Children's Home run by Gateshead Council 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:

 Staff work hard to build trusting relationships with young people which enables them to gain an understanding of their needs and provide individualised care.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Despite facing challenging behaviour, staff focus on moving past these incidents. They make it clear it is unacceptable but do not let it interfere with the standard of care they provide nor allow young people to feel punished because of the way they have acted.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Some young people have made progress since they came to the home. In some cases, this has been significant in relation to when they first began living at the home.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The manager has identified areas for improvement in the home, despite taking on the role a short time ago. This includes developing strategies for recording progress and achievements, and individual consultation with young people to understand their perspective on the quality of care they receive.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The house is a comfortable and relaxing place to be. It is very well furnished and young people enjoy well decorated bedrooms which they are able to personalise. Any damage or repairs required in the home are quickly addressed.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The staff team have worked together for some time and have built strong relationships and high levels of communication. They have a genuine desire for young people to do well and provide a caring and nurturing environment. They manage behaviours in accordance with individual care plans and present boundaries in a consistent manner.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Other professionals consulted during the inspection were positive about the staff and the service provided to young people. The police are not routinely called to manage behaviour and confirmed they were only approached when absolutely necessary.  Supervision of staff is regular and effective. It involves reflective practice which staff say they find helpful in developing their own skills and competencies. In addition, staff say they can approach their peers and managers with any concerns they have, building on the already cohesive team.

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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

10. In order to meet the health and well-being standard, with particular reference to reducing young people‟s use of alcohol, tobacco and other substances that are detrimental to their health, the registered provider must ensure that –

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Requirement Due date

(1)(c) children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. 31/01/2016

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Requirement Due date

12. In order to meet the protection of children standard, with particular reference to reducing the number of times that young people are missing or absent from the home, the registered person must ensure –

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Requirement Due date

(2)(b) that the home‟s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. 31/01/2016

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Requirement Due date

13. In order to meet the leadership and management standard, with particular reference to ensuring that all the polices are up to date, reflecting the current legislation and regulations, and that documents that are kept on children‟s files or used for recording information about the home is accurate, the registered person must –

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Requirement Due date

(2)(h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of the care provided in the home. 31/01/2016

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home –

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Requirement Due date

(b) the registered person must ensure that the requirements of the Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 25(2)(b)) 31/01/2016 In particular, to remove the risk of fire posed by a young person smoking in their bedroom.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person‟s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person‟s opinion as to whether –

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Requirement Due date

(a) children are effectively safeguarded; and (b) the conduct of the home promotes children‟s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that the report provides analytical information about what impact the home is having on promoting the care being provided. In addition, the reports must contain the opinion of the visitor on the two aspects required by regulation.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure that the review of the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home includes identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home‟s location and the strategies for managing these. In particular, measure the level of risk before and after strategies are in place to determine the effectiveness of the strategy to reduce risk. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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Information about this children's home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to five young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is operated by the local authority.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

05/02/2015 Interim Sustained Effectiveness

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good

Young people in the home benefit from having a staff team who are focussed on building trusted and secure relationships. This happens with all adults in the home, not solely those in care worker roles. Information is shared with all staff on a regular basis which enables young people to have individualised care provided by workers who are knowledgeable about their needs. I was able to observe casual, free flowing conversations between staff and young people throughout my time at the home. This included discussion of serious issues and that which was of a more casual nature.

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good

Some young people have been in the home for a number of years while others have only been there a few months. Staff acknowledge the importance of building relationships quickly. This help to understand and support young people to make positive changes in their lives and to adapt the care they provide when it is in their interests to do so. For example, for one young person responds poorly to being directed to do things. Staff understand to use a nurturing approach to achieve the same result. This also encourages young people to share concerns about matters that are important to them in the knowledge that staff will help them manage them better. Young people know they can raise concerns about their care directly with staff at any time, but are also aware how to raise a formal complaint. Since the last inspection, only two complaints have been received. One of those was from a young person and the other from a family member. The first was dealt with

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good

appropriately, the latter is currently being considered by an independent person in the authority.

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good

The current position in relation to young people‟s attendance in education or learning is mixed. Some young people who had previously not attended well, did see an improvement, however, some young people are now waiting for alternative options to be sourced. One young person should have returned to school in September, but despite the best efforts of staff, and incentives, this has not happened. One young person is looking for an opportunity to work within the fitness industry. One young person who had a poor end to their education was supported by staff to attend to undertake their final exams. As a result of staff taking the young person to school and waiting for them to complete the exam, they were able to undertake all but one of them. One young person had participated for three weeks in The Prince‟s Trust, which for them was a significant achievement. Another young person is carrying out training in the construction

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good

field, in addition to academic qualifications, with a view to finding work. Another is actively looking for work and during the inspection was preparing their curriculum vitae and visiting possible employers.

