Children's Home run by Durham County Council in Durham

Inspection report for children’s home: 2624251 1 Registered provider: Durham County 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

A local authority operates this home. It provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There was one child living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

There are two registered managers at this home. One manager has been absent since October 2023. The second manager registered with Ofsted in August 2024.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

On 5 December 2023, Ofsted completed an assurance inspection in response to the registered manager being absent from the home and concerns being raised about the safety of the children. Serious and widespread concerns were identified at this inspection. A restriction of accommodation notice was issued and a further two monitoring visits were completed. During this period, children moved out of the home and the restriction remained in place. On 27 August 2024, it was determined that the notice restricting accommodation could be rescinded. A decision was made that the Inspection report for children’s home: 2624251 2 condition could be removed so that the home could care for children again. The requirements raised at the last inspection could not be reviewed and remained in place. Inspection report for children’s home: 2624251 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/08/2023 Full Good 01/11/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/09/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2624251 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child currently living in the home is making good progress. Professionals and family members recognise the positive impact living at the home has had for the child. One parent said: ‘[Name of child] has changed loads since moving to the home, in the best possible way.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is well supported with their education. When exclusion takes place and the staff do not feel the child has been able to have their say, they speak up for the child. This has led to the child being able to go back to school. Staff work with parents to encourage the child to attend. As a result, the child’s attendance has improved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Moving to the home has been a positive experience for the child, who was welcomed in a planned way. Staff use meetings to discuss the care plan for the child before they move in. Family members are invited to visit the home as part of the transition. The child chose the decor for their bedroom and spends time in their bedroom during introductory visits. This helps children start to develop relationships and to become familiar with their new home before they move in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has good relationships with most staff. Staff use a nurturing approach when the child experiences upset or distress. This helps the child to build trust and feel comfortable to tell the adults caring for them how they are feeling.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Family time is well supported by staff. Staff engage and communicate well with family members. They do everything they can to try and support relationships, including when the plan for the child is to return home to parents. This has helped family time plans progress in line with the child’s care plan. One parent said: ‘They are brilliant, if I text, they always reply.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Advocacy is strongly promoted. The child is able speak to an independent professional who consistently encourages the child to have a voice in the care they receive. The staff also encourage this. Staff constantly advocate for the child when need be, to ensure that their voice is heard.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff engage well with other professionals and challenge them when necessary. A professional commented: ‘We are challenged by the staff, and this is a good thing.’ When it was difficult for a child to engage in their meetings online, the staff requested for them to take place in person at the home. This helped the child and their parents to build trust in professionals and led to a unified way of working when important decisions are made.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s health is prioritised. Attendance at health appointments has improved. Staff work with parents to support the child to understand how important their health is. When additional support is required for the child’s emotional well-being, the manager seeks expert advice to better understand the child’s needs. Staff speak with the child Inspection report for children’s home: 2624251 5 about making healthy choices. However, these have not helped the child to understand the implications of vaping.

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

The child’s risks have reduced. This is because staff know and understand the child and their needs. One professional said: ‘They listen to [name of child]. They get to know [name of child] and their emotions. They support and guide [name of child] to do the right things safely.’

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

The manager and staff keep the child’s safety plans up to date. Plans reflect how best to support the child. This means staff have helpful guidance to help them safeguard the child and the child receives consistent care in line with their assessed need.

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

Missing-from-home incidents rarely occur. Staff support the child to spend time with their friends and family to help mitigate the need for the child to be away from the home. When incidents do occur, staff follow procedures effectively and work with other professionals to return the child safely to the home. This helps to reduce the risk that the child faces.

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

The child feels comfortable about disclosing concerns to staff. Staff respond quickly, appropriately and sensitively. When there are concerns of harm, there is immediate safety planning with professionals and reporting procedures are followed to safeguard the child. Staff support the child emotionally and help them to understand decisions made in the interest of keeping them safe. This well-rounded approach demonstrates effective safeguarding practice.

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

There are very few incidents in the home. There have been three incidents of physical intervention for the child. When this is used, it is proportionate and done in the best interest of keeping the child safe. Following incidents, staff offer nurture to help the child calm quickly. Staff promote positivity through regular praise, rewards and incentives. This means that the child’s behaviour is generally settled.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are reflective. When children move out of the home, lessons are learned about how to improve practice. Children and staff’s views inform these reflections, leading to change, for example changes to the building, records, processes and procedures. A pause in the home operating allowed time for improvements to be implemented before having a child admitted to the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is effective management oversight of the home. The manager consistently strives to make improvements. She uses monitoring tools to identify good practice and areas of development. The manager and her deputy work well together. This working relationship has been effective in improving staff practice, so staff know what they need to do daily. This has led to more consistent routines for the child, giving them more stability. Inspection report for children’s home: 2624251 6 There is a committed and stable staff team. Staff sickness has significantly reduced. All staff say they work well together, and communication has improved. Staff say they feel listened to and well supported by their manager. Managers consult staff about the plans to admit new children to the home long before this may happen. This help staff feel valued, and their opinions count on important matters.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision is regular and reflective. Staff discuss their performance and areas for improvement. Relevant and up-to-date information relating to the child is discussed in supervision. This helps staff maintain their understanding of the child’s needs. When practice falls short of the expected standard, the manager appropriately addresses this to ensure that poor practice does not continue.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager leads by example and models to staff appropriate boundaries and expectations. This has led to staff having trust in their manager and improvements in staff practice. Her active involvement in the child’s care has helped to strengthen the child’s trust in adults and their sense of safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s records reflect the progress and experiences of the child. The child’s case records have the child’s view filtered throughout. Language used is child friendly, considerate and sensitive. This makes records more accessible and helpful for children to reflect on their time living at the home. However, not all records are dated and signed. This makes it difficult to know when documents have been completed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2624251 7

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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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 signed and dated by the author of each entry.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement has been restated. 30 May 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children are offered advice, support and guidance on health and well-being. Where necessary, staff should support children to change negative behaviours in key areas of health, such as the use of vapes. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.18)

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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: 2624251 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Durham County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Fostering & Adoption Team, Spectrum 8, Spectrum Business Park, Seaham SR7 7TT

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Cheryl Bearpark and Michaela Myers

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Inspector

Laura Roberts, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2624251 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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Inspector

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