Children's Home run by Right-Trak Limited in Newcastle upon Tyne

Inspection report children’s home: SC394909 1 SC394909 Registered provider: Right-Trak Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home accommodates up to six children or young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is operated by a private provider.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 12 January 2017

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Improved effectiveness

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

 Young people develop trusting relationships resulting in strong attachments with staff.  Risks are thoroughly explored prior to a young person moving to the home to ensure that staff are able to keep them safe. Inspection report children’s home: SC394909 2  Staff work collaboratively with agencies to keep young people safe at home and in the community.  Staff work with family members to increase contact for young people with their families.  Young people benefit from improved emotional health due to prompt access to the in-house psychologist.  Young people receive extended outreach work when they move to independent accommodation.  Effective behaviour management results in a reduction in negative outbursts.  The home benefits from having a very experienced management team that brings a multitude of knowledge and skills.

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 09/08/2016 Full Requires improvement 23/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 24/11/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC394909 3

p.2

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. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, pages 64 and 65, paragraph 15.2) In particular, develop the current consultation system to include the views of staff.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people quickly establish good, trusting relationships with staff. The young people form strong attachments that provide them with emotional security. This is particularly important for those young people who have struggled to trust adults. Some young people have lived at the home for a significant period of time, including one young person who has lived there for many years. One young person said: ‘This is like a home for me. [Name of staff member] is like a nan to me and [Name of staff member] is like a second mum. It is not like a children’s home – it is like a home.’ Staff understand the importance of young people maintaining family links. They meet with family members to establish positive working relationships. Staff use opportunities to work alongside families when looking at encouraging young people’s positive behaviour. Contact can take place at the home and gradually increases to a level that

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

offers young people a good balance between time at the home and with family. A young person spoke of knowing that their family is happy for them to live at the home. This reduces conflict for young people, allowing them to remain settled. Young people’s engagement with education is varied. Staff encourage non-school attenders to return to education. Extra staff work in the morning to support and transport young people to school. For those refusing to attend school, young people follow daily school routines and staff use moments during the day to provide educational opportunities. This is through discussions, using worksheets and daily tasks such as budgeting. For those young people who have left school, they have plans to attend college or an apprenticeship next term. Regular case team meetings held with other professionals, such as the virtual school, provide a multi-agency approach. Young people receive support to reach their full educational potential.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The provider employs the services of a psychologist and trainee psychologist. This offers easily accessible counselling sessions for young people. If a young person refuses to Inspection report children’s home: SC394909 4 engage, the provider knows that this support can be quickly re-instated. Staff receive ongoing advice and guidance from these professionals to inform their approach to young people. As a result, young people benefit from improved emotional health. One young person said: ‘I am now more confident.’ Young people have a clear voice in the home, expressing their opinions during formal and informal discussions and residents’ meetings. Young people’s input into their care plans is visible from their comments made. As the care plans are regularly updated, young people can see the progress that they are making and set new targets with staff. Support and consultation sessions cover a variety of topics.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The provider makes a commitment to offer outreach work for a minimum of six months. This ensures the continuation of important relationships and young people feel confident about moving to independent living. Staff continue to provide after-care support to monitor whether young people are managing physically and emotionally in their new home. One staff member said: ‘We care about the young people, so we definitely stay in contact with them. They also want to keep in contact with us, with many still phoning us today.’

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

An excellent, detailed impact matching assessment looks at all known areas of risk for young people moving to the home. Discussions take place with the senior staff team to provide different perspectives. Staff use their knowledge of the area, and links with other safeguarding agencies, such as the police, to examine whether the home’s location would pose additional risks to the new young person. This comprehensive assessment ensures that the staff are able to keep young people safe and that existing residents remain settled. Staff have excellent insight into the vulnerabilities that young people face. Informative and detailed safety plans outline potential risks to young people. Prompt action is taken by the registered manager in convening multi-agency meetings. Ongoing information sharing is effective and all professionals have up-to-date knowledge of new and existing risks. There is a coordinated approach between agencies working with young people that

