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

Unique reference number SC432843 Inspector Nicholas Murphy Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Residential special school (>295 days/year)

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Registered manager Lynne Ryan Date of last inspection 25/09/2013 2 of 10 Inspection date 29/05/2014

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Previous inspection inadequate progress Enforcement action since last inspection there has been no enforcement action since the last inspection

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Overall effectiveness good

Outcomes for children and young people good Quality of care good Keeping children and young people safe good Leadership and management adequate

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Overall effectiveness

The home has made significant improvement since the last inspection and provides a caring and responsive service for young people. One social worker said, 'The staff team are clearly dedicated and committed to ensuring the children and young people enjoy life and are safe, happy and healthy.' Programmes of care are highly individualised and take full account of each young person's particular needs. This ensures that staff give each young person an equal opportunity to reach their potential and achieve good outcomes.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff place a high priority on consulting with young people, not only about their care plans but also daily life within the home. As a result, young people have a strong sense of belonging, and that their views matter and will be listened to. The mutual regard that staff and young people have for each other is evident in the quality of the relationships within the home. The atmosphere is generally relaxed and friendly, with much banter and appropriate physical caring gestures and hugs. Nevertheless, young people understand the boundaries of acceptable behaviour and as a result the need to use disciplinary measures is limited. This effective boundary-setting contributes to the young people's feelings of safety and security. The home has good systems to keep young people protected. 3 of 10 The management of the home is good and demonstrates capacity for further improvement. There are some deficiencies in practice which have resulted in the

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Overall effectiveness

making of three statutory requirements and three recommendations. However, these shortfalls have limited impact upon the welfare and safety of young people. 4 of 10

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Information about this children’s home

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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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/09/2013 Interim inadequate progress 09/04/2013 Full adequate 09/01/2013 Interim satisfactory progress 05/07/2012 Full inadequate

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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

4 (2001) ensure that the written Statement of Purpose includes a statement of the range of needs of the children for whom it is intended that the children's home is to provide care (Regulation 4(1) Schedule 1(1)) 30/06/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to persons working in the children's home in respect of the matters specified in Schedule 2, specifically a full employment history with a satisfactory written explanation of any gaps in employment (Regulation 26(3)(d)) 30/06/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that the independent person shall produce a written report about a visit and provide a copy to 30/06/2014 5 of 10 HMCI. (Regulation 33(9)(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 staff in the home are trained to recognise and deal with any indications or incidents of bullying (NMS 3.12)  evaluate the learning and development programme for effectiveness at least annually and update if necessary (NMS 18.2)  ensure that suitable arrangements exist for professional supervision of the registered person. (NMS 19.3) 6 of 10

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people have excellent school attendance and also do very well at school. One end of term report commented, ‘The young person is settled in school and is making steady academic progress…he continues to work well and his concentration has improved significantly.’ Young people are in very good health. They are aware of the right choices they need to make to maintain healthy lifestyles, and do not engage in harmful activities. Some young people who were reluctant to wear glasses now do so without complaint. Young people with complex emotional needs are able to access the services they need to improve their sense of well-being.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people play an active part in the life of the home. Some enjoy regular opportunities to cook the evening meal for the whole group. They are encouraged to take turns in doing household chores and keeping their personal space tidy (though some are more reluctant than others). This kind of activity helps young people to become less reliant on others, and so start to understand what independence entails. Young people are also having other experiences which contribute to the development of independence skills. For example, some young people make their own way to their placements. Other young people are now confident in taking public transport to visit family.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Some family dynamics are complicated, and so contact has to be arranged in close consultation with young people, social workers, and family members. An independent reviewing officer said, ‘Staff are very child focused. They are also very proactive in appropriately engaging with families.’ Such careful planning ensures that contact for young people is meaningful and beneficial. Some young people are also able to spend free time outside the home, which they use responsibly.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people are developing greater awareness of their family histories and their place within family networks. In some cases staff have actively helped young people to do this, for example through life story work. The strong attachments that young people have made to staff have not adversely impacted upon their family relationships. Forming these bonds has helped young people to develop greater emotional resilience and become better at dealing with setbacks.

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Quality of care good

Relationships between young people and staff are warm and affectionate. Young people behave well towards each other, despite some wide age differences between them. Staff take care to involve young people in decision-making whenever possible. This is the case with day to day routines within the home as well as the detail of their 7 of 10 individual care plans. The ethos of the home, put into practice by staff, is that the views of young people will always be listened to. As a result, young people confirm that they would feel completely confident in approaching any member of staff if they have a concern.

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Quality of care good

The quality of care planning has improved substantially since the last inspection. Plans are detailed and very child focused. For example, they are written in the first person which helps the young people to feel ownership of their plans. Young people are involved in reviewing their plan with their key worker on a monthly basis. This enables them to recognise and celebrate their achievements and work towards new targets for further progression.

