Children's home run by North East Specialist Therapeutic Services CIC in Northumberland

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:

 Children make good progress in their overall development.  All children go to school, have excellent attendance and are doing well.  Staff help children to develop interests and hobbies that they enjoy.  Children are safe and gain increased understanding about choices that improve their safety.  Staff recruitment procedures are now robust.  Children receive additional therapeutic support addressing the impact of trauma.  Leaders and managers promote a culture of reflective practice.  Staff receive individual support that promotes their well-being and abilities to care for children with significant attachment difficulties.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. When there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps that the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. In particular, they should revise children's risk assessments ensuring that these are live, useable documents that can be readily understood, shared and ratified by the child's placing authority. (‘Guide the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The relevant officer or teams within the local authority should be informed promptly of all allegations that come to an employer's attention or that are

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Recommendations

made directly to the police. In particular, they should ensure that every complaint raised by a child in connection with a restraint is shared with the designated officer for the local authority. (‘Guide the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.18)  Any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person must make a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home's arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home's care. In particular, the independent person should make clear within the conclusion of every arising report their opinion as to whether children are safeguarded and their welfare is promoted by the home. (‘Guide the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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Information about this children's home

The home can accommodate four children with emotional and behavioural difficulties It is owned and operated by a private provider.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

22/01/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

27/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Good

Staff build trusting relationships with children whose behaviour demonstrates that they have confidence in staff abilities to care for them. Children understand that staff know how to help them. This leads to marked improvements in their behaviour, helping them develop empathy and resilience. This means that children bring to the attention of staff or their advocate any worries or concerns that they may have. Children generally get on well together and they can talk through any issues that arise in the regular ‘community’ meetings that happen three times a week. As a result of these transparent systems, children develop trust in how staff care for them. In response to being asked what the best thing about the home is, a child responded by drawing a large love-heart and wrote in the middle ‘LOVE.’ The same child said, ‘And being helped a lot.’ Staff have a deep understanding of children’s individual needs and tailor the care

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Good

to meet them. This means that children receive good support with developing their social skills in various ways. For example, children get to try out a wide range of age-appropriate activities with their peers until they find a pastime that suits their individual interests and abilities. A teacher said, ‘Staff are very supportive. They came to school to help the child with her music lessons.’ Children are clearly happy and enjoy taking part in the activities that are available to them. Staff are supportive and encourage children to persevere so that over time they succeed. This leads to increased levels of independence so children can spend time at sea cadets and Brownies on their own, like their peers. Children make good progress in every aspect of their development. This is because staff meet children’s physical, emotional and educational needs very well. As a result of this tailored support, children’s coping strategies improve, increasing their

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Good

confidence in social situations so that they make friends and take part in activities with their peers, and helping them to achieve developmental milestones. Staff have a solid understanding about the impact that trauma has on children’s development and attachment behaviour. In response to this, the children receive additional support in the form of weekly sessions alternating between non-directive play and life story work. Oversight and supervision by two qualified external consultants enables children to explore sensitive issues in a safe environment, which aids their emotional development. A member of staff reflected, ‘I think it was because of this way of working that the child was able to tell me about difficult things that had happened.’ Children’s transitions to new schools are well managed. Staff advocate children’s needs making an important contribution to ensuring that they attend a school that

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Good

best meets their needs. Staff help children to learn the value of education and the difference that this can make to the quality of their lives. This means that going to school is a central and important part of children’s routines, helping all of them to sustain excellent attendance. In addition, they receive support through regular reading sessions, which helps to maximise their academic potential. A member of staff said, ‘The young person is really good at reading but doesn’t always understand the words, so we try and help her to read slowly.’ Children live in well-presented, clean, comfortable and homely surroundings suitably equipped to promote their health and well-being. The garden area is now landscaped with raised fruit and vegetable plots belonging to each child. A child said, ‘Have you seen my allotment? I’m growing food.’ A large under-sprung trampoline with enclosure and a football goal are also in place. With support from

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Good

staff, children make full use of these facilities and those within the surrounding areas, and they thrive.

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Good

Improved recruitment practices mean children are cared for by staff who undergo rigorous checks and a thorough interview. Children are involved in this process by asking candidates questions. For example, at interview one young person asked, ‘What would you do if I shouted at you?’ This respects children’s rights to be included in decisions about who works in their home and means that only experienced and safe staff are appointed to look after them.

