Children's home run by The Percy Hedley Foundation in North Tyneside

Inspection report children‟s home: 1234323 1 Registered provider: The Percy Hedley Foundation Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home accommodates up to 20 children or young people who have sensory impairment, learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities. It is operated by a charitable foundation.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 06/06/2017 to 07/06/2017

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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Good

How well children and young people are helped and protected Requires improvement to be good

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Good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers Requires improvement to be good

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Good

The children‟s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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Good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Good

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Good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None

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Key findings from this inspection

 The staff provide high-quality physical and emotional support at all times. The strength of the relationships with and knowledge of the children that the staff Inspection report children‟s home: 1234323 2 have is commendable.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The children are enabled to express their views through a variety of communication aids, enhancing their involvement in day-to-day decisions about their care.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The management team and staff ensure that all the children participate in a range of activities and enjoy new and challenging experiences.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The staff team involves the children in aspects of their own personal care, where they are able. This helps to develop a level of independence and promotes their well-being.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The staff and management team have excellent support from an internal network of professionals in health and education. Relationships are strong, providing and maintaining a tailored response to individual needs.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children‟s home‟s areas for development:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Development of the monitoring systems to ensure that the views of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff are ascertained and considered. This will primarily ensure that action plans are in place and remain live documents.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Preparation for children‟s placement should ensure that all relevant professionals are involved and identified before proceeding with the development of placement plans. Implementation of escalation policies ensures that children are provided with quality, individualised care that incorporates education, health and social care aspects.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/11/2016 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: 1234323 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet 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

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure –

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child‟s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home‟s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) and (2)(v), (vi) and (vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that defective equipment is reported immediately and removed to a safe place. 06/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff –

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority‟s or a relevant person‟s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child‟s needs are met in accordance with the child‟s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that an escalation policy is implemented. 29/06/2017

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children –

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children‟s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the 06/07/2017 Inspection report children‟s home: 1234323 4 registered person to ensure –

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of the children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home‟s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home;

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Requirement Due date

that each child‟s relevant plans are followed; and

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Requirement Due date

that the child‟s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child‟s relevant plans is requested, if –

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child‟s needs. (Regulation 14 (1)(a), (2)(a), (b)(ii), (c) and (e)(i))

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Recommendations

 Regulation 45 sets out requirements for the registered person to have a system in place which allows them to monitor the matters set out in the regulation at least once every six months; also see Regulation 13 (2)(h) (the leadership and management standard). The registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. The review should enable the registered person to identify areas of strength and possible weaknesses in the home‟s care, which will be captured in the written report. The report should clearly identify any actions required for the next six months of delivery within the home and how those actions will be addressed. The whole review process and the resulting report should be used as a tool for continuous improvement in the home. („Guide to the

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Recommendations

children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, pages 64 and 65, paragraphs 15.2 and 15.4)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team responds to children with care, compassion and warmth. The children have complex health and behavioural needs which are supported with good care plans. The staff know the children well, enhanced by knowledge gained through working with education and health partners in drawing up bespoke packages of care. Residential care plans set out Inspection report children‟s home: 1234323 5 the objectives of each young person‟s placement and how they will be achieved. The children have a variety of communication issues. However, the staff are well trained in using electronic communication aids as well as associated techniques to enable the children‟s wishes and feelings to be supported on a day-to-day basis. The staff also make use of the child‟s „circle of support‟ (parents, grandparents and other professionals) to enable a more comprehensive understanding of each child‟s respective needs. It also takes

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

into consideration known characteristics, triggers and likes or dislikes. All of these aspects support a high-quality level of care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff ensure that attention to detail is robust at all times of the day, ensuring that activities are in place for all of the children to explore personal interests and spend time with their peers. The children enjoy their environment. They have an „air-hockey‟ game alongside a pool table, taking centre stage, within a lovely space that is a focal point for the children to play. The children have very good relationships with each other that are both caring and supportive. One child has recently joined the Brownies and another child goes climbing on a regular basis. In addition, one young man has a particular interest in the police and fire services. The police attended the home recently and all children were given the opportunity to try on items of uniform and equipment. This event was celebrated in the home‟s newsletter, which had a colourful collection of photographs, showing happy, smiling faces. Also arrangements were made to enable a child to be involved in fire safety

