Children's home run by Ar Curam Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2794326 1 Registered provider: Ar Curam 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

The home is operated by a private provider. It provides short- and long-term 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 August 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2794326 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The inspector spoke to three children living in the home during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say they feel happy living in the home. The home environment is welcoming, and children’s spaces have been personalised to what they like. There are individual spaces for children to spend time and a variety of games for them to enjoy. One professional gave feedback on how proud one child was to show their room, as they had never been able to have a space like what they have now.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have built trusting relationships with those caring for them. Staff regularly carry out key-work discussions with children about things that are important in their lives. Staff understand that children manage their emotions in different ways. For example, one child prefers to have discussions when they are in the car. Children say that they feel able to talk to the staff about things that are important to them. This has helped children to share their worries and vulnerabilities with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build relationships with those who are important to the children. The staff work well with families and friends to help children continue to enjoy positive relationships. Staff welcome children’s friends and family into the home. This helps children to understand that the staff care about their family and friends.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are responded to quickly by staff. Staff support children to understand their health and educate them on important topics, such as sexual health. For one child, there is positive progress with them accessing health services since they came to live in the home. When children vape, they are provided with educational sessions. However, staff have not been proactive around removing vapes. This means that children are not given consistent messages about their health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Transitions into and out of the home have not always been carefully considered. Children have experienced moving out of the home without any preparation. Children have also experienced moving into the home very close to one another. One professional said, ‘This did not provide [name of child] the time to adjust moving from a foster family into a children’s home.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are restrictions in the home on windows and doors for some children. Not all children’s plans are clear on the reasons for such restrictions. This includes one child being supervised by staff when in the community. This limits the staff’s ability to replicate a ‘family feel’ and puts unnecessary restrictions on children’s liberty.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff know how to respond. Staff follow the necessary steps to try to find them. Staff use their knowledge of the children, including Inspection report for children’s home: 2794326 3 where their friends and family live, to find them when they do not return home. This helps staff to locate children more quickly and, therefore, improves their safety. Direct work is then completed with children to educate them about the risks of going missing from home. This helps children to understand that the staff care about their safety and well-being.

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

When an allegation has been made, this has been responded to quickly. Allegations are fully investigated, and relevant agencies are informed. Children are spoken to by staff and given the opportunity to speak to an independent person. This means that children are able to reflect on incidents and feel listened to.

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

Children receive help and support from a nurturing staff team. Staff understand the children well and use effective de-escalation techniques. Safe holds have only been used on one occasion. When a hold was used, this was proportionate. The child had an opportunity to reflect on the incident through support from staff and an independent person. The manager reviewed the incident and offered support to the staff involved. This means that children and staff can reflect and learn from incidents.

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

Positive behaviour is encouraged in the home. Children spoken to about consequences felt that they were fair and understood why they were in place. This helps children to understand and adhere to boundaries in the home. Two professionals for one child highlighted that the boundaries and routines in the home have a positive impact on them.

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

Risk assessments do not consider all risks. Staff do not have clear actions to follow around some risks to children. For two children, risk assessments did not fully consider their needs and the impact that they could have on each other. This has resulted in an increase in risk for one child of going missing from home and damaging items in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has high aspirations for the standard of care for children. She takes time to get to know the children and embeds a nurturing culture in the home. This means that managers and staff provide children with a good level of personalised care and support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Internal monitoring systems and external reports by the independent visitor support managers to scrutinise children’s records and information effectively. When shortfalls are identified, the manager and senior staff quickly address these issues. This has included reviewing current staff practice and accessing further training. This learning culture means that staff continue to develop the skills they need to support children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff have developed strong relationships with multi-agency professionals and the children’s parents. They have provided appropriate challenge and advocated for the children where this has been required. This challenge has been effective in helping children to receive the support they need. Inspection report for children’s home: 2794326 4 Team meetings are held regularly. The minutes are well recorded and give staff a clear and consistent message about practice in the home and the children’s needs. The meetings are used effectively to review the children’s plans and identify learning for staff. This means that staff are up to date with children’s needs and provide a consistent response.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The language used to describe children’s behaviours in documents is not always language that cares. The description of some of the children’s behaviours is stigmatising and is not always clearly recorded. This may be confusing and frustrating should children read these documents in the future. Inspection report for children’s home: 2794326 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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iv)) 6 March 2025

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

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)) 6 March 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if— 6 March 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2794326 6 the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children;

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Requirement Due date

the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance;

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Requirement Due date

so far as reasonably practicable in the light of the child’s age and understanding, the child is informed in advance of the intention to do the monitoring or surveillance; and

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy. (Regulation 24 (1)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff have the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to help children understand and, where necessary, work to change negative behaviours in key areas of health and well-being, such as, but not limited to, nutrition and healthy diet, exercise, mental health, sexual relationships, sexual health, contraception and use of legal highs, drugs, alcohol and tobacco. In particular, the registered person should ensure that children receive a consistent message about vaping. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.18)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information

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Recommendations

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: 2794326 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Richard House, Second Floor, Sorbonne Close, Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland TS17 6DA

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Inspector

Natalie Clark, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2794326 8 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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