Children's Home run by Newcastle City Council in Newcastle upon Tyne

Unique reference number SC033642 Inspection date 29/08/2012 Inspector Nicholas Murphy Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 06/03/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The home provides accommodation for up to six young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is provided by a local authority.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements Adequate : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

The home provides a very high quality of care which young people find supportive and nurturing. One young person said, ‘The staff are great, they do everything they can to support you.’ All practice within the home takes full account of the views and wishes of young people. Whenever any change within the home is proposed, the first consideration for staff is ‘What do the young people think?’

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Overall effectiveness

Staff promote the individuality of each young person and plan their programmes of care with full regard for what makes each of them different. Staff believe passionately in the potential of each young person, and this gives young people confidence and pride in their achievements. Young people are achieving well in education and are generally in good health.

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Overall effectiveness

A social worker summed up the ethos of the home by saying, ‘Staff are great in giving young people a sense of belonging. The home has a family feel and promotes family values. Young people know that they can talk to any of the staff, and they are upset when they feel they have let staff down.’ This level of commitment which young people make to the home contributes significantly to their improved outcomes.

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Overall effectiveness

The home is good at protecting young people. Staff have developed innovative practice which ensures that young people are always kept safe, even when out in the community. The home complies with all regulations and statutory guidance, and meets all national minimum standards.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are good .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have made significant progress in developing insight into their behaviour and how it relates to their earlier experiences in life. Most young people have a level of emotional resilience which enables them to deal with disappointments and setbacks more constructively. In general, young people are in good health. They attend routine appointments at opticians and dentists, eat well and take regular exercise. Some young people have been successful in reducing or ceasing smoking, and in controlling their use of alcohol or substances. However, some young people continue to make lifestyle choices which are harmful to their health.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have made excellent progress in improving attendance at school and other education and work placements. Most have achieved noteworthy success in recent examinations which reflects their improved work rate and attitude in school.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are enthusiastic in helping with fund-raising activities for local and national charities. They do this, for example, by baking cakes which are then sold at events held at the home. These are attended by the families of young people and staff, and social workers. Others, such as young people who have moved on from the home, also attend. These occasions are hugely enjoyable and rewarding, and give young people an appreciation of the needs of others in society less fortunate than themselves.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have strong links with family members and their friends in the community. Where contact with parents or others may pose risks to young people, the home puts robust arrangements in place to keep them safe. These may include staff supervising contact sessions or holding them in the home itself.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The home is very good at preparing young people for independence. Each young person, regardless of their age, has a programme which helps them acquire the life skills they will need as they grow older. These programmes encompass not only practical abilities, such as cooking, but also the emotional needs of young people living alone. The home has also developed space within the home as a self-contained flat. As part of their programme, young people move in here for a short period of time. They have a budget for food, plan a menu, go shopping, and cook their meals. This is an excellent initiative which helps young people to build on existing skills and improve in areas where they are less adept. The home keeps in close touch with young people who have left the home. Some of these are regular visitors and can act as positive role models and informal mentors for young people living in the home.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

Young people have excellent relationships with staff which create an atmosphere of trust and affection within the home. This gives young people the confidence to discuss their innermost feelings with staff and so gain reassurance if they have any concerns.

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Quality of care

The home does outstandingly well in listening to young people and giving weight to their views. There is a variety of methods for seeking feedback from young people. Care plans and risk assessments are written in conjunction with the young person. Key workers have regular meetings with young people where they share summaries of progress and help them prepare for their statutory care reviews. These sessions also enable young people to discuss any worries they may have. If a young person has an issue they do not feel comfortable in raising face-to-face with staff, they can email or text it. Regular young people’s meetings ensure that ideas from the group are considered and responded to. One young person said, ‘Staff listen to you and take on board your suggestions.’ When young people have an upcoming birthday, they can choose which staff they want to be there to help them celebrate. The rota is then amended to make this happen. All this activity ensures that young people feel

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Quality of care

that what they say counts and that staff respect their opinions.

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Quality of care

Staff are enthusiastic and resourceful in promoting healthy lifestyles for young people. The home’s cook is exceptionally good at stimulating the interest of young people in healthy eating and showing them that good food need not be dull. Staff provide access for young people to programmes of smoking cessation and specialist services to reduce and eliminate drug use. Staff are persistent in trying different approaches if the first one is ineffective. The home has close links with child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), but some young people find it difficult to engage. In order to ensure that specialist help remains available to these young people, a member of staff now has a monthly consultation with a CAMHS professional. Advice from these sessions is fed back to all staff who can thus be more effective in helping young people with emotional difficulties. In addition, the home has arranged for a voluntary agency worker to visit the home once a week and

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Quality of care

provide a well-being drop-in service. This provides excellent and skilled additional support for young people around such issues as relationships and body image. The help of all the staff has been crucial in ensuring the engagement of young people in this work. The worker said, ‘The cook in particular has been fantastic, she has a great relationship with the kids and has helped me communicate with them.’

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Quality of care

Staff have very high aspirations for all young people and inspire them with the belief that they are capable of anything. Staff encourage excellent school attendance and attainment through the use of praise and other incentives. Frequently, staff use short-term contracts with young people which are effective in maintaining motivation. The home recognises examination success with copious praise and other rewards. For example, the home bought a lovely dress for one young person to wear at her school prom, making her so proud and happy. The home also threw an end of term party for all the young people, which their families and social workers attended. One social worker commented, ‘This kind of thing provides special memories for a young person, just like being in an ordinary family.’ Young people in work placements receive similar encouragement. One young person has spent the entire summer break attending his placement. This is no mean feat when other young

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Quality of care

people were on holiday and having lie-ins every day! Staff work extremely well in partnership with education providers. This ensures that young people with very specific needs and difficulties can have bespoke programmes which help them realise their full potential.