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

procedures in the home. He is equipped with a high visibility jacket and a hard hat. A designated staff member supports him in carrying out his role and checks. He completes a full fire drill and evacuation. Again, this has been captured as a memory in a lovely set of photographs. This not only develops confidence, resilience and independence, but a sense of well-being and importance, which enhances the children‟s life experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children‟s health needs are met by the staff team with support from the education and health professionals attached to the school. This continues to be a strength of the home as there is direct support, accessible in a timely manner. This is provided through reviewing individual‟s needs on a daily basis, both formally and informally, through consultations. Communication is good and the range of professionals includes psychologists, speech therapists and occupational therapists. All of the children attend the attached education provision. They enjoy school and are prepared well before attending and welcomed home at the end of the school day. The communal area has many computers. Children are supported to complete homework and the computers are also available for play. The communication aids enable children to be empowered in decision-making and expressing their specific wishes and feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team is very good at working with families and friends, ensuring communication is good at all times. A family meeting took place on my visit and one set of grandparents spoke to me and said, „We visited many places which were okay, “but”, and then we came here and there was no “but”, it was excellent.‟ Children have regular meetings as a group, which are supported by staff. Records are clear and identify where changes have been made, be it the purchasing of new outdoor play equipment or plans for „theme‟ nights. Key workers enable children to reflect on their day-to-day events, through thoughtful discussion. These sessions can occur anywhere and are recorded to demonstrate how children are helped to reflect on behaviour, personal healthcare and risks associated with Inspection report children‟s home: 1234323 6 their individual needs. Children are empowered to express their opinion through informal

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

processes such as this. This develops very strong relationships built upon respect and care. The staff team is skilled in this approach.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children come from a variety of locations, some quite a distance away, so they are always encouraged to use technology to keep in touch with family and friends. The staff team keeps in touch with parents ensuring that relationships remain strong. A social worker spoke on behalf of a parent by stating, „Communication is very good. They always get back to me if and when required. The parent also has had a good experience with them as they also support her by keeping in touch, which is good as she lives some distance away.‟ Respect for maintaining family identity is demonstrated on a regular basis, as is celebrating achievements together and supporting children‟s resilience.

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improvement to be good

The staff team, supported by a range of education and health professionals, assesses risks to children in all relevant areas and has robust plans in place to manage those risks. Children cannot leave the building without staff, but this is in accordance with their level of understanding and ensures that they are safe. The staff team supervises as required, which is documented in children‟s individualised care plans. The home‟s boundaries and expectations are sound and well understood by staff.

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improvement to be good

The staff team is assigned to meet the individualised needs of children, ensuring that supervision is high where required. There has been a recognised shortfall in this area that required a response, which was provided by the internal management team. Plans need to be specific in their clarity to avoid confusion on staffing ratios and how long a child should be left unsupervised. Policies for responding to defective equipment need to be understood by all staff and actioned in a timely manner. This has been identified through internal investigation and appropriate steps have been taken to ensure that this does not reoccur. An action plan has been initiated prior to the inspection to ensure that children are safeguarded at all times.

