Children's Home run by Durham County Council in Durham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC035137 1 SC035137 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

The home is operated and managed by a local authority. The home provides care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties. The registered manager post is vacant, but a full-time manager is in post.

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Information about this children’s home

There were three children living in the home at the time of the inspection. The inspector spoke with all three children during this inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC035137 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/08/2023 Full Good 21/11/2022 Full Good 02/11/2021 Full Good 17/06/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC035137 3

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improvement to be good

Children have mixed experiences while living in this home. Some are progressing well and have effective relationships with staff, while others are disengaged from staff and their progress has been affected.

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improvement to be good

Transitions to and from the home are well managed. However, the risk assessment tool that details the risks between all children living in the home and those coming to live there does not include an evaluation of risk and is not individualised to each child.

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improvement to be good

Education attendance and attainment are mixed. Some children are not helped sufficiently to maintain daily routines and learning when they are not attending education. This means that those children are not making academic progress or developing social friendship groups to help support them as they grow into adulthood.

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improvement to be good

Staff engage children in some direct work. However, this is not always linked to the care plan and is often reactive to situations that occur. Staff are not always professionally curious in these sessions, and there are rarely any actions that come from them to help children develop.

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improvement to be good

The home is kept clean and tidy. However, some areas need attention. The practice of locking doors, as detailed in the home’s statement of purpose, should be reviewed and unnecessary locks should be removed to prevent the home from appearing institutionalised.

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improvement to be good

Staff are aware of the need for the children to maintain relationships with family and those important to them and support this well. One parent said that they felt ‘well informed’ about how their child was progressing. The staff also maintain positive working relationships with other professionals involved in the lives of the children.

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improvement to be good

Children say they feel safe in the home. Risk assessments and care plans are updated regularly but are not fully individualised to each child and their needs. This means that the documents are an ineffective tool in helping staff to manage and reduce risk.

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improvement to be good

There has been no use of consequences for a significant amount of time and no physical interventions. However, the inability of staff to engage some children means they are not helped to manage their emotions and behaviours fully. Inspection report for children’s home: SC035137 4 Some children are not helped to maintain a clean and safe environment in their bedrooms. Behaviours are not tracked to identify triggers, and therefore, staff respond in a reactive way and do not plan their response to enable children to change.

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improvement to be good

There are incidents within the home, and these behaviours are dealt with well. On one occasion, an incident was not reported to Ofsted as required, preventing Ofsted from ensuring that all relevant steps had been taken to help safeguard the child. In this case, staff did take all the necessary steps to ensure the child’s safety and reported on to other professionals.

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improvement to be good

There have been no episodes of children going missing from the home. Where these have occurred with children who previously lived at the home, the staff reported and looked for children to ensure their early, safe return.

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improvement to be good

Staff have ensured that children’s health needs are prioritised and investigated where necessary.

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good

The registered manager has recently left his post and the deputy, who recently joined the team, has stepped into the role. This has been welcomed by staff and other professionals. One social worker said, ‘I feel that [name of deputy] has really brought the team together, and he shows a good understanding of [name of child’s] needs.’

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good

There is a comprehensive training programme in place. However, there are significant gaps in the completion of courses across the whole team, particularly in those areas directly related to the needs of the children. Supervision takes place monthly but the records show a lack of understanding of reflective practice and how this helps staff to improve practice.

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good

The report to Ofsted under regulation 45 has been completed. However, this does not include the views of children, which would help in the future planning for the service.

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good

The independent visitor produces a report following each monthly visit. However, there has been insufficient challenge to practice to help the manager address the shortfalls identified in this inspection.

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good

The deputy has made a start in addressing some of the shortfalls identified but will need time and support to effect change. Inspection report for children’s home: SC035137 5

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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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(viii)(ix)) 31 March 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; 31 March 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC035137 6 promotes their welfare.

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

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(g)(i))

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that risk assessments are individualised to each child and their needs. 31 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.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended 31 March 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC035137 7 that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that when assessing the children’s suitability to live together, risk assessments include an evaluation of risk and only include known risks.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. (Regulation 44 (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the independent visitor poses challenge to the manager to assist in addressing shortfalls, such as those identified in this inspection. 31 March 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the statement of purpose is reviewed and clarifies access throughout the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.5)  The registered person should ensure that incidents requiring a notification under Regulation 40 are forwarded to Ofsted. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10)  The registered person should ensure that children’s bedrooms are clean and welcoming places. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)  The registered person should ensure that the report under Regulation 45 includes the views of children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2)

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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 Inspection report for children’s home: SC035137 8 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: SC035137 9

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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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Inspector

Sue Atkinson-Millmoor, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC035137 10 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 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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