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Good

Children gain increased understanding about the differences between unsafe and safe behaviour helping them to make positive choices. Staff use a child-friendly risk assessment that children complete, helping them think about their behaviour. When asked about how safe a child felt living at the home, they said, ‘I give them 100 out of 10.’ Conversely, risk assessments completed by staff do not effectively aid their understanding about children’s risk taking. While the risk assessment tool is a useful document and there are no concerns about what staff do in practice, the number of risk assessments is excessive. For example, there are 22 on one child’s file and much of the information is repeated. This means that important information can be overlooked.

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Good

High levels of structure and supervision ensure that children are not bullied or exposed to child sexual exploitation. Some children leave the home for short periods, However, staff follow them and encourage their safe return home. They liaise with the police and significant individuals such as parents when a child has been out of sight for 15 minutes. Children understand the action that staff take to keep them safe. Social workers routinely see children following brief episodes of missing to ensure their well-being. These responses keep children safe. A social worker said, ‘I have no concerns at all for the child’s safety. When she left the home, they followed her and let me know straight away.’

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Good

Incidents of physical intervention have reduced and are analysed to identify any trends or themes. This level of scrutiny demonstrates genuine efforts to ensure that children’s rights are protected and that staff are accountable for their actions. Sanctions are rarely used as a means of managing children’s behaviour. This is because a restorative approach is adopted, aimed at healing the relationship with young people and helping them to move on from any negative behaviour. Young people are well informed about how to make a complaint through the support of staff and the independent advocate who visits the home every month.

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Good

One of the two concerns raised by a child has been investigated in liaison with the designated officer for the local authority and satisfactorily concluded. While robust steps have been taken by the manager to address a second concern this matter was not routinely shared with the designated officer for the local authority. This oversight could compromise children’s and others’ welfare.

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Good

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced and has been in post for approximately three years. Improved systems are now in place to monitor the quality of care that children receive from staff. Key workers now meet regularly with a senior member of staff to review children’s case records, including their placement plans and progress. This ensures that staff are clear about their responsibilities and maintain a focus on positive outcomes for children. Leaders and managers invest in promoting reflective practice and equipping staff with the necessary therapeutic skills. As a result, staff receive regular supervision in a variety of ways. This includes formal written supervision, one-to-one sessions with a consultant psychotherapist or staff consultant and dedicated reflective time in staff meetings. This level of support means that staff have the needs of children at the forefront of their care practice. A senior member of staff said, ‘Recently, the

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Good

consultants have helped staff to think about children’s behaviour in relation to food. We recognise that when children take food without asking, there is a reason.’ Survey findings corroborate that staff feel well supported, enabling them to provide good quality care to children. Staff are now well informed about what they can expect from the manager to ensure they maintain their skills and knowledge, meeting a previous recommendation. This informs those who need to know about how staff are supported to meet children’s needs. This type of consistency builds children’s sense of security. The statement of purpose is now written in plain English and clearly outlines the therapeutic approach used by the home meeting a previous requirement. This means that stakeholders can easily understand the homes ethos and functioning. Good relationships with all the professionals involved with children mean that staff

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Good

have a thorough knowledge of children’s histories and current needs. They proactively use this to advocate working with others in the best interests of children. For instance, by ensuring that children go to a school that suits their emotional and educational needs, and by highlighting any issues regarding children’s contact with their families. An overhaul of young people’s records means that these are better organised, making information more accessible. Staff understand that young people can access their case records now or in the future. This means that they are mindful when they write information about children and, when possible, they involve them in this. For example, staff help children to present their views in preparation for their looked-after review by completing ‘My review, my view’. This helps them to assert their rights to be involved in their care planning. An independent reviewing officer said, ‘Staff are very vocal. If they think something is not right, they say so.

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Good

They write an incredibly detailed report for the child’s looked after review. It’s very child centred.’ Independent visitor reports are not consistently clear in expressing their opinion about whether the home safeguards and promotes children’s welfare. This omission leaves room for doubt about the effectiveness of the home’s care practice.

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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 that 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 that 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 whom 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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