Children's Home run by Talbot House Children’s Charity Limited in Newcastle upon Tyne

Inspection report children’s home: SC432843 1 SC432843 Registered provider: Talbot House School, Newcastle Upon Tyne

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a charitable organisation which is registered for the care and accommodation of up to seven children or young people who have emotional, behavioural and/or learning disabilities.

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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 good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 7 December 2016

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Declined in effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None

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Key findings from this inspection

 The leadership and management are good. The registered manager is continuing to develop a stronger staff team and continues to lead this team well. The registered manager is experienced and capable and gives the highest priority to the needs of the children and young people. The registered manager Inspection report children’s home: SC432843 2 has taken more care over assessing the impact of new admissions and this has helped the home to become more settled.  The staff team is clearly growing in experience and ability and it is committed to its work. The members of staff are nurturing and make good relationships with the children and young people. They support the children and young people well so that their experience of living in the home is good.  The children and young people are making good progress. They all have settled education placements and are achieving well. They are making progress with

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Key findings from this inspection

their emotional well-being and other aspects of their lives and this is having a positive effect on their behaviour.  A number of the young people are making good progress with their independence skills. Staff support the young people to practise their independent living skills and they are involved in planning their futures together with staff.

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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

 Some aspects of safeguarding need to improve. This includes promoting individual work with the young people to understand the risks posed by their behaviour.  Records need to be kept up to date. There was no signed consent on file for emergency medical treatment for a recently admitted young person.  All of the staff should receive regular supervision. One member of staff had not received any supervision. Records were not available to evidence that other members of staff had received adequate supervision.  The statement of purpose requires updating because it states that senior staff are required to hold a level three diploma. Senior members of staff have been appointed recently without this qualification and are undertaking the training.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/12/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 11/05/2016 Full Good 28/01/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 26/08/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC432843 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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12(2)(b)) In particular, provide appropriate individualised work to reduce risk for children who have sexualised behaviour or sexually harmful behaviour. 03/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it. (Regulation 16(3)(a)) 03/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33(4)(b)) 03/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which— are kept up to date. (Regulation 36(1)(b)) 03/09/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC432843 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

In the period following the previous full inspection, the home has been through an unsettled period. There have been a number of changes at the home. Four of the children and young people have left the home and three children and young people have been admitted. There have also been a number of changes in staff employed at the home. There has been one significant safeguarding issue and some other challenging behaviour that the staff have had to deal with. The staff made a number of errors while dealing with the incident that led to a judgement of declined effectiveness at the interim inspection in December 2016. However, in the period since the interim inspection, the staff team and structure has been strengthened. There are now three senior workers rather than a single deputy manager. These are good-quality appointments, which are starting to bring a greater consistency to the work of the staff team. The registered

