Children's Home run by South Tyneside Council in South Tyneside

Inspection report children’s home: 1268334 1 Registered provider: South Tyneside 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

The home provides short breaks for up to four children or young people who have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been registered since 2017.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 6 September 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/09/2018 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: 1268334 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

Engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met. In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff— seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs; if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; and seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s

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Requirement Due date

home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)(d)) In particular, the manager should encourage the staff to take an active role in children and young people’s care teams 18/01/2019

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. 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 and furnished so as to— 18/01/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 1268334 3 meet the needs of each child; and enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) and (2)(c)(i)(ii)) In particular, to ensure that the home both internally and externally is kept in a good state of repair and decor. The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the

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Requirement Due date

home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that arrangements are in place to— manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14(1)(2)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)) In particular, the manager should ensure that key-workers take a more active role in transition planning for the children and young people moving on from the home. 18/01/2019

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Recommendations

 The registered person should build a strong safeguarding culture in the home where children are listened to, respected and involved in both the development of the home and decisions about the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.8) In particular, safeguarding should be a standing agenda item in team meetings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people enjoy their short breaks. They receive individualised care that meets their needs. Assessments begin prior to a child or young person coming to stay at the home and continue throughout their stays. Information is sought from a range of sources, including parents and professionals involved in their care. This good preparation and working in partnership contributes significantly towards good outcomes for children and young people. Inspection report children’s home: 1268334 4 All of the children and young people are making progress as a direct result of their short breaks. Key-workers have a good knowledge of the children and young people they support. The recently updated care plans, ‘my plans’, are more focused. They incorporate ‘my progress’ and ‘my health plans’, including goals and targets from other relevant plans drawn up by professionals involved in the care of the children and young

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

people. This thorough approach to care planning ensures that the children’s and young people’s needs are well understood and met by the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some of the children and young people who have short breaks have complex health needs, which require specialist help and support. The staff have received the training to meet these needs and work closely with a range of healthcare professionals. This multi- agency approach ensures that children and young people are cared for safely, with sensitivity and dignity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff regularly consult with the children and young people. Their individual needs and abilities are taken into account to enable them to take part in decision-making. They use a range of resourceful and imaginative ways to interact with the children and young people who experience communication difficulties. The staff team has a good understanding of children’s and young people’s indicators of positive well-being and other ways that they are able to communicate, such as body language, facial expressions, different gestures and behaviours. This caring approach respects and values the views of the children and young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people are offered a wide range of activities. This gives them a wealth of opportunities to engage with their friends during their stays. There are many lovely photographs displayed throughout the home showing the happy faces of children and young people enjoying activities and experiences with staff and their peers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Recently, the home has been refurbished, which has greatly improved its appearance. However, there are still a number of areas that are showing some signs of wear and tear. To improve the home and make it more welcoming for the children and young people, this work needs to be completed.

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

The children and young people are safe. The staff plan their stays effectively to ensure that they have the right mix of children and young people on each short break. They plan day-to-day care in detail to ensure that each of the children and young people have the level of individual care and support that they need to stay safe. The staff regularly talk to them about how to stay safe and treat each other kindly in the group.

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

The staff are attentive to the needs of the children and young people. They develop relationships that are based on genuine trust and affection. They are trained in a range of techniques to manage challenging behaviour, and incidents of concern are rare. The staff seldom use any form of physical restraint, but are trained to do this safely, if necessary, to prevent harm occurring. Inspection report children’s home: 1268334 5 The staff talk to parents before each stay, making sure that they are fully aware of any concerns in relation to health or changes in medications. They also monitor the children and young people to make sure that any accidental injuries are accounted for and explained. This provides a safe environment, with effective checks and balances, for children and young people who may not be able to communicate concerns themselves.

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

The staff team is trained in relevant areas of child protection. They are aware of what to look out for in terms of the vulnerabilities of each of the children and young people and know how to respond to concerns.

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

The staff described the home as being a ‘brilliant place to work’. They feel that they are able to share concerns and speak their minds at team meetings. They describe a very supportive environment. Constructive challenge helps to ensure that high standards of care are maintained. The manager encourages an open and honest culture within the team. This promotes the safety and well-being of the children and young people, as staff are able to share concerns and have the opportunity to reflect and learn.

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

Each child and young person has a detailed risk assessment. This outlines any particular vulnerabilities for them, and outlines a plan of intervention to keep them safe. The staffing levels ensure that children and young people are closely monitored, both inside the home and outside in the community.

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

The manager is suitably experienced and is undertaking the relevant management qualification. She is well supported by an experienced deputy and a dedicated staff team.

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

A significant amount of time has been invested in staff training and development. A number of team development days and workshops have focused on improving areas of practice, including care planning and risk assessments, and linking the training (1 to the quality standards. As a result, the staff are becoming more confident, sharing the same ethos and commitment to improving the children’s and young people’s lives. A member of staff said, ‘We have done lots of training. It has been really good. The care plans are much clearer, easier to complete, and this means that the children are better supported.’

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

Staff meetings are held on a regular basis. The children and young people are discussed through the use of reflective practice. The agenda does not routinely include a discussion around safeguarding, which would help create a culture where this is a focus of practice.

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

The manager has introduced an auditing and monitoring system that helps to identify shortfalls in practice. These systems are not yet robust enough to ensure that practice achieves the aims of individual placements. The manager has a good insight into the home’s strengths and areas of weakness. She is motivated to drive improvements forward. Inspection report children’s home: 1268334 6 Managers and staff work in partnership with parents and other professionals. A parent said, ‘This is a vital service. It is a lifeline to my family. Staff are really flexible and will always try to help out with changes to stays.’ Communication with schools, social workers and families takes place on a regular basis. However, staff are not regularly taking an active professional role in care teams. This means that their input into plans for the children and young people is not always comprehensive.

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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: 1268334 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: South Tyneside Council, Town Hall, Westoe Road, South Shields NE33 2RL

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Inspector

Dot McGough, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1268334 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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