Children's Home run by Talbot House Children’s Charity Limited in Newcastle upon Tyne

Unique reference number SC432843 Inspection date 09/01/2013 Inspector Nicholas Murphy Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Residential special school (>295 days/year)

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Date of last inspection 05/07/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The home accommodates up to seven children and young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, and is owned by a registered charity. It is part of Talbot House Special School.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Good progress The children’s home has demonstrated continued improvement in quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the large majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Satisfactory progress The children’s home has maintained quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Inadequate progress The children’s home has failed to address one or more requirements and/or has not met the majority of recommendations and/or the quality of care and outcomes for children and young people have declined since the last full inspection.

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Progress

Since their previous inspection the service is judged to be making satisfactory progress .

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Progress

At the last full inspection in July 2012 the home was judged to be inadequate overall. A total of 10 statutory requirements and 10 recommendations were made. All statutory requirements and the majority of recommendations have been addressed. Action taken by the home to remedy shortfalls has resulted in a number of improvements to the quality of care and outcomes for children. The most significant of these include: better recording of restraints and sanctions which include the young people’s views; more detailed and individualised care plans which involve young people more meaningfully; more robust arrangements for fire safety; clear policies and procedures for the administration of medication; the development of specific training for staff to support them in managing young people with particularly complex needs; regular professional supervision for staff; and better evaluation of the home’s performance by the Registered Manager.

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Progress

However, two recommendations have not been fully addressed and so have been repeated. The children’s guide does not contain all the necessary information should young people need to contact Ofsted or the Children’s Rights Director. There is no specific risk assessment, individual to each child, in respect of them going missing. There is therefore a lack of information, such as, possible triggers and details of where the young person might run to. Potentially this could prevent a young person being located quickly and safely returned.

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Progress

The home has continued to make a positive impact upon outcomes for young people. Staff are effective in promoting young people’s health and their ability to enjoy and achieve. Young people do not engage in any activities which pose a risk to their health. Where more specialised intervention from other agencies is necessary, for example, to address young people’s emotional health needs, the home is proactive in supporting this. As a result, young people are developing better emotional resilience and an understanding of their background. Young people have full school attendance, and the home has good liaison with schools to ensure that any issues which may affect young people’s attainments are speedily addressed.

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Progress

The home keeps young people safe. There have been no recent incidents of young people going missing. Staff need to use physical restraint rarely, and then only briefly. Staff use largely positive measures to manage young people’s behaviour, for example, by the use of rewards and incentives. When sanctions are applied, they are reasonable and generally effective.

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Progress

Young people are fully involved in day-to-day decision-making, for example in relation to menus and activities. The attention paid to care planning has been accompanied by improvements in the regularity and quality of key worker sessions. These developments mean that young people have full knowledge of their plans, consistent with their level of understanding, and can contribute to them.

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Progress

Since the last inspection, the provider has taken steps to strengthen the staffing of the home. The improvements in supervision arrangements and training mean that staff are more confident in supporting young people and meeting their needs. In addition, a new designate manager has been appointed and is in the process of applying for registration.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure that the home takes action to minimise the risk of young people going missing, specifically to put in place a detailed risk assessment for each child (NMS 5.1)  ensure that the children’s guide contains accurate details of how a child can contact Ofsted and the Children's Rights Director. (NMS 13.5)

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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 progress made by the provider since the last full inspection, identifies any further strengths, any areas for improvement and makes judgements as outlined in the Inspection of children’s homes – framework for inspection.

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