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

Unique reference number SC033642 Inspection date 31/07/2013 Inspector Nicholas Murphy Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 30/01/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The home provides accommodation for up to six young people who may have 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

On entering the home, the quality of relationships between young people and staff is immediately apparent. The occasional presence of one member of staff’s dog (whom young people adore) is one indication of how successfully the home creates a family atmosphere. One social worker said, ‘The home is really warm and friendly, staff just care so much about the young people and the young people know that as well.’

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Overall effectiveness

There are good arrangements in place to keep young people safe. As a result, young people feel safe living here and are confident that staff will deal with any problems such as bullying.

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Overall effectiveness

The home provides young people with an outstandingly good level of care. This results from the skills and attentiveness of staff, marshalled by strong leadership. Staff have a detailed knowledge of each young person and so are able to meet their needs with due regard to their individual circumstances. Outcomes for all young people have seen good improvements in relation to their starting points. Moreover, young people enjoy a high level of influence within the home. They contribute fully to their programmes of care, and their opinions about what goes on in the home are listened to and, wherever possible, acted upon.

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Overall effectiveness

There is one shortfall in relation of the notification of significant events to Ofsted. However, this has had no impact upon the welfare and safety of young people and does not significantly detract from the overall excellence of leadership and management.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) notify HMCI, without delay, if any serious incident necessitating calling the police to the home takes place. (Regulation 30(1) (Schedule 5)) 30/09/2013

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Outcomes for children and young people

All young people are able to maintain contact with their families and friends. Some have resumed relationships with parents which had broken down prior to their admission to the home. As a result, young people feel better about themselves and their place within their families. This in turn helps them to understand their history and move on positively. Young people are also able to retain their strong community identity. They have developed some awareness of the needs of others within society. For example, young people have been involved in charity events, helping staff to raise money for local good causes.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are in good health. They are aware of the importance of healthy eating and making positive lifestyle choices. Although most young people have a smoking habit, some have made determined attempts to give up and some continue to do so. For a minority of young people, alcohol or substance use is a worry, although there have also been improvements in this area.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are doing well in education and further training. All attend school or work placement, or have recently completed further education courses with good results. Some young people, supported by staff, have made positive decisions about which school they would prefer to attend. Being able to exercise this kind of choice has been enormously important in improving young people’s commitment to education.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The home’s life skills programme involves young people taking responsibility for looking after their bedrooms and undertaking more general household tasks. Additionally, young people are making very good progress in developing the practical skills and the confidence they will need when they leave the home.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

The relationships between young people and staff are exceptionally good. Young people have confidence that the staff care about them and give their well-being the highest priority. Staff think nothing of putting themselves out (for example by changing their shifts) in order to be there for young people when needed. A social work team manager commented, ‘Nothing is ever a bother for the staff here.' One young person said, ‘We have good crack with the staff. They are really caring and will take time out to meet my needs.’

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Quality of care

Staff seek the views of young people at every opportunity and enable them to exercise as much control over their lives as is safe and appropriate. Young people’s meetings are helpful in giving the group a voice and making decisions about, for example, what to do in the holidays. However, because not all young people enjoy the formality of the group meeting, they know they can talk to staff at any time and that they will be listened to.

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Quality of care

Care plans are of high quality, and draw on comprehensive information supplied by the placing authority. They address the breadth of each individual’s assessed needs, including those related to culture and identity. Young people have meaningful involvement in their care plans, having the opportunity to comment on objectives and tasks and to modify them if necessary. Progress in achieving targets is reviewed monthly in conjunction with each young person. This makes sure that agreed objectives are not allowed to drift and also provides the opportunity to celebrate achievements. A social worker said, ‘Staff are open to the changing needs of the young people and work hard to create a homely and supportive environment.’

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Quality of care

All young people, irrespective of their age, receive help to acquire life skills. The home makes creative use of accommodation within the home which has been converted to an independence flat. This facility is invaluable in giving young people taster sessions to show them what it is like to live independently and have to look after themselves.

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Quality of care

The home is excellent at promoting young people’s health. There is a strong emphasis on healthy eating. The home’s cook knows the foibles of individual young people and is extremely skilled in working with them to change their eating habits for the better. Staff are almost always successful in encouraging young people to engage in annual health assessments as well as routine health appointments. The home has developed important relationships with other services. This ensures that staff get the training and support they need to care for young people with complex health conditions such as diabetes. The home also has exceedingly productive links with the child and adolescent mental health service, providing support to young people when necessary. In addition, staff are skilled in talking through distressing issues with young people and giving them reassurance and comfort.

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Quality of care

Staff have built up highly successful relationships with schools and training providers. They have the knowledge and confidence to negotiate different education packages which are effective in meeting the particular needs of individual young people. As a result, any barriers to young people’s full inclusion in education or training opportunities are robustly challenged and overcome. A worker in a partner agency said, ‘The home has worked really well in advocating for this young person to have the education which is suited to their needs.’

