Children's Home run by Evolve Residential Limited in Darlington

Inspection report for children’s home: 2685997 1 Registered provider: Evolve Residential Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2022.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2685997 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/05/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2685997 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is clean and well decorated. It has a homely, lived-in atmosphere with the children’s photos and artwork displayed on the walls. The children have their own rooms with personalised items. This helps the children to feel settled and secure in their home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have established trusting relationships with staff at the home. Staff interact positively with the children and listen to their views through talking and while engaging in activities. Staff start building relationships with children before they come to live in the home. This helps children to feel more at ease when coming to a new environment with new people.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to attend school regularly. Education professionals say children are making good progress. Staff attend all meetings, which helps to promote good communication between the staff and education professionals. This helps staff to better support the children with their education.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are registered with the appropriate services and have attended their routine appointments. When children need specialist help and support, staff ensure that referrals are made to the relevant professionals. This helps to ensure that children get the support that they need.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to take part in a range of activities and days out. Children are encouraged to try new things and attend clubs. This helps children to learn new skills, develop their social skills and explore their talents and interests. This gives children a sense of achievement and exposes them to new experiences.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand that it is important for children to spend time with their family and friends. They help the children to maintain important relationships, making a difference to children and their families. Family time is managed sensitively and safely to ensure that this is a positive experience. One family member said that staff have a positive impact and support them to see their child.

p.3

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

Staff are clear about their responsibilities in safeguarding children. The children’s risk assessments and care plans provide a clear overview of children’s vulnerabilities and needs. This helps to ensure that children are kept as safe as possible and protected from harm.

p.3

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

Staff help the children to recognise their feelings and learn ways of expressing themselves appropriately. Sometimes children become angry or upset and are held by staff to keep them safe. Staff are trained to ensure that they know how to do this Inspection report for children’s home: 2685997 4 safely and effectively. Incidents are recorded and have management oversight. This helps to ensure that practice is scrutinised to safeguard children.

p.3

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

Staff support children when they make an allegation or complaint. The manager investigates all incidents, and children are provided with feedback. Staff are knowledgeable about the procedure to follow if a child makes an allegation or disclosure. This helps to ensure that staff can prioritise the safety and well-being of children appropriately.

p.4

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

Children who have now moved on from the home were vulnerable to going missing from home. On one occasion, a child travelled a significant distance from the home. The child spoke with staff to request support in returning home. Staff did not prioritise the needs or welfare of the child on this occasion and did not go to collect them. This resulted in the child being brought back home via two different police authorities. This incident falls short of the usual good staff practice.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager of the home is suitably qualified and experienced. She is enthusiastic about providing the best care to children and speaks positively about each of them. This is mirrored by the staff team. The manager and staff share high aspirations for what the children can achieve.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has overseen a period of instability, with a number of changes to the staff team. The children have continued to be supported by a core team of staff that has provided them with stable care. The manager has been careful to ensure that any agency staff have the necessary skills, and she has consistently used the same staff. This has minimised any impact on the children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager completes a thorough assessment when children come to live in the home. This is to ensure that the staff have the necessary skills and experience to meet the needs of the child. One child moved on from the home quickly after moving in. This was because the manager was not provided with important information about the child and the home was unable to meet their emerging needs. The manager took decisive action to ensure the safety and well-being of all children in the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that they feel well supported by leaders and managers. Regular supervision sessions and staff appraisals take place. Staff are provided with opportunities to reflect on practice and their effectiveness in making a difference to children. This helps the manager to monitor the progress and development needs of the staff team.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that staff have training and support to enable them to develop the skills and knowledge needed to offer effective care to children. Staff complete mandatory training and specific training related to the individual needs of children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2685997 5 New staff are well supported with an induction programme and probationary period. This helps them to develop their practice to provide safe care to children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2685997 6

p.4

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(vi)) 24 June 2024

p.6

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: 2685997 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Evolve Residential Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 73 Duke Street, Darlington, Durham DL3 7SD

p.7

Inspectors

Kerry Chater, Social Care Inspector Deb Duffy, Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report for children’s home: 2685997 8 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.

p.7

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspectors

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

p.8