Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Gateshead

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The home has made significant improvements since the last full inspection. The staff team is now established and provides greater consistency of care. Outstanding leadership and management contributes to good outcomes for young people.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Relationships within the home are excellent. Staff respect young people’s views and enable them to have fulfilling experiences. Planning for new young people coming to the home is thorough and effective.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The home’s practice is effective in protecting young people from harm. This is evident to young people, all of whom say they feel safe here.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Staff work closely in partnership with parents and other agencies to improve the welfare and safety of young people. Young people of any age are able to learn and practise skills which will be of use to them when they are adults.

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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 (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

12. The protection of children standard In order to meet the protection of children standard with particular reference to young people’s use of bicycles, the registered person must ensure that staff: (2)(a)(i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. 25/09/2015

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Requirement Due date

10. The health and well-being standard In order to meet the health and well-being standard with particular reference to supporting young people to eat more healthily, the registered person must ensure that: (1)(c) children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. 25/09/2015

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Information about this children's home

The home provides accommodation for up to three children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is operated by a private company.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

25/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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good

Staff know the needs of young people very well. Care plans reflect these needs and set out clear objectives for each young person’s placement and how they will be achieved. Key workers review care plans at regular intervals and update as necessary. They share any changes or developments in team meetings so that everyone is aware of each young person’s current situation.

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good

Young people make good progress as a result of the quality of care and the attention that staff pay to meeting their needs. A social worker said, ‘This is the longest placement that the young person has ever had. Staff are fantastic, they are doing an excellent job.’ Young people of school age have good attendance in full- time education, while those who have left school are making firm plans for further education and training. For example, staff have helped one young person to write their CV. In general, the home’s practice is effective at improving health outcomes for young people. Each young person has a separate health plan setting out what needs to be done to improve their well-being. Some young people smoke and are resistant to giving up; nevertheless, staff persist in counselling them and working with health professionals to provide support. Staff also encourage physical activity and promote healthy lifestyles. They are aware of the importance of healthy

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good

eating, but do not always make sufficient effort to ensure that all young people have a balanced and nutritious diet.

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good

Relationships between staff and young people are excellent. Young people like spending time with their key workers and other staff and enjoying leisure activities like trips to the cinema. One social worker commented, ‘The placement has been really positive for the young person. They engage really well with staff and respond to their intervention.’ Young people feel that staff listen to them. A recently-revamped suggestion box is placed unobtrusively in the lounge. Regular one-to-one sessions with their key workers enable young people to talk about their plans or any other aspect of their lives. Young people can choose how their bedrooms are decorated and furnished. Staff understand the emotional significance of giving young people this kind of decision-making over their environment. For example, for their birthday present one young person asked for a Wendy House to keep in their bedroom, ‘because I’ve always wanted one of those’. Another told

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good

staff they wanted to sleep in a sleeping bag rather than under their duvet, and was delighted and surprised when they returned one evening to find it in their room.

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good

Staff enable young people to get the most out of living here. They can take part in a range of activities both with staff and with their peers. One young person has joined the local boxing club, and attends the community youth club on a regular basis. At the time of the inspection, one young person was away on holiday at an activity centre. He telephoned the home and spoke to the inspector, saying what a great time he was having. These kind of experiences enhance young people’s self- esteem and provide memories they will look back on fondly in the future. When asked what they liked best about the home, one young person simply said, ‘everything’.

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good

Staff use formal programmes of work to help young people develop abilities they will need as adults. These are not used solely with older young people, staff believing that it is never too early to teach and encourage self-care skills. Even the youngest resident knows he needs to separate whites from colours when he washes his clothes. Staff also promote independence in other ways, requiring young people to use public transport rather than always rely on the home’s car, or arranging for young people to sleep over at the homes of friends.

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good

The home is good at promoting and supporting young people’s contact with their families. In situations where contact must be supervised to safeguard the young person, staff have worked creatively with placing social workers to enable this to happen. As a result, young people are able to enjoy contact with family members and maintain important relationships. Staff also work closely with parents. They talk to them about their children and give them advice, for example, about different approaches to behaviour management. This partnership working gives parents greater confidence in their abilities and enables young people to return home earlier than might otherwise be the case.

