Children's Home run by Middlesbrough Borough Council in Middlesbrough

Inspection report for children’s home: SC472374 1 SC472374 Registered provider: Middlesbrough 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 owned and managed by a local authority. It provides care for up to four children who may have physical and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post has been vacant since April 2024. The new manager has applied to register 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC472374 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/10/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 17/06/2024 Full Inadequate 20/02/2024 Full Inadequate 26/10/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC472374 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is bright and welcoming for the children. There has been renewed decoration and the purchase of items for children in their home that reflect their wishes. The communal rooms are particularly inviting and provide space for children to play.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive care from a staff team who know and understand them. Specialist services work with staff to help them to use children’s preferred methods of communication. When children suffer discomfort or frustration, staff identify this early and respond appropriately, enabling children to communicate their feelings. This has resulted in a decrease in challenging behaviour, and children have more positive relationships with the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend school regularly, and they are making progress towards their individual targets. When children need to move on from a school, the manager and staff work well with the local authority and specialist services to complete assessments, provide tutoring and to participate in educational activities. This means that professionals can find the right educational setting for children and help children to access further education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to attend their routine health appointments and engage with specialist services when this is needed. For children who are hearing impaired, Deaf CAMHS and specialist tutors are used to help children to engage. The staff are curious and show an acute awareness of children’s health needs. This means they can identify additional needs and address any issues promptly. As a result, children’s physical and emotional health have improved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from the relationships that staff build with their family and professionals involved in their care. The staff listen to children’s wishes and advocate well on their behalf. When difficulties arise, the staff seek alternative and creative solutions to promote positive experiences for children and their families when spending time together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to have a positive ending to their time in the home when they move on. The manager works with the local authority to find a placement that is appropriate for the individual child. Staff then work with the child to prepare them for moving with the use of tools such as social stories and specialist communication services. This promotes a positive experience for the child when moving on from the home.

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

Children’s risk assessments and plans reflect their needs well. They contain detailed information and provide staff with strategies to manage risks to children effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: SC472374 4 Information about emerging risks is shared in team meetings and discussed in staff supervision. This helps to ensure that children are protected from harm.

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

Children are helped to manage their emotions during difficult times. The staff understand the history of children and use their knowledge to develop plans and respond in a way that is helpful to children. When children become angry or upset staff use effective de-escalation techniques to support children with their feelings. This has meant that there have been no incidents of physical intervention.

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

Leaders and managers respond appropriately when allegations are made against staff. Internal procedures are followed in line with the organisation’s policy and there is effective joint working with all professional agencies, including the local authority designated officer. The manager completes an investigation and takes action that is proportionate to the findings. This helps to ensure that children are safeguarded appropriately.

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

Children say they feel safe and can raise concerns with staff if they are worried or concerned. Staff have key discussions with children to raise their awareness of what can pose a risk to them. The staff work with the children to understand their individual risks and keep themselves safer.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a suitably experienced registered manager. The children are cared for by some permanent staff, but there is a reliance on agency staff because of vacancies in the home. However, the manager ensures that there is a regular cohort of agency staff who the children know and who understand their care needs well. This helps to ensure that there is consistency in the care that children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff receive regular and effective supervision. This is an opportunity for the staff to reflect on the needs of children in their care. Line managers support staff to meet the expectations of their role. When issues arise, additional support is put in place to promote staff well-being and improve performance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have introduced a new model of care to improve how children are looked after by staff. This has included additional training for staff to provide them with the skills to deliver that care. Mandatory training takes place alongside development days for agency staff to support a consistent approach to care practice. This has had a direct impact on staff understanding of the children and how best to support their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have effective working relationships with the professionals involved in the children’s lives. Professionals say that they have regular and up-to-date communication with the staff. When issues arise, the manager speaks to the local authority, school and other agencies to resolve those issues quickly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s monitoring of the service is not always effective in identifying gaps in children’s files. For example, a health assessments and education plans have not been Inspection report for children’s home: SC472374 5 received, and this has not been escalated by the manager. This means that actions identified in children’s plans may not be known to the staff. Inspection report for children’s home: SC472374 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 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; and

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(h)) 12 June 2025

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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: SC472374 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Middlesbrough Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Middlesbrough House, 50 Corporation Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RH

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Inspector

Lee Riley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC472374 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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