Children's Home run by Newcastle City Council in Newcastle upon Tyne

Inspection report children’s home: SC033642 1 SC033642 Registered provider: Newcastle City Council

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A local authority manages this home, which provides care and accommodation for up to six young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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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 good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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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: 1 February 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 The manager and staff are committed and inspirational for young people.  Staff provide high-quality, nurturing care for young people. Inspection report children’s home: SC033642 2  Young people make progress from their starting points.  Young people go on a number of trips and holidays to promote physical health.  Staff help young people develop independent skills and continue to offer support when young people leave the home.  Good risk management keeps young people safe.  Young people make significant improvements with risk taking and negative behaviours.  Missing episodes and substance misuse have reduced.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 17/05/2016 Full Good 05/01/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 22/07/2015 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC033642 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— (a) the privacy of children is appropriately protected; (b) children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises. (Regulation 21(a)(b)) Specifically, in respect of the prompt replacement of bedroom keys, so that young people can keep their possessions safe and have access to their bedrooms at all times. 01/09/2017

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Recommendations

 Appropriate forms of contact should be promoted and facilitated for each child, including, where appropriate, visits to the child in the home; visits by the child to relatives and/or friends; letters, emails and texts; use of social media and other forms of contact via the internet. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations and quality standards’, page 59, paragraph 11.18) Specifically, in respect of ensuring the prompt re-installation of wi-fi at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from the consistent care of nurturing staff who aspire for them to do well. The long-standing staff team provides a range of positive role models for young people. Young people named a number of staff they could trust. Positive relationships develop with staff, with a social worker saying: ‘Staff have built really good relationships with [name of young person]. Staff have gone out of their way to engage with him. He has got himself a job and staff are very supportive.’ Young people are making progress in different areas of their lives. A number of them have secured employment and talk enthusiastically about their jobs. A parent said: ‘Staff are doing a fab job and are great. [Name of young person] says this is the best care home they have ever lived in.’ Young people experience a good variety of social and recreational activities organised by Inspection report children’s home: SC033642 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

the home’s activities’ ‘champion’. Young people have the use of a well-equipped gym and salon at the home. Staff promote physical health through regular exercise. Trips out and short-break holidays help young people to build on their existing talents and interests. A staff member said: ‘We look at the skills young people have and encourage it and challenge them. Activities are good for character building.’ Young people benefit from healthy, home-cooked meals that are varied and balanced. Menus are planned based on the young people’s preferences, with one staff member saying: ‘At weekends, I will make someone’s favourite meal, knowing their likes and dislikes. Young people like weekend treats.’ The new child-friendly care plans make it easier for young people to see the targets set and future goals. Young people are consulted on their care planning. This gives young people a voice, to make decisions and choices about their future. One young person

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

said: ‘When I heard I may be moving I changed and no longer go missing.’ Young people give their views in a number of forums. For those that are reluctant to have key-work sessions or attend young people’s meetings, informal conversations and discussions take place with staff. Young people know how to complain and staff support them to have an independent advocate. Recent complaints include delays in the reinstallation of the internet connection and replacement of bedroom keys. The delays have been as a result of obtaining correct internet security for young people. Custom- made locks and keys have been ordered. Despite repeated efforts by the manager, the issues have still not been resolved many months later, causing frustration for young people. Young people are actively encouraged to develop independence skills that are compatible with their age and understanding. A range of assessment tools allows staff to

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

assess young people’s capabilities. This informs future planning, particularly in regards to what sort of outreach work young people need to help them remain settled in their long- term placement. As the manager and many of the staff members have worked at the home for a number of years, one of their strengths is that many ex-residents return to see them. This provides young people with ongoing emotional and practical support. Comments from ex-residents include: ‘If staff don’t hear from me, then they will contact me. It is the staff that makes it a home. This is the first time I ever felt like I have a family. They give advice.’

