Children's Home run by South Tyneside Council in South Tyneside

Unique reference number SC032697 Inspector Vicky Johnson Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council Registered person address South Tyneside Council, Town Hall Westoe Road SOUTH SHIELDS Tyne and Wear NE33 2RL Responsible individual Jill McGregor Registered manager Kathleen Ann Rooney Date of last inspection 24/01/2014 2 of 13 Inspection date 15/10/2014

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Previous inspection satisfactory progress Enforcement action since last inspection There has been no enforcement action since the last inspection.

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Overall effectiveness adequate

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

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Overall effectiveness

The Registered Manager and staff team provide a good standard of care to young people. However, risk-taking behaviour by some young people in the home has presented particular challenges for the staff to manage. Although some young people have made good progress from their starting points, others regularly place themselves at risk by going missing and taking drugs. This risk-taking behaviour has increased since the point of their admission.

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Overall effectiveness

A number of new admissions since the last inspection mean staff are still in the early stages of developing positive relationships with some young people. Those young people have yet to develop trust and confidence in the people who are caring for them. The majority of those who are new to the home are older young people who are struggling to reconcile their desire for independence with the need for safe and predictable boundaries. This makes it more difficult for the home to evidence positive outcomes in respect of their safe care.

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Overall effectiveness

The home has a stable and established team of staff who are committed to meeting the young people’s needs. Staff often go beyond the remit of their job roles to ensure that young people have a comfortable, well-maintained place to live. An experienced Registered Manager, attuned to the needs of the young people, is 3 of 13 effective in leading the staff and making sure that young people’s needs are given the highest priority in the running of the home. The staff are committed to listening to and considering the views of young people; there is evidence throughout the home of staff responding appropriately to what young people say.

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Overall effectiveness

Weak internal and external monitoring is having an impact on the home’s ability to sustain improvement. This has resulted in some shortfalls in practice, resulting in several statutory requirements and recommendations. Additionally, some of the requirements made at the time of the last inspection have not yet been met. 4 of 13

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Information about this children’s home

This children's home is registered to offer care and accommodation for six children who experience emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is operated by the local authority.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/01/2014 Interim satisfactory progress 26/06/2013 Full good 12/02/2013 Interim good progress 17/07/2012 Full good

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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) ensure that the children’s home is conducted so as to promote and make proper provision for the welfare of children accommodated there, specifically that records are maintained of significant incidents relating to the safety and well- being of children living in the home (Regulation 11 (1)(a)) 04/12/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

17B (2001) ensure that within 24 hours of the use of any measure of control, restraint or discipline in a children's home, a written record is made in a volume kept for the purpose, specifically that when restraint is used the effectiveness of the measure, 04/12/2014 5 of 13 and the details of any methods used to avoid the need to use that measure, are recorded (Regulation 17B (3)(f)(4)(b))

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) the registered person shall establish a written procedure for considering complaints made by or on behalf of children accommodated in the home, specifically the procedure is made known to children accommodated in the home and that the procedure is followed when any child accommodated in the home makes a complaint (Regulation 24 (1)(2)(e)) 04/12/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) maintain in respect of each child who is accommodated in the children’s home a record in permanent form which includes the information, documents and records specified in Schedule 3, in particular the placement information record, up to date care plan, and minutes of statutory reviews (Regulation 28 (1)(Schedule 3)) 04/12/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure without delay that Ofsted is notified of any significant incident affecting a child’s welfare (Regulation 30 (1)) 04/12/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) supply a copy of the report required to be made under paragraph (4)(c) to HMCI, specifically that the report is sent to Ofsted within a reasonable timescale (Regulation 33 (5)(a)) 04/12/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that the person carrying out the visit shall interview, with their consent and in private, such of the children accommodated there, their parents and relatives as appears necessary in order to form an opinion of the standard of care provided in the home (Regulation 33(4)(a)) 04/12/2014

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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 for consulting with children accommodated in the home, their parents and placing authorities. (Regulation 34 (3)). 04/12/2014

