Children's home run by Outdoor Care Limited Assurance visit report: 2587132 4

Inspection report for children’s home: 2587132 1 Registered provider: Outdoor 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

The home is operated by a private organisation. It may provide care for up to two children who have emotional and social difficulties and/or learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Two children were living at the home at the time of 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2587132 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/06/2023 Full Good 13/06/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 27/07/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2587132 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress because of the stability and nurturing care that they receive. Children live in the home for long periods, with one child living at the home for over two years. This provides children with a strong sense of permanence and belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children develop meaningful and lasting relationships with staff. This is because the staff show that they are committed to the children and keep them at the centre of their practice. The staff are compassionate and determined to support the children to succeed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well furnished for the children living there. Each child has their own bedroom and bathroom. They contain all the necessities and personalised items. The children have access to all areas of the home and there are communal areas which can be accessed. It has a relaxed atmosphere and gives a strong sense of a family home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to attend education. When there are barriers to children attending, the staff provide consistent encouragement. Staff will advocate on the child’s behalf to ensure that their needs are being met. This includes staff communicating with education providers and attending meetings regularly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children take part in a range of activities and days out. Children are encouraged to try new things and the activities they enjoy. 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.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s families are important to the staff in the home. Staff maintain regular communication with family members and create opportunities for them to take part in activities. These are important relationships to children, and it makes a difference to know that their families are still part of their lives. Family members speak positively about staff. They believe staff keep children safe and receive regular updates regarding their well-being. Praising the level of support that staff offer, one family member commented, ‘The staff are always there for him.’ Another family member shared similar comments, saying, ‘They run around after him and are always there; I can’t fault them.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One professional spoke positively about the home and the progress a child is making. Communication is good and the home will make regular contact regarding the needs of the child. They commented that the staff at the home understand the children’s needs and set realistic expectations. Inspection report for children’s home: 2587132 4

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

The staff promote children’s positive behaviour. The staff know the children well and use de-escalation to calm challenging situations. This means that children are not held by staff, and there are no occasions that police are called to manage children’s behaviour.

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

Staff speak warmly and positively about the children. Staff know the children’s risks and needs well and how to respond to incidents when they may arise. Staff are aware of the process should a child make an allegation.

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

Children are sometimes vulnerable to going missing from care. When this happens, there is an appropriate response, which includes staff looking for the child and reporting them to police. Staff will also contact family members and search in locations known to the child. When a child returns, they are supported by staff to settle into the home, and staff check they are well.

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

Positive behaviour is encouraged through a rewards system which enables children to gain extra money during the week. Where consequences are used, this can include financial penalties. One example includes a child who damaged property in the home. The child has committed to making small reimbursements to the home as an agreed recuperation. This helps children to learn about the impact of their behaviour.

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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 ensure that the adults working in the home are suitable to do so. This helps to keep children safer.

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

The home’s care plan is detailed and individualised to the child’s needs. It provides staff with a good insight into risks and how these may be managed. This is important to ensure that staff know how to keep children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has the appropriate qualification and experience to manage this home. They know the children well and speaks positively about each of them. Both of the children have made progress since they came to live at the home and are settled in their placements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The members of the staff team are longstanding and consistent. Only one staff member has been recruited since the last inspection and one who has left due to retirement. Staff who work at the home enjoy their work and are committed to the children they care for. A stable staff team enables children to build trusting relationships with staff and feel settled in their home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that all staff receive regular supervision. This provides a safe space for staff to reflect on their practice and any learning needs. Staff also attend team meetings, which provide a forum for staff to share their views and ideas. This reflective practice supports the development of staff and the care they provide. Inspection report for children’s home: 2587132 5 All staff complete their mandatory training and have access to other training opportunities to support them in meeting the needs of the children. New staff are well supported with an induction programme and probationary period that helps to ensure that they develop the necessary skills to care for the children effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The quality of management oversight and scrutiny of children’s records is not thorough. There are examples of children’s plans being significantly out of date and an absence of some documents. Although the manager could evidence requests for some of these documents, this was not consistent. Inspection report for children’s home: 2587132 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 registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; and

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)) 31 October 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that where the placing authority or another relevant person does not provide the input and services needed to meet a child’s needs during their time in the home or in preparation for leaving the home, the home must challenge them to meet the child’s needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 12, paragraph 2.8)

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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: 2587132 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Outdoor Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 16 Bondgate Without, Alnwick, Northumberland NE66 1PP

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Inspectors

Kerry Chater, Social Care Inspector Tina Ruffles, Regional Inspection Manager Inspection report for children’s home: 2587132 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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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