Children's home run by Compass Children’s Homes Northeast Limited in North Tyneside

Inspection report children’s home: SC403472 1 SC403472 Registered provider: Artemis Support Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides accommodation for up to five children and/or young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is operated by a private company. There is a manager in place who is not yet registered.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 30 April to 1 May 2019

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC403472 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/03/2019 Interim improved effectiveness 23/10/2018 Full requires improvement to be good 13/02/2018 Full good 28/02/2017 Interim sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC403472 3

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improvement to be good

Children and young people have experienced numerous changes in staff and management. This has hindered their progress, although steps have been taken to provide better stability. Children and young people do not make consistent progress at this home. Many have had increased involvement with the police. Others have experienced mental health difficulties. Although some members of staff have developed positive relationships with children and young people, they have been unable to influence their outcomes. Children and young people often move from this home suddenly, following increased difficulties. The home does not provide a sense of stability for many of the children and young people who live there. They do not feel that this will be their long-term home and do not invest in the care offered. The physical conditions of the home do not help children and young people to feel valued. Too often, repairs are not completed quickly. Members of staff do not do enough

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improvement to be good

to encourage children and young people to personalise and maintain their bedrooms. Children and young people do not develop a sense of pride in themselves and their home. Children and young people do not routinely have their educational needs met. Their learning is affected. Children and young people without good education plans lack structure to their day. When they do not follow a routine, their behaviour often deteriorates. Some children and young people have made educational progress from their starting points, particularly when they have maintained positive relationships with members of their family. A clinical psychologist attached to the home offers emotional support to children and young people. They have better access to emotional help than if they relied on statutory services. Children and young people use this support to help them with their difficulties. The psychologist also offers advice to members of staff. Recently, this support is being

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improvement to be good

used consistently, which enhances staff skills and improves their ability to care for children and young people. Members of staff are creative about seeking the views of children and young people. Some children and young people have taken part in activities that are of interest to them as a result of members of staff listening to their views. Children and young people have given their thoughts about the development of the home and this is being acted on. They learn that their wishes and feelings are important, and that they have the capacity to influence their world.

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

Inspection report children’s home: SC403472 4

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improvement to be good

Members of staff struggle to provide appropriate boundaries for children and young people with challenging behaviour. Children and young people do not experience their carers as being confident. This leads to increasing and more significant incidents in the home. As a result, children and young people have had involvement with the youth justice system. There is a punitive approach in the home. Rooms are sometimes locked as a form of behaviour management, which is not effective. This has led to children and young people focusing on how to get into the prohibited areas and has increased tensions between them and members of staff. Some children and young people have set fires in and around the home. Staff respond to individual incidents quickly and undertake work with children and young people about the risks. Fire officers have visited the home and fire drills take place regularly. However, a greater emphasis on prevention and education could reduce the risks to children and

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improvement to be good

young people and members of staff. Some children and young people are involved in substance misuse, criminal activity and are vulnerable to exploitation. Because some members of staff struggle to develop positive relationships with children and young people, they do not undertake effective work on reducing these risks. Some children and young people are regularly missing from home. Staff go in search of them and liaise with other safeguarding professionals to ensure that their risks are reduced. Staff talk to children and young people about the risks they face when they are missing. One young person has responded well to staff intervention around going missing, which is evidence of progress. Risk assessments and risk management plans are pertinent and regularly reviewed. Staff undertake key-work sessions with children and young people to help them understand their vulnerability. Children and young people learn that their carers worry about them

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improvement to be good

and want them to be safe. However, at times this work is not effective because of the instability of the staff team.

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

The home is without a registered manager. The previous manager left in January 2019. The current manager was appointed in March 2019 but is due to go on maternity leave in the next few weeks. A deputy manager has been appointed and will take over the running of the home in the current manager’s absence. The manager has a vision for the development of the home and has started to implement this. It is too soon to assess the impact of these changes. This home has not had a stable staff team since the last full inspection. A large number of staff members have left, and some have not worked within the ethos of the home. Children and young people told the inspector that they are unhappy about the changes in the staff team, as they do not know the people looking after them. The responsible Inspection report children’s home: SC403472 5 individual has very recently increased the amount of experienced staff working at the

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

home. The responsible individual knows that support must be available to the staff team, to reduce the impact of these changes on children and young people. Not all staff have the required skills and training to look after children and young people. Children and young people have little confidence in the abilities of their carers. This leads to escalating behaviour that staff have difficulty in managing. The manager has systems for internal reviews of incidents and other significant events. However, these are not evaluated thoroughly and therefore wider patterns and themes are not identified or addressed. As a result, children and young people continue to become involved in the same type of behaviour without managers understanding why or making any significant difference. The manager does not consistently escalate concerns about poor responses from professionals. As a result, children and young people’s care plans, including

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

arrangements for education and transitions, are often unclear. This affects the progress that children and young people make. Leaders and managers understand the shortfalls in the service and are committed to making the changes that the children and young people require.

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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

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. (Regulation 5(a)(b) and (c)) In particular, all staff should ensure that overall care planning is in the best interests of children and young people and challenge the local authority where more clarity is needed. Where 30/06/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC403472 6 education placements have not been arranged by the local

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Requirement Due date

authority, staff should ensure that this is effectively escalated to the virtual school head. 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— 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) and (ii)) In particular, the physical conditions in the home should include repairs being carried out in good time, bedrooms being personalised for children and young people, and staff being accessible to children and young people.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans; help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone; help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful; help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship; understand how children’s previous experiences and present

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Requirement Due date

30/06/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC403472 7 emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children; are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same. (Regulation 11(1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(vii)(ix) and (x)) 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— understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(v) and (vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff should protect children and young people from the risk of setting fires in and around the home, through effective key-work sessions and educative work with the fire and rescue service. 30/06/2019

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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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved

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Requirement Due date

30/06/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC403472 8 by taking into account and acting on— use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(f)(g) and (h)) The registered person must ensure that— children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; (Regulation 21(b)) In particular, ensure that areas of the home are not locked for behaviour management purposes. 30/06/2019

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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: SC403472 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Artemis Support Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Coburg House, 1 Coburg Street, Gateshead NE8 1NS

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Inspector

Jane Titley, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC403472 10 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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