Children's home run by North Yorkshire Council

Inspection report for children’s home: 1256500 1 Registered provider: North Yorkshire 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 owned and managed by a local authority. It provides short-break services for up to six children with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and sensory impairments. The service offers care packages for 14 children. There were two children receiving shared care arrangements and one child was living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The recently appointed manager is still to be registered with Ofsted.

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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: 21 November 2023

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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: 1256500 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/11/2023 Full Good 02/11/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/11/2021 Full Outstanding 14/01/2020 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: 1256500 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are introduced to the short-break service sensitively. Staff take time to meet with children and their families before they have overnight stays. Some children have needed support in an emergency. In these situations, staff do all they can to support children to settle and become familiar with the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Families value the service and support they and their children receive. One parent said, ‘the service is absolutely wonderful’ and a grandparent described staff as ‘professional and committed’. Staff work well with families and professionals to understand children’s needs. They regularly keep in touch with families and provide updates about children. This helps families to feel assured about leaving their children in the care of staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy positive relationships with staff. Children are warmly welcomed into the home for their stays. Staff show affection to children and are familiar with children’s likes and dislikes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has recently been redecorated and is spacious and accessible for children. Bedrooms are personalised for each child’s stay with their chosen bedding, and specialist equipment is available for those children who need this. Children have access to toys and activities in the home and garden.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported and cared for by experienced staff. When relief staff work in the home, permanent staff are present, so children have a known adult caring for them. Children who need care and support during the night are always supported by a known member of staff with the necessary skills and experience.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are regularly consulted about their time at the home. Staff work creatively to ensure children’s voices are heard and support children to understand why their wishes and views are important. In addition, managers review and respond to children’s wishes and suggestions. This helps children understand that their views are valued and that they are listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who attend the short-break service are supported to attend their education placements. Staff work well with education professionals to ensure that they share information about children’s experiences. When there are concerns raised about information-sharing, the staff look at other ways to ensure that essential information is provided to school staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child who lives in the home is not engaged in learning. Although the child made some initial progress in their attendance in school, arrangements are still to be made about future education opportunities. Staff are working with the child’s social worker to secure suitable education arrangements for the child. In the interim, staff are supporting the child with developing skills for life. Inspection report for children’s home: 1256500 4

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

Staff are skilled in caring for children with complex health needs. Additional training and advice are provided to staff when children have additional needs. For some children, this means that staff understand how to safely administer medication in an emergency. This ensures that children receive a quick and planned response in an emergency in line with their health plans.

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

Children have care plans that help staff support and manage any known risks and vulnerabilities. Strategies for staff to support children are recorded in their plans. When children’s behaviours or risks change, plans are updated to reflect this and provide details of how staff can support the child in the future.

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

Staff are skilled in de-escalation. Therefore, there are few incidents of children being physically held. When physical interventions take place, these are guided moves to help keep children safer. Children and staff have an opportunity to discuss what has happened after the incident. The manager reviews all incidents and considers any lessons to be learned or changes needed for children’s plans.

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

There are safe arrangements in place for the storage and administration of medication. Staff competence to administer medication is regularly assessed. Staff ensure that they have up-to-date information about children’s medications. If there have been changes to a child’s medication, staff will speak with health professionals to clarify the child’s plan.

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

Body maps are routinely completed by the staff to ensure that any bruising or injury to a child is documented and considered. Senior staff audit these records, but sometimes this is not always completed in a timely manner. In addition, there is no record to show that the manager has had oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The newly appointed manager is supported by the responsible individual. The previous registered manager, who remains employed by the local authority, supported the manager, along with the responsible individual, during the inspection. The leadership and management team works well together and have addressed shortfalls raised at the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision from a manager. This ensures that they have a safe space to reflect on their practice, children and their own development. In addition to formal supervision, staff attend regular team meetings, and take opportunities to discuss children, the children’s plans and learning in a group setting.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have systems in place to monitor children’s progress. Leaders and managers know the children who access their services well and they are actively Inspection report for children’s home: 1256500 5 involved and visible within the home. The manager evaluates the quality of care children receive to continue to develop the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff attend mandatory training to ensure that they have the skills to meet children’s needs. In addition to this, staff complete training to administer medication and physical interventions, and have their competencies assessed. The manager has systems in place to ensure that all staff are compliant with the training they expect staff to complete to continue to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Not all staff have a qualification to work with children in a residential setting. For some permanent and relief staff, they have passed their relevant date to achieve a qualification. Leaders and managers are aware of this shortfall.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s relevant plans are not readily accessible on children’s files. Although managers can access children’s essential records on the authority’s electronic record systems, not all staff have access to this. Therefore, staff do not have access to all plans completed by children’s social workers. Inspection report for children’s home: 1256500 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

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 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

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Requirement Due date

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) (3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)) 30 September Inspection report for children’s home: 1256500 7

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that, where records are kept electronically, this information can be easily accessed by staff, in particular children’s relevant plans. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 14.2)

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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 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: 1256500 8

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Children’s home details

Registered Provider: North Yorkshire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, Racecourse Lane, Northallerton DL7 8AD

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Inspector

Joanne Wallis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1256500 9 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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