Children's Home run by Evolve Residential Limited in Darlington

Inspection report for children’s home: 2685997 1 Registered provider: Evolve Residential 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 owned and managed by a private organisation. It provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2022. Two children were living in the home at the time of 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2685997 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/06/2024 Full Good 03/05/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2685997 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are patient, nurturing and invest their time in getting to know the children. This has supported children to build trusting relationships with staff. The staff work closely with a clinical team to understand children’s needs and deliver consistent and good-quality care. As a result, children are happy and making good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health is prioritised appropriately by staff, who work closely with medical professionals to gain a better understanding of children’s needs. One child has been able to access the right medication to help address a health issue. Staff have implemented strategies to this child’s routine to support them to manage this better. Children also have access to mental health support and regular therapy sessions. This has helped to improve both the children’s physical and emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children have additional learning needs, staff ensure that the necessary assessments are completed. This helps to ensure that children’s learning needs are better understood and that the right referrals can be made. Staff follow the actions set out in children’s local authority plans to support children’s learning needs. One child is making progress with their communication and gross motor skills. When children take their next steps into secondary school, staff work closely with education professionals to prepare children for this move.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s hobbies and interests are supported. Children attend regular clubs, go on regular activities and go on holiday. Furthermore, children can have their friends at the home for dinner. One child told a professional that he was able to go to his first ever friend’s birthday party. These special memories are captured in children’s memory books, which provide a record of their positive experiences while living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children get involved in community activities such as memorial parades, raising money for charity and joining local clubs. Children are rewarded for showing empathy and being kind to others. This has helped children to develop their social awareness, improve confidence and make friends.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff regularly get children involved in their care planning and ensure their voice is heard. The staff use a ‘You said, we did’ system to gather children’s views about the care that they receive. Children see the impact of sharing their views. For example, one child asked for a later dinnertime so they could have more time playing with friends. Staff responded by changing the mealtime to accommodate this request.

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

Children’s individual risks are well understood by staff. There are comprehensive risk assessments in place that staff follow to help mitigate risk and keep children safer. Inspection report for children’s home: 2685997 4 Staff know how to respond to and report safeguarding concerns. The manager discusses safeguarding procedures and the company’s whistle-blowing process with staff. There is a strong safeguarding culture in the home, and children say they feel safe.

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

Staff support children to better understand and manage their feelings and behaviour. Staff work closely with clinical professionals to reflect on children’s behaviour, and staff use therapeutic techniques when they respond to children. Staff can identify the triggers for children’s behaviour and adjust their way of working to be more effective. This means that children develop coping mechanisms to manage their emotions, and consequently, the use of physical intervention is reducing. One professional said, ‘[Name of child] is a lot calmer and more settled.’

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

Staff educate children about risks related to subjects such as online safety and stranger danger in an age-appropriate way. This prepares children to be aware of risks that they may be exposed to in the future.

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

Children are aware of how they can make a complaint about their care or treatment in the home. All complaints and allegations are investigated by a manager, and all necessary professionals are kept informed. When investigations into allegations conclude without any further concerns, there is work completed with the children to restore their relationship with the staff involved. However, on one occasion, an allegation against staff was not managed in line with company policy, although there was no impact on the safety or well-being of the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have an established presence in the home. Together, they have a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. The manager and her deputy work well together, and there is a reflective culture of learning that informs changes in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly. This allows the staff to reflect on their practice as a group and consider how best to care for children. Clinical professionals attend these meetings to work with staff in formulating the plans for children and to review their progress. This combined approach supports staff in delivering the home’s therapeutic model of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported by leaders and managers, and the manager is proud of her team. Staff have a written profile that outlines how they can be best supported by their manager and team members. Staff say managers are approachable and their well-being is a priority. Staff supervision sessions are regular and meaningful. Staff can spend time with a clinical expert should they require this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has effective systems in place to provide good oversight of children’s experience of living in the home. These systems allow the manager to identify patterns and trends in those areas of care that have an impact on the safety and well-being of Inspection report for children’s home: 2685997 5 children. The manager evaluates the effectiveness of staff practice and ensures that practice is safe and that children are making progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Not all members of the staff team have achieved the required qualification. However, the manager ensures that they have access to training to fill any gaps in their knowledge. Furthermore, there are plans in place to ensure that staff gain their qualification as quickly as possible. This means that staff have the necessary skills to meet the individual needs of children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2685997 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff report any allegation of abuse immediately to a senior manager in the home. Any allegation of harm or abuse must be addressed in line with the home’s child protection policy. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.17)

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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: 2685997 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Evolve Residential Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 73 Duke Street, Darlington, Durham DL3 7SD

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Inspector

Laura Roberts, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2685997 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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