Children's Home run by Gateshead Council in Gateshead

Unique reference number SC036773 Inspector Vicky Johnson Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Gateshead Council Registered person address Civic Centre Regent Street GATESHEAD Tyne and Wear NE8 1HH Responsible individual Frances Powell Registered manager Deborah Ann Noble Date of last inspection 04/11/2014 2 of 5 Inspection date 05/02/2015

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Previous inspection good Enforcement action since last inspection none

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This inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has sustained effectiveness .

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This inspection

The home was judged as good at the last inspection in November 2014. Five requirements and two recommendations were made to deliver improvement. The Registered Manager and the staff team have met all of these requirements and recommendations.

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This inspection

Risk assessments for young people provide more detail of risk factors such as self- harm and aggression. The care plans for young people completed by the placing authority social workers are current and in line with their statutory reviews. Since the last inspection the home has ensured that Ofsted as the regulator is informed of any significant incidents. The Registered Manager has taken steps to make sure young people have information about the outcome of any complaints. Young people now receive a letter to confirm the actions taken to resolve their concerns. The home’s recruitment policy sets out clearly the need to renew Disclosure and Barring Service checks for all staff. This action confirms staff are fit to work with young people and that their safety is secured. The induction process now in place ensures the home meets the requirements of the national minimum standards. A quarterly consultation process is planned to ensure the views of young people, parents and

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This inspection

placing authorities shape the service the home provides.

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This inspection

The home has made some improvements to practice. It has developed links with the children’s rights service to improve the ways young people’s views inform statutory reviews. Staff have implemented a standardised format for these reviews and regular meetings about the young person to establish a consistent approach to recording decisions. This reinforces the home’s effectiveness in meeting the plans for the young person agreed with the placing authority. The Registered Manager has obtained funding for a laptop to access e-Learning courses for those young people who are currently not in education. The home has also explored the possibility of a member of staff completing an outdoor qualification to enable the young people to 3 of 5 take part in residential activities. Such opportunities broaden young people’s experiences, providing them with challenges and offering them opportunities to develop new interests.

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This inspection

The home plans effectively for young people. Careful and considered preparation, which includes the full involvement of the young people and their families, creates stability and confidence. It increases the likelihood that the placement will succeed through the support, involvement and cooperation of the people important to the young person. A particular strength of the home is their ability to form strong links and develop good communication with families. The young people who have come to live in the home recently are beginning to work within the boundaries put in place to promote changes in their behaviour.

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This inspection

Risk taking behaviour among some young people, such as going missing and substance misuse, continues to be a concern. Staff deal with these difficulties through focused key working sessions. These sessions increase young people’s understanding of the consequences of placing their health and welfare at risk. Some young people have recently shown a willingness to work with plans to keep them safe. Other young people are at the early stages of engaging with strategies to reduce their episodes of drug misuse and missing from home. The young people who do not take drugs or drink alcohol say they find it challenging to share a home with those who do.

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This inspection

Professionals report that the communication with the home to keep the young people safe is effective. One social worker said, ‘If there’s been a missing, communication is really good’. The home’s risk assessments are detailed and individualised. These assessments sometimes do not address in detail responses to potential self-harm and when to report missing young people to the police. They also do not always correspond with the home’s other plans to manage such behaviours. Staff also do not routinely ensure that these assessments are updated to accurately reflect the current level of risk. Consequently, staff may not always act consistently in reporting to the police those young people who threaten to self-harm and go missing.

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This inspection

Staff continue to demonstrate a commitment to promoting young people’s potential and overall development. The Registered Manager has effective oversight of the home’s records and practice and internal monitoring of the home is strong. There is a minor shortfall however in the quality of the reports completed by the independent person. These reports do not always review the steps the home has taken in respect of previous recommendations for development. As a result, it is not clear that the home is completing actions required to improve the quality of the care it provides. 4 of 5

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home provides care and accommodation to five young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is operated by the local authority.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/11/2014 Full good 04/02/2014 Interim good progress 05/06/2013 Full outstanding 27/11/2012 Interim good progress

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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 children’s case records are maintained and kept up to date, specifically that risk assessments on individual young people detail specific actions to address potential threats to self-harm and when to report young people missing; and the risk ratings in each area of these assessments are accurate and consistently updated (Volume 5, statutory guidance, para 3.25)  ensure quality assurance measures are in place to ensure that the home provides stable, safe and secure care, specifically that the reports from the independent visitor evaluate the home’s effectiveness in meeting the recommendations made from the previous visit. (Volume 5, statutory guidance, para 3.12) Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Recommendations

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What inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspections we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection.

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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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