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

has resulted in an improvement in keeping young people safe at home and in the community. Staff receive training and are knowledgeable about substance misuse. They use a drugs and alcohol screening tool when there are concerns about substance misuse. Staff make well-timed referrals to external agencies to provide early support to young people. Consequently, young people’s substance misuse has reduced significantly. Staff educate young people about the dangers of going missing from home. This extends to outside agencies working with young people. For some young people, they have significantly reduced missing episodes. Staff have been effective in reducing the risk to young people when they are absent. However, some young people still regularly go missing at night. They receive return to home interviews from the same independent person. This helps young people build trust and develop their confidence in sharing

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

information. One young person, who no longer goes missing, said: ‘Staff are always Inspection report children’s home: SC394909 5 talking about what is out there. We see DVDs and my [name of agency] worker talks to me. I used to go missing every night, but don’t anymore.’ Behaviour management is effective and, as a consequence, staff very rarely need to hold young people, and only as a last resort to keep young people safe. Staff’s good relationships with young people provide them with techniques to distract young people when their behaviour is beginning to escalate. One staff member said: ‘If you don’t know the young people, then how are you going to help them? You have to know how they tick.’ Staff use everyday opportunities to encourage young people to connect their behaviour to the way they are feeling at the time. Young people learn to self-regulate their behaviour and begin to show empathy for people affected by their actions.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff are vigilant and challenge young people about any bullying that takes place in the home. Managers are developing staff’s restorative practice skills, challenging them to think of alternative ways to develop positive behaviour. As a result, young people have improved relationships with others, including their peers at the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager holds a social work qualification. He is working towards gaining the appropriate management qualification. He has significant experience in residential care, including in previous managerial roles. The deputy manager also holds a social work degree and has vast experience in residential care management and safeguarding roles. One of the biggest strengths of the home is the very experienced management team, who bring a multitude of knowledge and skills. These highly motivated team members work effectively together to ensure the smooth running of the home and consistent, high-quality care for young people. They lead by example and are good role models for the other staff members. The close-knit staff team is committed and passionate about supporting young people. The team members are actively encouraged to share new ideas with an open-door approach by managers. Managers encourage staff to relate their practice to the quality standards and other

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

research. Professional development is actively encouraged and supported. The provider is committed to offering ongoing training to staff. A staff member is receiving practice educator teaching so that student social workers can have a placement at the home. This has proved to be effective at the provider’s sister home. Supervisions are of a high quality, regardless of which manager undertakes these. Timely supervisions, informal discussions and regular team meetings offer the opportunity for staff to look at their practice. This ensures consistent practice amongst staff and a chance to reflect on how to make improvements. Staff speak of feeling supported by managers, with one saying: ‘They are the most caring employers I have ever worked with.’ The manager and staff have developed links with a range of professionals, building good working relationships, in particular with schools and police. They also attend a residential

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

forum to keep fully updated about local services. Staff communicate effectively with professionals and family, who report that they are kept up to date about their children. A Inspection report children’s home: SC394909 6 social worker said: ‘They communicate well and attend all necessary meetings.’ The management team is forward-thinking and has clear plans about how to develop the home further, including beginning to develop a completely therapeutic approach for young people. A significant investment was made in the computerisation of records. This provides effective recording, monitoring and reviewing of young people’s plans. Staff confidently use the computer system and speak enthusiastically about the benefits. This includes reducing the duplication of work and clear task setting. More importantly, staff say that it allows them more time to spend with young people. There is a strong focus on monitoring the quality of care and outcomes for young

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

people. This includes monthly visits from a visitor who provides thorough independent monitoring of the service, challenging the manager with areas for improvement. Useful visual charts demonstrate patterns in behaviour and progress made by young people. Consultation is undertaken with stakeholders and young people; however, this currently lacks formal feedback from staff.

p.6

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.

p.6

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: SC394909 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite 104 1st Floor West, Wingrove House, Ponteland Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE5 3DE

p.7

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Glynis Spriddell

p.7

Inspector

Tina Ruffles, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC394909 8 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, 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 http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

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

p.8