Children's Home run by Amber Care Group UK Limited in Stockton-on-Tees

Inspection report for children’s home: 2756862 1 Registered provider: Amber Care Group (UK) 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 operated by a private provider. It provides care for one child who experiences social and emotional difficulties, substance misuse and/or learning disabilities.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 7 December 2023

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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: 2756862 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/12/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2756862 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming. It is well furnished and decorated to meet the needs of the child. The child’s room is decorated with their own personal items and interests. The home presents as lived in, and the child is able to use the space available to them. This helps the child to feel a sense of belonging in their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has been able to form trusting relationships with staff in the short time they have lived in the home. Some children who have lived in the home previously have found this more difficult. This is recognised by staff, who provide consistency in making efforts to engage with the child. Staff invest their time and energy in building relationships that help children to feel valued. Staff start to build relationships with children before they move into the home. This has helped the child to feel more at ease and familiar with their new surroundings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is supported to attend school and is making good progress. Previously, children have not always engaged with education. The staff in the home continue to promote education for all children through encouragement and maintaining communication with other professionals. This helps staff to support them with their educational progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is supported by staff to engage in activities, and has recently been on an overnight trip to the seaside. Staff include the child in the planning of activities, giving the child a sense of autonomy. This also means that they are more likely to engage in and enjoy new experiences. One child who previously lived in the home declined to engage in activities. However, the staff continued to provide them with encouragement and offer opportunities to take part in days out. This showed the child that staff cared about spending time with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to spend time with their family. These are important relationships to the child, and it makes a difference to them to know that their family is still part of their lives. One family member spoke positively of the staff’s interaction with them and the support they provide to the child, commenting that the child is making good progress and that the home go ‘above and beyond’.

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

Children who have now moved on from the home have been vulnerable to going missing from home. Staff and managers follow the home’s policy when children go missing. They are proactive in looking for children and contacting known associates. This helped to reduce the risks to children.

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

The manager ensures that all new staff are checked and vetted prior to working in the home. Safer recruitment checks are completed. This helps to assure the manager that the adults working in the home are suitable to do so, keeping the children safer. Inspection report for children’s home: 2756862 4 Children are supported when they want to make a complaint or raise an allegation. These are taken seriously, and the manager completes a full investigation. Children are informed of the outcome. This not only helps to keep children safer, but helps children to feel listened to and valued.

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

Children’s risk assessments and plans contain information about the needs of children and how staff should meet those needs. For one child, the risk assessment did not reflect the level of risk in relation to aggressive behaviour. This left staff without important information to support the child appropriately at all times. Consequently, there have been missed opportunities to help the child to learn and reflect on their behaviour and the impact it has on others.

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

The manager is registered to manage two children’s homes for this provider. The registered manager has recognised the complexities in managing two homes and has raised this with the leadership team. A new manager has been recruited to this home but has not yet applied to register.

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

The manager does not complete an assessment prior to children moving into the home. This means that there is no consideration given to the child’s needs and risks or whether the staff have the skills and experience to support the child appropriately. This has contributed to two children leaving the home in an unplanned way when it became apparent that staff could not meet their needs. The manager has recognised this shortfall and put in place plans to ensure that assessments are completed moving forward. However, this does not change the impact of this on children.

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

Not all staff have the required qualification. In addition, the manager does not ensure that those without the qualification are always supported by an experienced member of staff when working in the home. This means that there are times when children are being cared for by staff who may not have the necessary skills to meet their needs appropriately.

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

The manager’s oversight of staff practice is not always effective. Staff do not receive regular supervision in line with the organisation’s policy, including those in their induction period. Furthermore, the manager has not identified elements of poor practice in the home through their routine monitoring. This hinders the manager’s understanding of the training needs of their staff team and does not ensure that staff have opportunities to reflect on their practice.

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

The registered manager is enthusiastic about providing the best care to children, and speaks positively about the child. The manager gets to know each child well and understands their individual needs. The manager promotes a trauma-informed approach, and staff have access to appropriate training. Inspection report for children’s home: 2756862 5 When safeguarding concerns arise, the manager ensures that the relevant agencies are informed and information is shared appropriately. For example one child, who has since left the home, was at risk of harm and the manager challenged the local authority about their decision-making to ensure that the needs of the child were being met. They liaised closely with agencies to keep informed of relevant information around the risks.

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

The manager and staff work effectively with multi-agency partners. The manager takes action to appropriately challenge other professionals when this is in the best interests of children. This helps to ensure that children are safeguarded and their well-being assured. Inspection report for children’s home: 2756862 6

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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 within the given timescales.

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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; and

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)) 16 October 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)) 16 October 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 16 October 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2756862 7

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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: 2756862 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Amber Care Group (UK) LTD

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Boho Zero, 21 Gosford Street, Middlesbrough TS2 1BB

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Inspector

Kerry Chater, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2756862 9 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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