Children's Home run by Park Blue Homes Limited in Durham

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC453372 1 SC453372 Registered provider: Park Blue Homes Ltd

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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 provider. It offers care for up to five children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in April 2013.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager in post since July 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children were living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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This monitoring visit

Due to serious and widespread concerns identified at an assurance inspection on 1 October 2024, a case review was held. Ofsted issued two compliance notices under section 22 of the Care Standards Act 2000. These were in relation to Regulation 12, the protection of children standard, and Regulation 13, the leadership and management standard.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this visit was to assess the progress made to meet the compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

The three children have remained at the home since the last inspection. The provider has served notice for one child.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has improved the leadership and management arrangements in the home. A responsible individual has been employed who is supporting the interim manager to address the shortfalls identified. Together, they have improved systems to monitor the home, for example using audit tools. The leadership team is in the early stages of embedding this into practice. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC453372 2 Recruitment of new staff has increased staff sufficiency. New staff complete mandatory training and learn about the children before they complete a shadow shift at the home. This gives staff the opportunity to learn about the children’s needs and start to develop positive relationships with children at the earliest opportunity.

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This monitoring visit

The recruitment process has reduced the reliance on bank staff or staff covering from the provider’s other homes. This helps to ensure that children receive care from a consistent staff team. Additionally, in response to a child’s needs, the staffing ratio overnight has been increased. This means staff can respond to the child’s needs promptly.

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This monitoring visit

The leadership and management team has improved systems to ensure that staff understand the children’s needs. Staff attend workshops where relevant topics are discussed, for example risk assessments and safeguarding. The workshops cover general awareness as well as information that is specific to the children living at the home. Staff receive additional advice and guidance during team meetings. This helps improve staff’s knowledge and understanding of how to care for the children.

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This monitoring visit

The interim manager has introduced new systems to ensure that the children’s well- being is consistently monitored. Staff complete regular welfare checks to ensure that children are safe, for example when they stay in their bedrooms for extended periods of time. The interim manager challenges staff when recordings are not robust. This improves the accuracy of records and helps to ensure that children are safe.

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This monitoring visit

The leadership team have improved the children’s assessments and plans. They provide staff with clear guidance about what action to take to help children. Staff say that they feel more confident to respond to children as they better understand their risks and needs.

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This monitoring visit

The leadership team has improved safety arrangements in the home, which includes securing doors to prevent members of the public accessing the home. This helps to ensure that children are protected from unknown people coming into the home. Additionally, the provider has actioned recommendations from the fire risk assessment, which have been approved by the regulatory fire authority.

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This monitoring visit

The leadership team has identified areas of improvement and refurbishment for the home. However, inspectors observed one child’s bedroom to be untidy, unclean, and containing an item of broken furniture. The staff tidy the child’s bedroom. However, personal belongings piled in various areas of the room demonstrate a lack of care and attention. This is a missed opportunity to help the children to develop skills to care for their belongings and take pride in their environment.

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This monitoring visit

There has been an increase in the use of physical holds. However, this is because staff feel more confident to intervene during unsafe incidents to prevent children and Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC453372 3 staff being hurt. Staff record details of the physical holds. However, when the interim manager is involved, there is no oversight of their practice. Additionally, the records do not show that staff have checked whether the child has any injuries or requires health support.

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This monitoring visit

Following a case review on 15 November 2024 it was agreed that the compliance notices have been met. The requirements previously issued under Regulations 5, 8, 11, and 36 were not reviewed during this visit. For this reason, they are reissued. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC453372 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/06/2024 Full Good 22/08/2023 Full Good 24/05/2022 Full Good 02/02/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC453372 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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 10 January 2025

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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

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers; 10 January 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC453372 6 help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training, and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour; 10 January 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC453372 7 encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(viii)(ix)(x)(xi))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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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

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 10 January 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC453372 8 has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(viii)(b)(i)(ii))

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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;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 10 January 2025

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Requirement Due date

 The registered person should ensure that all areas of the home, including children’s bedrooms, are clean and regularly maintained to provide a homely and nurturing environment. In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff help children to care for their personal belongings. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 15, paragraph 3.6)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under The Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC453372 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Park Blue Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 38 Freemans Way, Harrogate HG3 1DH

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Inspectors

Cat Makel, Social Care Inspector Mark Cryer, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC453372 10 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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