouraged to reflect on their practice and to find new ways to enhance children’s experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has an exceptional relationship with partner agencies, which contributes to strong and effective communication. All professionals spoke extremely highly of the commitment of the leadership team and their investment in the children. One social worker ‘begged for a placement for [child]’ due to the high standard of care provided to another child they are responsible for. Another professional described the home as ‘brilliant’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Team meetings are regular and well attended. They provide staff with the opportunity to reflect as a group on how best to support children. The safety and well-being of children are consistently at the forefront of all discussions, generating a positive approach to learning and improvement and a highly motivated team. Inspection report for children’s home: 2673776 6

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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: 2673776 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2nd Floor, Richard House, Sorbonne Close, Thornaby, Stockton-On-Tees TS17 6DA

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Inspectors

Lisa Gordon, Social Care Inspector Kerry Chater, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2673776 8 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

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Inspectors

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