Children's Home run by Gateshead Council in Gateshead

Inspection report children's home: 2570947 1 Full inspection 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 experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager and the home registered in January 2020.

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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 last visited this setting on 2 February 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted 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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 2570947 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report children's home: 2570947 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive a warm welcome when they move into the home. They are supported through well-planned inductions where their voice is heard and acted on. They are helped to choose items for their bedrooms following introductory visits. This enables them to settle quickly in a positive home environment that promotes their self-esteem, confidence and sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well presented. Furniture and general amenities provide a homely feel. Children are supported and encouraged to keep their bedrooms clean and tidy. Staff use incentives to support this. As a result, children develop a sense of pride in their surroundings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The spacious and secluded outdoor areas provide privacy, where children enjoy barbecues and play games with the staff and their peers. However, an isolated area is looking unkempt and, as a result, pieces of rubbish are buried in the undergrowth. This could lead to potential harm if unnoticed by staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported and encouraged to attend specialist health services. Staff complete one-to-one formal and informal chats with children to aid attendance. In general, this supports children to maintain their specific health needs. However, there are consistent occasions when children cancel or do not attend general health appointments, such as the dentist. This could lead to long-term health concerns.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s education is promoted. Staff support children to attend and promote their personal aspirations. They support attendance at college open evenings to ensure that children are provided with opportunities to prepare them for adulthood and independence. This helps children to develop confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities with their peers and with staff. These enable children and staff to develop trusting relationships with one another. The manager and her team also regularly invite parents to take part in activities with their children. This promotes family time and trust in a safe environment.

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

Children’s risks are known to staff, who follow detailed risk assessments and concise safety plans. This provides a targeted and proactive response to specific areas of concern. This means that children receive an individualised approach to safe care which supports their emotional and physical needs. As a result, children become increasingly safe.

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

However, the provider has not fully recognised and prepared for when children become adults in their care. The assessment of risk does not cover all boundaries associated with acceptable day-to-day behaviour. This may provide confusion for Inspection report children's home: 2570947 4 children in terms of their health needs, for example smoking and what is allowed for some and not others. This leads to staff not being consistent in their challenges.

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

Children who go missing from care are supported by a well-organised approach by the staff. This includes a collaborative response that involves positive communication and sharing of information with multi-agencies. For example, staff work closely with children’s families, friends and professionals. Staff support children to have their friends and families visit the home. They also advocate for children to have overnight contact, where able. This helps children to build positive, safe relationships and reduces the time they are away from the home without permission.

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

Children and their parents speak positively about the staff and the quality of care being provided. A parent said, ‘Communication is amazing, we are working as a team and that is what I like.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is supported by an effective assistant manager. They share the same high expectations for the children. They bring with them a wealth of experience and knowledge. They model good practice in their positive approach to the children. The staff feel supported. A professional commented, ‘They are really professional, and it is clear children are at the centre of decision-making. Care is of a high standard.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with regular monthly supervision. This has been maintained to a high standard throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The training completed during this period is reflective of the specific needs of the children. The access to face-to- face training has continued and is supported through e-learning. This ensures that children receive care from skilled and knowledgeable staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Internal and external monitoring of the service take place on a regular basis. The manager has introduced a system to increase her monitoring of the home. She consistently reflects on her own practice and that of her team to ensure that overall performance and quality of care provided to children improve. This proactive approach is testament to her desire to ensure that positive outcomes for children are promoted and attainable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s records are maintained, and the management of the service completes audits of the records on a consistent basis. However, isolated lapses in recording of dates in records causes confusion. The manager is aware of this area for improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All requirements and recommendations made at the last visit have been addressed in a timely manner. Inspection report children's home: 2570947 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, 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;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(v))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to staff’s understanding and implementation of each child’s risk assessment and that of any child who becomes an adult while in their care. 22 September

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all outdoor spaces are free from hazards and that areas are maintained to ensure that children live in a supportive environment. They must comply with health and safety legislation. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that staff challenge and support children in line with their individual health plans. Staff should have the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to help children understand and, where necessary, work to change negative behaviours, particularly smoking and openly carrying tobacco in and around the premises in front of others. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.18) Inspection report children's home: 2570947 6  The registered person should ensure that all areas are explored to ensure that

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Recommendations

children are encouraged and supported to attend health appointments. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.18)  The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of record-keeping and that careful attention is given to the accuracy of the date recorded when updating records. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2570947 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Gateshead Council, Civic Centre, Regent Street, Gateshead, Durham NE8 1HH

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Caroline O'Neill

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Inspector

Michael Dack, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2570947 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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