Children's home run by North East Specialist Therapeutic Services CIC in Northumberland

Inspection report children’s home: SC488112 1 SC488112 Registered provider: North East Specialist Therapeutic Services CIC Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. The home provides care for up to four children who may have social, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in 2015.

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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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Information about this children’s home

We carried out a monitoring visit to this setting on 30 March 2021. The report is published on our website.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: Good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC488112 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/05/2019 Full Good 05/07/2018 Full Good 06/02/2018 Full Good 10/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC488112 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s statutory care plans are not up to date. This means that staff cannot be assured that the care they provide always reflects the aims and objectives of the children’s placing authorities. Although the registered manager requested revised care plans during the inspection, this delay may hinder children’s progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have lots of opportunities to participate in a wide range of activities. These help to develop children’s confidence and self-esteem. All of the children attend clubs in the community, such as football clubs, youth clubs and scouts. As a result, children’s social awareness develops, along with their communication and social interaction skills. Staff encourage children to take age-appropriate risks that support their independence. For example, one child now makes their own way to football practice by using public transport.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from quick and easy access to specialist mental health services when they need this support. Staff work in partnership with psychotherapy professionals in these circumstances, to ensure that children learn how to manage their emotions when they feel sad or are unhappy. One professional said, ‘Staff are consistently focused on the best interests of the children, from the management down. They are also willing to reflect on practice if something isn’t working.’ This approach means that staff continually adapt to meet children’s needs, which supports children’s development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children regularly attend their routine health appointments. They enjoy a balanced diet and their food intake is carefully monitored to ensure that they don’t consume excessive amounts of sugar which may be detrimental to their health. t Staff encourage children to take regular exercise. As a result, the children are leading healthy lifestyles.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend their education placements and are all making good progress, taking account of their starting points and previous school experiences. For example, one child is now on track with their reading objectives. One teacher said, ‘I see huge progress in the child and the staff are all attuned to the needs of the children.’ This positive learning experience helps children to understand the importance of education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s voices are heard through regular residents’ meetings and daily chats and discussions. The registered manager ensures that children have access to an independent advocacy service. This gives children the opportunity to be involved in decisions that matter to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The support for one child to move to their new provision as they prepare for more independence is tailored to reduce any potential for stress, and cause as little Inspection report children’s home: SC488112 4 disruption as possible to the child’s life. The child said, ‘I am nervous, but looking forward to the sleepover to get away from the hustle and bustle in here.’

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

Children are better protected as result of living at this home. The registered manager has introduced a new way of working with children which supports their behaviour management plans. Children discuss their preferred behaviour management approach with staff and how they would like staff to respond to them when they are anxious or distressed. These discussions form the basis of their behaviour support plans. For some children, this approach has led to a significant reduction in the use of physical restraint.

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

Risk assessments are personalised to each child and provide staff with clear actions to follow in order to manage and reduce risks to children’s safety. The registered manager and staff regularly review these risk assessment documents, to ensure that these reflect the most current risks to children and detail any recent incidents of concern. As a result, children become increasingly safe.

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

Children said that they feel safe living at the home. Consistent staff practice contributes to the children feeling safe and secure. Staff are aware of the children’s risks, and understand what their triggers are and how best to support them when they are in crisis. Children are learning coping strategies. This helps them to develop a better sense and understanding of the risks to their safety and how their actions can reduce these risks.

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

The use of social media is carefully managed. Children enjoy playing their online games with friends in a safe and controlled way. The staff take a consistent approach which reinforces the children’s understanding of how to keep safe online. As a result, the children are learning how to keep themselves safe online.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager admitted a child into the home with specific needs which are not set out in the home’s statement of purpose. Although staff received some training to reflect the child’s needs, this means that the home operated outside of the conditions of registration. Furthermore, the registered manager does not ensure that the statement of purpose is kept under review. Consequently, Ofsted is not aware of any changes made to the function, aims and objectives of the service, and is not kept informed of how children’s needs will be met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has high aspirations for the children, and leads by example. His practice is consistent, and this provides staff with clear guidance on how to best meet children’s needs. The registered manager chairs weekly children’s meetings to ensure that he is fully aware of children’s views and opinions about living in the home and the care that they receive. Inspection report children’s home: SC488112 5 Staff say that they are well supported in their role. They benefit from regular and reflective supervision and weekly team meetings. This helps staff to develop the skills and knowledge that they need to fully understand the children’s needs. The in- house child consultant and psychotherapist also provide staff with supervision, to encourage them to explore relationships between staff and children. This supports the children’s progress because staff are aware of how these relationships influence

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management monitoring systems are effective. Information gathered from the systems in place is disseminated to the quality of care action plan that the registered manager uses to continually develop the home. The monitoring of the home evaluates the quality of care provided for the children, and this promotes their safety and well-being. Inspection report children’s home: SC488112 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, 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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

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

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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 children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(a)) 15 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

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)) 15 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; and

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)) 15 August 2021

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure children’s homes are, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. In particular, ensure that the home is redecorated when required, and that necessary repairs are carried out. Inspection report children’s home: SC488112 7 (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: SC488112 8

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Jason Darbyshire

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Inspector

Gemma McDonnell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC488112 9 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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Inspector

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