Children's home run by North Yorkshire Council in North Yorkshire

Inspection report for children's home: SC034220 1 SC034220 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

This home is owned and managed by a local authority. It offers pre-planned and emergency short breaks and long-term placements for up to 7 children.

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for children who have a sensory impairment and/or special educational needs and/or disabilities. The home also offers extended and bespoke packages of care on a shared-care basis.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, the home was providing long-term care for one child and one young person and short break stays for 28 children. The inspectors observed 4 children during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2023.

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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: 30 October 2024

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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: SC034220 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/10/2024 Full Good 08/08/2023 Full Good 28/06/2022 Full Good 23/03/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: SC034220 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people enjoy their short breaks and the time they spend at the home. Their social, emotional and health needs are met by a stable and consistent staff team that knows the children well. Children build positive, trusting relationships with staff, and a parent described the service as ‘phenomenal’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people enjoy a wide range of positive activities both inside and outside the home. Photos of them are proudly displayed throughout the home, showcasing moments of the children and young people’s participation in new activities and personal achievements. For some children and young people, these experiences are new and help broaden their horizons.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children and young people have complex health needs and these are promoted and understood by staff within the service. Staff support and advocate on behalf of children and young people. Additionally, staff help to ensure that children and young people attend health appointments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the children and young people’s individual communication methods, ensuring that their wishes and views are listened to. Communication tools around the home support children’s preferred method of communication. These methods include picture exchange communication system, objects of reference and Makaton. These approaches are embedded throughout the home and enable children and young people to make independent choices about their daily lives, such as food and activities. As a result, children and young people experience consistent reassurance that their views are valued and acted upon.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home was undergoing redecoration at the time of the inspection, creating a more welcoming and comforting environment for the children and young people who access the service. A variety of toys and games are available both inside the home and in the garden, supporting children to play together or independently. Children and young people also have access to a range of specialist equipment appropriate to their individual needs, ensuring they are well supported to engage safely and meaningfully in daily life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home provides a split service, enabling staff to support children and young people who require individual care as well as those accessing short ‑ break arrangements. However, staff routinely restrict one young person’s freedom of movement due to their complex needs. This includes locking doors to specific areas of the home used by the young person, despite them not being subject to a deprivation of liberty order. These restrictions are not consistently reviewed or evaluated in a timely manner to ensure they remain necessary and represent the least restrictive option. Inspection report for children's home: SC034220 4

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

Risks to children and young people are well understood by the registered manager and staff. Children’s vulnerabilities are assessed regularly, and care and support plans are routinely reviewed to ensure staff have clear guidance on the actions required to keep each child and young person safe. Risk reduction strategies are appropriately tailored to the individual child and young person’s needs and stage of development.

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

High staffing ratios mean children and young people are well supervised both inside the home and in the community. Staff follow safeguarding processes and ensure that children and young people have appropriate equipment available when they spend time in the community. This enables children and young people to have experiences away from the home in a safe way.

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

Medication administration procedures have been strengthened. When new staff join the home, there is a thorough induction to ensure that they are suitably skilled to administer and prepare medication. Managers have responded to medication errors, taking appropriate action to ensure that staff are competent. This has included additional refresher training and supervision for staff to reduce the risk of future errors.

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

Physical interventions are infrequent at this home. Staff find alternative ways to help children and young people cope when they experience overwhelming emotions. When such measures are necessary, staff ensure they are the least restrictive option. The manager reviews the incident promptly to identify learning and strengthen future practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an experienced manager who is supported by 2 deputy managers. There is a consistent staff team that provides stability in the home. Staff say they feel well supported and take pride in their role and responsibilities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Most of the staff have completed the local authority’s mandatory training. Leaders and managers ensure that staff have access to training to meet the specific needs of the individual children and young people in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager welcomes feedback from professionals and family members to make improvements in the home. Feedback received is used to inform practice and contributes to developing a collaborative, multi ‑ agency approach to meeting children and young people’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are systems in place to monitor the quality of care that children and young people receive. The management team routinely reviews the accuracy of children and young people’s plans and oversees arrangements to ensure the children and young people’s safety within the home. Inspection report for children's home: SC034220 5 Team meetings take place regularly. However, staff do not receive supervision in line with the provider’s supervision policy. This hinders the manager’s ability to evaluate staff practice to improve the quality of care provided to children. Inspection report for children's home: SC034220 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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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 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)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 2 March 2026

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff receive regular supervision in accordance with the provider’s policy and the statement of purpose of the home. 2 March 2026 Inspection report for children's home: SC034220 7

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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: SC034220 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: North Yorkshire Council

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Cherie Chen, Social Care Inspector Ali Owens, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC034220 9 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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Inspectors

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