Children's Home run by Pear Tree Projects Limited in Durham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC007608 1 SC007608 Registered provider: Pear Tree Projects 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 run by a private organisation. 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

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

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2020.

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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: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC007608 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/05/2025 Full Good 10/09/2024 Full Good 04/10/2023 Full Good 31/10/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC007608 3

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Summary of findings

Staff build positive relationships with children and engage them in positive activities. However, relationships between the children themselves are fractious and children say that they do not feel that staff manage this effectively. Attempts to manage risks in the home have not always been effective. Shortfalls in the leadership of the home have resulted in inconsistencies in the care and treatment that children receive. Overall, there are areas of improvements required to ensure that the children have good experiences and safe and effective care.

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improvement to be good

Children’s experiences of living in the home vary. They receive a warm welcome and their care plans are individualised and easy to understand. Children say that they like living in the home, which offers them ample room to spend time together or separately. However, staff have not been able to support the children to build consistent positive relationships between themselves, which are often strained and, at times, have been categorised as bullying. One child described leaving the house ‘to escape the noise’ and despite raising their worries with staff on multiple occasions, said that staff respond by telling them to ‘go to their bedroom out of the way’ or to ‘try and stick up for themselves’. Despite some children being negatively affected by other relationships in the home, this has not been addressed by staff and continues.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported by staff to develop their self-care skills and are making progress in their independence. The registered manager is keen for staff to help children to develop positive self-confidence and their own identities, despite their additional needs. While staff understand the importance of emotional wellbeing and how this affects a child’s personal development, appropriate specialist help has not been sought for one child, who regularly expresses self-injurious thoughts.

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improvement to be good

Children know how to complain. They are encouraged to share their views in various ways, including using the ‘feedback for my key worker’ form. In addition, regular house meetings take place, and children are encouraged to lead these meetings. However, children do not have access to independent advocacy. This has the potential to limit their ability to raise concerns about their care particularly, when at times, they feel their worries are not being listened to and acted upon.

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improvement to be good

Children are encouraged to learn from their actions. Positive behaviour is rewarded and their achievements are celebrated. However, one child has received financial penalties imposed because of their behaviour which have taken many months to pay. Despite this Inspection report for children’s home: SC007608 4 consequence clearly not working, this measure of discipline continues to be used without any reflection on the effectiveness of it. One professional said;

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improvement to be good

‘The model of intervention in the home is punitive. If [Name of child] hasn’t agreed to wash their hair, they do not get a cuddle. If [Name of child] has not done their tasks, they do not have their tea. I think the way they operate is not the best way for children with attachment issues.’

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improvement to be good

Children attend the provider’s on-site education provision. They attend regularly and are making progress academically from their starting points. Feedback from professionals is variable. While some raise concerns about how staff manage relationships in the home and how they manage children’s specific behaviours, others are positive. One professional described one child as being, ‘The happiest they have ever seen them.’

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improvement to be good

Inconsistencies in the management of incidents affects how staff respond to risks. This means that staff do not always have a clear understanding of some of the strategies that the home adopts. For example, the registered manager directs staff to use the ‘ignoring strategy’ in risk management plans. However, staff are using this approach when immediate safeguarding concerns arise. While no child came to any harm, staff used this strategy when a child tied a ligature round their neck in the presence of staff. Despite this incident and the child repeatedly threatening to run out into the road, there is no ligature risk assessment in place. The regulator was not informed of this incident as the registered manager did not view this as a serious incident.

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improvement to be good

Incidents of bullying between some children in the home are known. The registered manager has put in place a bullying risk assessment. However, the risk management plans include strategies for staff to teach peers to stand up for themselves without ‘going too far’. There is no clear definition of what this means in practice and puts the responsibility on the children rather than the staff to manage these situations. As such, these incidents continue.

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improvement to be good

The risk of harm due to one child using sharp household implements as weapons is known by staff. However, during one incident, staff failed to remove a sharp object from a child, when this was being used to threaten peers in the home. When sharp items are removed, they are stored in the laundry, which is not always locked and which children can access. This does not keep children safe.

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improvement to be good

Staff are skilled at using appropriate techniques to guide and hold children to keep them and others safe. However, one record of an incident where a child is alleged to have sustained an injury during a hold lacks clarity or medical follow up. Furthermore, another incident that includes potential fire setting is poorly recorded. Management oversight of these incidents is not thorough and lacks professional curiosity. Inspection report for children’s home: SC007608 5

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

Shortfalls in leadership and management of this home have resulted in inconsistencies in the children’s care and treatment. The registered manager has not carefully considered the seriousness of some incidents and, as such, has not reported them to the regulator. This means that Ofsted cannot evaluate effectively the level of risk and act.

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

At times, the registered manager has not taken sufficient action to address the potential risk of harm to children. She has not ensured that staff have the necessary skills and knowledge to identify and act upon signs that children are at risk of harm. The management oversight of some of the children’s records include blaming language, which is unkind and unhelpful. This creates a risk of reinforcing children’s negative view of themselves.

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

The registered manager expresses a vision for the home, which includes providing good experiences for the children. The provider has a detailed model of care that focuses on creating a therapeutic environment for the children. However, the registered manager and staff could not fully articulate this model and how this is demonstrated in practice.

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

The registered manager is very experienced and understands the strengths of the home. She speaks highly of staff’s commitment and relationships with the children. She recognises that the team are always learning and looking for ways to be more reflective.

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

Staff speak positively about the registered manager and are happy with the support that they receive. They say that they benefit from regular formal supervision sessions although supervisors do not consistently record SMART targets. Staff meetings are well attended, and children are a focus. They speak warmly about the children and the progress they are making. Inspection report for children’s home: SC007608 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, 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 health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(c)) 30 Sept 2026

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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

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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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

that staff— 30 Sept 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC007608 7 meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iv)(xi)(xii)(xiii)(b))

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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; 30 Sept 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC007608 8 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; and

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(c))

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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

Lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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 and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(f)(g)(ii)) 30 September 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— 30 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC007608 9 a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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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

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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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)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all children have access to an independent advocate to advise them and ensure they have the support needed to express their views, wishes and feelings about their care and lives. (‘Guide to The Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.16)  The registered person should ensure that any sanctions used to address children’s behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. (‘Guide to The Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

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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: SC007608 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pear Tree Projects Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Peartree House, Bolam, DARLINGTON, County Durham DL2 2UP

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Inspectors

Tenji Wesa, Social Care Inspector (lead) Chrissie Edmonds, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC007608 11 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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