Children's Home run by Talbot House Children’s Charity Limited in Newcastle upon Tyne

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 registered manager offers very good leadership to the staff team. She is effective and efficient and is a strong role model. She is able to manage the home well and is also able to maintain excellent relationships with all the children and young people. She is in the process of developing a strong team of staff who are increasingly able to take responsibilities and to develop areas of expertise.  The staff team are nurturing. They are able to put in appropriate boundaries and expectations and are able to balance this with very individual care of all the children and young people. Staff levels are high, so the children and young people are able to spend a lot of time with staff on a one-to-one basis or in very small groups.  The children and young people make good progress at school. They have very good attendance records and their school work is well supported by staff during the evenings. One of the staff members is a qualified teacher

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The children’s home provision is good because:

and is able to offer considerable expertise. Staff have good relationships with schools and work very closely with them at all times. These good relationships and working partnerships mean that issues are often sorted out quickly and that further difficulties are avoided.  Staff have good relationships with children and young people. The Children and young people are consulted widely about their interests and preferences, and many of their suggestions are taken forward. This consultation happens well in group meetings, and also one-to-one. The group meetings are used to discuss issues affecting the children and young people within the home, and these are often positive.  Children and young people are able to keep in good contact with their families. Staff go out of their way to ensure that sometimes complex and difficult contact arrangements work well, and that children and young people are able to benefit as much as possible from seeing their families.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 All of the children and young people are encouraged to take up outside leisure interests. Many attend local clubs and some of these are specifically for children and young people with learning disabilities. Others take part in a wide range of other activities. Staff also involve them in planning various trips to local places of interest and for short holidays.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person 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 must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

6: The quality and purpose of care standard In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, with particular reference to ensuring that young people with needs around sexualised behaviour are offered appropriate support and guidance, the registered person must ensure that staff: (2)(b)(iv) provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background 2(b)(v) help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect. 29 July 2016

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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 risk assessments around sexualised behaviour, 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 (2)(a)(vi) take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. 17 June 2016

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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 staff supervision of the children, the registered provider must ensure that: (2)(b) 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. 17 June 2016

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Requirement Due date

14: The care planning standard In order to meet the care planning standard, with particular reference to ensuring that pathway plans are completed in a timely manner, the registered person must ensure that children: (1)(a) receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. 17 June 2016

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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 seven children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties or learning disabilities.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.5

Recent inspection history

28 January 2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

p.5

Recent inspection history

28 January 2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

p.5

Good

The children and young people at this home do make good progress over time and clearly, for most of the children for most of the time, the experience of living in the home is good. One young person told the inspector that the registered manager was ‘amazing’ and that living at the home was ‘fantastic’.

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Good

There are very good relationships between the children and young people and the staff. The registered manager is an excellent role model here and has particularly strong and effective relationships with the children and young people.

p.6

Good

All of the children and young people attend school and all have excellent attendance records. Most of the children and young people have some learning difficulties or disabilities and most attend special schools rather than mainstream schools. However one young person has moved to mainstream classes and is doing very well, with a recent GCSE pass and with other exams imminent.

p.6

Good

Many of the children and young people spend regular times with specialist workers and counsellors to help support them with their difficulties and issues, particularly around their mental and emotional health. This work complements the nurturing approach of the staff. One young person has made particular progress with their ability to take more time to think issues through before reacting. This means that they are able to be more reasoned and more adult in their dealings with others.

p.6

Good

The health needs of the children and young people are given high priority, with a number of them taking prescribed medication. Health appointments are made and kept appropriately, and children and young people receive their annual health checks. Staff are very aware of the need for good diet and exercise and encourage good habits, as well as helping children and young people to learn about these topics. One older young person is currently subject to a deprivation of liberty order which is under review. The order is appropriate and staff work well with this and support this young person well.

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Good

There is good ongoing consultation with the children and young people. Staff organise very regular house meetings where all the children and young people are able to discuss issues within the house, as well as having their say on choices of activities and trips, on menus and on day-to-day decisions at the home. There were records of particularly good discussions on topics of behaviour, and how this affects others in the house. There is ongoing key work taking place, and again children and young people are able to influence their care plans as well as their choices and preferences in other areas of life. Work around acquiring and practising independence skills is ongoing, and children and young people do make progress here, which gives them a greater chance of having more independence as they move towards their adult lives. One young person requires a pathway plan making, and a requirement to complete this has been made in this report.

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Good

One child, who left recently, made a successful move back to his extended family. This child was well prepared for the move and staff worked closely with the family to ensure that there was a smooth transition. Staff remain actively involved in supporting the child and his family, by taking the child out for activities one day a week and by giving advice and guidance to the carers in order to ensure that this move remains successful.

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Good

Another young person left in an unplanned way recently after being accused of an assault on a child at the home. Staff supported this young person for some weeks away from the home before another more suitable placement was found. This young person had been making good progress and was very settled prior to the move, so this move was a poor outcome for him.

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Requires improvement

The inspector was aware during this inspection that a serious incident had occurred at the home since the previous inspection, and it is under investigation by the appropriate authorities. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate incidents of this kind, actions taken by the setting in response to the incident were considered alongside the other evidence available at the time of the inspection to inform the inspector’s judgements.

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Requires improvement

Generally, children and young people living at this home are kept safe. However a recent incident has highlighted some areas which require improvement.

