Children's home run by North Tyneside Council in North Tyneside

Requires improvement

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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The children’s home provision requires improvement because:

 The home does not operate effectively against the statement of purpose, which does not accurately reflect the day-to-day practice of the home.  Records do not contain effective planning or strategies for managing risk.  There is poor attention to detail in the records kept by the staff.  Management’s monitoring of records does not enable evaluation and development of practice.  Information is not used in a coordinated manner to enhance the care offered.

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The children’s home strengths

 A robust supervision and appraisal system is in place.  Staff are aware of how to develop warm, effective relationships quickly.  There is a stable and experienced staff team.  Positive relationships are developed with other professionals to enhance the service experienced by young people  Staff understand the importance of contact with family and friends for young people.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person(s) 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(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

10. In order to meet the health and well-being standard, the provider is required to ensure that: (1)(b) children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (a) that staff help each child to— (ii) understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well- being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding 11/11/2016

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Requirement Due date

12. In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person is required to ensure: (1)(a) that staff— (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; (ii) help each child to understand how to keep safe; (v) understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. 18/11/2016

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Requirement Due date

13. In order to meet the leadership and management standard the registered person must enable, inspire and lead a culture in relation to the children’s home that: (1)(a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and (b) promotes their welfare. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— (a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose. 18/11/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Children’s homes staff should seek to identify and provide appropriate opportunities for children to develop themselves in accordance with their wishes and feelings and as part of the home’s plan for their care. Each child’s talents and interests should be understood and nurtured, with children selecting activities based on their personal preferences and abilities, so far as is reasonable. Staff should also support children to try activities that are ‘new’ for them, where appropriate. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.4)  The home’s staff should recognise and celebrate the achievements of their children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.7)  Staff should be skilled in understanding the range of influences that

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Recommendations

friendships can have and should encourage those with a positive impact and discourage those with a negative impact. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 38, paragraph 8.8)  Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  Children should be encouraged to develop positive relationships with others both in and outside the home, as set out in the positive relationships standard. However, staff should be alert to the possibility that children may be at risk from such relationships including with other children in the home,

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Recommendations

staff, family members, friends and others outside the home, and they therefore should take appropriate steps to protect a child where there are concerns for a child’s safety. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.13)  The registered person should only accept placements for children when they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and when they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. The statement of purpose is an important document in the process of care planning as it sets out the needs of children the home is set up and equipped to care for. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4) – The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil

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Recommendations

the workforce related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should: – detail the necessary management and staffing structure (including any staff commissioned to provide health and education), the experience and qualifications of staff currently working within the staffing structure, and any further training required for those staff, to enable the delivery of the home’s statement of purpose; – detail the processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction, probation and any core training (such as safeguarding, health and safety and mandatory qualifications); – detail the process for managing and improving poor performance; – detail the process and timescales for supervision of practice (see regulation 33(4)(b)) and keep appropriate records for staff in the home. The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home, and used to record the

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Recommendations

ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff – including the home’s manager. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  Children should be encouraged by staff to see the home’s records as ‘living documents’, supporting them to view and contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.19)  Regulations 35–39 detail the records that must be kept in children’s homes. All children’s case records (regulation 36) must be kept up to date and stored securely while they remain in the home. Case records must be kept up to date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and

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Recommendations

understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a local authority and is registered for the care and accommodation of up to six children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 17/03/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 18/01/2016 Full Good 26/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 22/12/2014 Full Good

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Requires improvement

The home is a large building with ample space to provide accommodation with rooms for individual or communal activities. It is currently undergoing refurbishment, which is successfully creating a warm, homely atmosphere.

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Requires improvement

The main purpose of the home is to provide short- to medium-term assessment placements for children and young people who are entering the looked-after system. The statement of purpose outlines that five beds are for assessment placements and one is for emergencies. However, during the past year, increasingly all placements have been made in an emergency, with young people then remaining for the six- to eight-week assessment period. Some young people have stayed longer than the eight-week period, with plans drifting and outcomes staying at a plateau. While young people have been happy to stay at the home, this does not fit with the home’s current aims for placements.

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Requires improvement

Following the period of assessment, a report is written that details aspects of the placement and the progress made, as opposed to an assessment of need with identified aims, actions and recommendations. There needs to be a review of the statement of purpose to identify the aims and objectives of the placements offered, and the records amended appropriately to fit.

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Requires improvement

Young people make varied progress at the home in relevant areas such as education. When young people are struggling to attend, staff make every effort to support them to secure placements and subsequent attendance. This improves young people’s chance of future success at educational placements.

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Requires improvement

Care planning at the home needs to improve. Information is often brief and errors, such as in dates, are evident throughout. There is some evidence of young people contributing to the care planning records. This is also brief, undated and does not detail the achievements of young people against the plan. This does not offer young people the opportunity to see their progress, either now or in the future.

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Requires improvement

Records detail that staff respond well to requests for activities and young people’s need to discuss issues. A number of activities and key-worker sessions for young people have taken place and are recorded. However, there is no proactive planning of either activities or one-to-one sessions, and no links between known information and placement aims. This leads to young people experiencing placements that do not develop their talents or raise their expectations of themselves.

