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

Unique reference number SC032697 Inspection date 14/10/2010 Inspector Stephen Graham Type of inspection Random

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Date of last inspection 09/06/2010 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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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 Crispins, 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.

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About this inspection

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 outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004 and the relevant National Minimum Standards for the service.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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Brief description of the service

The home provides long-term residential care for six young people of either sex, aged from 10 to under 18 years of age. One of the places is reserved for an emergency placement. The home is a two-storey property and is within a short walking distance of a range of local amenities. Young people benefit from individual bedrooms, shared bathrooms, a lounge, kitchen, dining room and study room as well as a large enclosed rear garden.

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Summary

This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection.

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Summary

The purpose of this unannounced visit was an interim inspection to sample some key national minimum standards. The inspection examined outcomes for young people in the area of staying safe. In addition, progress with the actions and recommendations made at the previous inspection with regard to being healthy and organisation was also examined.

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Summary

Outcomes for the areas assessed and the overall quality rating are good.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the previous inspection, one action and five recommendations were made to improve practice in the outcome areas of being healthy, staying safe and organisation. All but three of these have been satisfactorily addressed; the three outstanding recommendations relating to missing person records, fire evacuations and the Statement of Purpose for the home have been restated.

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Helping children to be healthy

To help demonstrate how the health care needs of the young people living at the home are met, the records of the meals prepared and provided to young people have been improved. These records now demonstrate how individual choices and food preferences have been discussed with young people, and their views recorded and incorporated into the daily menu of food served at the home.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The home has good arrangements in place to help make sure that young people are cared for safely. Staff have written guidance about how case records should be completed and kept safely stored. There is written guidance in place regarding staff entering and searching bedrooms, if this is necessary, to help keep children safe. Clear records are maintained of any search undertaken, the reasons for it and the outcome.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Visitors are welcomed at the home. Staff members check to make sure their visitors are suitable and that both they and other children who live in the home are safe when visitors are present. Checks are undertaken on staff to ensure that they are suitable to work with children. However, the records of these are not always sufficiently detailed to demonstrate the thoroughness of the checks completed.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Arrangements for safeguarding young people from abuse are good. Safeguarding training is provided regularly to staff. There are good systems in place to help monitor the safety of young people and respond to any incidents. The staff team work closely with placing social workers and other local authority staff to keep children safe and have improved procedures to ensure that detailed risk assessments are always completed to help achieve this. If young people are ever missing staff have agreed procedures to follow to make sure they are found and kept safe as quickly as possible. A written record is kept of each absence and any known reasons for this. However, this record does not clearly demonstrate whether the young person has been seen by their social worker or someone independent of the home following their return. Also the record does not include that when a visit has not been possible, the reasons for this have been clearly agreed and recorded. Staff have

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

clear guidance to help them protect young people from bullying. A record is kept of any instances occurring at the home and the action taken in response to them.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people receive clear information about how to make a formal complaint if they are unhappy. Positively, there have been no complaints in the period since the previous inspection visit. There are procedures and incentives in place which are used by staff to help children develop socially acceptable behaviour. Agreed sanctions are also imposed and reparation made where necessary. Restraints are used at the home if this is necessary to help keep young people safe. Accredited training in this is provided to staff. Staff guidance regarding the detail of recording within the restraints log has been improved to ensure all required information is included.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Risk assessments and health and safety checklists are used to help ensure that the home is a safe place for children to live. Staff undertake routine checks on the building and the safety equipment that might be needed in an emergency. Staff know what to do if there is an emergency and they practise this with the children. However, the records maintained of the fire drills provided do not indicate whether any have been held at night.

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Organisation

To help make sure that young people live in a home that is properly organised, the home has a written Statement of Purpose which describes the manner in which care is provided. However, some of the information it contains, particularly with regard to admission procedures, has not been updated to ensure it remains accurate.

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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):

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Recommendations

 ensure that young people are seen by someone independent of the home following any absence without consent. Where this is not possible, record the reasons and agree these with the placing authority (NMS 19.4)  ensure that the fire drill record includes an indication of any fire drills held at night (NMS 26.8)  maintain clear records of all the information gathered during the recruitment of new staff, particularly any additional information gathered regarding acknowledged gaps in their previous employment history (NMS 27.2)  provide an accurate description within the Statement of Purpose of the facilities available at the home to admit young people in an emergency. (NMS 1.1)

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