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Quality of care

Staff enable young people to enjoy a range of activities of their choice. Darts has very recently become a popular pastime within the home. Most activities are in the local community, including going to the gym, riverside walks, cinema, and bowling. Further afield, young people have developed an interest in fishing, with photographic evidence of their catches on display. Being community-based, these activities can be continued by young people after they have left the home, and so will support their transition into independence.

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Quality of care

The home is well-maintained and has sufficient space for young people to enjoy group activities or spend time alone. The provider has allocated resources for a substantial refurbishment which will improve the décor and facilities further.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service is good at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people said that they feel safe living here. There is some bullying from time to time, but staff are vigilant and act promptly to address it. Staff use a restorative approach to deal with specific incidents of bullying. This is more constructive than merely imposing a sanction, by helping the perpetrator to develop an understanding of the impact of their behaviour on their victim.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There is a relatively high number of incidents of young people going missing. However, most of these are where a young person has returned late from an outing rather than running away or staying out all night. Staff have very good systems in place to minimise the risk to young people when they are absent. These include comprehensive risk assessments, and good partnership working with police and other agencies. One professional commented, ‘Staff follow any agreed safeguarding plan for a young person to the letter.’

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home has also implemented a very innovative approach to the use of social media. It involves young people agreeing to nominate the home (using an alias) as their friend on the social media site. Young people cooperate with this arrangement, one saying, ‘I’ve no problem with it, it means that I can use (social media) but be kept safe.’ This enables staff to monitor activity on the young person’s account and to receive and send private messages to the young person. This is very helpful in enabling staff to find out where an absent young person may be and to encourage their quick return. It also means that staff can be aware of, and act on, any undesirable approaches made to young people by others in the online community.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The excellent relationships between staff and young people form the basis of effective control within the home. As one social worker put it, the home operates ‘structure with warmth’. Rules are simple and based on the need for everyone to respect each other and be considerate of their needs. A young person said, ‘The rules here are OK, I have no problem with them. It’s just the kind of thing you would have in a family.’

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Safeguarding children and young people

Each young person has a behaviour management plan which is tailored to their particular needs and characteristics. It identifies, for example, which kind of approach works best in calming the young person when they are distressed. This ensures that all staff can respond effectively and sensitively to provide support to young people in times of stress. As a result, staff do not need to use physical restraint. Staff use sanctions creatively and flexibly, involve young people in setting them, and always evaluate their effectiveness. This ensures that sanctions are meaningful and assist in the process of encouraging young people to learn from their mistakes.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are outstanding .

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Leadership and management

The leadership team within the home is energetic and dynamic, providing clear direction and inspiration for staff. The manager and his deputies are excellent role models in how they respond to young people and have total regard for their welfare. The home is securely rooted within the local community. Its neighbours regard the home as a positive influence within the locality, acting proactively to promote community safety and reduce anti-social behaviour in the area. The forging of links with the ward councillor has further strengthened this relationship.

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Leadership and management

No statutory requirements or recommendations were made at the last inspection. Nevertheless, the home has continued to make improvements. Monitoring by the manager now takes much greater account of the views of young people, parents, and placing social workers. This means that the home is very effective in using the views of others to address shortfalls and build on existing strengths. A safeguarding ‘grab file’ has been introduced. This file contains a fully current summary of information on each young person in an easily accessible format. This means that all staff coming on duty can quickly be aware of any developments or issues in each young person’s life which may affect their safety or welfare.

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Leadership and management

Another change of particular note is a modification to the gender mix within the home. Some young people expressed the view to managers that the ratio of male to female young people created tension in the group dynamics. Therefore, they felt that the home should specify the number of males and females it accommodated in order to maintain a balance. The manager and provider considered this and agreed to it. As a result, the home’s criteria for admission have been amended. This is an outstanding example of how young people have significantly changed practice within the home.

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Leadership and management

The rota is very well organised to ensure that there are always sufficient staff on duty to give young people the attention they need. The manager has given some staff responsibility for specific areas of work, for example education, health, or liaison with CAMHS. This role requires staff to make links with other agencies and improve their knowledge base and skills. They can then cascade this information to the staff group which enables them all to provide more informed and effective support to young people.

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Leadership and management

New staff undergo a rigorous selection process. This ensures that they are suitable to work with young people and have the right skills and personal qualities to enrich young people’s lives. Staff are extremely well supported through regular professional supervision and appraisal. There is an very comprehensive programme of training which is updated at intervals to keep staff’s skills and knowledge current. For example, staff have received training in child sexual exploitation and the manager is due to attend a national conference on the subject. This ensures that staff can be alert to any threat to young people from whatever source.

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Leadership and management

Files and records are kept securely, but in a format which allows easy access by young people with the oversight of staff. This means that staff can involve young people in a meaningful way with their care plans, risk assessments and reviews. Staff communicate exceptionally effectively with placing social workers and other agencies. This ensures that everyone involved in progressing care plans is working consistently to achieve the best possible outcomes for young people.

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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 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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About this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the Inspections of children’s homes – framework for inspection (March 2011) and the evaluation schedule for children's homes.

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