Children's home run by Hartlepool Borough Council in Hartlepool

Inspection report for children’s home: SC472417 1 SC472417 Registered provider: Hartlepool Borough Council

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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 and managed by a local authority. It provides care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There were three children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2021.

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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: 13 February 2024

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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: SC472417 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/02/2024 Full Good 08/03/2023 Full Good 10/11/2022 Full Inadequate 25/08/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC472417 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a warm and comfortable home. They have ample space to spend time together, have fun, talk about their day and enjoy each other’s company. Children’s bedrooms are individualised with their choice of decor, and provide them with personal space when they want it .

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are prepared and supported well for their move into the home. They are encouraged to enjoy a range of activities with the other children who live in the home and the staff team prior to their move. This undoubtedly helps to settle any nerves the children may have and enables them to feel comfortable in a new environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to develop the practical and emotional skills they need to look after themselves as they embark on the transition to young adulthood. A great deal of care and attention is given by staff to ensure that children are supported to move on positively from the home and where appropriate keep in touch. Staff continue to provide a listening ear and an open door; for example, one young person who left the home three years ago still visits and has written a lovely letter of appreciation to the staff about their time in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in good health. Staff support children to attend routine appointments and ensure that they access specialist care when needed. Staff are regularly supported by an in-house psychologist. This helps them find the best way to support children’s emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children attend education and are making progress from their starting points. One child is not in education, employment or training. Staff are liaising closely with external professionals and the virtual school to find the most suitable education provision for the child. While out of education, staff diligently support ongoing learning and maintain the school day routine in preparation for the child’s return to the classroom.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children offer feedback and suggestions to staff in their key-work sessions and in casual conversations. One child has been identified as a ‘consultation champion’, picking a topic each month and feeding back the views of the children to the manager. This has really helped to empower the children to have a purposeful say over how they are cared for and how the home operates.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a wide range of activities. Staff encourage children to continue with things they like to do and to try new experiences. This has helped children to learn new skills and increased their confidence . Inspection report for children’s home: SC472417 4

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

The manager and staff know the children and their risks well. They understand the value of spending time getting to know the children and developing meaningful relationships with them. Children have said that they feel safe in the home and have adults whom they can confide in when they feel concerned, angry or upset .

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

Staff are persistent in their efforts and build good-quality relationships with children. The quality of these relationships helps children to open up and begin to talk about difficult topics. Staff also encourage learning from general conversation about current events. This helps to broaden children’s understanding and reflect on matters such as equality and diversity.

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

Children’s care plans and risk assessments are regularly updated. Staff routinely follow these plans, which means that children have a consistent approach from those caring for them. Staff also use open and thoughtful language, which helps to give the message to children that they cared for and cared about.

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

Staff know what to do when children are missing from home. Staff follow the missing procedures and work diligently to look for the children. When staff have concerns that a child is vulnerable to exploitation, referrals are made for specialist support. Staff work with the children to help them understand the risk they face and to help them be safer.

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

The home has procedures in place to ensure that any health and safety issues are resolved. However, a recent threat to the home has led to fire doors being locked. The fire risk assessment is out of date and children’s evacuation plans are not updated. This means that children may not necessarily be able to evacuate the building safely in the event of a fire.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is ambitious and enthusiastic. Leading by example, the manager has high expectations for the children. Staff are committed to the same values and children are cared for to a consistently high standard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are skilled at developing and maintaining strong working relationships with partner agencies. Professionals talk positively about that relationship, stating that it is staff at the forefront of pursuing what the children need.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision takes place regularly and includes reflective discussion. Staff work diligently to find creative ways of helping children overcome trauma. One professional commented that the embedded reflective practice across the staff team has directly supported one child to feel able to reach out to staff for a hug. Inspection report for children’s home: SC472417 5 The manager uses team meetings productively to involve the staff in the development of the home and to facilitate new learning. Information from the manager and the local authority is cascaded down to staff so that they continue to be well informed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses a comprehensive tool to support the oversight and audit of the home. It covers all aspects of the home and is easy to read. The manager knows the home’s strengths and areas for improvement and has a plan to continue developing the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Most staff are qualified or working towards the required qualification. There are two members of staff who are significantly outside of the allotted timescales, with no known solution as to when enrolment will take place. Leaders have a plan to ensure new workers enrolling on the training are not delayed. Inspection report for children’s home: SC472417 6

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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

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)) 20 March 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform.

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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”); or 20 March 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC472417 7 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. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a))

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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: SC472417 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hartlepool Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Civic Centre, Victoria Road, Hartlepool TS24 8AY

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Inspectors

Lisa Gordon, Social Care Inspector Kirstie Sutherland, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC472417 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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