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Requires improvement

Staff work with some children and young people who have sexualised behaviour. At the previous inspection, a requirement was made that staff should work more proactively with young people who display sexualised behaviour, to ensure that risks to themselves and others are minimised. Staff have started this work. Some staff have received further training, some key working around this subject has taken place and a specialist assessment has been commissioned for one young person. However insufficient work has been carried out and the requirement is raised again. Two other requirements have also been raised around the protection of children. One is around risk assessments and one around the supervision of the children and young people. Staff do generally make comprehensive risk assessments and do understand risks. However, they have not always acted on these as well as is necessary. Risk assessments of two young people say that these young people

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Requires improvement

should be supervised 100% of the time. There have clearly been some lapses in this practice. Impact risk assessments are made prior to children and young people being admitted, but are not formally recorded. The lack of a formal impact risk assessment prior to a recent admission is poor practice.

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Requires improvement

In many ways, the children at this home are kept safe. No children or young people have gone missing from the home. There have been no concerns around drug or alcohol misuse. There are no concerns around sexual exploitation and only one child protection incident.

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Requires improvement

This child protection incident, which is still under investigation, is a cause for concern. One child has made a serious allegation of sexual assault against another young person at the home. The staff did report this appropriately and have acted appropriately following the allegation. The young person who the allegation was against moved out of the home immediately and has now moved to another placement.

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Requires improvement

Although this allegation was serious in nature it is far from clear what actually happened. The child making the allegation is clearly traumatised from previous events in their own family life. This child has been unable to be consistent in their account of this allegation, as the account has changed quite considerably over time. Apart from the child’s account, there is currently no evidence to suggest anything has happened. It appears that the child and young person concerned were unlikely to have been alone for more than a very short space of time. The social worker of the child who made the allegation told the inspector that she thought the allegation was likely to be false. The young person who the allegation is against does, however, have a history of previous sexualised behaviour so that it is possible that something inappropriate happened at some time.

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Requires improvement

The inspector feels that there are three areas of concern which require improvement, and has made three requirements accordingly. More work around sexualised behaviour should have taken place at an earlier time. A written and formal impact assessment of a prospective new admission should have been made. The risk assessments that were in place stated that some of the children and young people living in the home required 100% supervision. There have clearly been some lapses to this level of required supervision. These lapses have contributed to the situation in which the allegation has been made.

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Requires improvement

Having seen all the evidence available at the time of the inspection, the inspector feels that although these weaknesses need to be addressed, that there is no widespread failure that results in children and young people’s welfare not being safeguarded and promoted.

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Requires improvement

The staff at the home do offer a nurturing, caring approach but also do put in clear expectations and boundaries, so that children and young people are able to feel safe and secure and are able to understand what is expected of them.

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Requires improvement

Some children and young people have had to be restrained at times. Staff generally use physical interventions infrequently, but a recently admitted child has required more. However, the interventions are usually at a low level, used in order to guide or escort children and young people to their rooms to be able to calm. Recently staff have had to use more physical interventions in order to keep one child safe. This child has been recently admitted, and is clearly traumatised and disturbed by past events within their family, and does attempt to assault staff when angry. However within a fairly short space of time, staff have significantly reduced the number of physical interventions required and this child is clearly starting to settle down at the home.

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Requires improvement

Staff do not use sanctions very much, preferring to use praise and incentives to keep the culture positive.

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Good

The registered manager has been in post for over three years and is appropriately qualified. Staff at the home are also appropriately qualified, and all comply with the new requirements to gain the relevant qualification within two years of starting in post, unless there are clear reasons why an extension might be acceptable.

p.9

Good

The staff team has had a number of new workers join and the team is starting to develop well and has become stronger because of this. Recruitment practice is strong.

p.9

Good

The registered manager is very organised and effective, and retains excellent relationships with all the children and young people. She makes the needs of the children and young people a clear priority. On the day of the inspection she was dealing with one young person who had specifically asked for her when they were upset and agitated and was able to calm this young person quickly. There is no doubt that the registered manager is extremely committed to the children and young people and to the work, and frequently goes the extra mile to support and help them and to support staff. Children and young people clearly make progress in all areas of their lives. Care planning is good and the registered manager has plans to develop placement plans further, with more in-depth planning around goals and targets and on measuring the effectiveness of work and interventions.

p.9

Good

Staff clearly find the registered manager supportive and approachable. There were numerous comments in the confidential Ofsted survey to this effect. A social worker contacted was very clear about the registered manager’s ability to run the home well, and two parents also commented positively on this.

p.10

Good

The registered manager does much of the staff supervision, although she has started passing some of this to her deputy. The supervisions are well recorded, they are thorough and much of the time is spent discussing the children and young people and their needs and progress. This is very positive. There are also regular staff meetings which are well attended and where there is in-depth discussion of children and young people as well. There is a good programme of training in place, and all the core subjects are well covered and completed. The registered manager has recently attended an in-depth training course in sexually harmful behaviour and there are plans for other staff to complete similar training.

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Good

The development plan for the home has been reviewed recently by the registered manager, and this is appropriate and realistic. The home is achieving its aims and objectives, as stated in the statement of purpose. The registered manager is clear about the strengths and weaknesses of the home and the staff team, and has clear plans to develop these. The registered manager is also strong when it comes to working with professionals and services outside the home. She is very able to establish good relationships and good communications, and can negotiate with or challenge others when required.

p.10

Good

The registered manager has clearly started to do more work around sexualised behaviour with her staff team since the requirement was made at the last inspection, and more work is planned. This will be necessary to address the issues identified. There is room for clearer decision making around admissions, and clearly the issue of supervision of children and young people, in order to minimise risks, needs to be considered as part of this process. The registered manager has some work to do to address these issues quickly, as required.

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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 children looked after 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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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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