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

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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 accommodates up to six children or young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is operated by a private provider. There is an acting manager in post who is not yet registered.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

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

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 6 February 2018

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/02/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 20/06/2017 Full Good 12/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 09/08/2016 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC394909 2

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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 independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to HMCI. (Regulation 44 (7)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the acting manager should ensure that Regulation 44 reports are submitted in a timely manner. 28/09/2018

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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 that staff help each child to understand how to keep safe. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(ii)) 28/09/2018

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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 that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(d)) 28/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that helps children to aspire to their full potential and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that the staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the need of each child. (Regulation 13 (2)(a)(c)) 28/09/2018

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Recommendations

 The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. Professionally qualified staff employed by the home, such as teachers or social workers, should be provided Inspection report children’s home: SC394909 3 with relevant professional or clinical supervision by an appropriately qualified and experienced professional. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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improvement to be good

There are four young people living in the home. Three of them have been living in the home for a short period of time. Progress is mixed, with the young people progressing well in some areas and not in others. Some of the young people are beginning to settle and starting to form positive relationships with staff. Experiences are also varied, with the young people experiencing some poor day-to day events which have a negative impact on their care. Some of the young people are making progress in their education. Staff support educational attendance and attainment. Attendance remains a problem for some of the young people. One young person has no school placement. Staff have worked closely with education providers to identify a suitable educational placement for this young person in the new school year. Staff have promoted and supported alternative educational provision, such as home tuition. The home is in a poor state of repair, with a number of areas of significant damage. On

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improvement to be good

one occasion, extensive damage was caused to the stairs and upper floors. This resulted in three of the young people having to move out of the home while the damage was repaired. To create a welcoming environment for the young people to live in, the home should be repaired and redecorated throughout. Staff encourage the young people to eat healthily. One young person stated, ‘I love to make omelettes and the staff have bought spray oil to reduce the fat in my meals.’ The mental health needs of some of the young people have proved difficult for staff to understand and manage. A member of staff stated, ‘I don’t think that I have the training and understanding to meet these young people’s complex needs.’ This means that the young people are not being cared for in a planned and consistent manner, by staff who know and understand their needs. To strengthen staff’s practice and understanding of the young people, relevant training needs to be provided.

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improvement to be good

Contact is appropriately supported. Staff facilitate contact and have forged positive relationships with friends and family members. This ensures that contact goes smoothly and helps the young people to maintain family relationships. The young people are given opportunities to share their views on daily life and their care in the home. They are able to raise concerns at any time, due to the positive relationships they have with staff. The young people are able to take part in a range of activities, including trips out to local parks and beaches, bowling, fishing and the zoo . They are benefiting from spending time with staff, developing interests and hobbies. Inspection report children’s home: SC394909 4

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improvement to be good

The young people say they feel safe. There are risk assessments and behaviour management plans in place. However, there is little evidence that staff are using them to keep the young people safe within the home. High levels of disruptive behaviour are not being de-escalated effectively. Clear boundaries about safe and acceptable behaviours are not always in place. This means that the young people are not being helped to understand how to keep themselves safe. Not all staff are trained and supported to meet the young people’s needs, which means that on occasions staff do not understand the triggers for the young people’s behaviour. This has led to the police having to be called to the home, to manage behaviour. The number of missing from home incidents is low. Staff are vigilant; they ensure that if a young person leaves the home without permission, they keep them in sight. When young people do go missing, staff follow the home’s protocols. Return interviews are

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improvement to be good

happening, but on some occasions they are not taking place soon enough after the young person’s return. This means that information gained from return interviews is not always able to contribute to updated risk assessments, which help to keep the young people safe. The acting manager has made representation to the relevant local authorities to speed up the process. Sanctions are rarely used; however, when they are used, the effectiveness of the sanction is not always recorded. There is an incentive scheme, which the young people are happy with. One young person stated, ‘I have saved my incentive money up. It’s good; I am going to buy a new phone.’ Physical interventions rarely take place. They are well recorded, and the reasons for the intervention are clear. The young people’s views on the intervention are sought and recorded in a life space interview. Senior staff monitor all records of physical interventions.

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

The registered manager has recently left his post; he informed Ofsted of this appropriately. The responsible individual informed Ofsted of the situation and that the deputy manager would be acting as manager and applying for registration. A high number of staff have left the home, which has resulted in the current staff team being made up of relatively new staff. There have been staffing issues, and the acting manager recognises that this has prevented progress being made to the standard that she would want to achieve. This has affected the continuity of care being provided to the young people. The acting manager understands that this is a challenge. She has a development plan in place to address areas of weakness. She is ambitious to change the culture and ethos of the home. External monitoring is good. The independent visitor attends monthly, and their reports contain a clear account of progress and identify shortfalls. However, the registered

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

manager did not always respond to them in a timely manner, which meant that they were not sent to Ofsted regularly. Inspection report children’s home: SC394909 5 Staff are completing mandatory training and there is a good induction programme in place for new staff. However, staff do not have specific training that would help them to understand and meet the needs of the young people in a more planned and effective way. The company psychologist confirmed that she will be working closely with the acting manager to strengthen practice and confidence within the staff team. Supervision is not taking place regularly. Staff, including senior staff, have had large gaps between supervisions. Staff are not being given the opportunity to regularly discuss the needs of the young people. This means they are not developing a clear understanding of the young people’s needs and are not developing their own practice.

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

To strengthen practice and to ensure that staff are able to reflect on practice, regular good-quality supervision needs to be in place. Staff work effectively with a number of agencies, including the youth offending service, education providers, mental health teams and the police. They are all kept up to date with the progress of the 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 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: SC394909 6

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Children’s home details

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

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Melanie Spriddell

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Inspector

Dot McGough, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC394909 7 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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