Children's Home run by Gateshead Council in Gateshead

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2570947 1 Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated and managed by a local authority. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager and the home were registered in January 2020.

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This monitoring visit

An off-site monitoring visit was carried out because Ofsted received information about potential breaches of regulations at the home. There are concerns regarding whether staff effectively manage the risks that the children are exposed to.

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This monitoring visit

The home, which opened during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, has not previously been inspected by Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

Children said that they get on well with staff. One child said: ‘All the staff are easy to talk to and they are really helpful.’ Children develop trusting relationships with the adults who care for them, which helps them to feel safe and secure.

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This monitoring visit

Staff sensitively support children to access specialist health services for their more complex needs. Staff consult health specialists on behalf of those children who do not wish to have direct involvement. Staff pass on information and advice to the children, so that they benefit from having additional input that will support them with their presenting needs.

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This monitoring visit

Risk assessments have information to help staff understand the risks posed to the children. There are occasions when staff allow children to spend time together in the community without staff supervision, despite this being a known area of vulnerability for some children. While this has not led to children suffering serious harm, this practice exposes children to the potential risk of harm. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2570947 2 Safety plans include concise steps for staff to follow when children are missing from home, such as making attempts themselves to locate children in order to aid a safe return. However, other documents guide staff to report such matters to the police immediately. This conflicting guidance may hinder effective partnership working.

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This monitoring visit

There are occasions when staffing levels do not allow for staff to collect a child who has been located by the police. Sometimes staff have arranged for children to use public transport. However, this strategy has not been risk assessed. This means that there may be risks to children that have not been considered.

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This monitoring visit

There are several serious incidents that have not be notified to Ofsted. This has not led to any children experiencing harm, but if the regulator is not notified it cannot scrutinise the incident to ensure that children are being kept increasingly safe.

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2570947 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.

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Requirement Due date

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

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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;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iv)) 8 March 2021

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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—

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Requirement Due date

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)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that strategies for staff to use to return children to the home are explicitly documented in case records and risk assessed. 8 March 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation; 8 March 2021 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2570947 4 an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified;

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Requirement Due date

and any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter—

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home’s procedures for when children may run away or go missing, take into account the views of appropriate local services and have regard to police and local authority protocols for responding to missing persons incidents in the area where the home is located. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.29)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since it has been registered with Ofsted. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2570947 5

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Caroline O’Neill

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Inspector

Paula Kelly, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2570947 6 to 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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