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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 all staff have appropriate training, supervision and support if they are required to supervise and facilitate contact (NMS 9.2)  ensure there are clear and effective procedures for monitoring and 6 of 13 controlling the activities of the home, specifically that significant incidents such as the use of restraint and complaints made by young people are included in the manager’s review of the quality of care (NMS 21.1)  ensure that medication is administered in line with the agreed protocol (Volume 5, para 2.53)  ensure that the registered person can demonstrate, including from written and electronic records, that it consistently follows good recruitment practice, specifically that there is a system renewing Disclosure and Barring Service checks on all staff (NMS 16.2). 7 of 13

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

The outcomes for the young people living in the home are mixed. Some young people have made significant progress in relation to their health while living in the home. In adopting a healthy lifestyle, one young person has stopping smoking and now regularly attends a gym. The home has established positive working relationships with a number of outside agencies responsible for promoting good health. This support helps young people to understand the impact of using drugs and the consequences of risking their sexual health. However, drug-taking and unsafe sexual practices remain a challenge for the home.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Some young people’s attendance at school has improved since coming to live at the home. Others have achieved academic qualifications while living there and are pursuing vocational studies. However, for some young people educational progress is static. These young people either do not sustain consistent attendance or have opted out altogether. Combined with a lack of routine, not attending education leads to young people being ill-equipped for employment and adult life. Absence from education is also sometimes associated with young people going missing during the day and with unsafe sexual practices. Non-attendance in education also increases social isolation, affects confidence and makes it difficult to sustain friendships.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Young people have managed to maintain their relationships with people who are important to them. For some young people the quality of those relationships has improved since they came to live at the home. For example, some of them now enjoy overnight stays as part of their contact arrangements. The support provided by the staff in helping young people to manage contact offers stability for young people, helps them to build on existing relationships and, where appropriate, enhances the possibility of them being reunited with their families at some point in the future. Young people’s friends also visit the home. This helps to maintain their social links which will be important when they eventually move on to independence.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

While some young people struggle with responsibility and keeping to the rules of the home, others make a positive contribution and are developing their social awareness. For example, one young person, who enjoys cooking, regularly prepares meals for the household and likes helping to decorate. The same young person recently used their cooking skills to raise funds for charity. While not typical of all the young people living in the home, this is a good example of how some young people are being supported and encouraged to develop their life skills.

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Quality of care good

8 of 13 Young people enjoy good relationships with staff. This is evident in the warm and relaxed interaction with young people in the home, in particular with the Registered Manager. The group of young people interviewed said ‘You get everything you need’ and it ‘Feels like a home’. One young person also described the relationships between young people overall as positive. Despite being ‘six completely different personalities, we all get along most of the time’. Such comments reflect a positive atmosphere in the home which is essential for the young people’s overall well-being and social development.

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Quality of care good

Staff work hard to achieve an appropriate balance between being available to the young people, as and when required, and being more proactive in giving appropriate advice and guidance. One young person said, ‘You get attention if you want it, and not if you don’t’. The staff’s approach takes into account the young people’s needs and their individual personalities. Staff listen to the young people and consider their views in a range of different ways. There are regular monthly meetings where young people often take the minutes. The agendas for those meetings cover a range of different subjects such as activities, e-safety, alcohol misuse and equipment needed in the home. The influence of those meetings is evident in the decoration of the home and the various pieces of fitness equipment in the young people’s computer room.

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Quality of care good

Staff develop menus in response to young people’s preferences and create opportunities for them to try different foods as a way of expanding their experiences. One social care professional confirmed that ‘young people are actively involved in the running of the home’. There is a complaints policy is in place, however it is not always clear to some young people how complaints are resolved or agreed outcomes achieved. Additionally, the way in which complaints are recorded does not comply with the home’s own policy. This means that there is the potential for the details of a young person’s complaint to be lost and for there to be confusion and/or a lack of clarity about the action taken to address them leaving the complaint unresolved.

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Quality of care good

Key worker sessions are used to address issues that are ‘live’ for the young people and include an educative and personal development element on issues such as missing from care, school attendance and sexual health matters. Practice is person- centred and is focused on developing the young person’s understanding of their behaviour. Staff also participate in activities with the young people on a weekly basis. The home takes steps to ensure this happens; the Registered Manager organises staffing levels to make sure there are sufficient staff available to spend time with the young people.

