Children's Home run by Invested Childcare Ltd in Middlesbrough

Inspection report for children's home: 2695599 1 Registered provider: Invested Childcare Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

This home is operated by a private provider. It provides care for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2023. He was not present in the home during the inspection.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of the inspection, 3 children were living in the home, and all spoke with the inspector.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children's home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2695599 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/06/2025 Full Outstanding 30/04/2024 Full Good 29/08/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2695599 3

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Summary of findings

Children in this home are making exceptional progress. They receive highly personalised care from staff who know them well. Staff work with children's families, social workers and others to provide highly effective care. Staff understand and respond well to any risks that children face. High-quality direct work with children also helps them to understand risks and keep themselves safer. Managers have excellent oversight of children's care. Staff are highly supported in their respective roles, allowing them to provide high-quality care that allows children to flourish.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are extremely settled and form positive and trusting relationships with staff. This includes children who have previously experienced significant disruption in their lives, and the stability they now experience provides the basis for the progress that they are making. Children enjoy living in the home, with one child describing the staff as 'unreal' and saying that they rate them as '10 out of 10'. Children have incentives such as the 'wheel of wow', which recognises and rewards their achievements. Children's achievements are also captured and celebrated through high-quality monthly newsletters and annual awards.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children's moves to and from the home are planned thoroughly, and children are provided with high levels of support by staff. When one child expressed a wish to move to semi-independence, staff advocated for this child and supported them to be well prepared for this. When the child moved on, staff provided a high level of support to help them to settle in their new home. When children move into the home, they visit before their move to meet staff and children, and there is effective information-sharing with external professionals. This ensures that children are well prepared for their moves and that staff have the information they need about children before they move to the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children receive exceptional care that is individualised to their needs. Children gain confidence and self-esteem because staff provide consistent and therapeutically informed care. One child has been supported to embrace their identity, which has contributed to significant improvements in their confidence and emotional wellbeing. Another child has been helped to greatly improve relationships with their family. This has improved their experiences of family time and opened the possibility of reunification in the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff provide children with a variety of new and exciting experiences. Children attend clubs and go on regular holidays and trips. Children have been able to go on foreign holidays that link to their interests. For example, one child recently returned from a trip with staff to Eastern Europe, which they thoroughly enjoyed. Children attend rugby and Inspection report for children's home: 2695599 4 martial arts clubs, with staff often travelling long distances to ensure that children get to training and matches. Another child has been supported to attended Pride events in various parts of the country. This all provides children with enjoyable and enriching experiences and shows them that they are valued by those around them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff are highly dedicated to helping children flourish in their education. One child has made exceptional progress from a point of non-attendance at school to now having completed their GCSEs and making plans to attend college. When there have been some barriers to children's education, staff work diligently with each child's school and social worker to overcome these. This has included alternative education plans and regular tutoring being put in place, which children respond well to. This support is helping children achieve and be better prepared for their futures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children benefit from an exceptionally welcoming and well-maintained environment. Communal areas include a variety of books and games, as well as computer facilities. The home is personalised and child friendly. Children provide input into how their bedrooms are decorated and furnished. The environment contributes to children's feelings of safety and security and contributes to the stable base upon which they are able to make progress in different areas.

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

Staff have an excellent understanding of risks that children face and work diligently to keep them safe. Risk assessments and support plans are detailed, kept up to date and contain all relevant information. They contain clear strategies for staff to follow, and staff work in line with these. Staff work closely with external professionals when required to ensure that risks to children are well understood and managed effectively by all involved in their care.

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

Staff complete high-quality, direct work to help children to stay safe. They have worked with children on their emotional wellbeing, helping them to significantly reduce incidents of self-harm. One child who vaped regularly has been helped to access specialist services and, with support from staff, produced their own online video on the dangers of vaping. For another child, a member of staff who is the 'online champion' at the home worked with them to help them understand and manage online risks. Children engage well in this work, and it has helped them become safer over time.

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

Staff work extremely effectively to support positive behaviour. This includes regular consultation between staff and the allocated therapeutic practitioners. This helps staff gain a greater understanding of children's experiences and how they may be affecting their current needs. Staff role model positive behaviour to children, who respond well to this. When children are upset, staff respond therapeutically and adopt a restorative approach to any behaviours of concern. As a result, there are relatively few significant incidents in the home, and the use of restraint has not been necessary. Inspection report for children's home: 2695599 5 When there are allegations against staff, managers work with children's social workers and the local authority designated officer to ensure that these are responded to appropriately. Clear actions are taken to ensure that children are safe, and appropriate investigations are undertaken.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers know the home extremely well and have an exceptional understanding of the children and their needs. Leaders and managers have detailed oversight of staff and the care that they provide to children. They speak to staff and children regularly and are readily available to provide advice and support. Managers use learning tools to reflect on practice with staff, complete regular performance audits and carefully consider all safeguarding incidents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Children's views are at the heart of managers' practice. Staff supported one child to chair their own care review as per their wishes. Additionally, the home has adopted innovative ways to help children to be able to give views or to make complaints. This includes the use of technology and helps children have a variety of ways to have their voices heard. Children are also helped to access independent advocacy to help them be heard in decisions about their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers have developed practices that are both innovative and worthy of wider dissemination. They have created a detailed education support template for one child who was experiencing challenges with their engagement in school. This was shared with other providers, receiving positive comments from the child's local authority. Leaders and managers have also delivered online safety training to other providers, helping to share their expertise in this area. Additionally, they also attend meetings with other providers and professionals in the local area to share information and areas of good practice. This contributes to improved standards of care for children in this home and children living elsewhere.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers offer appropriate and high levels of challenge to external professionals on behalf of children. This has resulted in one child securing their desired college placement and another being able to remain in their school of choice following a proposed temporary move. Managers have also challenged police to gain clarity on an investigation, which helped to provide closure and assurance for one child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are overwhelmingly positively about the support given to them by leaders and managers. Staff access relevant and high-quality training and regular therapeutic sessions with the home's allocated clinicians. Team meetings are held regularly and are well attended by staff. Staff also receive regular reflective supervision sessions. This all ensures that staff have the knowledge and skills to provide an exceptional standard of care to children, which helps children make substantial progress in different areas of their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

No requirements or recommendations were made at this inspection. Inspection report for children's home: 2695599 6

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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: 2695599 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Invested Childcare Ltd

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Acklam Hall, Hall Gardens, Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire TS5 7BJ

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Inspector

Jon Collins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2695599 8 regulates and inspects to 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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