Children's home run by Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2596897 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 three children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered in July 2020. The manager was registered in December 2020.

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This monitoring visit

An off-site monitoring visit was carried out to monitor the action taken and the progress made since the home was registered.

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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 are cared for by staff who understand and respond swiftly to their needs. Staff provide children with clear boundaries and help them to establish daily routines. This consistency provides children with stability, which helps them to quickly settle into the home.

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This monitoring visit

Staff involve children in their care planning. This includes seeking children’s views and wishes so that they can be used to enhance the children’s daily lives. This gives children a sense of control and shows them that their voice is important.

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This monitoring visit

Staff demonstrate that they understand the risks that children face, and that they are aware of the safeguarding procedures which are in place to help them keep children safe. However, one risk assessment does not have sufficient information about the specific vulnerabilities of the child, or the strategies that staff could use to help to protect the child. Additionally, staff occasionally use stigmatising language in risk assessments, which is not helpful to children. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2596897 2 Staff work closely with education providers, sharing information to assist a smooth transition for children who join a new school. Staff consult educational professionals to gain information and resources which enable them to provide home-learning that complements the well-being topics children study at school. This collaborative approach helps to consolidate children’s learning.

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This monitoring visit

There was an isolated occasion on which Ofsted was not notified of a serious incident. The manager took the appropriate steps to safeguard the child, but if the regulator is not notified it cannot monitor the practice of safeguarding in the home.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has effective processes in place to monitor and scrutinise the care that children receive, which includes providing staff with regular supervision. The manager effectively challenges her staff when she identifies a shortfall in practice, to raise the standard of care that children receive.

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2596897 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. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that known vulnerabilities are explicitly recorded in risk assessments. 10 March 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that all required notifications under regulation 40(4) are forwarded to Ofsted and other relevant persons if one of the situations specified in regulation 40(4)(a)–(d) occurs, or if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home which the registered person considers to be serious (40(4)(e)).

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Recommendations

(‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’ page 63’, paragraph 14.10) Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2596897 4

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

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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: 2596897 5 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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Inspector

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