Children's Home run by Right-Trak Limited in Northumberland

Inspection report children’s home: 2530253 1 Registered provider: Right-Trak Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately run children’s home which is registered to provide care for up to five children and young people. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since August 2019.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 12 to 13 November 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

Date of last inspection: first inspection

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 2530253 2

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improvement to be good

The experiences and progress of children in the home are variable. This is the first inspection of this newly registered home and each of the children have been here for only a short time. One child has settled into the home and is making some progress. Others are not yet demonstrating that the care they are receiving is having a positive impact. The manager has recognised that the home cannot meet the needs of one child and is therefore ending the placement. This is likely to have a negative impact on the child’s sense of belonging and stability and may impact on their self-esteem and feelings of rejection.

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improvement to be good

There is a significant developmental age difference between one of the children, who is very young, and the two other children who are seven years older. The conduct of the older children is sometimes aggressive and violent towards staff. Staff do not fully recognise how the youngest child experiences these incidents. They are likely to impact negatively on this child’s sense of safety and well-being, and the older children are also modelling inappropriate behaviour.

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improvement to be good

Not all children are in appropriate education provision. One of the children is attending school regularly and another is having limited education at the home. The newest child has not attended school for some time. Staff are challenging this with the local authority and the virtual head. However, responses have been slow, and this is affecting the progress of the children and limiting their social interaction with peers of their own age.

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improvement to be good

The children are able to enjoy a variety of activities and the staff are creating photo albums of those experiences for the children to keep. The children are able to attend medical appointments when needed and are supported by the staff to manage any medication and appointments.

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improvement to be good

The manager completes an assessment when matching children to the home. However, not all of the risks are considered and there are gaps in the impact assessments, which means that some risks have not been considered. This has left the children vulnerable to the behaviours presented by other children and has resulted in one child being exposed to a number of violent behaviours and being encouraged to run away from staff by another child.

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improvement to be good

The staff team is new, and its members can lack confidence when managing the risks to children. There has been one occasion when two children were reported as missing, and the police were called to assist. This was done in the absence of the manager. On reflection, it is understood that staff lost sight of the children for just a few seconds. There was a disproportionate response, resulting in unnecessary police involvement. Inspection report children’s home: 2530253 3 Where risks are known and actions identified to manage those risks, the plans are not routinely followed by staff. For example, where the supervision ratio is required to be two staff to one child, there have been occasions where staff have been left alone with a child and as a result allegations have been made against staff.

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improvement to be good

When allegations have been made against staff, there has been a swift response to ensure that children are safeguarded and that the relevant individuals are informed. The allegations are investigated in a timely way and there are clear records kept of any incidents.

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

Leaders and managers have high expectations for what the service can achieve and aspirations for children in the home. However, the manager is still establishing a positive culture within the home and this is not yet embedded in the practice of the staff team.

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

The development of the team is ongoing, and the home is not yet delivering care in line with its statement of purpose. The statement outlines that children will receive care within a therapeutic, clinically supported domain. While care plans will be informed by the assessment of a psychologist, this is not yet in place. Some staff require further training in order to deliver a therapeutic approach to key working. The manager has identified some gaps in knowledge with less experienced staff and understands how this is impacting on the quality of care provided.

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

The manager ensures that the staff receive regular supervision, which is reflective and considers the needs of the children. New staff members are completing their induction training and are supported by more experienced staff. The staff and manager are forming working relationships and establishing their roles and responsibilities.

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

The manager is establishing links to other professionals involved with the children. The local police officer has visited the home as part of a plan to get to know the children and staff. There is effective communication with the local authority designated officer and the manager is also forming links with the local schools and education colleagues. This will support effective working relationships in the best interests of the children. Inspection report children’s home: 2530253 4

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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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(2)(a)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that the care received by children is delivered in line with the statement of purpose. 03/01/2020

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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;

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Requirement Due date

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; and

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(v))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that when actions are identified in plans, those actions are followed without exception and that staff supervision ratios are adhered to. 03/01/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 2530253 5 The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

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; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that the manager ensures that the staff are suitably skilled and trained to deliver the care as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. 03/01/2020

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

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)(a)(b)(2)(b)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that prior to a child being admitted to the home all of the information about that child is considered so that a thorough exploration of the impact of that admission can be 03/01/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 2530253 6 considered. To take that information into account when assessing the suitability of any new admission in the context of the needs of the children already in the home.

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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: 2530253 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Winovation, Houghtons Yard, Shields Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE6 2YP

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Melanie Spriddell

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Inspector

Deb Duffy: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2530253 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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