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

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC033642 1 SC033642

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Newcastle City Council

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A local authority operates and manages this home. The home offers care and accommodation for up to six children with emotional and/or social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager registered with Ofsted in 2008 and is suitably qualified. After a period of absence from the home, he is returning to the role and is supported by the interim manager and the deputy manager.

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Information about this children’s home

A full inspection was carried out on 6 and 7 July 2021. There were serious and widespread failures identified in the quality of safeguarding and care of children. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about this children’s home

In response to the inspection findings, Ofsted issued three compliance notices under regulations 12, 13 and 14.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was carried out to monitor the action taken by the provider in response to the compliance notices. The inspectors found that the provider has taken effective action and has made improvements in the home. Most of the steps in the compliance notices have been met.

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This monitoring visit

In the short time since the last inspection, the interim manager and staff have carried out a significant amount of improvement work. This is within a context of staffing pressures and children moving in and out of the home. The staff and interim manager have a strong enthusiasm for change and are focused on improving the care that children receive. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC033642 2 Safeguarding practice is improving. Children’s individual risk assessments have been reviewed and now include strategies for staff to follow. Where staff are worried about children’s behaviour, staff provide children with interventions. Children engage with this work, which helps them to think about the risks associated with their behaviour and helps them to reduce the risks that they are exposed to.

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This monitoring visit

When children move into the home, the registered manager decides if the staff can meet the children’s individual needs and if placing them with other children is appropriate. A group risk assessment is carried out. However, the quality of this assessment is poor. It does not evaluate the impact that each child can have on the others or include the strategies which staff should follow to manage the group dynamics safely. This impacts on the consistency of care that children receive.

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This monitoring visit

The interim manager and staff now liaise with the placing local authority to ensure that the staff understand the children’s overall care plans. However, some children’s care plans are still not up to date or do not include the actions staff must take to meet children’s needs. The lack of coordinated care impacts on the progress that children make.

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This monitoring visit

Staff help children to develop positive relationships with their peers. Incidents of bullying are closely monitored and challenged effectively by staff. Where necessary, staff provide children with additional levels of supervision. This helps staff to intervene before incidents escalate and supports children to build healthy peer relationships.

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This monitoring visit

Staff receive advice and guidance on how to manage children’s behaviour. Some staff have recently completed refresher training on physical intervention. In addition, the in-house therapeutic team provides staff with regular consultations on how to manage children’s behaviour effectively. Staff say that the interim manager and other colleagues are also available to offer advice. This increased supports builds staff confidence and skills, and helps children to develop positive behaviour.

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This monitoring visit

The children are able to move freely in their home as doors are no longer locked to manage children’s behaviour. There have been no serious incidents as a result of this change, and the staff and children said that this is another improvement in the home.

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This monitoring visit

The quality of information available to evaluate children’s experiences has improved. New documents have been introduced and most staff know what information should be recorded and where it should be kept.

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This monitoring visit

The quality of management oversight in the home has improved. The interim manager has reviewed children’s records which include incidents, accidents and other significant events. He has ensured that the monitoring systems are in place and that they are used to evaluate the children’s experiences. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC033642 3 The requirements that were issued under regulation 35 and 40 at the last inspection were not reviewed during the visit. For this reason, they have been reissued.

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This monitoring visit

In response to the findings in respect to care planning and group risk assessments a further compliance notice under regulation 12 has been issued. This includes steps that the provider must take to address these shortfalls. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC033642 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/07/2021 Full Inadequate 16/10/2019 Full Good 04/09/2018 Full Good 02/08/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC033642 5

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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. 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; help each child to understand how to keep safe; manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iv)) 26 September

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— the name of the child; details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; the date, time and location of the use of the measure; a description of the measure and its duration; details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used; the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and 8 October 2021 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC033642 6 a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered

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Requirement Due date

person to do so ("the authorised person") — has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there or there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(c)(e)) 8 December 2021

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Requirement Due date

*This requirement is subject to a compliance notice.

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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 its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC033642 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Newcastle City Council

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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 Emma Ridley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC033642 8 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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