Children's Home run by We Care Bespoke Ltd in Durham

Inspection report for children’s home: 2650092 1 Registered provider: We Care Bespoke 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

This home is run by a private provider. The home can care for one child who has a learning disability, mental disorder and/or sensory needs. At the time of inspection there was one child living in the home. The inspectors saw the child.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left the home August 2024. The home currently has an acting manager, who has not yet registered with Ofsted.

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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: 12 December 2023

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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: 2650092 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/12/2023 Full Good 10/05/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2650092 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has lived in the home for almost three years. The close relationships they have with the adults who care for them gives them stability in their life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff use symbols to broaden the child’s communication skills. This has developed [child’s name] understanding, increasing the number of symbols the child uses and the things they can say. The child also uses words and noises to communicate. Staff knowing what the child’s sounds, gestures, facial expressions, and words mean, ensures that the child’s voice is heard. This enables the child to make more choices, improving their quality of life as they are well understood. Social stories support routines and prepare the child for new experiences. For example, going to the hairdressers and visiting the local community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The acting manager strongly advocates for the child when decisions made are not in the child’s best interest. For example, helping other professionals accept that the child’s cognitive assessment is not reflective of the child’s needs and should be revisited.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has made progress with their self-care, particularly around going to the toilet. Improving these self-care skills has enabled them to have more freedom and independence, relying less on staff to help with these tasks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help the child to keep in close contact with their family. This involves seeing their parents and brothers. Staff send photos so family members can see what [child’s name] has been up to in between their get togethers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm, cosy and has all the things that the child needs to live comfortably. A selection of framed family photos in the living area makes it feel homely. The child’s bedroom and living area are enriched with their personal choices. This helps the child to know their views are important. Some refurbishment jobs need to be done so that all areas of the home are to a consistent standard.

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

Staff use their trusting relationships with [child’s name] to positively influence their behaviour. As a result, measures such as guides and holds are rarely used. Well-written incident reports support the manager’s oversight of staff’s practice, helping staff to learn from incidents and improve their behaviour management skills.

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

Behaviour is seen as a way of the child communicating with staff. Staff’s curiosity has helped them to better understand this behaviour. They involved school staff to agree on how best to support the child so there is a consistent approach. This has led to the behaviour lessening, and the child being able to go back into the classroom full time. Inspection report for children’s home: 2650092 4 Medication is well managed. If an error occurs, the leadership team proactively address the issue with the staff member concerned. Extra support offered through training ensures that staff are aware of the medication procedures, medication is given safely, and errors are accounted for.

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

The provider takes allegations seriously. They follow safeguarding procedures and consult with the local authority designated officer, and take appropriate action to safeguard the child. When staff practice is the issue, this is addressed with more training and supervision, so mistakes are less likely to be repeated.

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

There are some gaps in the provider’s safe recruitment practices. One staff member’s overseas checks have not been completed. This means the manager does not have sufficient information to assess the staff member’s suitability to work at this home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The acting manager has been in place for two months and is continuing to find her feet in the new role. She knows the child very well and wants the best for them. She is aspirational and determined to help the child reach their potential.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team also know the child well. They talk about them affectionately, showing how much they care about them. The team want [child’s name] to do well, by making sure that they provide the care, support, and experiences that the child needs to thrive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals are reassured the staff have the skills to effectively care for [child’s name], and that they are responsive to the child’s needs. One professional said, ‘Staff are flexible in their approach and care is personalised for [child’s name].’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Reflective practice is encouraged through supervisions and team meetings. Staff’s knowledge about the child and their care needs is valued by the leadership team. Information sharing during discussions, allows staff to contribute and have a say in the child’s day-to-day care arrangements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a variation in the language used in the written records. Daily logs are factual but are not written in a way that is helpful to the child. Other documents slip into using professional language. The child would not be able to gain a sense of their journey in care if they were to read these.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management oversight does not consistently identify when documents have not been fully completed. The impact for the child is minimal. However, the manager has not addressed this with staff. Also, the manager does not always add her evaluation about staff’s practice, so it is unclear whether she agrees with the steps they have taken during some incidents. Inspection report for children’s home: 2650092 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 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;

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h)) 7 February 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that repairs and refurbishment are completed without delay to ensure that the home continues to be a nurturing and supportive environment throughout. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2650092 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: We Care Bespoke Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 164A Front street, Chester Le Street, County Durham DH3 3AZ

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Inspectors

Miriam Dolman, Social Care Inspector Kirstie Sutherland, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2650092 7 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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