Children's Home run by Outbound Care in Durham

Inspection report for children’s home: 2748037 1 Registered provider: Outbound Care 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

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to two children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the first inspection since the home was registered with Ofsted in November 2023. The manager also registered with Ofsted in November 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

There were two children living at the home at the time of this inspection. The inspector spoke with both of them during 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 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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2748037 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child moved in shortly after the home had opened. However, due to staff being unable to keep the child safe when they were in the community, the child needed to move out quite quickly. Although the child lived at the home for a brief time, they were able to develop good relationships with staff, who made the days at home enjoyable for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The two children who moved in more recently have settled well. For one child, this has provided them with much-needed stability. Both children have built good relationships with staff. One child enjoys cooking breakfast for the whole staff team and they sit to eat this together. The other child enjoys playing with staff in the morning before school, laughing and joking together. This shows that children feel relaxed and at ease in their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is good support to meet children’s educational needs. One child has taken their GCSE exams. This is a huge achievement, with plans for them to go to college and their place already arranged. The other child goes to school every day. There is effective communication regarding their individual challenges; for example, concentration has been a struggle. Staff and school personnel work together to find a solution. This ensures that the child has the assistance that they need.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a good understanding about the children’s health needs. One child is no longer taking medication, after staff closely monitored its effectiveness. This is a positive step and the manager is committed to making sure children are not overly reliant on medication.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff like to provide the children with positive experiences when they are not at school. Staff focus on activities such as swimming, going outdoors and gymnastics. A child was recently in a gymnastics competition and staff celebrated the child getting a medal. These opportunities help develop children’s confidence and leads to improved self- esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Feedback has been positive from families. They appreciate the time staff have taken to get to know them. There is an open door policy and they can come to the home to see the children. Through good relationships, staff know what is happening with the families, both good times and about their struggles. This helps them understand any issues children may be dealing with and when they may need extra emotional support.

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

Risk assessments are individual and set out what the challenges for each child are. Staff understand the current risks for the children well, such as dangers from being online. Staff work with children to help them understand the concerns and the risks. For Inspection report for children’s home: 2748037 3 example, there have been discussions with one child around online safety and understanding about our bodies. This increases children’s understanding about what is acceptable to keep them safer.

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

Staff’s curiosity uncovered serious risks of exploitation for one child that were unknown to professionals before they moved in. Despite having a robust safety plan, this child’s missing-from-home episodes increased. The staff followed strategies such as searching for the child when they were missing. The manager made a timely decision that they could not keep the child safe from the risks in the community and the child needed to move to an alternative home. The children currently living in the home do not go missing from the home.

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

Children are rarely held or guided by staff. This is because staff understand triggers for the children’s presenting behaviour and use techniques to calm the situation, which are usually effective. Staff will only physically hold a child as a last resort to keep them and others safe. The records of these incidents are detailed. This helps with the manager’s review and oversight. Support given to children after these events includes the offer of an advocate, ensuring someone independent is available for them to talk to.

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

Staff help children to manage their feelings. This is through lots of conversations allowing children to explore what they think and how they feel. For one child, this work is ongoing as they can bottle their feelings up. Staff continue to develop their relationship, to encourage the child to share their feelings so they can support them better.

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

The leadership team treats allegations seriously. There have been two allegations made against staff since the home opened. Managers follow procedures with the oversight of the local authority designated officer. This helps to keep children safe while investigations are undertaken, and staff return to work when it is deemed safe for them to do so.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is enthusiastic and committed and wants children to have the best experiences they can have. He leads by example and includes staff in decision-making. This is appreciated by staff, who say that they can have their say. Team discussions and reflections about children’s needs ensure that children have the care they deserve.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When a child moves into the home this is well planned. This allows children to understand what the home is like, meet staff and the other children before moving in. This takes away some of the anxiety children feel about such a move. The manager has also reflected on the process, identifying lessons learned from the first child, who only lived at the home for a few weeks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Case records reflect the children’s daily lives. However, there was a record which lacked detail and was difficult to understand. Some words used are professional terms and can Inspection report for children’s home: 2748037 4 be open to interpretation. Staff do not always write in a way that is helpful to the child so that they can understand what is being said about them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is properly staffed. Although the staff are new, they make a cohesive team that is supportive of each other. Staff speak positively about the support from the management and leadership team. They can talk to them about anything, whether work- related or otherwise. This is important for the well-being of the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are suitably trained and there is a thorough induction process. Additionally, there is training for the specific needs of the children, for example attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. This ensures that staff have the knowledge they need to understand the child’s diagnosis and what this might mean for them. Reflective practice in team meetings and supervision sessions identifies learning opportunities. This helps staff practice change and to progress in line with the children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professional relationships with others involved with the children are good. Professionals speak positively about the staff and particularly appreciate the manager and staff taking the time to get to know the children, their families and the long-term plans. This enables professionals to work in a cooperative way, providing consistency for the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2748037 5

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third- party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2748037 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Outbound Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 2, Metropolitan Business Park, Preston New Road, Blackpool FY3 9LT

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Inspector

Miriam Dolman, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2748037 7 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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