Children's home run by Newcastle City Council

Inspection report for children’s home: 1233307 1 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 needs. The home is a purpose- built property, with six children’s bedrooms and a large garden.

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Information about this children’s home

After a period without a permanent manager, the current manager was appointed on 10 June 2021. He was registered with Ofsted on 11 November 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 15 March 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is available 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

Date of last inspection: 17 February 2020

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Good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1233307 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/02/2020 Full Good 04/02/2019 Full Outstanding 30/01/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 09/05/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: 1233307 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move into the home, they receive a warm welcome and they are helped to settle in. The staff develop a good rapport with the child. They are sensitive to the child’s worries and show an interest in the child’s likes and dislikes. One professional described the staff’s approach as ‘refreshing’ and that, ‘[Child] is smiling and knows the staff think about them.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported well to have positive relationships with each other. The staff encourage the children to join in activities, both individually and as a group. An activity co-ordinator is responsible for planning and identifying the activities that the children will enjoy. Children’s individual interests are also promoted, for example children are helped to attend local clubs and events. This helps the children to have positive experiences while they are living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from the excellent working relationships that the staff have with healthcare professionals. Through regular communication and attendance at team meetings, health professionals provide the staff with expert advice on how to manage the children’s health needs. In one example, this joint working has resulted in a child receiving the healthcare that they need, when previously this had not been accessed. A health professional reported that the staff’s response to the child’s health needs had made a significant difference to the child’s life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported well to access education, training and employment. The staff promote children’s good attendance, and the staff are flexible when the children need extra support and encouragement. When the children experience difficulties in their learning or breaks in education, the staff liaise with the relevant professionals and they advocate on behalf of the child. Children are allocated a home tutor, where necessary. However, in some examples, the staff have failed to provide the children with the required learning materials that they need for their home study.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to have positive relationships with their family. The staff are mindful of how family time affects the children. The staff provide the children with support around this, for example they transport the children to and from these visits. This provides the children with the time and space to talk about their feelings before and after their visits. The staff keep in touch with the children’s relatives and, where appropriate, provide them with information and listen to their feedback.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious and well maintained. The relocation of the staff office and the changes made to the games room mean that the children spend more time with the staff. The children like the games room, where they enjoy pool, table tennis or watch films on the large projector, with surround sound. The room is also very popular with the children who enjoy playing on their computer games. Inspection report for children’s home: 1233307 4 The children are supported well to remember their individual achievements and the progress that they have made while living in the home. The staff create a memory book for each child, using photographs of the child having fun and enjoying special events. These books are child friendly, decorative and include warm sentiments from the staff to the child. However, the inspector found that some of the children who had left the home have not received their book.

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

Children’s admissions are carefully risk assessed. The manager gathers information from professionals known to the child and carries out a risk assessment to understand the child’s individual risks and vulnerabilities. The risk assessment also considers the impact of the admission on the other children who already live in the home. The manager uses the information well, to plan for the children’s care. Consequently, there is a sufficient number of well-trained staff who can meet the needs of all the children.

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

When there is a serious concern about a child’s well-being, and the staff are unable to meet the child’s needs, the manager takes effective action. He liaises with the child’s placing local authority and advocates well for the child. This ensures that decisions are made quickly and in the child’s best interests. When children need to move out of the home, the staff provide them with emotional support, and they help the children to settle into their new home. Where appropriate, staff keep in contact with the children when they move into their new home.

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

The staff show the children understanding, compassion and humility, particularly when the children are having a difficult time in their lives. The staff understand the affect that a child’s earlier life experiences may have on their development, and how this may affect how they view their world. Using this insight, the staff manage incidents sensitively, and they use the agreed strategies to help the child when necessary. Through direct work sessions, the children are supported to talk about what has happened, their feelings and the effect that this may have on the child’s behaviour.

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

The use of physical intervention increased briefly following the last inspection. This corresponds with an unsettled period in the home. Records of restraint are completed; however, in numerous examples found, the quality of the records was poor and, in some, information was missing. This is a breach of the regulations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team has changed since the last inspection. This change has brought about positive improvements in the quality of the management oversight. The registered manager is supported by two deputy managers. Together, they have formed a strong management team. They have all worked tirelessly to address the shortfalls that were identified in the previous inspection. This has resulted in children receiving better care and support. Inspection report for children’s home: 1233307 5 The staff are suitably experienced and are trained well. They deliver a good standard of care to the children. The staff receive regular practice-related supervision, and they say that they feel supported to carry out their role. Staffing pressures have been a challenge recently, and more difficult due to COVID-19. However, the vacant shifts have been covered by the staff and with the help from colleagues in the provider’s sister home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team understands the home’s strengths and weaknesses. The manager reviews the children’s care on a regular basis, and he reports to his senior managers with an evaluation of the children’s experiences. The manager is aware that the approach to track and measure the children’s progress is not effective, and he has a plan in place to address this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team has a clear vision for the home, with an emphasis on the children growing into adults who live happy and fulfilling lives. The manager is determined to make continuous improvement in the quality of care that the children receive. He has high expectations, both in terms of the quality of staff practice and the progress that children should make. This supports the continued progression for children in this home. Inspection report for children’s home: 1233307 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)) 18 May 2022

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Requirement Due date

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—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and 18 May 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 1233307 7 a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

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)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii) (b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Recommendations

 The registered provider should ensure that the manager and the staff recognise the importance of understanding who we are and where we come from is recognised in good social work practice, for example through undertaking life story work or other direct work. The registered provider is responsible for ensuring that the staff play a full role in work of this kind. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.14)

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Recommendations

 The registered provider should ensure that the ethos of the home supports each child to learn, emphasising the value of independent study and reading for enjoyment. The home must make available suitable facilities, equipment and resources for learning. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 29, paragraph 5.18)

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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 for children’s home: 1233307 8

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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 for children’s home: 1233307 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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