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Quality of care good

Staff ensure that young people receive all the services necessary to keep them in good health. This extends to emotional well-being also, staff working closely with child and adolescent mental health services. For example, young people with complex emotional and behavioural needs have been helped to reduce their dependence on medication.

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Quality of care good

Staff maintain good liaison with schools. This helps to smooth out any difficulties and enable young people to derive the greatest benefit from their education. Consequently, there has been clear improvement in most young people’s concentration, behaviour and attainment. A social work professional said, ‘I feel that the care staff are committed to ensuring the child has a good education and makes progress. This is not only in relation to academic learning but also learning about life in general and developing everyday skills.’

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Quality of care good

The home offers a number of activities for young people. The younger children have a wide range of toys with which to amuse themselves, as well as benefiting from recreational opportunities outside the home. There is an emphasis on physical activity such as canoeing, horse riding, ice skating, cycling, and walking. All young people enjoy activities as part of community-based groups, including Scouts, youth club, and homework club. This enables young people to feel more a part of their wider peer group and make links which they may sustain once they have left the home. In addition, there are frequent short holidays away from the home. When the inspector arrived, staff and all the young people were excitedly preparing to leave for a two night camping trip. Summer holidays have already been planned, and young people have also had short hotel breaks. This kind of activity broadens young people’s experience and increases their confidence and self-esteem.

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Quality of care good

The home is part of the larger school building and is not domestic in scale. However, the registered provider has done well to soften any institutional feeling by ensuring that furnishings and fittings are homely and comfortable. The external aspect is also very attractive and welcoming. This is important in creating a setting which young people value and see as their home. 8 of 10

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Staff have a good awareness of how to keep young people safe. They work well with other professionals to ensure that young people are protected from harm. Young people say that they feel safe and know who to talk to if they have any worries. Although there is occasional bickering, staff are vigilant in monitoring the relationships between young people. Because of this, there is minimal bullying. However, staff have had no formal training in anti-bullying and this limits their capacity to recognise it and deal with it should it arise.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

It is commendable that young people do not go missing from the home. There are good risk assessments in place for each young person which take account of their individual circumstances. This means that should a young person go missing, staff would know how to respond effectively in cooperation with other agencies.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Each young person has a behaviour management plan. This takes into account their age, understanding, and what might trigger challenging behaviour. These plans enable staff to manage young people’s behaviour with skill and compassion. As a result, there is relatively little use of restraint or formal sanctions. When such disciplinary measures are used, there is always a discussion with the young person. This helps them to understand what has happened and consider how they might behave differently in future.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Staff recruitment and vetting procedures ensure that only people who are suitable to work with children are employed. The application process for one member of staff, however, did not satisfactorily explore a gap in their previous employment record. This detracts from the otherwise robust nature of staff recruitment.

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Leadership and management adequate

The Registered Manager has been registered since May 2013. She does not have a relevant management qualification but is working with the registered provider to identify and commence a suitable training course. She expects to achieve qualification well within the required timescale. The responsible individual is also new in post and is providing good support to the Registered Manager and the home. For example, a new car for the home has been provided, and a contract cleaning service is now in place. This gives care staff more time to devote to the needs of young people. The Registered Manager has faced challenges over recent months, particularly in respect of staff absence. However, it is to her credit that the quality of service to young people has been maintained and in many areas improved. One social worker said, ‘I am extremely impressed with the management of the home.’

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Leadership and management adequate

The home’s Statement of Purpose gives a good description of the home and the services it provides. This helps parents and placing social workers to know the home’s objectives and how it will achieve them. However, it does not include a 9 of 10 description of the whole range of children’s needs that the home is able to cater for, specifically learning disability. Because the staff have developed expertise in this area, this means that some children for whom placement would be beneficial may not be referred.

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Leadership and management adequate

There are regular visits by an independent person which report on the home. However, some recent reports have not been sent to Ofsted as required. This limits the ability of the regulator to have oversight of the home’s operation. The Registered Manager’s internal monitoring is thorough, and makes particularly good use of consultation with young people, parents and social workers. This is important in considering the views of people who use the service to identify shortfalls and build on strengths.

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Leadership and management adequate

Staff are skilled and committed to their task. They receive training on a regular basis in a number of areas. However, there is no formal system for evaluating the training programme. This means that the Registered Manager cannot be sure that the skills of the staff group continue to be relevant in meeting the needs of young people. Although care staff are professionally supervised on a monthly basis, the responsible individual does not provide formal supervision for the Registered Manager. This is a weakness, reducing the accountability and effectiveness of the process. Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Leadership and management adequate

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Judgement Description

Outstanding A service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Good A service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Adequate A service that only meets minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Inadequate A service that does not meet minimum requirements.

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Information 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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Information 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 framework of inspection for children's homes.

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