Children's home run by Northumberland County Council 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:

 The positive relationships between the staff and children are a strength of this home.  The staff team are really child focused. They have an excellent knowledge of each child’s needs. An independent person praised ‘the commitment and the family atmosphere’. A social worker described: ‘Excellent care. Staff are kind and caring.’  Very effective partnership working with families and professionals is in children’s best interests. A social worker said staff ‘always keep me updated and are good at arranging meetings’. A youth justice worker praised the staff’s work to engage families and ‘model good parenting’.  Staff regard this service as ‘the child’s home’. Staff mark the date children moved in with a celebration. Children experience stability and consistency of care in a lovely, domestic home.  Staff work to keep children safe and protected. They want to help children to do well and make progress.

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Information about this children’s home

The home accommodates up to four children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, and is operated by the local authority.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 13/01/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 02/07/2015 Full Good 10/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 04/04/2014 Full Good

p.4

Good

Children experience stability. Most have lived in the home for a number of years after many previous placement breakdowns. There has been only one placement breakdown in the past year. However, this appears to be in the child’s best interests. Few staff have moved on so children experience little change in those who look after them. This allows children to settle, experience a period of calm and start to put down roots.

p.5

Good

The staff recognise the distress caused to the children by placement breakdowns. They help those new to the home settle in by reassuring them, giving them attention and helping them feel safe by setting boundaries. The children receive support when they move on to independent living with an outreach programme. This helps to make transitions easier for children.

p.5

Good

The children have lots of things to do. Staff share their interests with the children, such as in arts and crafts. The children helped staff make individual advent calendar models to help them count down to Christmas. Individual interests are encouraged such as dancing lessons and scouts, which help the children to get to know other people in the area and make friends. The children benefited from two holidays away from their home this year when they had the chance to try lots of new activities such as Segway riding and quad biking.

p.5

Good

Very positive, nurturing relationships with staff reassure the children. Link workers work closely with children to support them to make progress, for example in learning to be more independent. One link worker said: ‘I’m really proud of him.’ Staff have a very good understanding of children’s needs and the reasons behind their behaviour. The children often stay in touch with the staff after they have moved on, sometimes visiting the home.

p.5

Good

The building provides a comfortable, very homely place for the children. Repairs are carried out very quickly as staff do not want the children to be upset by damage to their home. Staff ensure that children live in a lovely home which is well furnished and kept very clean. The staff are mindful of making the building as non- institutional as possible. For example, they discussed whether a children’s noticeboard is appropriate and are exploring if it is possible to remove fire signs.

p.5

Good

The children are encouraged to learn. Most have full-time school placements and attend regularly. One does not currently receive the equivalent of full-time education following exclusion from school. However, a special education needs manager explained that this is in the child’s best interests. The staff support children’s learning outside of school, for example by reading to them, helping them learn spellings and encouraging library membership. Effective communication with schools ensures that the staff keep informed about the children’s efforts and attainment in school. Incentives linked to the children’s school performance are having some success, for example extra time in the computer room when they have completed work well in school.

p.5

Good

Most of the children access the general services they need to keep healthy. Some refuse the more specialist health services which may be of use to them, such as drug counselling and mental health services, as they are not ready to accept these yet. However, staff encourage the children to talk to them about their worries. The staff receive support from educational psychologists, who provide a steer on how children’s behaviour reflects their feelings.

p.6

Good

The children are encouraged to be independent. All play a part in keeping their own rooms clean and helping to clear the table after meals. Some have learned to go to the shops independently after having lessons in road safety. There are plans to extend this soon to travelling to school alone. This helps the children gain confidence in their abilities. The children follow a specific independence programme, when they are considered ready for moving on from the home, to help prepare them for living with less adult support.

p.6

Good

Some of the children experience improved relationships and re-established contact with family. For example, some have progressed from telephone calls to staying with family. An independent reviewing officer said: ‘Staff built a good relationship with the child’s father.’ The staff help children manage their feelings about past family experiences by engaging in activities to build their trust and talk about their past. They help children who want to know their family history by asking family members to supply details and photographs. This helps the children start to get a sense of their backgrounds.

