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 are skilled in building relationships with young people. They treat young people with respect and promote their rights. They have a good understanding of young people‟s needs and provide close support to help them overcome their difficulties.  As a result of the focused and purposeful work of staff, young people develop greater responsibility and maturity. They make greater use of education, training and employment opportunities, some from very low starting points.  Staff are good at keeping young people safe. Some young people present particular challenges in this area, but close inter-agency working is effective in reducing risk. Young people‟s behaviour is often challenging, but staff are firm in enforcing appropriate boundaries. This approach helps young people to understand their own responsibilities and begin to develop greater self-control.  The home makes a positive contribution to the local community. Staff have good

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The children’s home provision is good because:

relationships with parents and successfully promote the development of better ties between young people and their families.  Leadership and management are strong, providing a clear vision and sense of purpose for the very experienced staff team. There are some shortfalls in the home‟s practice, mainly in relation to the quality of record-keeping and planning documents. These do not have a substantial impact upon the welfare or safety of young people.

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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

12. In order to meet the protection of children standard, with particular reference to assessing the risk of children using mobile phones and access to social media, the registered person must ensure that staff:

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Requirement Due date

(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. 28/10/2016

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Requirement Due date

12. In order to meet the protection of children standard, with particular reference to setting out clear guidance in each child‟s risk assessment as to when physical restraint should be used, the registered person must ensure that staff:

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Requirement Due date

(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. 28/10/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children‟s home at least once each month. 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 children are effectively safeguarded; and the conduct of the home promotes children‟s well-being. (Regulation 44(1), (4)(a) and (4)(b)). 28/10/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the home provides a domestic and homely environment. Specifically, that young people are not required to sign documents such as pocket money records and incentive plans. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  Keep children‟s records up to date and stored securely. Specifically, ensure that children‟s case files and other records are well organised and legible. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides accommodation for five 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 20/10/2015 Full Good 05/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 04/11/2014 Full Good 04/02/2014 Interim Good progress

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Good

Staff provide a very good level of individualised care for young people. A social worker said of staff, „They are proactive, caring and get the job done.‟ Staff have a deep understanding of young people‟s histories, current circumstances and needs. Care plans are detailed and address all areas of the young person‟s life. These enable staff to identify action needed to help young people to confront and overcome barriers to success. For example, in discussion with the young person, staff will explore different options for education, training and employment. As a result, young people who had no school attendance are now attending and making progress. Staff have supported one young person in preparing them for an interview for an apprenticeship. Their key worker coached them in how to present themselves and ask the right questions. This kind of support gives young people confidence and improves their life chances.

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Good

Staff have excellent relationships with young people. They understand that, at times, young people may be angry, upset or challenging, but staff continue to treat them with warmth and respect. As a result, young people come to trust staff and cooperate more willingly in the plans to promote their welfare and keep them safe. One member of staff said, „We are here to give young people the best chance and help them to move forward in their lives.‟ Some young people have complex emotional needs which are manifested in destructive or abusive behaviour. Staff deal with these situations calmly, negotiating solutions with the young person and helping them to deal with their distress. Staff can also call on other agencies to provide additional support for young people, for example health professionals or education workers. This network of support has helped young people to make good progress with some particularly difficult and challenging issues.

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Good

Staff seek the views of young people, not only in day-to-day interactions but also in more formal ways. For example, meetings with the group are held weekly. These are recorded, clearly showing suggestions and ideas from young people, the decisions of staff and the agreed action. For example, one young person wanted to try go-karting, and a trip was organised the following week. In addition, key workers spend time with their allocated young person to discuss their plan or listen to any concerns they may have. These sessions are also recorded. Young people are expected to sign these records, in addition to a number of other documents. For example, one young person has been required to sign 13 separate incentive agreements. This practice is unnecessary. It detracts from the home‟s otherwise successful creation of an experience for young people which is as far removed from institutional as is possible.

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Good

Young people originate from the local area, and spend a lot of time with friends. The home itself is well embedded in the local community and has good relationships with neighbours. During the inspection, staff held a fundraising coffee afternoon. Staff and young people had made cakes. Social workers and other practitioners attended, as did some neighbours with their children. Some young people‟s families also came, and a good time was had by all. This kind of relationship with the community promotes young people‟s sense of cultural identity.

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Good

The home has the resources to provide other experiences for young people. A successful week away at an activity centre introduced young people to experiences such as canoeing. A trip to London provided the opportunity to see the sights and take in a show. The home‟s location close to a major city also enables young people to access a host of other leisure activities, including supporting the local football team.

