Children's home run by Stockton on Tees Borough Council in Stockton-on-Tees

Inspection report for children’s home: SC456710 1 SC456710 Registered provider: Stockton on Tees Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated and managed by a local authority. It provides care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2022.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be 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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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC456710 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/07/2023 Full Good 16/08/2022 Full Outstanding 29/06/2021 Full Good 28/01/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC456710 3

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improvement to be good

Some children who live in home make progress. This is because staff take the time to develop positive relationships with children. However, one child’s progress has regressed in recent months and staff have not been able to re-engage the child to make a positive change.

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improvement to be good

Not all children are engaged in learning. Staff encourage children to engage with their schools or tutors. However, when children struggle, this affects their daily routine. Therefore, children can spend long periods in their bedrooms and are not always offered an alternative learning experience to engage in.

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improvement to be good

Children are welcomed sensitively into the home. Well-planned introductions take place for children to visit the home and meet with staff before they move in. This supports children to be familiar with their surroundings and staff who will be caring for them at an early stage.

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improvement to be good

Children engage in activities during holidays and weekends. Children can take part in a wide range of activities, day trips and holidays. This enables children to have new experiences they may otherwise not encounter.

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improvement to be good

Staff carry out well-planned key-work sessions with children. Staff spend time with children to have conversations about important subjects that affect their lives. Staff revisit this work with children so that they can look at what progress they have made. This is a strength of the service and supports children to think about how they are developing and what additional support they may need.

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improvement to be good

Staff develop positive working relationships with families and professionals. Staff communicate regularly with the professionals involved in children’s lives and keep their families up to date. This ensures that adults who are important to children have information about their welfare and their progress.

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improvement to be good

The home is warm and welcoming. The provider has invested in refurbishing the property and it is well furnished throughout. Children’s views have contributed to these improvements, including how their bedrooms are personalised. This helps children to feel proud of their home.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently follow safety plans when children go missing from the home. One child was missing late at night and for long periods before staff responded to their Inspection report for children’s home: SC456710 4 safety plan. Although the child has returned safely to the home, the child was placed at risk of harm due to this lack of timely action.

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improvement to be good

Children’s risk assessments and safety plans do not clearly identify their current needs and risks. The assessments and plans do not provide staff with guidance on how to reduce the risk of harm. This can lead to children receiving inconsistent care from staff.

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improvement to be good

Staff did not support one child to seek medical attention when they had requested to attend the hospital. Staff did not understand the importance of responding to children who know when they need reassurance about their health needs. Consequently, the child sought their own support from health services.

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improvement to be good

Consequences are used in the home but are not focused on helping children to learn from their behaviours. When a consequence is being used, the manager’s oversight of this is delayed and the effectiveness is not evaluated. This leads to children receiving repeated consequences that are not effective in supporting them to understand the impact of their behaviour.

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

The registered manager is not able to focus on the running of the home due to additional management responsibilities. As a result, shortfalls in how children are helped and protected have not been identified.

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

The registered person did not inform Ofsted of the changes in the day-to-day management of the home when the changes occurred. Leaders and managers are not clear about their roles and responsibilities. The current registered manager has applied to voluntarily cancel their registration. A new manager is due to commence their role in the home.

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

Managers do not ensure that staff have the skills to meet children’s needs. Training to meet a child’s health needs has not been provided for all staff who care for the child. In addition, managers do not assess staff’s understanding of the child’s healthcare plan to be assured they know how to support the child.

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

Not all staff, including managers, receive regular supervision. This means that managers and staff are not receiving the necessary support and guidance in their roles. It also impacts on leaders and managers’ ability to understand the needs of staff and respond appropriately to shortfalls in practice. When supervision does take place, it is an opportunity for staff to reflect on their practice. Inspection report for children’s home: SC456710 5

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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 person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)) 14 November 2024

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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; 14 November 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC456710 6 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)(c)(f)(h))

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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

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)(b)(iii) (2)(a)(b)) 14 November 2024

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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

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(v)(viii)) 14 November 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 14 November 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC456710 7 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

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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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

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Requirement Due date

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)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive regular supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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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: SC456710 8

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Joanne Wallis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC456710 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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