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improvement to be good

Daily routines that are tailored to individual need provide consistency and predictability for children. This was observed during morning preparations, which were highly organised, demonstrating that everyone knows their role. Breakfast was a lovely time for engagement through a combination of communication aids and staff‟s knowledge of children‟s personalities, which allowed for choice of cereals, cooked alternatives and beverages. A staff member quickly responded to a child who was having difficulties with his electronic device, this was done with humour and banter, resulting in a quick fix, avoiding any distress. It was notable that the child in question continued to smile throughout the episode. This demonstrates that children are supported robustly to ensure that their needs and wishes are known and responded to in a timely manner. Throughout the morning routine, children were supported. Some children have very complex needs and preparation

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improvement to be good

is crucial, but the morning was full of smiles, laughter and warmth. Children‟s well-being and self-esteem being at the forefront of practice. Inspection report children‟s home: 1234323 7 Staff administer medication and carry out intimate care with sensitivity and respect. Medication systems have been improved following a review. This has been welcomed by the staff team. Individual health needs are covered in training for all staff. Diabetes training has been provided for all to ensure that a child‟s needs are met. This has been provided by a diabetes nurse professional, external to the home. The nurse stated, „I have completed lots of training sessions with the staff, they always listen and pick up what is required. They especially use the technology around diabetes really well.‟ The key worker and assigned team work consistently with the child to ensure that her understanding of needles and processes are understood to the best of her ability. The staff have a coloured needle chart

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improvement to be good

in the child‟s bedroom to assist with her understanding and sometimes they move the colours around to ensure that she can identify when things are not quite right. The child is enabled to be an integral part of her own care. The children are provided with learning experiences that promote their own development and this provides opportunities to promote independence and confidence.

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improvement to be good

A social worker stated, „[Name] has complex health needs and behaviours. They manage really well and have a consistent approach, supported through education and by themselves. They [staff] provided support in accessing a hospital admission and stayed with him throughout.‟ The registered manager and her team ensured that staff supported medical professionals to reduce the child‟s anxieties by staying night and day.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager is very experienced and has the recognised management qualification. She is supported by a strong management team. All staff are in some form of professional development. There continues to be a commitment to training and developing skills associated to children‟s complex needs and requirements. Specific skills developed in line with diabetes show great care in working with new technology and being responsive and efficient in delivering high-quality practice. This demonstrates a commitment to work in partnerships with health professionals to ensure that quality is adhered to.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Recommendations made at the last inspection have been addressed in full. Recruitment has been robust and management oversight of practice is enhanced by an active presence on shifts. This was observed in the interactions between the management team, staff and the children, who responded well in their company. The registered manager is well respected by a competent staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Shortfalls found during this inspection are as a result of placement and admission planning. Mostly, it is due to lack of involvement of a placing authority. The home completed a placement admission that did not have full, relevant information to complete a robust placement plan. It focused primarily on education and not on health and social care. A placement plan was in place that was as robust as it could be, based on the information available. The admission process was based primarily on an assessment week, completed nine months earlier, while at the home‟s previous setting. It had been stated, at the point of placement, that in respect of education nothing had changed. This means that health and social care needs within placement plans were not as robust as they could be. This reduces the effectiveness of the overall care plan. The registered manager responded Inspection report children‟s home: 1234323 8

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

appropriately through numerous emails and telephone calls to the placing authority, but concerns should have been escalated to a higher level, enabling reviewing of new information to be inclusive. Placement planning on this occasion was weak.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home‟s formal monitoring and review processes indicated a shortfall in documenting the views and opinions of all parties. This meant that action plans to develop and move the service forward were diminished. Plans have been put in place in response to shortfalls which are not clear due to the lack of evaluation and opinions from relevant others.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager has responded well to the transition to the new home and continues to consider and put in place the views and wishes of children and staff in making improvements. There is to be a sunken trampoline fitted to the back, enclosed garden and one room has been specifically identified to become a sensory room. Although the building has generated some opposing views, it is notable that the children were happy at all times during the visit and in particular, the building appeared to be accessible for any child with mobility limitations. One child was very able to navigate his wheelchair around the building and on occasion he would appear right behind me on my visit, making his presence known, he was very independent in where he wished to be at any given time.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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.

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Information about this inspection

Using the „Social care common inspection framework‟, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children‟s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the „Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟. Inspection report children‟s home: 1234323 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Percy Hedley Foundation

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Percy Hedley School, Forest Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne NE12 8YY

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Inspector

Michael Dack: social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: 1234323 10 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children‟s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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