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Good

Staff are good at promoting young people‟s contact with families. They are skilled in helping young people to repair sometimes disrupted family relationships. As a result, some young people have re-established meaningful contact with parents and other relatives, relationships which will be increasingly important to young people in the future.

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Good

Daily practice encourages young people to be self-reliant. They are expected to keep their rooms tidy and help with their laundry. Some young people enjoy cooking. They are supported by the cook in not only preparing meals but also understanding the principles of food hygiene. In addition, more formal programmes help to prepare young people for adulthood by completing worksheets on various topics with the support of staff. When young people leave the home, staff stay formally engaged with them for a period of time, providing support during this difficult transition. The number of young people who keep in touch with the home well after they have moved on is testament to the high regard in which they hold their time here.

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Good

Staff provide young people with clear boundaries and expect them to behave with consideration and respect for others. A social worker said, „Staff are consistent and firm with the young person; because of this, their response to being told “no” has improved, with fewer incidents.‟ When young people break the home‟s reasonable rules, staff respond calmly but firmly, always accepting the young person, if not the way they have behaved. Staff are adept at managing challenging and even violent behaviour, usually being able to intervene sensitively and reduce tension effectively. The lack of recorded physical restraints is an indication of the skills of staff in de-escalating volatile situations. Each young person has a behaviour management plan which sets out triggers which might make them upset and strategies which work in calming them. However, these do not clearly describe how, for some young people, physical restraint could be a positive, safe and caring

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Good

intervention, and so avoid the need to call police in order to safeguard all involved. Records show that there is some bullying from time to time, but staff respond to this promptly and robustly. Young people present staff with some particular challenges in keeping them safe. Some have had traumatic early experiences which make them especially vulnerable, for example to sexual exploitation. Staff manage these risks well, in particular, working closely with other agencies. For example, senior staff attend monthly multi-agency meetings where young people causing concern are discussed, intelligence shared and strategies agreed. A police officer said, „Staff are proactive in communicating and working with us. They have been creative in managing particular issues, for example in disrupting a group of young people who used to go missing together at weekends and so reducing this behaviour.‟

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Good

It is clear that incidents of young people going missing, have reduced over time, although they are still a concern. This is due to the ability of staff to understand the factors which lead young people to go missing. Staff have also been innovative in using rewards to encourage young people to return on time from evenings out. In all cases, when they return from being missing, young people are offered an interview with a person independent of the home. This is an important additional safeguard. One of these workers said, „Young people know us; they have built up a trusting relationship with us. This makes the interviews more productive.‟

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Good

Staff have a good awareness of risks to young people and how the risks may change within a short period of time. They are particularly alert to the possibility of some young people being sexually exploited. Consequently, they discreetly monitor the pattern of young people‟s communications and are aware of any sudden changes in behaviour which raise suspicions. Staff are sensitive to the potential of young people‟s smartphone use in exposing them to harm, and balance this against the benefit of being able to keep in touch with them when they are away from the home. However, written risk assessments, which are otherwise comprehensive, do not include this area of concern. This raises the possibility that staff may respond inconsistently in how they manage young people‟s access to social media and other forms of communication.

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Good

The registered manager is highly experienced and well qualified, and leads a staff team with similar levels of experience. The registered manager and her assistants provide a visible style of leadership, working directly with the young people and dealing with their day-to-day challenges. This ensures that the ethos and values of the home, as set out in its statement of purpose, are consistently promoted by staff for the benefit of the young people. The otherwise efficient organisation of the home is somewhat let down by the quality of some records. Many are handwritten and difficult to read, reducing their usefulness and accountability. The process for auditing and monitoring care plans and the achievement of young people‟s developmental targets is sound. It enables managers, staff and, most importantly, each young person to understand the progress that is being made. Some recent developments are very helpful in this regard, for example simple

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Good

graphs which show how the incidence of missing episodes, or misuse of substances, has declined. Reports of the monthly visits by the independent person are thorough and make use of consultation with young people, staff and parents. They do not, however, provide a sufficiently explicit opinion of how effectively the home is promoting the welfare of young people and keeping them safe. All staff are appropriately qualified. They also benefit from additional training in a range of areas, which enables them to support young people more effectively. Senior staff provide regular, professional supervision to all team members. This focuses on the needs of the young people and helps staff to reflect on their practice and how it might be improved. It is clear that the staff work very well with other agencies. This ensures that young people‟s plans are consistently implemented and any extra support which might be necessary can be swiftly provided. For example, an education professional

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Good

provides a link between the staff and the virtual school head, meaning that any barriers to a young person‟s education can be challenged. Another professional commented, „I have a great relationship with the staff. The manager is doing a great job. We all trust each other as professionals and work together in partnership.‟

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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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