Children's Home run by South Tyneside Council in South Tyneside

SC032701 Unique reference number 20 July 2010 Inspection date Stephen Graham Inspector Key Type of Inspection

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20 January 2010 Date of last 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: SC032701

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Brief description of the service

The service provides long term residential care for up to nine looked after young people of either sex, aged from 16 years old up to their 18th birthday. Care is provided in a staged way, which moves young people from a group living environment in Stage One to semi-independent living in Stage Two.

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Brief description of the service

The building is detached and purpose-built. There are five bedrooms in Stage One and two flats and two bedsits in Stage Two. There are a number of other communal rooms available in Stage One, including a lounge, dining room and sitting room. There is a training skills and education room which is used to help promote independent living skills.

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Brief description of the service

The home is located within a short walking distance of a variety of local amenities. It is also well served by public transport.

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Summary

The purpose of this visit was to conduct a full un-announced inspection which examined all key national minimum standards.

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Summary

Young people living at the home benefit from good levels of care. They are encouraged to contribute their views on menu choice and to learn how to shop and cook. However, staff do not keep a clear record of the food eaten by each young person, including those who are semi-independent, to help demonstrate that they eat healthily. The staff team are given regular training and receive good support to help them keep young people safe. However, some of the records used to demonstrate how young people are kept safe lack some detail. Young people receive good support in their employment and education and are encouraged to give their views about how the home is run. The accommodation is spacious and staff work hard to provide a homely environment for young people to live in. However, the maintenance records are not always completed in sufficient detail to demonstrate that repairs are completed promptly. The

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Summary

home is well organised and the staff team overall is well qualified and experienced. The quality of care provided at the home is regularly monitored by the manager. However, some parts of the reports produced to demonstrate this lack detail. 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

To help keep young people safe, the record of any sanctions imposed is now completed in sufficient detail to demonstrate that they are appropriate and follow agreed guidance. The record of any room searches that occur at the home has been improved and now includes all necessary information. The previous recommendation made regarding the detail of recording in the missing persons log has not been fully implemented. Therefore, the previous recommendation regarding this matter is carried forward in this report.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. 4 of 8 Inspection Report: SC032701 Young people living at the home receive good help from staff to meet their health needs. Their individual food preferences are discussed and recorded. They are encouraged to be involved in menu choice and contribute their ideas to menu planning at their regular young person’s meetings. The home has a dedicated cook and the meals provided are varied and include healthy choices and examples of food from different cultures. However, the records kept by staff of the food provided to young people each day are not sufficiently detailed to demonstrate the choices they have made and food they have eaten. Young people shop for food with staff and regularly help with food preparation. Staff team members receive training in safe food hygiene. The staff team also encourage young people to exercise and support them to access a range of healthy activities. A key staff member takes responsibility for providing information and

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Helping children to be healthy

helping to organise these activities. One social worker describes very positively how the home ‘has positive links with health services and professionals. They work with young people to promote a healthy lifestyle, working closely on issues such as diet, exercise, drugs and alcohol use’.

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Helping children to be healthy

Young people receive good support to help access the health services that they need. The staff team have good links with a range of local health services and help young people to register with these. They support their attendance at routine health appointments and also help them to access any additional specialist advice where this is necessary. All of the young people who spoke with or wrote to us were able to confirm that they are able to see a doctor or other health professional if necessary. When asked, ‘what does the home do to look after you if you are feeling unwell?’ all young people responded positively. One described in detail how the staff, ‘make an appointment at the doctors, if really bad they will take you to the hospital’. The staff team are trained in first aid and have access to specialist advice and guidance to help ensure that they administer medication to young people safely. The health records are also closely

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Helping children to be healthy

monitored by managers at the home. This helps to ensure that young people are receiving the services and advice that they need.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. There are good arrangements in place to help make sure that young people are cared for safely. There is guidance for staff about how care records should be written and kept safely stored. Young people are also encouraged to read and contribute to these records and to sign them in acknowledgement. Room checks take place, if this is necessary, to help keep young people safe. The staff team have clear guidance to follow when checks take place. They keep a clear record of each check and its outcome.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Any visitors to the home are supervised by the staff team to ensure that all young people are safe when visitors are present. Thorough checks are completed on staff team members to ensure that they themselves are suitable to work with children and young people.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

To help keep young people safe and protect them from abuse, the staff team participate in agreed safeguarding training. Detailed guidance and reporting procedures are in place to assist them in this and they complete detailed risk assessments for each young person to help further ensure this. One placing social worker described how ‘Staff are always represented in review and care plan meetings and are knowledgeable around safeguarding and child protection issues.’ There are agreed procedures in place to help staff record and respond to any complaints received at the home. Young people spoken with each confirmed that there were people they could talk 5 of 8 Inspection Report: SC032701 to if they were ever unhappy. There are also clear procedures in place which are used to help ensure that if young people are ever missing they are found and kept safe, as quickly as possible. However, some of the entries in the missing person log are not sufficiently detailed to always

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

demonstrate how long young people were missing and if anyone independent to the home had spoken to them about the reasons for their absence.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

