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

Unique reference number SC394909 Inspector Bill Drumm Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Right-Trak Limited Registered person address Suite 104 1st Floor West Wingrove House Ponteland Road Newcastle upon Tyne NE5 3DE Responsible individual Glynis Spriddell Registered manager Christine Walker Date of last inspection 13/10/2014 2 of 10 Inspection date 08/12/2014

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Previous inspection inadequate Enforcement action since last inspection none

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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 good

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Overall effectiveness

Overall, the home provides good levels of care and support to young people who have complex needs. Staff work hard to develop good positive relationships with all young people and, in the main, they are successful. Each young person has a placement plan in place that outlines what their care needs are and how they will be met. However, in a small number of cases placement plans are not routinely monitored by key-workers and they lack some detail. This is particularly the case in relation to young people who sometimes experience conflict with those who are important to them. This means that the changing needs of young people are not quickly highlighted and strategies for dealing with conflict situations are not fully considered.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff want all young people in their care to stay safe and to be safe. They have had some success in this area with young people reducing the number of times they go missing. However, written records relating to incidents of young people going missing do not always clearly record the time a young person returns home. This means that a full and clear pattern of a young person’s behaviour is not known.

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Overall effectiveness

The atmosphere within the home is both relaxed and supportive. Staff actively encourage young people to attend education. They have had some success in this area. Some young people now engage regularly with alternatives to formal 3 of 10 education and others, have started mainstream school once again. Additionally, young people receive encouragement to develop hobbies and interests and to make constructive use of their leisure time. Staff also help young people to develop the skills needed for daily living and to move successfully into adulthood. However, not all young people who are eligible have a comprehensive pathway plan in place to aid their transition into adult life. This means that they will not be fully prepared for independent living.

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Overall effectiveness

Other areas identified for improvement relate to the home’s Statement of Purpose although this does not directly impact on the safety and welfare of young people. 4 of 10

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Information about this children’s home

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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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/10/2014 Full inadequate 03/02/2014 Interim satisfactory progress 19/06/2013 Full good 05/03/2013 Interim good progress

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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) prepare in consultation with the child's placing authority a placement plan for the child setting out, in particular how on a day to day basis, he will be cared for, and his welfare safeguarded and promoted by the home. (Regulation 12(1B)(a)) 27/02/2015

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s): 5 of 10  review the home's statement of purpose to ensure it fully records how children can contact Ofsted if they wish to raise a concern with inspectors (NMS 13.5)  ensure that each young person has a comprehensive and up-to-date pathway plan in place to aid their transition into adulthood (NMS 12.3)  ensure that each child's placement plan is monitored by a key-worker within the home who ensures that the requirements of the plan are implemented in the day-to-day care of that child (NMS 25.2)  ensure that all written records about when a child goes missing are clear and detailed. (NMS 5.10) 6 of 10

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people receive support from staff to be healthy and to stay healthy. They have access to a range of health services to promote both their physical and emotional well-being. Staff also provide on-going support and encouragement to young people about healthy eating and the dangers of smoking, drinking alcohol and drugs. One member of staff said, ‘We’ve managed to get one young person start trying new things in their diet. That’s a big step for them and last week we had him eating broccoli.’ Another member of staff said, ‘We’ve had success in reducing the number of times some young people use drugs. Once it seemed like a daily occurrence but now things are a lot better.’ However, some young people continue to put their health at risk by, for example, smoking. Staff remain committed to helping young people reduce the amount they smoke and in improving their health further.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people make good progress in their education. Through hard work and perseverance, young people who have been absent from mainstream education have been helped to recommence their attendance. Additionally, young people who attend alternatives to formal education, such as those who receive individual tuition in a local library have also increased their attendance and engagement. For some, this has been a marked improvement on their time before admission to the home. Staff support and encourage young people to have aspirations for their future and to seek employment or training. This will help them to make the most of their life chances.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Where appropriate, young people, continue to have regular contact with their families, friends and relatives. On some occasions and because of the volatile relationship some young people have with their friends, staff supervise contact and monitor their interactions. This helps to maintain good relationships and reduce tensions between all those involved.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people learn activities for daily living. This helps to prepare them for a smooth transition into adulthood and independent living.

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Quality of care good

The home’s manager and staff support young people to have a say in how the home should be run. They are encouraged to discuss the content of their own care plans and to develop plans for their future. However, care plans do not contain explicit information about the tensions that exist between some young people and their friends. Nor do they detail what strategies can be used to eliminate or reduce those tensions. Additionally, key-workers do not clearly record the details of conversations and discussions they have with young people about their care or their relationships 7 of 10 with others. This means that strategies used to help young people understand their relationships with others and ease conflict are not clearly recorded.

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Quality of care good

Regular discussions take place between staff and young people during meal times, while watching television or while participating in activities. One young person’s social worker said, ‘Thank you for all you’ve done. My young person has an excellent relationship with his key-worker and I am impressed with the commitment and support all the staff have shown him.’ Young people are confident in raising issues that concern them and in making their needs known. One young person said, ‘Everyone listens to you here.’ This helps young people to feel valued and included.