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good

Young people are encouraged to participate in activities in and outside the home. There are visits to local attractions and there are a host of pictures of young people hung on the walls of the home enjoying them. A number of the young people currently living in the home are at the age where spending time with their friends is very important. As such, sometimes they prefer not to engage in formal activities. However, when they do they appreciate their time spent out. They do enjoy one to one time with staff, even when this is just to the Metro Centre to browse the shops. When young people prefer to do different activities, staff at the home accommodate this when at all possible. For example, one young person preferred not to go on a group outing. Instead, staff arranged for them and their partner to go out that day on a different activity. Some young people also sit on panels during the authority‟s interview process. This allows them to participate in

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good

the selection exercise and ask questions to select staff that they feel will be able to carry out the role. This supports young people to understand that their view is sought after and improves their self-esteem and social skills.

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good

A number of the young people are progressing towards independence and of those that should, all but one has a formal pathway plan in place. Young people are at varying stages of independence. All are encouraged to keep their own spaces clean and tidy and if they are not washing and drying their own laundry they are required to get it ready. They are able to prepare their own foods and one young person has been able to spend time learning how to prepare food from the home‟s cook. Some young people now manage money for haircuts and for buying their own clothes. One young person is given a weekly allowance which they use to learn how to budget ready for moving into more independent living. In addition, young people are helped to manage safe relationships. Young people moving towards independent living are looking forward to this change. In addition to staff preparing young people for this change, they continue to offer support after young

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good

people have left. Visitors to the home often include previous residents who have kept in touch with staff at the home after they have left.

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good

Young people are registered with local medical services and the location of the home allows easy access to hospitals when necessary. Generally, health of young people is good. However, young people, with one exception, smoke, drink alcohol or use drugs. Staff work hard to encourage young people to reduce or stop smoking or drinking using the link-work sessions. This has at times had some success. Staff also try to engage young people with other agencies that offer specialist service in relation to drug and alcohol use. Again, young people do not always want to stop using them and incentives to try and reduce or stop this has not always been effective. Because of this, young people continue to put their own health at risk.

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good

One young person smokes in their bedroom which poses a fire risk to all those living or working in the home. Staff have tried to get the young person to listen to the fire and rescue service but they would not engage. Steps have been taken to reduce the risk by spraying bedding and curtains with a flame retardant substance. Risks still remain as the young person may smoke while under the influence of drugs or alcohol and so may not acknowledge the high level of risk they pose. Incentives to stop smoking in the bedroom has not been successful.

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good

Young people have good access to food in the home and can contribute to what the cook makes them. The menus are created and considered by a nutritionist who confirms they are a good balance of healthy options. One young person had a limited range of food that they like. Staff have encouraged the young person to expand their eating habits and have taken steps to introduce new foods by going out to places that serve food that would be out of the ordinary. This has led to the young person taking some steps towards increasing the types of food they like.

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good

Young people are treated with respect and are looked after by adults who understand how they express their emotions through their behaviour. Because of the effort staff put into understanding young people they can identify triggers and take steps to de-escalate tension before it reaches crisis point. Staff have used link-work sessions, general discussions and interaction with other agencies to help young people understand how their behaviours impact on others and that they understand consequences of their actions, both to themselves and to others. This improves their ability to build better social relationships with peers and with adults and ready them for living away from the home‟s environment.

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good

Staff have made excellent progress in improving contact arrangements for young people. Some young people when they arrive at the home have experienced breakdowns with their families. Staff work hard at re-engaging families with young people. As a result, young people have been able to spend more time with their family and people who are important to them. One young person has been able to improve relationships to the point where their plan is to move and live with their parent. For others, contact improves while ensuring those relationships are safe and in the best interests of young people. When there are breakdowns with young people who are at the home, staff make a concerted effort to rebuild and strengthen relations, engaging other services to work with family members to support re-establishing young people with their families.

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requires improvement

Young people live in an environment that provides them with a safe place to live. The home has external doors that lock from the outside but can be opened from the inside so do not restrict liberty of young people when they want to leave the home. In addition, there are alarms that detect intruders and chimes on internal doors that are only activated when necessary. There is also video surveillance of the property as a security measure against anyone wanting to gain access to the home.