p.6

Good

In surveys, most of the children say they feel safe ‘all the time’ and one ‘most of the time’. An ex-resident said: ‘They (staff) kept us safe even if we argued about it at the time.’ Social workers said the staff are ‘very good’ at safeguarding the children. In surveys, all of the children say they know how to make a complaint. The manager ensures that there are contact numbers and a payphone available in addition to mobile phones, so that children may approach sources of help outside of the home if they wish.

p.6

Good

Behaviour is generally good in the home. The staff have managed the few challenging incidents which occurred this year well. The staff discuss children’s behaviour with educational psychologists to determine ways of working with them consistently as a team. Physical intervention is rarely used. There is very good analysis of any use of physical intervention, which then contributes to the children’s risk assessments.

p.7

Good

Staff encourage fire safety. They involve those children at risk of setting fires in checks of the fire system, to encourage them away from such behaviour. With room searches and confiscation of lighters, the risk is reducing. Some of the children were frightened when a small fire caused the alarms to go off in the early hours recently. Nevertheless, the children put into practice what they had learned in fire drills and evacuated the building quickly, promoting their safety.

p.7

Good

The staff manage episodes of children going absent, or missing, very well. There was an increase in incidents for a time. Police confirmed this was ‘nothing to do with the home’ but rather the ‘pull’ of family and friends close by for one child. They found that the staff ‘made robust efforts to find the child’. It is impressive that an independent person routinely offers the child an interview on their return from being missing or absent, and shares learning from the interview with the staff.

p.7

Good

The arrangements for medication are very effective. Staff training, their diligence in administering and recording medication, and regular audits, have resulted in no medication errors this year. When a child refuses medication, staff check if there are any implications on the child’s health with the prescribing doctor.

p.7

Good

Recruitment follows safe procedures to protect the children. The manager has oversight of the local authority’s recruitment process. This includes obtaining and verifying references to check that people are suitable to work in a children’s home.

p.7

Outstanding

Strong, respected management leads this home. The registered manager has been in post for a number of years, has an appropriate level 4 qualification and is working towards achieving level 5. The staff and other professionals regard her highly as a leader who encourages her staff team to develop, take on responsibilities and gain further qualifications. She has very good oversight of the service, its strengths and areas for development. Managers and the staff team are very child focused. They are creative in looking for ways to support the children to improve their outcomes. An educational psychologist describes the team as ‘flexible, reflective and willing to consider any option’ to improve the lives of the children in their care. They find that the staff apply a ‘level of psychological expertise’ to plan their work with the children.

p.7

Outstanding

All of those who work at the home have high aspirations for the children and want them to do well. Staff work well to meet children’s education, health and care plans. Most of the children make good progress over the years as they settle into the home. When there is a decline in children’s progress, management meet with the placing authority to consider a way forward. The staff research how they may support children’s special needs, for example by providing weighted blankets and scarves to help autistic children feel secure, and by training staff in LEGO-based therapy. An independent reviewing officer said: ‘Staff have tailored the home to the child’s needs.’

p.8

Outstanding

Very good, broad training ensures that the staff have the skills they need. This includes training to meet the children’s individual needs, for example autism and self-harm. Broader staff training includes the promotion of equality and diversity, such as how to recognise unconscious bias. This is the ‘Prevent’ element of the government’s Contest Strategy and Show Racism the Red Card.

p.8

Outstanding

Managers have introduced Pillars of Parenting training to help the staff apply theory to their practice. This is starting to have a positive impact on how they work with children. A staff member said the training and compilation of evidence ‘makes them aware of why they’re doing things’.

p.8

Outstanding

Staff support is very good. A member of staff said: ‘Support from managers is brilliant.’ The staff receive regular supervision and annual appraisal. They also take part in regular team meetings. Handover meetings enable them to share current issues about each child. A staff member said they like working in a ‘positive, strong staff team’.

p.8

Outstanding

The manager regularly monitors the quality of care provided, as does an independent visitor. This monitoring makes use of feedback from the children and others associated with the home to make improvements. There is a clear development plan for the home.

p.8

Outstanding

Communication with families and professionals is very effective. Managers and staff provide challenge when necessary and influence others in trying to improve children’s outcomes and experiences.

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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 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, 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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