Children's home run by Newcastle City Council

Inspection report children’s home: SC044485 1 SC044485 Registered provider: Newcastle City Council Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by the local authority and is registered for the care and accommodation of up to seven children or young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The manager has been registered since 2004.

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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 good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children and young people at this home receive good-quality care on a daily basis. They have positive relationships with the committed staff team and this enables them to make progress in all areas of their lives, to some degree, taking into account their starting points. The strong relationships that they have with staff also enable children and young people to have stability in their lives and to improve their confidence. Overall, children and young people are safe in this home. However, the strategies for monitoring risk out in the community need to be reviewed to ensure that all actions to maintain safety are taken. It was raised by staff during the inspection that the responses the staff are able to make are dependent upon staffing levels. This means that some Inspection report children’s home: SC044485 2 children and young people remain vulnerable and at risk. Some children and young people have re-engaged in or sustained education placements,

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

while for others this remains a complex situation. However, there is evidence of the staff team advocating on behalf of children and young people to gain appropriate school, college or work placements. A wide range of activities are on offer to children and young people. These are taken up sporadically, with many young people preferring to spend time with their friends in the community. There is a well-equipped gym on-site and a member of staff is qualified to work with children and young people on appropriate exercise. This helps reinforce a healthy lifestyle to children and young people in a positive way. There has been minimal progress in the issues raised in previous inspections relating to the care plans and records. Risk assessments are completed, but strategies to minimise risk are generic and based on known information between staff rather than a criteria-led evaluation of risk. This can lead to inconsistent approaches to risk management and

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

ultimately leave children and young people at risk of harm. Care plans are an area for development. They contain contradictory information and are not always followed in day-to-day practice. This is not helped by duplicate information held in a range of files. This means that situations of risk and safety could be missed or misinterpreted. There is minimal evidence of children and young people actively contributing to their plans and risk assessments. The result is that children and young people miss an opportunity to develop responsibility and a sense of ownership in relation to the decision-making in their lives. Management auditing systems are in place but are not yet effective in ensuring that plans are consistently followed. The manager has improved the regularity of supervisions in some cases, but not all. This, combined with a lack of quality in these documents, has led to a further requirement in relation to supervision.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/04/2018 Full Good 15/05/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 28/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 23/01/2017 Full Outstanding

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What does the children’s home need to do to improve?

Inspection report children’s home: SC044485 3

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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, the 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(b)) 30/03/2019

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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 aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(2)(h)) 30/03/2019

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; that staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. (Regulation 14(1)(a)(f)) 30/03/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; (Regulation 33(4)(b)) In particular, supervision should contain timescales, and contain a discussion about children and young people in placement and reflective practice for staff. 30/03/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC044485 4

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Recommendations

 Sufficient staff means a home having enough suitably trained staff (including someone in a management role) on duty to meet the assessed needs of all children in the home, and that those staff are able to respond to emergency placements, where accepted. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 51, paragraph 10.1)

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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

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’. Inspection report children’s home: SC044485 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Newcastle City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Barras Bridge, Civic Centre, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 8QH

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Inspector

Susan Atkinson-Millmoor: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC044485 6 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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