Children's Home run by Spark of Genius North East LLP in Stockton-on-Tees

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC477031 1 SC477031

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Registered provider: Spark of Genius North East Llp

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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 company. It provides care for up to five children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager in post since March 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC477031 2

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Findings from the inspection

We identified the following serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection:

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Findings from the inspection

 There is a lack of appropriate leadership and management arrangements to meet the children’s needs.  Staff have struggled to implement appropriate strategies to manage children’s behaviour.  Staff have not followed risk assessments and care plans effectively.  Staff do not all have a good understanding of professional boundaries and how they should respond to given situations.

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Findings from the inspection

This home has been without a registered manager for more than 90 weeks. Senior leaders have not provided adequate support and management arrangements are ineffective. This has left the staff without sufficient management oversight of their practice. One child said, ‘No one is driving the bus,’ indicating that the home is operating without appropriate leadership.

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Findings from the inspection

Decisions to end placements do not consider the impact on children. One child’s placement ended with immediate effect without any attempts to do meaningful work with the child to prevent this. The other children were not supported or prepared for this significant change.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff do not always respond to children’s behaviour effectively in line with their plans. Staff use strategies such as locking doors to manage children’s behaviour, and in one example they threatened to cancel a child’s planned haircut. The lack of effective management oversight means this practice was not identified or challenged.

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Findings from the inspection

Fire doors continue to be locked seven months after the previous inspection. Two of the doors that act as a fire escape are locked at night. This could impede children and staff’s ability to exit the home safely in an emergency.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff have not followed the actions in a child’s risk assessment. Staff do not routinely complete direct work with children to reduce their identified risks. As a result, a vulnerable child continued to be exposed to a known risk.

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Findings from the inspection

Not all staff have an appropriate understanding of professional boundaries. Although swift disciplinary action has been taken in response to some practice issues, there has been no work with the wider staff team to ensure unprofessional behaviours are not repeated.

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Findings from the inspection

Not all staff have attained the relevant qualification within the required timeframe. This requirement was raised at the last inspection and has still not been achieved. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC477031 3 The lack of strong management oversight leaves staff without clear direction and support.

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Findings from the inspection

Following a case review on 9 December 2024, which confirmed that there are serious and widespread concerns at the home, a restriction of accommodation notice was served alongside a compliance notice under Regulation 27. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC477031 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/04/2024 Full Good 06/06/2023 Full Good 08/06/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/03/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC477031 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

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”);

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Requirement Due date

or a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement has been reissued. 23 February 2025

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

provide adequate means of escape from the home in the event of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement has been reissued. 23 February 2025

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— 23 February 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC477031 6 receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them 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

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement has been reissued. 23 February 2025

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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

there is no registered manager in respect of the home. (Regulation 27 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to the home being without a registered manager for over 90 weeks. 23 February 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC477031 7 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 23 February 2025

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; and 23 February 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC477031 8 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. (Regulation 13 1(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f))

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that there are systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive 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)  The registered person should ensure that all children’s case records are kept up to date and stored securely while children remain in the home. Case records must be signed and dated. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC477031 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Spark of Genius North East LLP

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: King Edwin School, Mill Lane, Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland TS20 1LG

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Inspector

Lisa Gordon, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC477031 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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