Children's home run by Paddock House Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 1252120 1 Registered provider: Paddock House Limited Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and provides care and accommodation for up to six children or young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Date of last inspection: 1 November 2017

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement to be good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has improved effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The management team and the staff have worked hard to address the previous recommendations and requirements. Young people who have been living at the home since the previous inspection are making good progress in all aspects of their lives. Transitions to and from the home are well planned. Two young people have moved on from the home and one young person has been admitted. Education continues to be valued in the home and the staff advocate well on behalf of young people. However, for one young person, education continues to be an issue. Proactive plans are in place for that young person via home tutoring. This means that the transition into mainstream school is likely to be more successful. The young people are in good health. They are able to access a range of activities, including day trips out and a recent trip to a zoo. The staff team celebrates occasions with young people using themed meals, such as a Valentine’s day meal and pancake

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Tuesday. The kitchen is a social space for the young people and staff team to come Inspection report children’s home: 1252120 2 together, promoting socialisation and a sense of belonging. Risk assessments are comprehensive and identify young people’s individual vulnerabilities. Strategies are identified to mitigate risks. Some strategies could be clearer and reflect how they benefit the individual young person. The manager has made changes to the formatting of documentation and young people and now able to read their assessments and contribute to them. The manager has improved the home’s locality risk assessment and there is now evidence of consultations taking place with external agencies to inform assessments. Additionally, the working relationships with other professionals help to inform impact risk assessments. This means that there is now an individual evaluation of risk to assess each young person at the point of admission.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Internet safety is now included in the home’s safeguarding policy. There are now strategies in place to diminish risk. The effectiveness is not yet known, as this is a recent improvement made to the home’s practice. There is a good safeguarding culture in the home. Safeguarding is discussed in supervisions. To further strengthen the home’s practice, safeguarding should be included in team meetings. The manager has taken action to address safety issues in the home. The downstairs fire door has been repaired and is no longer a safety hazard. There is also a security light that makes accessing the home safer in the dark. The manager has made good links with training providers and the team is accessing a wide range of training linked to safeguarding and trauma. The home continues to make good use of the clinical psychologist to understand and respond to negative behaviours. A professional commented, ‘It’s just amazing how well [name] has come on. The staff

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

should be commended. [Name] is not offending and is encouraged and engaged. I’m just so surprised at the progress made and they make good use of the home’s psychologist.’ There have been no new incidents of bullying in the home. The manager has been proactive in raising awareness of bullying. A staff member is now appointed as the bullying champion to monitor such issues. The use of key-worker sessions enables bullying to be discussed with young people and helps them to develop positive relationships with their peers. Sanctions are used effectively but minimally to address behaviours. A restorative approach is beginning to form; however, this could be used more effectively if linked to key-worker sessions.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/11/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 1252120 3

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Recommendations

 Supervision of staff practice should ensure that individual adults in the home are engaged in the safeguarding culture of the home so they understand what they would need to do if they found other staff misusing or abusing their position to the detriment of the safety of a child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.14) In particular, safeguarding to be discussed as a standalone item in team meetings.  Regulation 19(2) details sanctions that are prohibited in behaviour management. Any sanctions used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. In some cases, it will be important for children to make reparation in some form to anyone hurt by their behaviour, and the staff in the home should be skilled to support the child to

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Recommendations

understand this and carry it out. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38) In particular, key-worker sessions could be used more effectively after a sanction is given. This would enhance the restorative process.  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) In particular, strategies identified in risk assessments should read clearly to benefit the individual young person.

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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. Inspection report children’s home: 1252120 4 This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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’.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Paddock House Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: A1, Marquis Court, Team Valley Trading Estate, Gateshead NE11 0RU

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Inspector:

Jacqueline Tate, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1252120 5 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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