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Requires improvement

Young people are able to have their say on many aspects of the running of the home. Young people’s meetings are regular and well attended. Consultation questionnaires are given to young people to complete on a quarterly basis. Practical issues that are highlighted by young people, such as wanting a new desk or a clock, are responded to well, and young people state that they feel listened to. However, there is no management evaluation or response noted to the key questions that are not completed, such as opinions on boundaries or not feeling safe. Such evaluation would improve the process of linking the different strands of information that are gathered throughout the placement. The result would be that the evidence of staff intervention was stronger and not wholly reliant on verbal reports of progress.

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Requires improvement

Young people are able to use the complaints system, when required. There has been one complaint from a young person, which was dealt with and recorded appropriately. The result is that young people feel listened to and cared for.

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Requires improvement

Staff work closely with families, and young people are supported to maintain and improve relationships with their family members when this is possible. A local authority officer stated that the home ‘makes good links with families’. A parent commented that she thought that the staff ‘do their best’ for her son. Links with friends are also supported and maintained, and staff recognise the importance of these, in particular in the shorter-term placements.

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Requires improvement

All young people are registered with a health professional and appointments are well attended, overall. Opportunities to discuss health issues and provide young people with learning opportunities are neither responded to in a proactive way, nor recorded. The result is that young people make positive decisions affecting health without full knowledge.

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Requires improvement

Young people state that they feel safe and have good relationships with staff. A young person stated, ‘staff are canny good’.

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Requires improvement

Missing from home incidents have reduced, with the current group of young people not exhibiting this behaviour. New protocols are in place with local police to address issues of absence and missing. A local police officer stated that the home ‘follows the protocol well’. Records detail that the protocol has been followed and return interviews have been carried out when necessary.

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Requires improvement

Risk assessments show that a good understanding of the risks posed to young people are in place for all young people and are reviewed regularly. However, they do not detail the strategies that staff should employ to diminish the risks posed to young people in a cohesive way. One young person, whom staff have concerns about regarding activity out of the home, consistently leaves without telling staff and remains away for a number of hours. Staff’s response is to try and contact him by mobile phone. However, the regularity of this is inconsistent, as the risk assessments and care plans only detail that he is to be contacted when in the community. The result is that young people often manage their lives as if in a long- term placement, rather than being assessed for a period by the adults around them.

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Requires improvement

In addition, processes need to improve, such as key-working sessions and the evaluation of plans and progress that underpin the practice of staff. Currently, they contain overarching statements, rather than directions for staff and boundaries for young people. The impact is that young people experience care according to which staff member is on duty, rather than a cohesive approach to managing day-to-day life and behaviour. A change in this practice will lead to consistent approaches and boundaries for young people, who will have a clearer understanding of expectations. This will improve the aims for the placement and help to prevent drift.

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Requires improvement

Bullying is at a low level within this home, because of the positive relationships built up between staff and young people. When incidents have occurred, they have been responded to quickly and effectively. This increases young people’s feelings of safety and security while at the home.

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Requires improvement

There have been no incidents of physical intervention. Staff undertake regular training in de-escalation techniques. Sanctions are used rarely, with staff favouring a restorative approach to issues that arise. This helps young people to develop a sense of responsibility for their actions.

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Requires improvement

Staff support children and young people well when dealing with sensitive and upsetting issues. The positive relationships that they develop with young people enable difficult discussions to take place. A coordinated approach to the key- working sessions, linked to the care plan, would further strengthen this positive aspect of practice. The impact would be that young people’s emotional well-being improves.

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Requires improvement

The home is well maintained, although it continues to be in need of a homely atmosphere in some areas. This is being dealt with by the manager and staff on a gradual basis. Appropriate health and safety checks are carried out as required.

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Requires improvement

The manager is appropriately qualified and experienced to undertake the role. He is supported by two skilled deputies and, together, they form a strong management team. They remain committed and enthusiastic about their work and the care of young people. The home continues to struggle to deliver the service as outlined in the statement of purpose. The manager recognises this and can evidence raising the related issues with the registered individual. This has been ongoing for some time and needs to be addressed.

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Requires improvement

The management team remains involved in the day-to-day practice of the home and has a good knowledge of young people and their needs. It is aware of the strengths of its team and recognises the areas of improvement that are needed. It can discuss young people and their needs, but this does not transfer to the oversight and monitoring processes, so evidence of good practice is lacking in the records.

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Requires improvement

Supervision and appraisal of staff are regular and of good quality, with opportunities for reflection and feedback. This has allowed staff to develop, and many of the team have been there for a significant number of years. A member of staff said, ‘The management team is fantastic.’ The impact is that there is a good foundation for the improvements needed to the recording systems. This will enhance the experience of young people and enable proactive planning to take place.

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Requires improvement

Recruitment and induction processes are good, and there are adequate numbers of staff to respond to the needs of young people. The registered manager has built good relationships with other services and professionals. This enhances the level of support that young people receive. A local authority officer stated, ‘The staff are really supportive of the young people and know their needs. They keep me well informed.’

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Requires improvement

Training is well planned and monitored by the senior team. It offers a range of training and development opportunities to staff to increase their knowledge. The workforce development plan, although recently reviewed, does not contain all of the necessary information as detailed in the quality standards. The impact is that an opportunity to evidence good practice is missed.

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Requires improvement

Monitoring and evaluation remain an area that requires improvement. The manager was unaware of some of the minor errors within records, despite having signed them off. Attention to detail within the monitoring processes is essential to be able to ensure that the service is delivering against key documents such as the statement of purpose and placement plans.

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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’. 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

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What the inspection judgements mean

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 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 0300 123 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 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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