Children's Home run by Newcastle City Council in Newcastle upon Tyne

Inspection report children’s home: 2530086 1 Registered provider: Newcastle City Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by the local authority. It is registered to provide care and accommodation to three children with emotional and/or social difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2019 and is suitably qualified.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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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: 5 February 2020

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: 2530086 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/02/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 22/10/2019 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 2530086 3

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improvement to be good

Children’s experiences of living in this home are mixed.

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improvement to be good

Inspectors found that some children’s bedrooms were in a poor condition. For example, floors were dirty and items such as used cigarette and waste food containers were seen. Staff do not follow plans aimed at improving the conditions of bedrooms. Living in these conditions can have a detrimental impact on children’s feelings of self-worth.

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improvement to be good

Some children are attending education and making progress. One child had been out of education for a significant period and now attends full time. The staff create a plan to provide those children who do not attend with structure in their day. However, when children do not want to join in, the staff do not persist. This has an impact on children’s routines and undermines their progress in education.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to visit people who are important to them. Where necessary, staff go with children to ensure that they are safe. Each child has a family plan. However, plans do not have the details of the frequency and expectations of family time. Records of family time are very brief and, in some cases, not recorded at all. This means that the manager cannot evaluate the quality of children’s family time and whether it meets the child’s needs.

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improvement to be good

Children have good relationships with staff. The manager and staff listen to children’s views about living in the home. Children’s meetings take place and give children the opportunity to make suggestions about how they spend their time, for example trips away with staff. Children said that they like the staff and that the staff make a difference to their lives. One child said, ‘They help me get things off my chest and they still try with me.’ This helps children to trust the staff and rely on them.

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improvement to be good

Children receive help to engage with other professionals and services. For example, staff travel with children to help them attend appointments. Staff share information with other agencies, and communication is good. One professional described the staff as a ‘massive support’ in helping their agency to work with the child. This means that children have access to the help they need from specialist services.

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improvement to be good

When children live in the home for longer than planned, the manager consults with senior leaders. Together, they understand the impact that delays in care planning have on children’s progress. However, records do not clearly show the manager’s challenge to the placing authority or how the manager has advocated for the child. This means that children’s files are not thorough. This affects the information available to children should they wish to view their records in the future. Inspection report children’s home: 2530086 4 Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there are fewer activities available for the children to enjoy in the community. Staff support children to attend clubs including those which are out of area. Staff also encourage the children to join in with activities at home, for example watching a movie or cooking. This has helped children follow their interests and hobbies.

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improvement to be good

The staff encourage children to take an active role in looking after their own health. This has had a positive effect. For example, a child has experienced a reduction in the number of hospital admissions. If children smoke, staff offer services for example smoking cessation. However, when this is not effective, staff do not prevent children from smoking in their bedroom. This has an impact on the children’s health and on other children living in the home.

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improvement to be good

Children said that they enjoy living in the home and that they feel safe. When describing their experiences, one child said, ‘It’s the best place I’ve ever lived.’ Another child said that they like their bedroom and have privacy.

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improvement to be good

Children’s risk assessments are not detailed enough. They do not show staff how to manage the risks to children. For example, when children present under the influence of drugs, risk assessments do not tell staff what to do. This results in children experiencing inconsistent responses from staff and means that risks do not reduce.

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improvement to be good

The staff do not consistently follow child protection procedures. On one occasion, a child was at risk of significant harm; however, staff did not take immediate action to protect the child. The manager did not take effective action to address poor practice. This means that staff practice does not improve and therefore children are at risk of potential harm.

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improvement to be good

Staff undertake key-work sessions with children after an incident, and these are recorded. However, the staff do not plan sessions or structure them around the child’s care plan. This has an impact on the progress that children can make. The manager has considered findings from inspections at other homes and has started to make changes to key-work sessions. It is too early to assess the impact of these changes.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not clearly record sanctions and incidents. When this information is missing, the manager is unable to check events effectively or track progress accurately. This has an impact on the quality of children’s records and the manager’s ability to provide assurances to the regulator about the children’s experiences.

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improvement to be good

When serious incidents occur which involve children, the manager does not consistently inform Ofsted. This prevents independent scrutiny of the actions taken by staff in the home to ensure that children are increasingly safe. Inspection report children’s home: 2530086 5 There has been a reduction in the number of times when children go missing from the home. Children are involved in creating their safety plans for when they spend time in the community. The staff explain to the children when they are worried about them, and they agree a plan together. This means that children know what staff expect of them while they are out of the home, for example staying in touch via telephone. This helps children understand ways of being safe in their community.

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good

There is a stable staff team that is committed to caring for the children. The manager and staff spoke highly of the children and want them to do well. Staff said that they feel supported in their role and that they have good relationships with the manager.

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good

The manager is responsible for two children’s homes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the manager has also co-ordinated the opening of another home. This has affected the manager’s availability in this home and has led to some shortfalls in management oversight.

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good

Staff have not received regular supervision. The deputy manager did not have supervision for at least six months. This was despite being responsible for several staff members and managing the home in the absence of the registered manager. This reduces the opportunities that members of staff have to reflect on their practice and make changes to the care that children receive.

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good

The manager has not ensured that an up-to-date statement of purpose is sent to Ofsted. This has an impact on the independent scrutiny of the home and assurance that the home is working within the registration conditions.

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good

A new deputy manager has recently joined the team. Pressures within the organisation have affected the quality of his induction and time with the previous deputy manager. Priority has been given to getting to know the children and understanding children’s needs. Together, the deputy and the registered manager are committed to raising standards in the home. Inspection report children’s home: 2530086 6

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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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff— if they 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 (c)) This specifically relates to keeping accurate and up-to-date records of challenge to the placing authority. 22 October 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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff 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; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(vi)(d)) This relates to ensuring that risk assessments are detailed and include the strategies to reduce risks. This also relates to ensuring that the conditions of children’s bedrooms are appropriate and meets their needs. 22 June 2021

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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. 22 October 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2530086 7 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; 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; use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a) (2)(a)(f)(h)) This specifically relates to ensuring that the manager uses

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring systems in place to evaluate the quality of children’s experiences and their progress in the home. The registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 22 October 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 22 October 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; and are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)) 22 October 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 22 October 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2530086 8

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Recommendations

The registered person should ensure that staff consistently pursue education attendance for all children. Staff should support children to regain confidence in education and involve children in structured daily activities. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.12)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: 2530086 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Newcastle Civic Centre, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear NE1 8QH

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Inspectors

Catherine Heron, Social Care Inspector Jacqueline Tate, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2530086 10 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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