Children's Home run by Ark Consultants UK Limited in Redcar and Cleveland

Inspection report for children’s home: 2712832 1 Registered provider: Ark Consultants UK Ltd

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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 private company. It provides short breaks care for up to four children with a physical and/or learning disability.

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Information about this children’s home

There were two children resident at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2023

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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: 16 January 2024

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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: 2712832 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/01/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2712832 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children visit the home for the first time, the transition is thoughtfully organised to ensure a positive experience. Staff gather additional information from families and professionals to tailor the children’s plans for their stay. This approach not only enhances the children’s current experience but also helps to minimise potential challenges for future visits.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The relationships between children, staff and parents help to support the well-being of children. Professionals said that staff work well to build good relationships with families. This helps parents to feel comfortable about their children staying away from home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children communicate using a variety of different methods. Staff adapt and seek training to learn new skills to enable them to understand children and communicate effectively with them. This helps to ensure that children can share their views and that their voices are heard.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are enthusiastic and willing to support them and their families outside of their normal working hours and responsibilities. For example, staff helped one child to attend his parents’ wedding. This allowed the child to take part in this important occasion with support in case they became overwhelmed. These actions support families to share experiences and spend quality time together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to develop their self-care skills in line with their age and understanding. Children are encouraged to take part in new activities which are based on their own interests and abilities. This makes learning fun for the children and broadens their involvement in new experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Due to the additional need of the children, doors are sometimes kept locked. However, this is only where necessary, and children have access to most areas of their home. The design allows children to experience open space and the freedom to access many communal and play areas without staff assistance.

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improve to be good

Children’s risk assessments and safety plans are clear and give the staff direction about what to do and when. These plans are regularly updated to reflect the changing dynamics of the home. Staff sign the documents to provide evidence that they have read the most up-to-date versions. This helps to ensure that staff are aware of the current risks and plans and know how to manage them.

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improve to be good

Allegations and safeguarding matters are taken seriously and managed effectively. The manager and staff follow procedures in line with statutory guidance to keep children Inspection report for children’s home: 2712832 4 safe. Action is taken quickly to establish the facts, and the manager informs the appropriate agencies. Internal investigations are thorough, and lessons learned are shared with staff to help improve practice.

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improve to be good

On one occasion, staff did not seek appropriate medical help for a child who had slipped and hurt their head. Staff administered first aid to the child but did not contact health professionals for advice about a head injury. In addition, the manager’s monitoring did not identify this shortfall. This placed a child at increased risk of harm.

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improve to be good

Staff use a communal area of the home to administer medication to children without appropriate supervision. This practice has resulted in one child being able to put medication meant for another child into their mouth. The child did not swallow the medication and immediate advice was sought from health professionals. These arrangements are not safe and places children at an increased risk of harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a suitably qualified and experienced manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New employees are checked and vetted to ensure they are suitable to work with children. The induction programme includes shadow working and a mixture of face-to- face and online training. Parents receive calls from new staff to introduce themselves and explain their role. This increases their knowledge of the child and their family, and helps to put the parents at ease.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and appraisals with their line manager. Staff are able to discuss their progress and experiences of the children and also their own. Additional supervisions take place following incidents. The discussions reflect on events in order to learn lessons and share developments with the wider team. This practice promotes a supportive learning environment and improved care for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff are able to work with the children effectively, knowing they have the most up- to-date information available. The manager and staff are consistent in their efforts to ensure that parents and social workers provide important information and plans. This supports continuity of care and responsiveness to children’s needs and wishes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager seeks to promote the voice of children. New and innovative technologies are being developed and introduced to gain their wishes and feelings. Work is undertaken to understand the children from those who know them best. The staff listen to children and remain vigilant to their non-verbal communication.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that children’s records are written to the children. They use language that shows warmth and allows for the child to understand their experiences in the home. The staff are mindful of the impact on parents of how their child is represented in writing and how the notes may be viewed by the children in the future. Inspection report for children’s home: 2712832 5

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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 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

medicines kept in the home are stored in a secure place so as to prevent any child from having unsupervised access to them; and

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(a)(b)) 1 November 2024

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met; and

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being.

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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

that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)) 1 November 2024

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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: 2712832 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Ark Consultants UK limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: C W R Accountants, 20 Mannin Way Lancaster Business Park, Lancaster, Lancashire LA1 3SW

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Inspector

Lee Riley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2712832 7 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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