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Quality of care good

Communication and working relationships with social care professionals are good. One professional commented that ‘I always feel very welcome when I attend and the staff support my project 100%. They seek advice on appropriate training designed around the needs of the young people’. Another said staff were ‘always on the phone to give you a regular update’. As such, staff have developed a good knowledge and understanding of young people’s needs. However, the source of that knowledge and 9 of 13 understanding is often their attendance at meetings, regular contact with social workers and involvement in key worker sessions with the young person rather than an up to date care plan on the young person’s file. This makes it difficult for the home to be confident they are planning effectively to achieve the outcomes for young people that are expected and required by the placing authority. Furthermore, staff who are less familiar with a young person’s situation may not be certain of the

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Quality of care good

detail of their care needs or how best to meet them. This is particularly relevant when the home is dealing with an increased level of risk-taking behaviour among some of the young people.

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Quality of care good

Effective arrangements are in place to promote physical and emotional health. Staff ensure that when young people come to live in the home they are registered with all relevant health agencies such as dentists, opticians, and general practitioners. The home also makes sure young people have access to services to address their emotional health needs. Records show young people have been willing to reconsider a referral to such services to since coming to live at the home.

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Quality of care good

The Registered Manager carries out regular audits to make sure staff are administering the young people’s medication correctly. One audit identified an error involving two members of staff who failed to record the fact that they had given some medication to a young person while they were on duty. The Registered Manager subsequently reviewed the procedure and introduced a new checklist to be used by all staff confirm the completion of essential duties while on shift. However, the procedure needs to be more robust to ensure that errors do not recur causing risk to young people.

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Quality of care good

The material standards of the home are good. It provides a very comfortable environment for young people to live in, with sufficient space for group and individual activities. The garden area of the property is particularly impressive, reflecting the influence of the young people in the choice equipment. The communal areas of the home reflect a similar commitment on the part of the staff to involve young people and listen to what they have to say. For example, at the time of this inspection staff members were building decking areas in the garden and busy painting the hallways. One young person had chosen the colours for the kitchen, along with matching accessories, and was involved in decorating it. Such attention to the physical environment with the involvement of the young people ensures a high standard of maintenance. It also encourages the young people to invest emotionally in their home.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Young people say they feel safe living in the home and recognise that staff are available to spend time with them. While some young people struggle to understand the need for monitoring, others appreciate the staff’s role to keep them safe. Risk- taking behaviour among some young people has steadily increased since they came 10 of 13 to live at the home. This includes taking drugs, going missing from home and placing their sexual health at risk. The staff team are working well with a range of social care professionals on these issues and communication is good. With regard to young people going missing from home, staff promptly provide written information to other professionals, regularly update them and take all the necessary steps to locate the young person. One social care professional said ‘they are doing all the appropriate things’. The home has completed risk assessments on young people who are at of

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

risk of child sexual exploitation. These risk assessments have been completed in collaboration with young people’s social workers and contain an adequate level of detail. Good communication ensures agencies respond effectively as a team to each individual young person’s need for safety.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Staff sometimes use physical restraint to intervene to protect young people. The use of physical restraint is not common but staff recording in this area lacks specific detail and requires improvement. Staff do not sign and date restraint records which means that it is not clear whether the records have been completed within twenty- four hours of the incident as required. Information about what action the staff took to avoid the use of physical restraint is also lacking and the overall effectiveness of the action taken or restraint used needs to better evaluated. Furthermore, if and when young people sustain injuries for example as a result of fighting with each another staff need to make a comprehensive and detailed record of how the injuries were caused. These measures help to ensure proper accountability and demonstrate that staff take appropriate action to ensure young people do not suffer harm.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Staff utilise their skills with the young people to manage difficult situations. The infrequent use of restraint since the last inspection is evidence of this. However, there are shortfalls in practice and recording following specific incidents of challenging behaviour. There is also a lack of recording when young people raise specific concerns that require a response from staff and a lack of managerial oversight. On one occasion, after one young person had been extremely challenging, there was no follow up discussion with staff in supervision. There weren’t any focused key working sessions with the young person concerned to address their behaviour. In some cases, it is not possible therefore to establish what action staff took to address young people’s concerns. Additionally, in some instances involving challenging behaviour, everything that could be done to reduce the risk of the behaviour happening again is not being done.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

