Children's home run by North East Autism Society in County Durham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC416136 1 SC416136 Registered provider: North East Autism Society Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private provider. It offers care for up to five children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, five children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is in the process of applying to register with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected and their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 3 September 2024

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC416136 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/09/2024 Full Good 11/09/2023 Full Good 20/09/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 04/01/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC416136 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

During the inspection, the inspectors met with all five children. Since the last inspection, four children have moved into the home, and two children have been supported to move out of the home in a planned way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Managers obtain detailed information about children to inform decisions about admissions. However, the current assessments that evaluate staff’s capabilities in meeting the children’s needs are flawed and do not accurately reflect their presenting needs. One child was admitted ahead of the planned date, despite insufficient staffing levels at the time. Due to ongoing recruitment for permanent staff, agency staff have been arranged to work at the home. As a result, children’s needs are not being fully understood, which is adversely affecting their overall experience of living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Fire safety has not been effectively prioritised in the home. The fire risk assessment is outdated and does not accurately reflect current fire safety arrangements. Fire doors were observed propped open in communal areas in the home, the office, and two children’s bedrooms. This compromises containment of any risk from fire. Additionally, an external door is locked overnight, potentially obstructing safe exit during an emergency. Inadequate cleaning of the cooker resulted in a fire, and the appliance remains damaged with a broken door. These oversights in fire safety practice raise significant concerns about the safe maintenance of the home and places children at increased risk.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The home requires some maintenance and repairs internally and in the garden. Although the manager is developing areas in the home for the children to enjoy or relax, there are some safety concerns. Maintenance is not completed in a timely way and resulting in some unsafe areas which restricts children's access.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s access in the home is restricted. Fob access on kitchen doors prevents children from being able to access the kitchen when the doors are closed. Kitchen cupboards are also locked where children’s snacks are stored. In addition, some children’s wardrobes have locked doors, preventing their access to clothing and toys.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff do not always protect Children’s privacy. One child told staff that they had seen other children naked and had recordings of the interiors of children’s bedrooms. Therefore, staff have not taken steps to protect children’s privacy or prevent other children from accessing their rooms. Furthermore, no learning from these incidents is recorded.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children are supported in attending their school or college. However, not all children in the home have secure arrangements for their future learning. One child is due to leave primary school and does not know where they will be going next. Although the staff are aware of this, there has been no escalation to provide reassurance for the child. Inspection report for children’s home: SC416136 4 Children who come to live at the home are offered new experiences. Staff regularly offer children activities in the home and the community. Children enjoy day trips with staff and are encouraged to access social activities. Staff listen to children’s views about their interests and hobbies and regularly hold children’s meetings to discuss what they would like to do.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The staff promote positive family time and experiences for children. Staff work well with professionals and parents to ensure that there are suitable arrangements in place. Staff supervise and support these arrangements, and family members visit the home, including children’s siblings. This helps children to maintain links with important people in their lives.

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

Staff regularly physically restrain children in the home. Since the last inspection, there have been 100 restraints recorded involving three children. Records of physical interventions do not always evidence how staff have tried to de-escalate a situation, and it is therefore unclear if a child is held when all other efforts have been made to prevent this.

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

Restraints have resulted in injuries to some children. Furthermore, staff do not routinely offer children medical attention or someone independent to speak with. Although there are systems in place for the manager to have oversight of injuries, this has not led to any additional support for children.

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

Children are often held in supine positions on the floor. Although managers identify that this practice needs to change, children’s plans continue to detail these holds for staff to restrain children. Restraints of children have included the manager holding a child. When this happens, there is no separate oversight by another manager to speak with the child and consider any injuries sustained and whether the hold was reasonable and proportionate. Therefore, the safety of children when being held by staff and managers is not being fully explored and learning is not being taken forward.

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

Staff have not demonstrated a proactive approach in ensuring children receive timely medical care or support following accidents or injuries. In one instance, a child reported pain after an incident but was not provided with suitable first aid or access to healthcare professionals. As a result, some children’s health needs have not been adequately addressed.