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

Staff are committed to keeping young people safe. They know the vulnerabilities specific to each young person and implement safety plans to protect them from harm. Young people become more open with staff, who use opportunities such as key-work sessions to educate young people to take appropriate and calculated risks. Risk management is good and staff allow young people to learn from their own mistakes as part of growing up and becoming more independent. Staff develop good relationships with families. Consequently, for some young people, their families are involved in the safety plan, which offers a further layer of protection. The manager considers new referrals, looking at the needs of young people and the potential impact on each other from group living. Careful deliberation and robust care Inspection report children’s home: SC033642 5 planning help to reduce any negative impact. Staff know young people exceptionally well

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

and demonstrate a good understanding of the dynamics of the group. There are very few incidents of bullying. Some young people still go missing from home; however, the frequency and length of time they are away have lessened. A professional said: ‘[Name of young person’s] missing episodes have significantly decreased. They were daily and he would return, but go missing again. The current safety plan is working well. He has some autonomy and is responsible for some decision making.’ Independent return to home interviews are always completed. These, together with staff’s detailed accounts of missing episodes, provide an up-to-date, detailed picture of young people’s patterns of behaviour and associates. Currently, there are no young people living at the home viewed as at risk, or victims, of sexual exploitation. Managers and staff reflect on their management of young people’s negative behaviours. Their knowledge of young people allows them to try different methods to de-escalate

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

situations. Young people’s aggressive outbursts are not so severe and not so frequent. Physical restraint is a rare occurrence and only used to keep young people safe. The implementation of reward and incentive charts, with young people’s input and monitoring, has resulted in significant improvement with risk-taking and negative behaviours. These systems are clear and precise for staff and young people. By staff attending risk management meetings, excellent links are made with the police and other safeguarding professionals. Agreed multi-agency strategies, with a joined-up approach, keep young people safe, particularly when they are in the community. Alcohol and substance misuse is discouraged, and the home’s drugs and alcohol ‘champion’ keeps staff informed about current research and developments. Staff are proactive, using screening tools to identify if young people have a substance misuse issue. Staff help young people to make positive choices about their lifestyle.

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

Consequently, young people have reduced their drug and alcohol misuse. A monthly visitor monitors the service. The manager challenged the visitor about the quality of their reports. As a result, a requirement from the last inspection has been met. Improvements have been made and the visitor now provides robust, independent scrutiny of safeguarding practices in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has significant experience in residential care and has been in post for many years. He has the required leadership qualification and holds a diploma in social work. He provides effective, strong leadership that is child centred and focuses on supporting young people to become ambitious. His senior staff team provides support. Excellent leadership and management provide reliable oversight of systems and paperwork. The management team ensures the smooth running of the home and the consistent, high-quality care for young people. The manager demonstrates a clear understanding of the home’s strengths and weaknesses and has a very clear vision for the future. The requirement from the previous inspection has been met, in that the Inspection report children’s home: SC033642 6 regulator is notified of all serious events. The charismatic and enthusiastic manager is committed to ensuring positive outcomes

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

for young people. This filters down to the members of the staff team, who are passionate and aspirational and want the best for young people. A staff member said: ‘I have never known a manager so passionate about his role. It is nice to work with a manager who motivates you. He is inspirational. He will find money and fight your corner to get things for young people as he wants them to have the best experiences.’ The manager and staff enjoy spending time with young people and they have an extensive knowledge of each young person. The close-knit team enjoys working at the home. Young people benefit from the eclectic mix of staff, who bring a wealth of experience, skills and talents. As there is a low turnover of staff, with some having worked at the home for a number of years, young people benefit from the stability that this offers. There is a robust induction for new staff joining the home. Staff receive excellent levels

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

of support, supervision and person-centred training that provides good, reflective practice. Staff’s personal and professional development is promoted. Those with specific knowledge, expertise or skills are ‘champions’ in the home. They provide other staff with ongoing information, advice and training. Staff implement learning from their training and use this knowledge to educate young people.

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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 who 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: SC033642 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Newcastle Upon Tyne City Council, PO Box 690, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE99 2BN

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Inspector

Tina Ruffles, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC033642 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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