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

Unique reference number SC432843 Inspection date 25/09/2013 Inspector Nicholas Murphy Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Residential special school (>295 days/year)

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Date of last inspection 09/01/2013 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.

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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 inadequate progress .

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Progress

At the full inspection in April 2013 the overall effectiveness of the children's home was judged to be adequate. At that inspection two statutory requirements and four recommendations to improve progress were made. The home has taken action to address some of these statutory requirements and recommendations, leading to improvements in practice. Details of physical restraints are recorded in greater detail, making it easier for anyone reading the record to understand what happened during an incident. There is now a policy on when and how children’s rooms may be searched, giving greater protection for the rights of children to privacy. The Registered Manager has also put in place a written development plan, providing a pathway for the home to follow in building on strengths and rectifying weaknesses. Finally, records of staff supervision are now signed by both parties, improving the accountability of staff and managers for agreed actions.

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Progress

The Registered Manager and staff work hard to provide attentive and sympathetic care for the children. The quality of the environment is excellent, fully meeting children’s needs and ensuring that children feel valued. However, one statutory requirement made at the last inspection has not been met in full. Regrettably, this has a significant impact upon the otherwise sound standard of care. Although some children’s placement plans have been improved, there are still areas of need, such as young people’s emotional health, which are not addressed. Consequently, important aspects of children’s lives may not receive the attention needed to improve their well-being. In one child’s case, there is no recognisable placement plan even though they were admitted some weeks ago. This means that staff cannot know what the placement is intended to achieve, or the day-to-day actions necessary to ensure that the child fulfils their potential. This statutory requirement has therefore been

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Progress

Outcomes for children are generally good. All children attend school and are in good health. Some children have made significant strides in developing their confidence, social skills and self-esteem. An independent reviewing officer described the progress made by one child as ‘fantastic’. Children’s behaviour is good, with little need to use restraint or sanctions. Children get on well with each other and staff, and feel safe within the home. However, a recommendation from the last inspection, related to children going missing, has not been fully addressed. As a result, information is not always readily available for staff. The information missing includes the risks of the child running away, when to inform parents, the possible places where the child might go. So far, there have been no incidents where any child has run away further than the extent of the home’s grounds. However, there is the potential for this to

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Progress

occur, and the lack of information may create delays in locating children and so presents unnecessary risks. Consequently, a statutory requirement has been made in relation to this continuing shortfall.

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Progress

There is good consultation with children about their care plans and the arrangements for daily living. However, the monitoring undertaken by the Registered Manager does not take account of feedback from children, nor does it include consultation with social workers or parents. This limits the opportunities for the home to make use of what children and others say about the service and how to improve it.

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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) promote and make proper provision for the welfare of children, specifically that each child has a detailed placement plan which is tailored to the individual child, focused on clear measurable outcomes, and fully involves the child (Regulation 11(1)(a)) 31/10/2013

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) promote and make proper provision for the welfare of children, specifically that there is detailed information on each child in relation to them going missing, including an assessment of the 31/10/2013 risk, details of who should be informed, and places where they might be located (Regulation 11(1)(a))

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) establish and maintain a system for improving the quality of care provided in the children’s home, specifically to provide for consultation with children accommodated in the home, their parents and placing authorities. (Regulation 34(3)) 31/10/2013

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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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