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requires improvement

Young people arrive at the home with differing levels of behaviour that can put them at risk. Young people have arrived at the home whom, prior to this, demonstrated high levels of drug misuse, including legal highs, missing from home, self-harming behaviour, involvement in offending behaviour and displayed high levels of aggression. During their time at this home, staff have taken time to understand why young people act in this way and spend time during link-work sessions to explore how staff at the home can support young people to become safer. Young people frequently choose not to take the advice given to them by staff and as a result they do not always remain as safe as they could be.

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requires improvement

Some young people have responded positively to incentives and link-work sessions, but the improvements have not always been sustained. Some young people are at the age where they wish to push for their independence and spending time away from the home with their friends is part of this. Staff work with social workers and families to put in place boundaries that are individual and appropriate to their level of risk. The times that young people need to be back in the home in an evening differ and have been negotiated to increase the likelihood of them returning home rather than staying out overnight.

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requires improvement

When young people have continued to go missing from home, staff have been able to demonstrate improvements in the levels of communication they have with them. This has allowed them to monitor how safe they are while they are away from the home. When young people are missing, staff liaise with police to report missing incidents and keep them updated of the situation until the young person returns. Records kept at the home do not make it clear whether recorded missing incidents are actual periods when young people are missing or whether they have returned to the home after their agreed time to be home. Young people should receive an interview by an independent person within 72 hours of them returning home. This is not happening. Some young people choose not to be seen but sometimes the interviews are not being offered, when they are, it is some time later. In addition, recording of interviews must improve. One document indicated that a return

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requires improvement

interview had taken place prior to the young person returning to the home.

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requires improvement

Feedback from social workers, both gathered at the time of inspection and what had been communicated to the home, indicates that contact with them is good with respect to incidents relating to their young people. One social worker described it as, „excellent, rapid communication‟, and that staff „really care for them‟.

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requires improvement

The staff keep records of known risks associated with young people. These indicate low, medium and high levels of risk and the action that should be taken if those situations arise. These are updated if there are changes as a result of a looked after child review or if a situation has occurred that requires an update to the assessment. If there are any changes, all staff are sent an email, updated at handover and changes are highlighted in the home‟s log. This ensures that any staff on duty are fully aware of risks posed to young people at any given time.

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requires improvement

Positive behaviour is promoted by staff. Some young people display verbally and physically aggressive behaviour towards staff. While staff ensure that young people understand this behaviour is inappropriate they nonetheless also make young people understand that they are there to help and support them and continue to do so despite these challenges. This demonstrates to young people that they are valued and that staff care about them. Staff are also able to identify situations that trigger aggressive behaviour and use their knowledge and skills to avoid those situations and de-escalate. As a result, there have been no restraints recorded since the last inspection and positive behaviour is achieved through incentives and mutual respect.

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requires improvement

Young people have access to the internet in the home. Staff understand the risks posed and ensure young people also understand how to not put themselves at risk. The authority employs appropriate restrictions to internet access. The home is currently expanding the internet service to include a wireless connection.

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requires improvement

Staff at the home undergo appropriate recruitment checks. This ensures that those looking after young people are suitable to do so and prevents unsuitable people having the opportunity to harm them. Staff ensure that visitors to the home, including those that visit the home after they have previously lived there, are supervised. This ensure that young people are not left alone with adults that have not gone through a process of having their suitability checked.

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requires improvement

During the inspection I was able to ask staff about what they would do if they witnessed a safeguarding incident in the home. They were able to explain that the safety of the young person would be their first concern. They understood there was a policy in place and that concerns must be escalated to managers who would then consult with appropriate people. They understood who the local authority designated officer was and what their role is.

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good

The home has an acting manager who has recently applied for registration with Ofsted. This person previously worked as the assistant manager of the home and so has a good understanding of how it operates. This has led to a smooth transition when the previous manager left the home. The manager is qualified and is currently undertaking the level 5 qualification that is required to remain registered. The authority have made the decision to continue to employ the previous manager in a role that allows coaching and support for the new manager. This is good practice and allows for effective development of the new manager so that care provided to young people is maintained until the transition is fully complete.

