Children's Home run by Gateshead Council in Gateshead

SC036773 Unique reference number 3 November 2009 Inspection date Stella Henderson Inspector Key Type of Inspection

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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You can obtain copies of The Children Act 2004, Every Child Matters and The National Minimum Standards for Children's Services from: The Stationery Office (TSO) PO Box 29, St Cripins, Duke Street, Norwich, NR3 1GN. Tel: 0870 600 5522. Online ordering: www.tso.co.uk/bookshop

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcome for children set out in the Children Act 2004 and relevant National Minimum Standards for the establishment.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is strong Good: this aspect of the provision is sound Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is not good enough Inadequate: 3 of 8 Inspection Report: SC036773

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Brief description of the service

The children's home provides care and accommodation for up to five young people aged from 12 to 17 years. The home is a detached house with an enclosed garden at the rear. The ground floor comprises of a staff office, lounge, dining room, laundry, toilet and kitchen. On the second floor there are five individual bedrooms for young people, a further two bedrooms are used as staff sleep in rooms and there are two bathrooms. The home is a short distance from local shops. Local bus routes are nearby which provide easy access to the city centre and a range of amenities.

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Summary

The purpose of this unannounced visit was to follow up on requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection and to assess the home's capacity to meet the outcome areas for being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution, achieving economic wellbeing and organisation.

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Summary

The home provides a good standard of care for young people. Young people are supported to be healthy, to stay safe and are encouraged to make the most of their educational opportunities. Management and staff listen to what young people have to say, and their views make a difference.

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Summary

The current staff group is well-established and experienced with a good balance of age and gender. Staff are supported by clear policies and procedures, supervision and relevant training. They are consistent in their approach to young people and behaviour is managed at the lowest level.

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Summary

There is good management oversight into how the home is running and quality assurance systems are in place to monitor and improve the quality of care that young people receive. The overall quality rating is good. This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the Registered Person was required to keep an accurate record of all medication and carry out risk assessments on children's known or likely activities. Actions were also raised to ensure that matters under Schedule 6 are robustly monitored, and the home operates at all times in a manner that is consistent with its statement of purpose and conditions of registration. A recommendation was also made with regard to the recording of episodes of absconding. Evidence from this inspection demonstrates that these requirements and recommendations have now been met.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Young people receive a service that supports them to be healthy. Information around the home ensures that young people have an understanding about eating well and maintaining a proper diet. This helps promote their health in the short term and equips them with information to help them make healthy choices in future. 4 of 8 Inspection Report: SC036773 There is the opportunity for young people to contribute to menu planning and each week menus are sent to a dietician for monitoring. There is plenty of fruit, vegetables and drink available, and all meals are freshly prepared. Young people eat together in the dining room, and staff make a record of young people's food intake, so there is good management overview of whether young people are enjoying a balanced diet.

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Helping children to be healthy

Good health and well-being is effectively promoted by the compilation and implementation of clear health plans for each young person. These plans are based on initial and on-going health assessments and other available information. Young people are routinely registered with and receive services from primary health care services and individual records are updated accordingly. Where necessary, young people are referred on to more specialist services, such as those relating to psychological health, or the use of drugs and alcohol for example.

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Helping children to be healthy