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good

The home provides a safe experience for young people. Plans to safeguard them are comprehensive and frequently reviewed by staff. Staff spend time with young people helping them to understand how to avoid risky situations, whether these be in the community, within the home or online. The good understanding that staff have of each young person’s needs and particular vulnerabilities enables them to manage emotional upsets with sensitivity and skill. Some young people respond particularly well to the judicious use of humour, tense situations frequently being resolved without incident. Because of this, the use of physical restraint is extremely rare. Similarly, sanctions are used infrequently. Staff find the use of positive incentives to be more effective in promoting long term change in young people’s behaviour. Young people get on well with each other. The relationship between one boy and girl is described as like brother and sister. There is no bullying, although policies

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good

and procedures should it occur are robust. When asked if they felt safe here, one young person answered, ‘Yes, all the time.’ The safety of the building is frequently checked and any shortfalls are remedied. For example, skylights in some young people’s bedrooms have been modified so that they cannot provide access to the roof. Arrangements for fire safety are good. Risk assessments cover a range of activities inside and outside the home. Some young people like to use their bikes in the local community, but the management of risk in this particular activity is weak. The requirement to wear a helmet is not sufficiently rigorously enforced by staff. Furthermore, young people have not had training in how to cycle safely on the roads. This exposes young people to greater risk of injury. Young people do not go missing from the home very often. Plans for how to manage such incidents are individualised to each young person. They take account

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good

of their age and other factors which impact on their vulnerability, setting out when and how to report to the police and other agencies. Staff work well with social workers to respond consistently to young people who go missing and determine the reasons why. For example, sometimes young people choose not to engage with their social worker in carrying out an independent interview when they return from being missing. Staff will facilitate this, and also liaise with voluntary agencies who do this work on behalf of the local authority. This provides additional safeguards for young people. Where there are particular concerns about a young person’s pattern or frequency of going missing, senior staff are proactive in convening strategy meetings with other agencies. This enables plans to manage further incidents to be agreed in coordination with social workers and police.

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outstanding

The Registered Manager is experienced and suitably qualified. He is very well supported by senior staff within the home, some of whom are undertaking in- house management development programmes. The leadership team is highly effective at organising staff to maximise their impact on outcomes for young people and the quality of care. A recent innovation has been to set individual members of staff the task of researching various topics and then sharing their findings with the group. For example, the deputy manager gave a presentation on children’s rights, and staff then used this information in individual work with young people. Managers and staff track the progress that young people make and can identify where extra input is needed to address particular difficulties. For example, one young person who started fire setting behaviour was enabled to join the local Fire Service Cadet group. Both internal and external monitoring is thorough, making

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outstanding

use of what young people and other users say about the service to evaluate its effectiveness. Statutory requirements and recommendations from the previous inspections have been met in full, improving aspects of recording. Following a period of instability within the staff group, the home is now fully staffed with qualified and experienced individuals. Members of staff are unanimous in stating how effectively they work as a team. One said, ‘The team is a lot stronger at the top, we have great management support, we are able to provide better support and induction for new staff and this helps the young people.’ This is also confirmed by other professionals. One social worker said, ‘Every one of the staff works so hard, I love my young person being here.’ This level of consistency, commitment and skill directly benefits young people. It provides them with the assurance that each and every member of staff is able to give them emotional and

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outstanding

practical support when necessary. Managers provide staff with exceptional support. Supervision is regular and focused on the needs of young people. Following incidents with young people, senior staff have detailed de-briefs with the staff involved. This enables them to reflect on what happened and explore any learning points arising from it. Staff are able to access a range of training opportunities in addition to mandatory updates on fire safety, behaviour management and so on. For example, some staff have recently attended training on child sexual exploitation arranged by the local safeguarding children board. Staff particularly valued being amongst professionals from different agencies and disciplines. It enhanced the learning experience and made them better equipped to use their new-found knowledge in practice. Administrative systems are outstanding. Policies, records and case files are well- organised and kept up to date. This enables staff to access and record information

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outstanding

efficiently and also for young people to easily see what staff write about them if they wish to. More importantly, it also means that staff spend less time in the office and more with young people. The home is exceptionally well-maintained and attractive. It provides an environment of high quality which clearly conveys to young people that they are valued and deserve the best. Staff are aware of the potentially negative impact of institutional practice upon young people. Accordingly, display boards with important information (for example, how to complain), are discreetly located so as not to be immediately obvious on entering the home. The number of forms which young people need to sign when they are first placed in the home has been reduced from around twelve, to one.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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