Children's home run by Northumberland County Council in Northumberland

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged Good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has improved effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

All young people are settled and doing well. The majority have good school attendance and are making steady progress, meeting and in some cases exceeding predicted attainment levels. Staff involve themselves in young people’s education, attending parents’ evenings and celebrating achievements. Excellent partnership working with other professionals ensures that young people give of their best in school. For example, staff called upon a specialist local authority team to work with one young person’s school. This ensured that their behaviour management strategies were consistent with the home’s. As a result, there have been no subsequent exclusions for that young person. For young people who struggle to settle in any education placement, staff are creative and persistent in exploring other opportunities. They are tireless in identifying placements which would suit the young person’s needs and abilities better.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has addressed a requirement about care plans made at the last inspection. They are much improved, with greater clarity about objectives and how they will be met. Part of one plan sets out how a young person will increase their confidence and independence. It describes simple exercises such as buying sweets in a shop, initially with staff and then making step-by-step progress to doing it completely independently. There are also more frequent key worker sessions, which enable young people to have more meaningful involvement with their plans.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Relationships between staff and young people are excellent. Daily interactions are characterised by humour and good-natured banter, within an overall framework of respect and tolerance. Staff treat young people as individuals, thinking carefully of ways to meet the particular needs of each. For example, there were several summer holiday venues and activities. This allowed an older group to take part in an exciting outdoor pursuits holiday, while the youngest went on a caravan holiday on their own with staff. One young person said, ‘The holiday in Scotland was great, the activity I liked the best was downhill mountain biking.’ Staff strive to make the experiences of young people as near as possible to their peers living in the community. Young people have their friends over to play. One young person was asked by his teacher to look after the school rabbits over Christmas. He has subsequently acquired two goldfish (which he has named ‘sausage’ and ‘chips’)

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home keeps young people safe. Following a requirement made previously, there is now a process in place to assess the impact upon young people of a potential new admission. Staff work well with other agencies to share information which protects young people. Local police are regular visitors to the home, and update staff about trends in the area relating to community safety. Staff are good at managing the occasional incident of challenging behaviour. The home has productive links with services which support young people’s emotional health. For example, young people benefit from engaging in work on managing their anger.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Leadership and management remains a particular strength. The premises have been redecorated and upgraded. Further work is planned, in consultation with young people, to create professional graffiti artwork on several walls. The registered manager has improved a number of records, for example, in relation to staff training and workforce development. This helps to identify where there might be deficits in staff skills and knowledge and enables topical issues of relevance to be addressed. For example, there has been recent training in novel psychoactive substances (‘legal highs’), and female genital mutilation. Two staff have undertaken training in Lego therapy. This gives staff the ability to work with young people in constructing social stories, helping them to make sense of relationships and family history. New arrangements for the monthly independent visits are in place. The first report has just been submitted. It is detailed and evaluative,

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

providing a very useful objective analysis of the home’s performance.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There are no statutory requirements or recommendations.

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Information about this children's home

The home accommodates four children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is operated by a local authority.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

10/03/2015 CH - Interim improved effectiveness

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection 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

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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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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