Children's home run by Stockton on Tees Borough Council

Inspection report for children’s home: 2568244 1 Registered provider: Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council

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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 run by a local authority. It provides short- and long-term care for up to five children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. This includes children with physical disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager in post since May 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, five children were living in the home.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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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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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2568244 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/08/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 28/06/2022 Full Good 15/02/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2568244 3

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improvement to be good

The shortfalls in the leadership and management of the home have affected all aspects of the children’s care, including their progress and experiences and how well they are helped and protected. A new manager was appointed to the home two weeks before the inspection.

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improvement to be good

Children’s progress in learning, skills and employment is varied. Some children are engaged in learning and are supported to attend education regularly. However, for some children, engaging in learning is a struggle. Staff do not ensure that timely action is taken to support children back into learning. Two children have no clear plan in place to support their further learning and development.

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improvement to be good

The home is not led and managed in a way that is consistent with the approach set out in the statement of purpose. Children move into the home in an emergency. This prevents children from experiencing well-planned and supported introductions to the home.

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improvement to be good

Children are not always supported to develop skills for life. Although staff support children to learn basic skills, such as cooking and shopping, there is an absence of planned work with children to help them develop additional skills. Children are therefore not prepared for their next steps towards living independently from staff.

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improvement to be good

Monitoring and surveillance are used in the home. Door chimes are used on external doors to alert staff if a child has left the building. The necessity for the use of this monitoring is not detailed in children’s plans, nor is it subject to review. In addition, necessary consent for the use of monitoring and surveillance systems has not been sought for each child.

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improvement to be good

The property needs maintenance and care to provide a nurturing homely feel for children to live in, and it presents as institutional. One child’s bedroom was seen to be in a poor state due to the room being unclean and untidy. Another child’s bedroom lacked storage for their belongings, which limits the floor space and their ability to move around their room. These factors are unlikely to provide children with a sense of pride in their home.

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improvement to be good

A strength of this service is the relationships children develop with staff. Children told inspectors that they like the staff and that each child has a key worker. Staff speak positively about children and show affection towards them. This helps children to see that staff are committed and invested in caring for them. Inspection report for children’s home: 2568244 4 Staff ensure that all children’s diversity, cultural and religious needs are celebrated. Children who are new to this country are supported to engage in activities that are important to them. All children are encouraged to learn about each other’s culture.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments and safety plans do not reflect the children’s needs and risks. These inaccurate assessments and plans do not provide staff with clear guidance to reduce harm. This may lead to children receiving an inconsistent response from staff and leave them at risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

One child’s safety plan restricts how they can access the garden and local area. This is to ensure that the child is safe. Although the safety of the child is the focus for managers, a review of the child’s experiences and plans for their future safety has not taken place.

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improvement to be good

The administration of medication to children and the recording of this are ineffective. In addition, children’s prescribed medication is not detailed in their plans, including how staff should administer this. Staff were unable to locate the records for a medication error reported for a child, and therefore, the impact for the child involved could not be evaluated.

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improvement to be good

The manager described some imposed consequences for children as ‘punitive’. Managers do not oversee how staff support children to learn from their behaviours. In addition, the use of a consequence for a child is not reviewed or evaluated to understand the effectiveness. The arrangements for managing behaviours that challenge do not provide staff with consistent, well-thought-out strategies to help children.

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improvement to be good

Managers do not ensure that fire doors are used in line with the fire risk assessment. Fire doors are not closing fully into the doorframe and are also being wedged open. This may present a risk to children and staff should a fire start in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

A lack of stable management of the home has had an impact on the progress of the service. The manager’s monitoring systems have not been effective in ensuring there is oversight of children’s care experiences and progress. This has led to some shortfalls in how children are helped and protected.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered person did not inform Ofsted of the changed arrangements for the day-to-day management of the home. Details of the appointment of the current manager were also not shared.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have not informed the local authority designated officer or Ofsted when allegations have been raised about a manager’s conduct. This has Inspection report for children’s home: 2568244 5 prevented timely action from taking place from an independent person about conduct in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Not all staff receive regular reflective supervision. When supervision takes place, the quality of supervision records varies, along with the opportunity for reflective discussions about safeguarding concerns. The lack of supervision extends to managers, who have taken on interim managerial responsibilities. This affects the support and guidance for these managers, who have not previously managed a home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers are not ensuring that staff receive an annual appraisal. This leaves staff without an evaluation of how they fulfil their roles and responsibilities and without a development plan on how to continue to strengthen their knowledge and practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2568244 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 persons 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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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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;

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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)(a)(b) (2)(a)(f)(h)) 10 October

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe; 10 October Inspection report for children’s home: 2568244 7 have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(vi)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and

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Requirement Due date

the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(ii)(iii) (2)(a)(b)) 10 October

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and 10 October Inspection report for children’s home: 2568244 8 has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(ix)) 10 October

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c)) 10 October

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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; 10 October Inspection report for children’s home: 2568244 9 provide adequate means of escape from the home in the event of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that fire doors are in working order and ensure that there is safe access to the fire assembly point.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children;

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Requirement Due date

the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance;

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Requirement Due date

so far as reasonably practicable in the light of the child’s age and understanding, the child is informed in advance of the intention to do the monitoring or surveillance; and

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy. (Regulation 24 (1)(a)(b)(c)(d)) 10 October

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(c)) 10 October

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Recommendation

 The registered person must ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children. It should be a homely, domestic environment. In particular, the children’s bedrooms must be clean, tidy and free from hazards. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report for children’s home: 2568244 10

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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: 2568244 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Municipal Buildings, Church Road, Stockton-on-Tees TS18 1TW

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Inspectors

Joanne Wallis, Social Care Inspector Natalie Clark, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2568244 12 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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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