All shifts are covered by staff who are trained to administer first aid. Young people have the necessary medical consents in place in order for staff to be able to act quickly and assist their well being. Health and safety is promoted through the home's policies and procedures for the administration of medication. All medication is safety stored in a locked cabinet and any medication dispensed is fully and accurately recorded. There are suitable procedures in place for the disposal of medicines.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Young people generally have their privacy respected. Sufficient bathroom facilities means that young people's dignity is protected, and each young person has their own bedroom key to prevent unnecessary intrusions. Confidential information is securely stored and electronic information is password protected.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Room searches are carried out in order to protect young people's welfare and are conducted in line with the home's policy. The recording of such events is not entirely compliant with these national minimum standards, however, with regard to the timing of such searches and explaining to the young person concerned why his or her room is being searched.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people confirm that they know how to make a complaint and how to raise any concerns they may have. Any complaints arising from either internal or external sources are investigated appropriately and within reasonable timescales.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The home's staffing arrangements are such that young people are appropriately supervised and staff have achieved a friendly, accepting and stable environment in which young people can live without fear or intimidation from their peers.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff are vigilant about any possible bullying and monitor young people's activities within the home. Each young person has an individualised behaviour management plan which enables their behaviour to be managed using discreet but effective, intervention in a way which best helps develop positive outcomes. Young people confirm that sanctions are fair.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Sound procedures are in place which staff follow when young people are absent from the home without authorisation. Appropriate documentation is maintained and staff ensure that when the young person returns they are provided with support. A welfare visit is also undertaken by local police. 5 of 8 Inspection Report: SC036773 The home provides a safe environment for young people. A risk assessment approach applies to all aspects of care, and the known and likely activities of young people. For example, regular testing and maintenance of fire equipment and systems ensures that they remain in good working order. The home also ensures that young people are conversant with fire evacuation procedures.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Personnel records were not inspected on this occasion, but the usual local authority appointment procedures are in place to ensure that no one who is unsuitable is employed at the home.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Young people are helped to succeed and reach their potential through effective staff support, guidance and encouragement. Individual placement plans are specific in outlining the outcomes to be achieved for young people. Through key working and more informal means, young people have their specific needs met and they are helped to be equipped with the practical and social skills they need to improve their life chances.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The home values education and achievement. Staff are good at supporting and encouraging the young people to attend suitable educational placements. There are financial incentives for young people who do attend. Staff have good links with the relevant services and agencies and work in collaboration with these to enable the young people to access appropriate placements.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Young people are helped to succeed and reach their potential. Staff emotionally reinforce young people when they make a positive effort and do well, and celebrate their achievements. This helps them to develop a sense of positive self esteem and belief in themselves.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Staff at the home work hard to produce high quality placement plans for young people. Each young person accommodated has a placement plan which is individualised to address their diverse needs. Plans are based on their assessed needs and updated as young people develop and change. Key workers meet with young people regularly to review and discuss how young people are getting on, as well as delivering support and encouragement in relation to identified goals.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The well-being and development of young people is reviewed on a regular basis, by formal measures, such as statutory reviews, and by daily general observations and communication with staff. This means that any changes in behaviour or development need is quickly noticed and steps taken to respond to those changes.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Young people are supported to express their views on decisions that affect their long term future, and are consulted with on a frequent basis through day to day contact with staff, social workers and the regulation 33 visitor.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Contact with family and significant others is encouraged and such arrangements are discussed at an early stage of the placement. Any restrictions on contact are made clear which means 6 of 8 Inspection Report: SC036773 that young people are, as far as possible, safeguarded. Young people with no close family have contact with a range of professionals and other individuals who are independent of the home.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Admissions and discharges are handled appropriately. New admissions to the home are in keeping with the statement of purpose, and young people confirm that they are made to feel welcome, given a copy of the children's guide and informed about the complaints procedure. Leaving the home is marked, where ever possible, by some kind of event of the young person's choosing, such as going out for a meal.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The provision is satisfactory. Young people are provided with opportunities to acquire the skills they need for independent living. Preparation for leaving care and adult life is an integrated part of the care provided in the home, so young people routinely learn skills through taking part in the tasks of running the home, such as cooking and helping with laundry.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

Only one young person at the home is entitled to leaving care services and planning is in its early stages. The leaving care plan is therefore sparse however the home's own pathway plan 'Getting Ready for Adult Life' helps young people to think about their needs on independence. Young people also have the benefit of a multi-agency service which provides young people with the opportunity to develop skills such as filling in forms and learning how to cook and budget.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

Young people live in a comfortable home, which is furnished to a high standard. Staff, including ancillary staff, help to create a welcoming, friendly and relaxed environment that provides ample space for the number, age, and gender of the young people living here. There are lots of books and the home is equipped with the kind of electronic equipment that young people now expect such as a flat-screen television and computer equipment.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The design, layout and use of the accommodation allows young people privacy should they need it and all young people have individual bedrooms where they can keep their personal belongings safe.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Young people benefit from living in an environment that is organised to meet their needs and which has their safety and well being central to the operation of the home.

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Organisation

The manager and staff team are all suitably qualified and have substantial experience in caring for young people. Staff are supported through team meetings, supervision and training to consolidate their skills, experience and competencies in meeting the needs of the young people and enabling the home to meet its aims and objectives.

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Organisation

Staffing levels are sufficient to ensure that young people enjoy continuity of care from staff who are familiar to them. The home is very well managed and the staff team is established and stable which enables young people to develop positive attachments. 7 of 8 Inspection Report: SC036773 Independent monitoring of the home enables young people to enjoy the best possible care and levels of safeguarding. Regulation 33 visits provide a statutory check on the home's functioning and identifies any shortfalls in practice or procedure. In addition, there are management systems in place to monitor the performance of the home and to identify where improvements to the quality of care can be made.

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Organisation

The promotion of equality and diversity is good. Young people receive a service designed to meet their diverse needs, including any needs arising out of religion, culture or sexuality, and this is clearly evidenced in the detailed level of care planning and the response to changing individual need. There is information in the home to help alert young people to the celebrations and festivities of their own and other communities, and of dealing with difference and diversity in general.

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Organisation

The samples of young peoples individual files inspected demonstrate that these are maintained to a good standard. There is excellent recording in the daily log, and staff ensure that young people's needs and progress are recorded to reflect their individuality. Files contain the necessary information as detailed in Schedule 3 of the Children's Homes Regulations 2001, including ethnicity and religious denomination and are securely stored to protect the children's confidentiality.

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Organisation

The home has a suitable statement of purpose and children's guide. This information enables young people, parents and professionals to have a clear understanding of the services to be provided.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions, which must be taken so that the registered person meets the Care Standards Act 2000, The Childrens Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The Registered Provider must comply with the given timescales.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • explain the reasons why it is necessary to conduct a search of the child's possessions, to the child concerned, and record the time of such searches. (NMS 9.8) 8 of 8 Inspection Report: SC036773

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