Children's home run by North Tyneside Council in North Tyneside

Inspection report children’s home: SC038557 1 SC038557 Registered provider: North 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 five children who have a sensory impairment, learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities. It is operated by a local authority. The manager has been registered since 2008.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 26 to 27 November 2019

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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 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: 11 December 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC038557 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/12/2018 Full Good 06/03/2018 Full Outstanding 02/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 31/08/2016 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC038557 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good care throughout their short-break stays. Staffing levels are high to ensure that children’s needs can be met. The staff provide effectively planned care so that children enjoy their short-break stays. This enables the children individually to enjoy a range of activities in the community. As a result, they spend positive time with friends, developing their confidence and well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff celebrate when children achieve. However, it is not always apparent how these moments are captured in order to revisit and create positive memories for children to support opportunities for communication and recognition of shared experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There has been an increase in children new to the service. Individual care planning, including several tea visits and visits by parents, has ensured that children have settled quickly. Familiar staff from a sister home, working alongside existing staff, have ensured that children and their families and carers are at the centre of planning. This has enabled a step-by-step approach to enabling children to settle into their new environments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff ensure that good communication is maintained with a range of professionals. Children’s health and educational needs are well met. Recorded information is shared daily with relevant professionals. However, the result is that children’s files become bulky and unmanageable. This potentially could lead to information becoming lost or difficult to find and important details being missed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have individual targets and goals. These are focused on daily tasks linked to personal care, if appropriate. This supports and encourages children’s independence and development. Staff use verbal and pictorial tools to communicate with children. This practice is individualised and provided by attentive and skilled staff. As a result, children develop greater understanding of communication and self-esteem is enhanced.

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

The management and leadership team has supported staff in implementing research- informed practice in the care planning process. This approach helps to identify children’s starting points. The staff work well with parents, carers and professionals in identifying known behaviours, possible hazards and how to minimise any risks to children. This supports safe care throughout children’s short-break stays.

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

The staff are knowledgeable about children’s risks and behaviours. They provide high levels of supervision and vigilance. Inevitably, incidents occur, but staff respond quickly to reduce any potential harm. They ensure that safeguarding procedures are followed, and that incidents are professionally recorded and shared with relevant people. Team meetings, handovers and staff supervision enable managers and staff to reflect and learn Inspection report children’s home: SC038557 4 from each situation that may occur. This strengthens safe care practice within the home.

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

The staff use well-thought-through strategies to protect children. These are largely distraction based but always delivered with patience and informed knowledge. This skilled and sensitive approach, consistently applied, helps children to reduce their anxieties and enhances their well-being.

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

Staff communicate with parents in relation to the delivering and administration of medicines prior to a child’s short-break stay. The checks that are in place quickly identify any issues of concern. This helps to avoid any potential harm to children and also provides opportunities to learn.

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

The recommendations made at the last inspection have been addressed in full.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is an experienced practitioner who is suitably qualified. Since the last inspection, the service has successfully amalgamated with another short-break service within the local authority. The commitment and dedication shown by staff from both services has enabled children to positively transition across.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager was supported through this process by an experienced deputy manager. The impact of expected changes in staffing and additional secondments to support this change has been unsettling for staff. Although the standard of care provided to children has been good, a period of stability and continuity would be of benefit to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership and management have overseen the construction of a new secure wooden fence in the play area. This has ensured that the area is safe for children to play. However, plans in place to improve the overall appearance have been delayed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff are supervised by appropriately qualified, skilled senior staff. Staff are encouraged to be reflective about their practice and voice their opinions. This enables any issues to be openly discussed. The provision of online and face-to-face training supports the development of staff and improves their knowledge. As a result, children are provided with specific care that meets their complex needs, from a skilled staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and her team have good relationships with professionals and parents. Parents and professionals interact positively with staff and managers, with respect and humour. This helps children to feel at ease and enjoy their stay.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Internal and external monitoring is good. The independent visitor attends the home monthly. They appropriately challenge and recognise areas for development.

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

Inspection report children’s home: SC038557 5

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) In particular, steps should be taken to ensure that outside play areas are free from avoidable hazards and are presentable, to enable children to enjoy them and be stimulated in accordance with their identified sensory needs.

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Recommendations

 The home’s staff should recognise and celebrate the achievements of their children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.7)  The registered person should monitor and review the patterns and trends of turnover of staff, whether agency or directly employed, and be able to understand and, where possible, address any negative trends. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.19) In particular, the registered person should review the number of organisational changes that impact on staff stability, morale and continuity of care for children.

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Recommendations

 Case records must be kept up-to-date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3) Specifically, staff must maintain updates for all children in essential information and address overly complicated children’s case files by archiving unnecessary documents.

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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: SC038557 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: North Tyneside Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 16 The Silverlink North, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE27 0BY

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Inspector

Michael Dack, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC038557 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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