Children's Home run by Enhanced Young Persons Care Limited in Gateshead

Inspection report children’s home: 2602558 1 Registered provider: Enhanced Young Persons Care Limited 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. It provides care and accommodation for up to four children who may have emotional and/or social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in November 2020. The manager is not yet registered with Ofsted.

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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 19 May 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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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

This home has not previously had a full inspection. Inspection report children’s home: 2602558 2

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Recent inspection history

Not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 2602558 3

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improvement to be good

Children’s bedrooms are unkempt as staff do not take responsibility for ensuring that they are well maintained. The manager has not implemented an effective system for staff to record repair work that is required in children’s bedrooms. This unresponsive approach fails to help children to feel valued.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always provide children with consistent boundaries. Staff have a variable approach regarding the rules and expectations of children. This leads to children experiencing inconsistent care.

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improvement to be good

The manager consults each child when assessing the suitability of admissions into the home. She takes children’s views and wishes into consideration. However, the manager does not always identify the actions needed to mitigate the risks that she identifies during the admission procedure. This means that there is limited guidance for staff to help them understand children’s needs.

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improvement to be good

Staff help children to develop independent living skills including managing a budget and cooking. This helps children to prepare for their future. For one child, developing pride in their appearance and self-care skills is clear progress from their starting point. One child said, ‘This is the best place I have ever lived.’

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to attend routine health appointments and to gain access to specialist health services. Children are provided with a range of contact numbers for health services so that they can seek support confidentially should they wish. Staff talk to children about the benefits of making healthy choices, promoting healthy living.

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improvement to be good

Some children have good attendance at school, while others face issues with attendance. The manager acts quickly to share information with educational professionals, so that the difficulties around attendance can be understood and addressed.

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improvement to be good

Inspectors found multiple discrepancies with the medication records which the manager and leaders have failed to identify. This shortfall exposes children to a potential risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

The manager seeks the input of relevant professionals when children face new risks. However, she does not always update children’s risk assessments with the strategies that have been agreed as necessary to help to keep children safe. Risk assessments do not always identify known risks, or the actions staff should take to help protect Inspection report children’s home: 2602558 4 children from harm. This means that the staff have insufficient guidance to help them to manage children’s risks and vulnerabilities.

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improvement to be good

Staff occasionally use sanctions to help the children to learn that their actions have consequences. However, the recording of sanctions is poor with various aspects of these records often left blank. The manager does not provide effective oversight of this area of staff’s practice and fails to consider whether children are treated fairly.

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improvement to be good

The manager regularly assesses the suitability of the location of the home. She demonstrates prompt and effective liaison with relevant professionals when assessing the risks that children may face in the community. Professionals gave consistently positive feedback regarding the manager’s approach to partnership working. One professional commented, ‘Communication is good, and any problems are tackled quickly.’

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good

The manager has failed to ensure that her staff are provided with regular supervision. This means that the staff do not have sufficient opportunity to reflect on their practice to raise the standard of care that children receive.

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good

The manager has submitted an application to be registered with Ofsted. She is supported by an experienced deputy and a small, stable team.

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good

The manager holds regular staff meetings which she uses to help staff become more familiar with their roles and responsibilities. The manager shares ideas with her team and holds discussions regarding how to make children’s care individualised.

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good

Staff have either completed or are enrolled on a suitable childcare course. Mandatory training is up to date and staff have completed other training to help them support children with their individual needs. However, training records do not always include the type and level of training offered, or when an update to the training is required. This limits the ability to track and monitor training.

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good

The manager has failed to notify Ofsted of one serious incident. Therefore, the requirement previously issued under regulation 40 is reissued. The manager has updated the statement of purpose, but has not shared this with Ofsted. Collectively, these shortfalls demonstrate that there is not always effective communication with Ofsted. Inspection report children’s home: 2602558 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff— protect and promote each child’s welfare; and provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(iv)) 16 October 2021

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(x)) 16 October 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2602558 6 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

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Requirement Due date

necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(vi)) 16 October 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; and promotes their welfare. 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; ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; 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)(b) (2)(a)(b)(f)(h)) 16 October 2021

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. 31 December Inspection report children’s home: 2602558 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that arrangements are in place to— manage and review the placement of each child in the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)) This specifically relates to sufficiently identifying actions to mitigate against risks during the admission procedure. The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. The registered person must— notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(b)) 16 October 2021

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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— details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; 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)(ii)(vii)(c)) 16 October 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation; 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; a child protection enquiry involving a child — is instigated; or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or 16 October 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2602558 8 there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. A notification made under this regulation— must include details of— the matter; the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and any actions taken by the registered person as a result of

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Requirement Due date

the matter; must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home, and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff – including the home’s manager. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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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: 2602558 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Enhanced Young Persons Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 Fox Street, Sunderland Road, Gateshead NE10 0BD

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Inspectors

Paula Kelly, Social Care Inspector Victoria Horsefield, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2602558 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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