Children's Home run by GAC Family Services Limited in Middlesbrough

Inspection report for children’s home: 2679276 1 Registered provider: GAC Family Services Ltd

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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 provider. 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

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2024.

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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: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2679276 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/06/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 02/10/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 27/06/2023 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2679276 3

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improvement to be good

The children living in the home are making progress. However, shortfalls in how children are helped and protected and the effectiveness of the leadership and management have impacted on children’s experience of living in the home.

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improvement to be good

The children can identify a trusted person with whom they have a strong bond and can discuss important issues. However, children do not have the same level of trust with all staff. The manager is addressing this with the staff team but has not involved the children in this work. Consequently, the children are not confident that their issues are being addressed.

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improvement to be good

The physical environment lacks a warm and homely feel. Cupboards that children cannot access are locked with padlocks, and others that children can access contain bottles of bleach and other cleaning products. The painting of the kitchen ceiling remains unfinished, and there is mould in the bathroom. This does not provide the children with an environment that looks or feels cared for.

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improvement to be good

Children are making varied progress with their education. Children who are not regularly attending school are making small steps towards re-engaging in formal education. The manager and staff understand the children’s journeys and work with schools to identify appropriate strategies and alternative provisions to engage children at their pace. One child regularly attends college, is resitting his exams and has a part-time job.

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improvement to be good

Children are helped to prepare for moving into adulthood. Staff undertake work with children to learn new skills and understand real-life expectations. Children are encouraged to have high aspirations. As a result, children have a mature outlook on contributing to society and taking responsibility for their own success.

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improvement to be good

Staff help children to maintain good physical and mental health. Children are encouraged by staff to attend their routine health appointments and to engage with specialist services. Children are making progress and achieving targets that have been set to improve their health. Staff help children by working with them and other agencies to educate children and encouraging them to make choices that are better for their health. For example, children have reduced substance and alcohol misuse.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the importance of children maintaining links to their families and friends. Children enjoy the time they spend with loved ones. Staff liaise with children’s families and their local authority to make arrangements that work for the children. Some plans are complex, but the staff manage to ensure that all children are happy with the arrangements. Inspection report for children’s home: 2679276 4

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improvement to be good

The manager was not able to evidence that new employees have had overseas checks completed in relation to potential criminal activity. The provider states that these have been completed but has not recorded the discussions. This does not support safer recruitment practice.

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improvement to be good

Physical interventions are used to support children who are struggling to manage their emotions. However, the oversight of these events and discussions with children is undertaken by the manager even when he has been involved in a restraint. Therefore, children do not have the opportunity to discuss their experiences with an uninvolved person, and the oversight lacks independent scrutiny of practice. This could leave children at risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

A complaint made by a child did not receive an appropriate response. A child raised concerns on multiple occasions about a physical intervention but was told that they needed to write the complaint down and ‘think about it’. Leading statements may have also been used by staff when discussing the incident with the child. As a result, the child withdrew the allegation, and consequently, it was not investigated. This poor practice does not offer assurances that practice is subject to the appropriate level of scrutiny to safeguard children from the risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

When children are missing from home, staff act to return them as quickly and safely as possible. Staff search the local area and known hotspots and attempt to keep in touch with the children, their family members and friends. When children return home, independent interviews are completed with children to understand why they were missing from home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home is run by a registered manager and a newly appointed responsible individual. The manager is supported by a deputy and four full-time care staff. The staff are currently working towards their required qualification, meaning that there are no qualified staff working in the home. Staff vacancies are covered by agency staff and overtime. Staff report that they feel stretched and tired. This is impacting on the staff’s ability to offer consistent care to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager did not complete the required actions following an investigation into poor staff practice. When a child was left alone in the home without supervision, the manager referred the matter to the local authority designated officer as per procedure. A full investigation took place, which identified actions to be taken in response. The manager did not make a referral to Disclosure and Barring Service as agreed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager does not ensure that all staff are trained in the home’s chosen model of restraint practice. Permanent staff have been trained in a new approach, but agency staff have not received any training. Furthermore, children’s plans have not been Inspection report for children’s home: 2679276 5 updated with the new model and continue to refer to previous techniques. This means there is no clarity in how staff need to intervene if a child or others are at risk of harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers do not follow the organisation’s escalation procedure when they have concerns about the responses of other professionals. Children’s meeting minutes and local authority care plans therefore remain out of date. As a result, staff do not have access to the most up-to-date information about children. For example, the care plan for one child still relates to their last placement over 12 months ago.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager and staff maintain good lines of communication with professionals and family. Weekly reports are sent to the local authority, and regular phone calls are arranged with family to keep them up to date. When there are barriers to verbal communication, the manager writes to the family to share how the children are progressing. This work supports the maintenance of positive relationships with those who are important in children’s lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager and staff receive regular and effective supervision. Line managers use a structure aimed at developing staff to enable them to better care for children. The manager is upfront when discussing concerns and provides strategies to improve staff practice. Staff say they are supported by their manager to carry out their role effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: 2679276 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 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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)) 2 July 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; 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; and

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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. 2 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2679276 7 (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(h))

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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

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

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(c) (2)(a)(viii)) 2 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs; and

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)) 2 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must establish a procedure for considering complaints made by or on behalf of children.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the procedure must provide that no person who is the subject of a complaint takes any part in its consideration or investigation, except at the informal resolution stage if the registered person considers it appropriate.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. 2 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2679276 8 The registered person must ensure that no child is subject to any reprisal for making a complaint or representation. (Regulation 39 (1) (2) (3) (4))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should seek to create a home that is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children and is a homely, domestic environment. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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 Childre’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: 2679276 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: GAC Family Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 29a, The Link, 49 Effra Road, London SW2 1BZ

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Inspector

Lee Riley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2679276 10 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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