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

Inspection report children’s home: SC033642 1 SC033642 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

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

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Information about this children’s home

The manager and home registered with Ofsted in 2008.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is large and has five children’s bedrooms and a self-contained flat, which includes a separate bathroom, kitchen and lounge.

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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: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A full inspection was carried out on 6 and 7 July 2021. There were serious and widespread failures identified in the quality of care and the safeguarding arrangements for the children. In response to the inspection findings, Ofsted issued three compliance notices under regulation 12, (the protection of children standard), regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard) and regulation 14 (the care planning standard). Inspection report children’s home: SC033642 2 A monitoring visit was carried out on 11 August 2021 to monitor the action taken by the provider in response to the compliance notices. The inspector found that the provider had taken effective action and made improvements in the home. Most of the steps in the compliance notices had been met. However, a further notice under regulation 12 was issued.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A full inspection was carried out on 28 and 29 September 2021. During this inspection, Ofsted considered the action taken by the provider to meet the steps identified in the regulation 12 compliance notice. The inspector found that the provider had taken effective action and met the steps in the notice. Inspection report children’s home: SC033642 3

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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 children’s home: SC033642 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from the significant improvements that the managers have made in improving the standards of care. This has helped the children to make good progress and enjoy positive experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to be healthy. They have a structured day, benefit from home-cooked meals and have a consistent bedtime. Staff help the children to take responsibility for their own health and provide them with information and advice. Children are supported well to attend their medical appointments. For some children who were reluctant to attend, this support has given them the confidence to access the healthcare that they need.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to learn. Staff help the children to attend education and be prepared for the school day. When children are excluded from school or their access to education is denied, the interim manager and staff advocate strongly for the child and effectively challenge other agencies. When necessary, the staff work in partnership with other professionals, including the virtual head and special educational needs service, to ensure that the children receive they services that they require.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage the children to treat others with respect and care. Any issues of bullying by the children are appropriately recorded and challenged by the staff. Children complete direct work with the staff to learn about the impact of bullying and create house rules. This helps the children to develop positive relationships with each other and enjoy living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive help to develop life skills, so that they are prepared for their future. Through trial periods in the home’s self-contained flat, children learn practical activities, for example cookery and housekeeping. They are also supported to open a bank account and learn ways to manage their money. This helps the children to try new experiences and gain confidence in their abilities, while helping them to prepare for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children spend time with people who are important to them. The staff develop good relationships with the children’s families so they can provide support before, during and after family time. Staff understand the importance of these relationships for children, now and for their future. For some children, their relationships with their family members have improved, which has resulted in family time being a positive experience for these children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive support from the staff to develop positive behaviour. The staff spend time with the children on individual and group activities, for example shopping, swimming and playing computer games. Incentives are in place to encourage the children to follow their daily routine and behave in a positive manner. Inspection report children’s home: SC033642 5 However, the incentives are not personalised and, therefore, do not fit with children’s individual abilities and needs. This has an impact on the children’s motivation and affects their progress.

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

The quality of children’s risk assessments and care plans have significantly improved. They are up to date and clearly show the children’s individual needs and vulnerabilities, including the risks that they may pose to each other. Staff understand the strategies which they must follow to help the children and reduce the risks. A social worker said: ‘The staff manage risks effectively.’

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

When there are serious concerns about a child, the staff and interim manager take effective action. Additional plans and interventions are introduced which prioritise and target the areas of concern. The interim manager reviews these plans on a weekly, and sometimes daily, basis to ensure that they remain focused on increasing the child’s safety and well-being.

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

Children have good relationships with the staff. They laugh and have fun together. Staff offer the children support and work with them to solve problems. A social worker spoke positively about the staff, saying: ‘[Child] knows [staff] are there for [them] including if [they] gets into bother. [Child] is confident to talk to staff and confident that they will help.’

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

There has been a reduction in incidents involving the children. The combination of fewer children living in the home and improvements in practice has led to the children being more settled. When incidents have occurred, information is shared among the staff team. The interim manager now ensures that there is effective management oversight of these incidents. He has introduced a new system which ensures that the records are scrutinised, and any issues are identified and then addressed.

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

The provider has responded to the requirement made under regulation 35 (behaviour management policies and records) which was raised at the previous inspection. They have now introduced a new system to record any physical restraints. However, there have been none since the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The culture of the management team is changing in a positive direction. This is helping the staff to grow and develop, and embrace more positive care practice. The staff and the interim manager remain committed to addressing all of the shortfalls identified at the last inspection. They have reflected on their practice and introduced new ways of working. One member of staff said: ‘We asked ourselves, did we do enough and what we could change. We have made lots of changes since then.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The quality of management oversight in the home has continued to improve. Although the registered manager is absent, the interim manager is managing the Inspection report children’s home: SC033642 6 home effectively. With the support of the deputy manager, they have increased the use of monitoring systems, supported staff to understand their roles and responsibilities and challenged practice where appropriate.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular practice-related supervision from a senior member of the team and a record of the session is completed. However, there are some inconsistencies in the quality of the records, and some are not detailed enough. This means that, in some cases, the manager and staff do not have a clear record of the actions and plans which have been agreed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff are supported to understand the impact of trauma on the children’s lives. Through regular team meetings and consultations, the provider’s in-house therapeutic team provides staff with advice to help meet the children’s therapeutic needs. During these sessions, staff are encouraged to reflect on their practice and consider how they respond to the children, with a particular focus on empathy and compassion.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The quality of children’s records has significantly improved. Staff take greater responsibility in completing records to ensure that they reflect the children’s day-to- day experiences. The staff have received additional training to support them to use the new database system. This has helped them to locate information and update the records more often.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and the staff have very good relationships with partner agencies, and they routinely use external feedback to evaluate the care that children receive. However, the provider does not ensure that the required independent monthly reviews are carried out by an independent person. These visits are carried out by staff who are employed in the commissioning service of the local authority. This is a breach of the regulations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The interim manager and the staff have a clear vision for the home and are committed to making further improvements. The home’s development plan details the priorities of the organisation. However, these are not specific to the home or the staff working there. Inspection report children’s home: SC033642 7

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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 registered provider must appoint, at the registered provider’s expense, a person ("the independent person") to visit and report on the children’s home carried on by the registered provider.

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraphs (4) and (5), the registered provider may not appoint the following as an independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered provider is a local authority, a person who is employed by that local authority in connection with the carrying on of the authority’s social services functions (as defined by section 1A of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970(a)) relating to children; or

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Requirement Due date

a person responsible for commissioning or financing services provided by the home. (Regulation 43 (1) (3)(a)(d)) 22 November

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Recommendations

 The registered provider should ensure that the staff encourage an enthusiasm for positive behaviour through the use of positive behaviour strategies in line with the child’s relevant plans. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations and quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.13)  The registered provider should have a workforce plan which includes any new training completed by the staff and continuing professional development needs of the staff, including the home’s manager. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations and quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered provider should ensure that the record of the staff supervision is of good quality. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations and quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.4)  The registered provider should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful and clear

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Recommendations

recording. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations and quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report children’s home: SC033642 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: SC033642 9

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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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Inspector

Catherine Heron, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC033642 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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