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good

The home is adequately staffed by a well-established team. They either hold or are working towards the required qualifications. In addition, training is provided that is necessary to carry out their role. Those staff spoken to during the inspection said they were fully supported and felt that they were properly trained to be able to carry out their role effectively. All staff are involved in the care of young people and those not designated as care workers also participate in the same training. This allows them to understand and take an active part in the care provided to young people. This also means they are skilled in observing situations that may demonstrate a young person is involved in behaviour that puts them at risk, for example, they have the knowledge of what signs to look for if young people present as under the influence of drink or drugs. They can then work closely with care staff to ensure that young people are appropriately looked after.

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good

The manager has carried out the first review of quality of care. This is a comprehensive report that will benefit from including more analysis which demonstrates the impact that staff at the home are having, what works well and also what changes have been made that were not as successful. The independent visitor who is required to come to the home each month provides a report that has a lot of factual information. This does not support the manager in identifying areas that can be improved. That report should contain some information that demonstrates the visitor has analysed what the home has done and how this has impacted on the care being provided. In addition, the regulation requires the visitor to include in the report their view on whether the home is effectively safeguarding young people and whether the conduct of the home promotes the well-being of young people. Neither of these opinions feature within the reports.

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good

The manager has in place systems that monitor the training that staff have undertaken. It also expects staff to alert the manager when that training requires refresher training, for example, first aid or safeguarding. This ensure that in addition to the manager‟s system, staff take responsibility to keep on top of their own development.

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good

The home has a business plan which identifies strengths and weakness in that it identifies contingency planning for the service operating in a way to support the Statement of Purpose. The Statement of Purpose is updated regularly and both these documents will need a revision to take into account the changes in management at the home when the registered manager is in post.

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good

Complaints received are acted upon quickly. The manager has received a concern and has appropriately escalated this to follow a formal process. This ensures that instigators of concerns can be satisfied that an independent investigation will take place.

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good

Staff at the home ensure they advocate on behalf of young people. They make sure they prepare for and attend reviews that involve their young people. This ensure that their needs are addressed even if the young person chooses not to participate.

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good

All staff work together very well. They have worked together for some time and understand each other‟s strengths and use these to their advantage to match appropriate people as link-workers to meet young people‟s individual needs. They demonstrated, through discussion and observation, their genuine desire for young people to do well. They put any unpleasant incidents to one side and do not let this affect their judgement in the care they provide.

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good

A particularly strong element of the staff in the home is their ability to build and maintain relationships with young people‟s families. This has had a significant impact on the quality and frequency of contact that young people have with them. For example, one young person, upon admission to the home had no contact with family members as a result of their behaviour. Now, directly as a result of the effort made by staff, they are planning for a move back home. This is indicative of the efforts all staff go to which improves the contact that young people get. Because of this, young people benefit from having regular and overnight contact with family and those that are important to them. This develops their opportunities to build long lasting and meaningful relationships.

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good

Staff ensure they build and maintain links with other agencies that offer support to them and to young people in the home. I was able to speak with a police officer who was able to confirm that staff manage escalations in behaviour well and that they have no complaints from the local community about young people in the home. The officer confirmed that they regularly visit the home and speak to young people, both in general and about specific concerns. Staff use this support to help young people understand about action they take that can put them at risk of harm. Also, staff in the home engage services of other agencies to help young people stop using drugs and alcohol. While young people often choose not to engage with those services, staff promote them regularly.

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good

Managers and staff receive regular supervision. These are focussed on young people, effective and highly regarded by staff. They say they feel supported and are given the appropriate development to be able to do their job. Supervision records indicate that reflection is used to consider whether incidents were dealt with well or whether other steps could have been taken. This helps to improve practice and encourages learning based on practical experiences. Supervision also reflects the individual young people in the home. Each member of staff has opportunity to interact with all the young people so it is an opportunity for the manager to gather information to make sure staff are providing the appropriate levels of care.

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good

The manager holds regular team meetings which are also focused on needs of young people. They also allow for reflection on incidents in the home, even for those people that were not involved in them. I was able to observe the handover on the first day of the inspection. Staff communicated effectively with each other and those coming onto the shift, even if they had not carried out a shift for a number of days, were fully aware of incidents that may affect the care being provided that day, what plans young people had and any planned appointments or activities.

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good

During the inspection it became apparent that a number of documents were not up to date. For example, information provided to me did not have correct details of social workers and dates that other documents were reviewed. Some information within the children‟s files did not appear to be relevant as they related to information in August and other information referred to legislation that was no longer in force. The manager is new in post and there are currently some issues in relation to staff resources due to sickness and posts not yet being able to be permanently filled. These should be resolved shortly which will allow the manager to have time to thoroughly review the documentation in the home to ensure it is reviewed and up to date.

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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

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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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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