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

manager planned a period of time when there were no admissions. This has allowed staff to engage with the children and young people to promote a settled environment. As a result, the children and young people have returned to making good progress and are enjoying the experience of living in the home. Two of the young people have left the home in unplanned ways. One moved on after it became clear that the staff could not keep the young person safe. Another young person left in an unplanned way after deciding that they did not want to be at the home and their behaviour deteriorated dramatically. However, two other young people were able to benefit from planned transitions. One left as they were nearing their eighteenth birthday, moving on to a supported living situation in an adult care setting. This was an appropriate move after a successful placement. The other young person benefited from a planned move to live with their family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Recently, after careful consideration, a young person was admitted. They have settled in quickly and had little impact on the existing group of children and young people. This is good planning following a good impact risk assessment. The children and young people have good relationships with the staff and this was clear for the inspector to see during the inspection. The children and young people approached staff easily. The freely laughed and joked with staff and, at other times, more serious conversations were evident. The staff are clearly nurturing in their approach and spend a good deal of time with the children and young people. This includes many shared activities and trips, and also includes supporting the children and young people to attend outside clubs and activities, which are enjoyed and promote interest and independence. One young person returning from school came to find the inspector to tell him how well they were doing and how content and happy they were.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person went on to describe how they had enjoyed the recent holiday and trips out. The children and young people are supported to improve contact with their families, and the staff have worked hard in particularly difficult situations with some complex family dynamics. Inspection report children’s home: SC432843 5 All the children and young people have appropriate education placements and attendance is generally very good. There is evidence that all the children and young people are making progress with their education. One older young person has achieved some exam success. Others have improved their behaviour in small classroom settings and are making improved progress. Several of the young people are looking at post-16 education and are making college choices, which are positive. One of these young people, who has made good progress with their emotional well-being, was discussing attending college interviews and future career options in a mature and adult manner.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most of the children and young people spend time with various specialist external workers and this contributes to their well-being. Some of the young people are making progress with their behaviour and anger management as a result of this work. There is good evidence that staff spend individual time with the children and young people, guiding and advising them about aspects of their lives and with relevant issues. However, some of the issues, particularly around sexualised behaviour, need more work and a requirement has been made to do this. Health records were all up to date and the health needs of the children and young people were being met. There is an emphasis on activities at the home. The children and young people are encouraged to attend outside clubs and groups, but staff also spend regular time with them sharing activities, trips and holidays. A recent holiday to Yorkshire involved trips to

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Scarborough, York and a fun park. The staff do encourage the children and young people to practise their independence skills. Some of the young people living at the home will need further support and care as they become adults and they are encouraged to shop and cook to gain more independence. Other young people are encouraged to spend time away from the home, mixing with friends and learning to travel independently. A young person who left and moved on to an adult care setting was well supported and the placement was planned carefully with them prior to moving. It is clear that the children and young people have a say in the day-to-day running of the home, and that they are also involved in making plans for their futures. The home shares a site with a small school, which is also run by the same charitable trust. The school has recently built a high fence and installed an electric gate around the site to safeguard the children and young people. While this does restrict the school

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

children from leaving the site without permission, the staff at the home have ensured that the children and young people living in the home are not restricted in the same way. The children and young people that live at the home are able to leave the site if they choose. The gate and the fence do act as a deterrent and do provide the staff with a little additional time to act if a child or young person is choosing to leave without permission.

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improvement to be good

The children and young people at the home have been kept safe. However, there have been some lapses in safeguarding practice and there are still some areas where staff could be more proactive around safeguarding issues. Inspection report children’s home: SC432843 6 In the period following the previous full inspection, there was one serious lapse in safeguarding practice. This was dealt with at the interim inspection and the issues around risk assessment were dealt with by issuing a compliance notice. A monitoring inspection judged that the staff had complied with the notice and had met all the requirements made at the interim inspection. The staff are now much clearer about the assessment of risk and produce better-quality risk assessments that are comprehensive. Staff understand what the risks are and also how to take action to minimise risk. Issues relating to the supervision of the children and young people have become higher priority and are dealt with effectively.

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improvement to be good

Some of the children and young people have had a previous experience that has led them to develop sexualised behaviour or sexually harmful behaviour. These children and young people require more in-depth and more intensive work to help them understand and control these behaviours. Without this work, they may continue to put themselves at risk or to put others at risk. While some specialist work is being undertaken by external workers with some of the children and young people, a more wide-ranging approach needs to be developed by the staff team. A requirement has been made to address this issue. No safeguarding incidents have been recorded following the interim inspection. However, on the second day of this inspection, a possible child protection concern involving a member of staff came to light. The responsible individual took appropriate steps immediately to address the issue and to co-operate with the relevant investigating

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improvement to be good

authorities. A child protection investigation is now ongoing, but there is currently no suggestion that any of the children or young people at the home have been harmed or affected in any way. The staff have taken appropriate steps to deal with a range of less serious incidents in the home. Staff have also acted appropriately when children and young people have fallen out and have squabbled. One social worker, who was contacted by the inspector, was impressed at how well staff dealt with these types of incidents and were able to move on quickly after defusing the situations. One incident of bullying was recorded and staff have effectively dealt with this, and the issue was resolved without further difficulties. Some minor instances of self-harm have been recorded and the young people involved have been appropriately supported. The staff provide clear boundaries and expectations for the children and young people. The supervision of the children and