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Quality of care good

Relationships between young people and staff are positive, warm and friendly. This was summed up by one young person who has recently left the home who said, 'I just want to say a huge thank you for everything you have done for me. You have made me into the person I am today and I am so grateful for every single thing.’ Young people generally behave well and they are encouraged to develop hobbies, interests and friendships outside of the home and in the local community. This helps young people to use their leisure time in a constructive way and to develop friendships with young people in the local community.

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Quality of care good

The staff support and encourage young people to be fit and healthy. Their health needs are recorded clearly in individual residential placement plans which means staff know what they have to do to help improve each young person's health. Staff also provide useful health-related information for young people, as well as advice and encouragement to lead a healthy lifestyle. The on-going encouragement and support from staff has enabled some young people to eat a healthier diet and reduce the number of times they use drugs. One young person’s social worker said, ‘Thank you for the work you’re doing with my young person. I met him recently and he appears to be turning himself around.’ This means that young people are developing an awareness of how to keep themselves fit and healthy.

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Quality of care good

The home’s manager and staff are effective in helping young people to improve their attendance at education. Some young people have recently commenced mainstream education after a period of absence. Others have started to engage in a positive manner with alternatives to education, such as individual tuition at a local library. Staff encourage young people to have aspirations for their future and to think of work or training opportunities they might like to pursue as they get older. This helps them to achieve their full potential and improve their life chances.

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Quality of care good

The home is well-maintained, appropriately designed, clean and comfortable. Young people are encouraged to keep their bedrooms clean and tidy and to personalise them. This helps young people to feel comfortable and secure.

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Quality of care good

Young people are encouraged to learn activities for daily living and to build on the independence skills they already have. Each young person has a formal plan in place that shows what skills they need to learn and how their progress is measured. 8 of 10 However, not all young people who are eligible have a comprehensive pathway plan in place. This means young people may not receive the full help and support they need to make a successful transition into adulthood.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The home’s manager and staff provide safe care for young people. One young person said, ‘It’s safe here and I am safe. I’ve got incentives in place to help keep me safe as well and that helps a lot.’

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Restraint or holding young people is seldom, if ever, used. Staff only occasionally use sanctions to help young people improve their behaviour. The parent of one young person said, ‘I’m pleased my son is now getting the help he needs with his behaviour,’ and another parent said, ‘Staff are doing everything in their power to help keep my son on the right track.’ The use of reward systems for good behaviour as opposed to using sanctions for negative behaviour helps young people to take responsibility for their actions.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The staff have reported young people as missing to the police on a small number of occasions since the previous inspection and the trend of young people being missing from the home is reducing. The recording systems used by staff to show what action they have taken to help locate young people are clear and detailed. However, on a number of occasions the exact time at which young people have returned is not clear. This means that a full and clear pattern of a young person’s behaviour is not known.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The premises are safe. Electrical equipment and the equipment used for preventing, detecting and extinguishing fires is regularly inspected and serviced. The home’s manager conducts a regular review of risk assessments relating to hazards that may arise in the home. Additionally, appropriate recruitment arrangements are in place which helps to ensure that staff employed to work with children are suitable. Important information relating to recruitment records is kept in the home which helps improve accountability.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The staff assess the risk of hazards that each young person may face and make a proportionate evaluation about how such risks may be minimised. This takes into account both their age and maturity. There is a recognition that all young people need to experience some degree of appropriate risk as a part of growing up and learning through doing. This helps young people to explore and understand the world around them and to mature into responsible adults.

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Leadership and management good

9 of 10 The Registered Manager has been registered since January 2014. She has the appropriate qualifications to be the Registered Manager of a children’s home as well as having a suitable management qualification.

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Leadership and management good

At the previous inspection Ofsted judged the home’s overall effectiveness as being inadequate. Six compliance notices were raised as a result of that inspection in addition to seven requirements and three recommendations. All have been fully met.

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Leadership and management good

The home meets the aims and objectives set out in its Statement of Purpose which is updated and reviewed regularly. Placing social workers know what the home can offer young people, what the skills of the staff team are and how they can be utilised to help young people achieve their maximum potential. However the contact details of Ofsted are not recorded. This means that parents, professionals and young people will be unable to contact Ofsted if they wish to raise a concern with inspectors.

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Leadership and management good

Information relating to significant events in a young person’s life are routinely recorded in the young person’s file. For instance, notes from looked after children’s reviews. This means that each young person’s file provides an accurate account of their life within the home and they are able to see how or why decisions may have been made.

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Leadership and management good

There have been no new appointments to the staff team since the last full inspection. Recruitment procedures are robust and help to ensure that young people are kept safe from exploitation or abuse. The home’s management has undertaken a comprehensive review of staff supervision and appraisal systems. The formal supervision of staff is detailed and provides a full and clear account of all areas discussed, including individual work with young people. This means that staff have their work practice appropriately monitored and they feel fully supported.

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Leadership and management good

Monitoring visits from someone independent of the home take place every month. The person undertaking these visits talks, where possible, to staff and young people. In addition, and where possible, the visiting officer talks with the parents or relatives of young people themselves. These visits help to ensure that the home is run properly and that young people are well cared for.

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Leadership and management good

Internal monitoring by the home’s manager is robust. Regular checks are made of all the necessary issues and recording mechanisms show the precise number of incidents that may have occurred, for instance in the number of times a young person has been missing from home. Recording precise details means the home’s acting manager is able to look at trends in behaviour and put strategies in place to address these trends. Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Leadership and management good

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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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