The arrangements for fire safety are adequate. The Registered Manager acted promptly in response to the independent visitor’s findings that weekly fire alarm checks were not being carried out. The home’s annual fire risk assessment was recently reviewed within the appropriate timescale. Staff conduct regular monthly fire drills in line with the home’s policy. This ensures young people know how to respond safely in the event of a fire. 11 of 13

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Leadership and management adequate

The number of statutory requirements and recommendations made following this inspection is evidence of some shortfalls in the leadership and management of the home. The Registered Manager has been in post since July 2007 and has the necessary experience and qualifications to carry out the role.

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Leadership and management adequate

The recommendation from the last inspection that staff record the results of all statutory reviews has been met. This means that all staff should be aware of the latest position regarding each young person and should be able ensure their practice is in line with the placing authority’s wishes. However, some of the requirements made at the last inspection remain outstanding. While the independent monitoring reports on the home are produced regularly there have been delays in forwarding those reports to Ofsted within the required timescale. This makes it difficult for Ofsted as the regulator to provide proper monitoring of the home. The monthly monitoring visits by the registered provider still do not meet requirements. They do not consistently reflect that the visitor spoke with parents or that they routinely attempted to do so. As such, it remains unclear how the home is functioning and whether the parents of the young people are happy with the care the home provides.

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Leadership and management adequate

Documentation from placing social workers continues to be out of date and, in some cases, the required documents are not on the young people’s files. This refers to the range of documents relating to all aspects of care planning for young people. There is evidence to show that, since the last inspection, staff have taken action to try to address this failing but with limited success. In the absence of accurate information and up to date plans, staff continue to compile their own information. Consequently there is a lack of certainty about whether the home is meeting the assessed needs of the young people in agreement with the placing authorities’ plans.

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Leadership and management adequate

There are also discrepancies between internal and external monitoring of information. For example, external monitoring reports for two different months referred respectively to an incident of restraint and a complaint from a young person. The Registered Manager’s internal monitoring reports for the same months made no reference to either significant incident. Additionally, the Registered Manager’s internal monitoring report is lacking in quality assurance information. For example, it does not include any reference to the views of the young people about their care, or about the views of their parents and placing social workers. These omissions inhibit the home’s ability to monitor its progress in respect of the quality of care provided.

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Leadership and management adequate

There are also delays in notifying Ofsted of significant events involving the welfare of young people. Additionally, the home’s complaints procedure lacks clarity and does not provide a sufficiently well-structured process for staff to follow to address the young people’s concerns. There is also an absence of consistent record- keeping in relation to the way in which staff document significant which inhibits managerial oversight. Poor record keeping and the lack of timely notifications reduces the effectiveness of safeguarding the young people’s welfare. 12 of 13 The Registered Manager has a collaborative leadership style and is committed to provide a good standard of care to the young people. The Registered Manager has in-depth knowledge and understanding of young people’s needs, leads by example, and demonstrates a genuine interest in and awareness of their welfare. Staff enjoy working in the home and feel supported by the line management. One staff member

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Leadership and management adequate

said, ‘I love my job’ and described management support as ‘excellent’. The Registered Manager’s approach to cultivating a nurturing environment for the young people is reflected in the staff’s enthusiasm for their role. One member of staff commented ‘All of the staff team strongly have the children’s well-being and safety at heart’.

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Leadership and management adequate

Broadly speaking, staff feel well supported by their formal supervision. Team meetings are regularly used to share information and discuss the particular challenges presented by young people. Staff receive training on a range of topics including behaviour management techniques and children’s sexual exploitation. The Registered Manager also plans team development days to cover specific subject areas relevant to the young people’s current behaviours and difficulties. However, there is a gap in the home’s training programme for staff who supervise young people’s contact with their families. It means that staff may not always have and skills to ensure contact has the highest possible value for the young person.

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Leadership and management adequate

A shortfall in the renewal process for Disclosure and Barring Service checks on staff has led to one member of staff being assigned to office duties instead of working directly with the young people. An efficient system for monitoring, renewing and tracking the progress of Disclosure and Barring Service checks needs to be maintained to ensure staff are deemed fit to work with young people at all times. 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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