Children's home run by St Cuthbert’s Care in Newcastle upon Tyne

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged outstanding 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

The home continues to be run at a very high standard and continues to be very settled. During the period since the last inspection no children or young people have been discharged and one young person has been admitted. There have been few changes to the staff team with two new members of staff starting and one leaving.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The needs of the young person admitted to the home were carefully considered and the admission was well planned. This young person has settled in very well and is clearly making progress already. The children and young people already at the home are also continuing to do well, some making excellent progress.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

All the children and young people are achieving well in their education. They all have very good attendance at school or college and are all heading for good exam results in line with or above their predicted grades. The staff place a great deal of emphasis on education and are quick to encourage homework clubs and to commission additional tutoring. The registered manager has sent a number of her staff on top-up maths courses. This enables them to be better at supporting young people in this subject when they have to complete homework. One young person works in a children’s nursery and is actively pursuing a career in this work. They have almost completed one college course and have now enrolled for a higher level course in child care. This is an outstanding achievement.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home also offers excellent support to children and young people in terms of improving their emotional health. Most of the children and young people receive and benefit from external support from a variety of professional services to address these issues. Staff also pay much attention to supporting children and young people to build resilience and confidence. Staff go out of their way to support family contact and are actively involved in working with the extended families of a number of the children and young people. One young person is due to move to independence shortly and this is being well planned.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

All the children and young people have active lives outside of school and away from the home. One young person is very keen on horse riding and helps out at a local stables in their spare time, another attends army cadets several times a week. One young person is keen on martial arts and others take part in a wide range of other activities. The staff are keen to support trips and holidays. One young person told the inspector how he was looking forward to trips to London, France and more locally to an outdoor activities residential course.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home is a very safe place for the children and young people. None of them have gone missing since the last inspection, there have been no child protection incidents and no incidents of bullying. Only one complaint has been made but this was later retracted while the registered manager was investigating the concern. This is satisfactory. Children and young people are given clear boundaries and expectations and staff have not used any physical interventions and very few sanctions. All the children and young people are offered positive incentives and are rewarded when they do well. This creates a really positive and safe environment for the children and young people to be able to relax and grow up in.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff are nurturing and caring and the children and young people have excellent relationships with them. The children and young people are very much involved in the running of the home and take an active part in this. The group of children and young people record the outcomes of their weekly meetings with each other and staff and these meetings discuss a wide range of topics and frequently have visiting speakers of interest. They have also been involved in helping with staff recruitment and obtaining a number of awards for the home. Children and young people also take part in various charity events and help others in need. Recently all the children and young people voluntarily completed a first aid course and so are all qualified.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager continues to provide outstanding leadership to the staff team and supports them well. She is effective and efficient and constantly strives to improve and develop services. Currently she is setting up a children’s council within the organisation and is applying for national accreditation in this area. She continues to give staff training a high priority and has high expectations for all staff and for children and young people in her care. The quality of care planning is very strong and progress is constantly monitored and evaluated.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

No requirements or recommendations were made at the last inspection and none are made at this inspection.

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Information about this children's home

The home is run by a charitable organisation and is registered for the care and accommodation of up to six children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties (EBD)

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

31/07/2014 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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