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

Children’s allegations against staff are not always investigated. Inspectors are aware of instances where children have been hurt by staff, but managers failed to investigate. This does not provide assurances that safeguarding is prioritised and that children’s allegations are taken seriously and addressed.

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

Children’s plans and assessments contain some inaccuracies. Risk management strategies in the home are not consistently updated in response to changing risks. Where Inspection report for children’s home: SC416136 5 strategies exist, children’s plans do not indicate how these are reviewed or adapted in line with changing needs. Children’s risks are not fully understood and therefore not managed.

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

Staff do not follow the home’s policy for the safe administration of children’s medication. During the inspection, a child was seen to have access to other children’s medication, albeit he was supervised by staff. Additionally, the medication room openly stores and allows children to access unsafe items, such as nails and batteries.

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

Safe recruitment practice is not fully embedded. Although the home has developed safe recruitment practices for permanent staff, there is limited information available for agency staff. In two instances, profiles of agency staff only hold their first names, and profiles do not provide details of the workers’ previous experience, work history or references. The manager does not keep a record of agency staff on the home’s rota, and agency staff do not consistently sign in and out for the manager to retain an accurate record of adults entering the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home has not had a registered manager since November 2024. A manager has been recruited and is currently in the process of applying for registration.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The leaders and managers do not have effective oversight of the home to understand its strengths and weaknesses and areas for improvement have not been identified. This shortfall has affected the experiences and protection of children in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home does not have effective systems in place to routinely evaluate the quality of care provided to children. At the time of the inspection, leaders and managers had failed to produce a report assessing this care. When such reports are completed, they lack input from children, parents, staff, and other professionals. As a result, despite considerable changes in management and staffing, along with incidents involving elevated risk, leaders and managers have not undertaken a thorough review to identify and implement improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The leaders and managers have failed to ensure that all significant incidents relating to children’s welfare or protection are reported to Ofsted. The home has failed to notify Ofsted about staff allegations or other serious incidents involving children harming themselves or other children. This prevents scrutiny to ensure that appropriate action is taken following an incident to make sure that the child’s needs are met and they are safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The statement of purpose contains outdated information and requires a review to ensure that it is accurate and reflects the service delivery and staffing structure of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff and managers receive regular supervision but they are not provided an opportunity for reflective practice. The manager receives regular supervision from a senior manager, but there is no exploration of how the manager is monitoring the home, managing risks Inspection report for children’s home: SC416136 6 and overseeing staff practice. Staff supervision follows a set agenda but there is no exploration of incidents that staff have been involved in to help them reflect on what has worked well or explore any learning. Although senior managers identify that there is a need to change the culture in the home, there is no support or challenge seen for professional development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Not all staff have attained the required qualification. Seven permanent staff members hold qualifications, and others are working towards them. However, one member of staff has missed the deadline for attaining their qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff are provided with relevant training when they start working at the home. Training is refreshed at regular intervals to ensure that staff have the necessary skills to meet children’s needs. However, agency staff do not receive the same training. Inspection report for children’s home: SC416136 7

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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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(iii)(vi)) 27 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

provide adequate means of escape from the home in the event of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(a)(b)) 27 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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child 27 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC416136 8 and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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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

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; 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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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

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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 (b)(c)) 19 August 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a 19 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC416136 9 result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a) (5))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)(e)) 19 August 2025

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 19 August 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. 19 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC416136 10 The registered person may only—

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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 an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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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

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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the date, time and location of the use of the measure

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; 19 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC416136 11 within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. (Regulation 23 (1)) 19 August 2025

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must have a record showing each person working at the home and their full details. The staff rotas must accurately reflect the staff who are on shift. 19 August 2025

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person makes a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding children and promoting their welfare. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)  The registered person should ensure that the home’s statement of purpose is kept under review. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.5) Inspection report for children’s home: SC416136 12

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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: SC416136 13

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: North East Autism Society

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 15 Lumley Court, Drum Industrial Estate, Chester-le- Street, County Durham DH2 1AN

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Inspectors

Joanne Wallis, Social Care Inspector Claire Webster, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC416136 14 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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