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improvement to be good

young people by the staff is now good after the previous lapse. Staff are now more vigilant and this, together with improved risk assessments, has meant that all the children and young people have been kept safe since the interim inspection. The use of physical intervention has declined substantially since two of the children and young people moved on. All the incidents of restraint were carried out properly, and there is clear evidence that the children and young people are spoken to at length following any incident. The staff rarely use other sanctions, with only a few instances when the young people contribute to repairs after causing damage to the home. This is also appropriate action in these situations. There have been some concerns around the use of the internet by the children and young people. However, the staff have monitored this effectively and made appropriate Inspection report children’s home: SC432843 7

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improvement to be good

changes as required. Some of the children and young people now have supervised use of the internet, and the others are restricted appropriately. The staff strike a good balance between allowing reasonable use of the internet and protecting the children and young people, and they monitor this well. One child who was spoken to told the inspector that they felt safe and secure at the home. Another recent arrival has told their social worker that they want to stay at the home forever, giving a clear indication that they also feel safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has been in post for four years and has recently gained a level five diploma in leadership and management. She is an experienced and confident manager who has the care of the children and young people as her highest priority. She has made efforts to improve and develop the home since the previous inspection. These improvements include appointing a new senior team that is enthusiastic and motivated. The senior team is improving communication in the staff team so that consistency of practice is better. While there are some aspects that require further work, the developments over the last six months have been significant. The manager has understood the areas that required improvement at the previous inspection and has ensured that these have been addressed. Generally, written work and recording is better, including the risk assessments. Care planning has improved and individual work

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

with the children and young people is improving. There have been some lapses by the registered manager and three requirements have been made to make further improvements. Some of the staff, including part-time staff, have not received regular supervision and this needs to be addressed. A consent form for emergency medical treatment was found to be missing from a child’s file. While this was clearly an oversight, it does demonstrate that more care and vigilance is needed around maintaining appropriate up-to-date records. The statement of purpose does not fully reflect management practice. The statement of purpose stated that all senior staff would be qualified to the appropriate level three standard. In practice, the recently appointed senior staff have not fully completed these qualifications. The statement of purpose should be updated so that staff who are considered very suitable for the role can be employed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A fourth requirement was to ensure that better-quality individualised work around safeguarding was carried out. While staff have already had some additional training in these areas, it may well be that some staff require further training in order to ensure that the quality of this work is further improved in order to meet the safeguarding requirement. The staff say that they feel that the registered manager provides a strong lead and manages the home well. Staff say that they are well supported and are given good training and guidance. All the children and young people are making progress and, for most of them, the progress is good. The home is settled and the staff team is actively meeting the needs of Inspection report children’s home: SC432843 8 all the children and young people so that the experience of living in the home is also good. The registered manager is a hands-on manager who knows exactly where all the

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

children and young people are in terms of their plans and their progress, and who is active in meeting their needs. She is a good role model for other staff. The registered manager has built good-quality relationships with other professionals and uses these well. She is quick to refer children and young people to specialist workers when this is needed. She is able to challenge others when this is required. This is perhaps best demonstrated when, recently, the staff team had to improve the quality of its work in order to comply with various requirements made at the previous inspection. The registered manager has also recently challenged a local authority. One of the young people had been told that there were plans for them to move back to their home authority. The young person complained and was adamant that they wanted to stay where they were. The registered manager helped the young person to make their case

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

and also ensured that an independent advocate was appointed to represent the young person. As a result, these plans were changed and the current plan is for this young person to stay at this home until they move to independence. Inspection report children’s home: SC432843 9

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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 difference 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: SC432843 10

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Talbot House School, Newcastle Upon Tyne

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Inspector

Colin Imrie, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC432843 11 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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