A bullying log is used to help staff monitor and respond to any events. Training is also provided to staff in how to minimise the risk of bullying as well as how to use agreed sanctions and physical restraint if ever necessary to help keep young people safe. The staff team use a range of incentives to help promote positive behaviour by young people.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Risk assessments are used by staff to help ensure that the home is a safe place for young people to live in. Routine checks are undertaken on the safety equipment which may be needed in an emergency. The staff team help young people to practice what they should do in any emergency. All of the young people who wrote to us confirmed that staff at the home help them learn about how to keep themselves safe.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Young people living at the home receive good levels of close individual support. They are encouraged by the staff team to take part in a broad range of social activities in the community. Young people have regular discussions with their key workers about the support that they need and these discussions and the progress they make is recorded for reference. Written progress reports are provided regularly to each placing social worker. One wrote and described very positively how ‘individual hobbies and interests are identified in placement plan records and are considered at care plan meetings. Young people are actively encouraged to engage in sports and activities and staff at the home facilitate and support access to local services’.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Young people also receive good help in meeting their educational and employment needs. An education advisor with links to the home described how staff team members ‘support my meetings with young people to discuss education, employment or training and promote the benefits of learning.’ The home is also closely involved in the local development of the national ‘care 2 work’ initiative, improving employment and educational opportunities for young people in their care. The staff team liaise closely with local colleges and employment initiatives to support the positive engagement of young people, with nearly all of the young people currently living at the home engaged in learning, training or employment. An ‘in house’ programme of activities is also available as an alternative until regular training or employment opportunities are found for each young person. The home has its own education and activity room which is

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

well equipped and presented and is used by a variety of professional visitors to the home when meeting with young people.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Young people living at the home have an agreed care plan. These are monitored closely by the staff team who also provide placing social workers with regular updates on the progress made in meeting them. One placing social worker described how they receive ‘update emails from the home sent to our service daily which I feel has a positive impact on working together. The outcome of which is better planning for the individual young people.’ 6 of 8 Inspection Report: SC032701 Regular meetings are organised to review the progress of each young person. Key workers prepare detailed written reports to help inform these meetings. Young people are encouraged by staff to give their written views on the care they receive. They also attend their meetings in person. In discussion, young people confirmed that they could contribute their views at these meetings and felt listened to.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

There are good arrangements in place which help to ensure that when young people come to live at the home they are admitted safely. Risk assessments are completed and staffing numbers adjusted as necessary to support young people to settle in quickly and safely. The home also has clear procedures which are used by staff to support young people maintain good contact with family and friends. When contact is appropriate and agreed, the staff team monitor it as it occurs and share any concerns that may arise with placing social workers to help keep young people safe.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Young people are encouraged by staff to attend regular house meetings and to share their views and ideas with the group. A record is kept of these meetings and the suggestions young people have made. These are considered by the manager and staff team and a record is kept of how they are implemented in the running of the home. Young people can also talk individually with staff or their key worker at any time. One placing social worker also described how ‘young people are encouraged to give feedback via consultation documents.’

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The provision is good. Young people receive good support to help them practice the life skills they will need to live successfully and independently when they are older. Written pathway plans are completed to help young people prepare for independent living and these are supplemented by the individual ‘life skills’ programme agreed for each young person living at the home. The staff team liaise with placing social workers and staff from leaving care services to ensure that these plans are monitored and supported effectively.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The home is decorated and furnished to a good standard. Furniture, fittings and equipment are monitored by staff to ensure they remain safe. Any damage occurring is logged and reported for repair. However, the log does not always clearly indicate how long it has taken for repairs to be completed.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The home has a Statement of Purpose which is regularly reviewed and updated. Young people also receive their own guide to the home. This contains good information about how the service is provided and informs young people who they should speak to if they need any further advice.

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Organisation

The staff team working at the home are well qualified and very experienced in working with children and young people. Placing social workers and professionals with links to the service describe how ‘the service is strong at inter-agency working and communicating with partners and stakeholders’ and also how ‘regular updates are received informing social workers of current circumstances of the young people.’ Young people themselves describe the home as good at ‘keeping us safe, keeping us healthy’ and also good at ‘building my independence.’ 7 of 8 Inspection Report: SC032701 The ongoing training needs of the staff team are regularly reviewed and they are encouraged to attend a variety of additional training events. The staffing levels at the home are closely monitored by managers and adjusted to help ensure that the needs of young people living at the home are met on a daily basis.

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Organisation

The promotion of equality and diversity is good. Guidance and training for staff working at the home helps to ensure this.

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Organisation

The manager has systems in place to help them monitor the home's records. However, the written reports subsequently produced are not always completed in sufficient detail to fully demonstrate the monitoring completed. Young people's files are generally well maintained and kept safely stored. They contain the information needed by staff to care successfully for young people.

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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): • ensure that the record of menus (as served) demonstrates that all young people living at the home are provided with a suitable and varied diet (NMS 10.4) • ensure that recording within the missing persons log is completed in full detail (NMS 19.6) • ensure that maintenance records are completed in sufficient detail to demonstrate that any necessary repairs have been completed promptly (NMS 24.3) • ensure that monthly monitoring reports are sufficiently detailed to demonstrate that all required matters have been fully monitored (NMS 33.1) 8 of 8 Inspection Report: SC032701

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