Children's Home run by Right-Trak Limited in Newcastle upon Tyne

Unique reference number SC394909 Inspection date 03/02/2014 Inspector Nicholas Murphy Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 19/06/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The home provides care and accommodation for up to six young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. This home is privately owned by a small company.

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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

The home received a full inspection in June 2013, when its overall effectiveness was judged to be good. One statutory requirement and one recommendation was made, and both have been addressed. The home has been redecorated and is being well maintained. This gives young people a quality of environment which enhances their self-esteem. In addition, the recording of restraints has been improved, by including the duration of any episode. However, although the record includes a description of the type of physical intervention used, this is not in plain language. This means that it is difficult for anyone who needs to refer to the record to understand how the young person was held.

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Progress

Young people are making reasonable progress. Although some have stable education placements, others are on temporary programmes of home tuition awaiting more permanent arrangements. Young people are generally in good health, although some choose to smoke. The majority do not have an issue with drugs or substances, with one young person having made a significant reduction in this habit. Staff provide good support to young people to maintain their well-being, liaising with other agencies as necessary. However, for one young person, there is no consent for medical treatment signed by a person with parental responsibility. Therefore, staff may not be certain of their powers and responsibilities when the young person needs medical attention.

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Progress

The home is good at keeping young people safe. The number of times that young people go missing has reduced in recent months. However, the record of missing episodes kept by the home does not contain all the necessary information. This means that it is difficult to evidence how staff responded in each case and whether the young person gave a reason for their going missing. The home’s rules are reasonable and well understood by young people. One young person said, ‘If you step over the boundaries you get a warning before you get sanctioned.’ This helps to keep good order and complements the home’s preferred approach of rewarding good behaviour. However, the record of sanctions does not evaluate their effectiveness. This means that staff cannot know whether a particular disciplinary response is the best way of dealing with misbehaviour.

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Progress

Staff provide a good quality of care. They pay close attention to the needs of young people and treat them with respect. As a result, young people feel that they are valued and safe. One young person said, ‘The staff are good, they form a bond with you.’ Another commented, ‘I like it here because staff actually care about you. They will sit down and talk to you when you feel bad. They’re good at helping young people through stuff like that.’ The programmes of care for young people provide a sound structure for daily living and planned objectives. Young people have some involvement in their plans and so are able to feel part of decision making. Unfortunately, some plans are incomplete or lack detail, partly as a result of delayed provision of information by placing authorities. This hinders timely planning and can leave young people uncertain about the purpose of their placements.

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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

17B (2001) ensure that within 24 hours of the use of any measure of control, discipline or restraint in a children's home, a written record is made in a volume kept for the purpose: specifically that when a sanction is imposed the effectiveness and consequences of the sanction are recorded; and that that the nature of the restraint can be understood by any person reading it. (Regulation 17B(3)(c) and (f)) 14/03/2014

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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 14/03/2014 is tailored to the individual child, focused on clear measurable outcomes, and fully involves the child. (Regulation 11(1)(a))

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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 written records kept by the home when a child goes missing detail action taken by staff, any reasons for running away, and any action taken in the light of those reasons (NMS 5.10)  promote children’s health in accordance with their placement plan, specifically that staff are clear about what responsibilities and decisions are delegated to them and where consent for medical treatment needs to be obtained. (NMS 6.5)

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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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