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Quality of care

The home is comfortable and welcoming. Young people know that they are able to have a big say in how the home is decorated and laid out. For example, rooms have been decorated and swapped around in response to young people’s suggestions. Of particular note is the provider’s very quick response to maintenance issues. Any repairs are carried out extremely quickly, underlining the priority given to keeping the home looking good and conveying to young people that they deserve to live in a pleasant environment.

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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

Staff are fully aware of their safeguarding responsibilities. They take prompt action in response to any threats to the well-being of young people, whether this be from outside or inside the home. Staff have undergone a range of training on safeguarding issues, including child sexual exploitation and domestic violence. This level of skill and knowledge contributes significantly to the feeling of security that young people feel living here. A social worker said, ‘Staff very much understand how to safeguard the young people and have many strategies in place including safety plans. They ensure that regular meetings are held if there are any safety concerns about the young people and help young people themselves to be involved.’

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Safeguarding children and young people

Bullying has been an issue from time to time in the past but over the past few months its incidence has reduced significantly. Staff respond robustly to any bullying behaviour, instigating multi-agency meetings if necessary to address issues with particular young people. Staff promote a strong sense of consideration and tolerance, and this results in an atmosphere within the home where the differences between people are respected.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Some young people stay out beyond their agreed time to return to the home and need to be reported as missing. In these cases staff act promptly to establish their whereabouts and check on their safety. Close liaison with the police is effective in ensuring that young people do not come to harm while absent. Staff are also highly aware of circumstances when young people may go missing, such as when they are upset. Staff are then able to take preventative action, such as spending individual time with the young person to talk about their feelings and suggest other ways of coping. A social worker said, ‘My young person has regular one-to-one sessions with the staff around issues of protecting themselves. The young people themselves are involved in the plans to keep them safe. This helps them to feel part of it rather than it being dictated to them.’ Another commented, ‘The home is managing the young person’s missing episodes well, which means they are at less risk.’

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home has very good individual behaviour management plans. These identify circumstances which may trigger difficult behaviour and strategies to be used in managing it. As a result, any potential disruption within the home is almost always dealt with quickly and without fuss. Physical restraint is never used and sanctions are reasonable. A comprehensive programme of incentives ensures that the emphasis is on encouraging and rewarding positive behaviour.

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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

Staff are clear about their roles within the home and all are passionate in supporting young people to be the best they can be. Several staff have specific roles to be the ‘founts of knowledge’ in particular areas such as health, education, or substance use. This empowers staff when negotiating difficult issues with other agencies and adds to their expertise. As a consequence, the quality of the service provided to young people is further enhanced.

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Leadership and management

The management of the home is extremely well organised and provides clear, consistent and inspiring leadership to staff. This means that all staff work accurately within the agreed care plans to deliver agreed objectives and so ensure progress for young people. The Registered Manager and all the staff work dynamically with other services and, in particular, placing social workers. A social worker commented, ‘If staff have any concerns they will share them. However, they will also suggest strategies and solutions; in other words they don’t just expect the social worker to have all the answers.’ It is abundantly clear that all professionals involved with young people work cooperatively together and with respect for the contribution that each discipline makes. This is highly effective in helping young people to thrive. A worker with a partner agency said, ‘The ethos the Registered Manager spreads around the

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Leadership and management

place is second to none. I’m proud to think that I’m able to work so well with the staff here.’

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Leadership and management

At the last interim inspection in January 2013 the home was judged to be making good progress. No statutory requirements or recommendations were made at that inspection. Since then, the home has refurbished the bathrooms to a very high standard and added another shower room. This demonstrates the capacity of the home to continue improving and is further evidence of the aspirations of the provider to continue positive development of the service.

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Leadership and management

The Registered Manager and the rest of the leadership team have excellent monitoring systems in place. Regular consultation with young people and other users of the service (such as parents) contributes to the assessment of how well the home meets its obligations. In addition, external monitoring of the home by independent people is of a very high standard. Senior managers within the provider organisation are proactive in commenting on these reports and this ensures that any weaknesses are addressed promptly.

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Leadership and management

The home is very well staffed, not only in terms of numbers of staff on duty at any one time but also in their qualifications and experience. The ability and knowledge of staff complements their relationship skills and contributes significantly to the outstanding nurturing that the home provides. Managers ensure that staff receive regular supervision and an excellent programme of ongoing training. This gives staff the support they need to respond professionally and caringly to young people even in the face of significant challenges.

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Leadership and management

The Registered Manager and other senior leaders act promptly to share information with other agencies about incidents and child protection issues. This ensures that any concerns in relation to a young person, including allegations about staff, are addressed promptly and impartially. However, two recent serious incidents where police were called to the home as a result of young people’s behaviour were not notified to Ofsted. This means that the regulator cannot be aware of such incidents and how appropriately they were dealt with. Nevertheless, all other agencies were informed and the welfare and safety of young people was not affected in any way.

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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 and the evaluation schedule for the inspection of children's homes.

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