Children's home run by North Tyneside Council

Inspection report children’s home: 2602142 1 Registered provider: North Tyneside Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is a solo provision. It is operated and managed by a local authority. It can provide care for one child who may have a sensory impairment, learning disability, mental disorders and/or physical disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a child currently living in the home. The inspector spoke to the child and observed the staff supporting the child during this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager and the home were registered with Ofsted in August 2020. 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 17 December 2020 to carry out an assurance 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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be 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: not applicable Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2602142 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report children’s home: 2602142 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last visit in December 2020, one child has been supported by the staff to make a positive and planned move out of the home, and another child has moved in. Staff demonstrate that they have a nurturing approach to meeting the children’s needs. This ensures that the children develop positive relationships and strong bonds with the adults who care for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager arranged for the staff to complete specialist training prior to a child moving into the home. This ensured that all staff were sufficiently skilled and able to support the child with specific health procedures on the child’s arrival. In addition, the staff often incorporate sensory lighting into the child’s daily medical routines. This helps the child to find these experiences more relaxing and tolerable.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in education as a result of the care and support that they receive from the staff. The staff provide educational activities for a child who does not have an education placement. This promotes the child’s continued learning. In addition, the manager has arranged for an education professional to deliver home education while she secures an education placement for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a broad range of exciting activities and trips with the staff. The staff provide the children with sensory play activities and new fun experiences. The opportunities on offer help the children to try new things to broaden their horizons.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff encourage and support the children to reach their goals, and they praise the children’s efforts and achievements. The staff use a closed access social media account to help the children to be able to share their successes with the significant people in their lives. This promotes the children’s self-confidence and helps with improving their emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff encourage the children to learn self-care skills, and they celebrate children’s progress with individualised reward schemes. This helps to motivate the children to make continued progress.

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improvement to be good

The staff do not always follow the protocols that are in place to reduce the risks for the child currently living in the home. Visitors to the home are not always requested to sign the visitors’ log, and the checks to reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19 from visitors are not always completed. In addition, the staff do not always follow the guidance in the child’s risk assessment to ensure that the child is kept safe. This exposes the child to the potential risk of harm. Inspection report children’s home: 2602142 4 There are day-to-day items in the kitchen that pose a serious risk to the child. While there is a plan in place to make modifications to the kitchen, this has not been promptly actioned. Therefore, the risk continues to be present.

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improvement to be good

A review of documents identified that a complaint has been made. However, there was no further information recorded. This means that the complaints procedure has not been followed, and that there is a lack of scrutiny of complaints.

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improvement to be good

The manager’s monitoring processes have failed to identify a shortfall in the medication arrangements. There has been an occasion when controlled medication has been booked out of and returned back into the home. The lack of recorded information about this means that there is insufficient information recorded to account for medication stored in the home.

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improvement to be good

The manager has identified that consultation with a medical professional is required regarding a medication for the child. However, this consultation has not taken place. Therefore, any associated risks are not known.

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improvement to be good

Staff clean the child’s toys each day and check that the toys are safe for the child to play with. Specialist equipment is risk-assessed and checked daily to help to identify and address any damage. This practice promotes the child’s safety.

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improvement to be good

The manager takes safeguarding concerns seriously and follows the appropriate procedures swiftly when concerns arise. The manager supports and encourages her team to learn from any issues raised.

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good

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced. Due to the manager not being available during this inspection, access to some of the documentation held electronically was not available to the inspector. This included access to some aspects of the recruitment files, which are not stored in an accessible manner.

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good

Not all the staff have received an appraisal. This means that there is not sufficient focus on the staff’s development to help them to improve their practice. The responsible individual was unable to confirm whether appraisals have been completed.

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good

Staff do not always receive regular supervision. This demonstrates that there is not a consistent approach to supporting the staff to feel equipped to care for the children.

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good

Team meetings are used to help the staff to identify how they could improve their practice. The manager arranges for guest speakers to attend staff meetings to help the staff to expand their knowledge and understanding of the child’s needs. Inspection report children’s home: 2602142 5 Staffing is arranged so that there are sufficient staff on duty to meet the child’s needs. However, not all staff have completed their mandatory training and some of their mandatory training has expired. This means that not all staff have the current knowledge and skills required to support them in their roles.

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good

The manager has failed to notify Ofsted of the revisions that have been made to the statement of purpose. A review of this document showed that it contains incorrect and insufficient information in relation to the staff structure, qualifications and experience. Therefore, this document does not provide all the information required.

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good

The manager had completed a quality review report, which was supplied to the inspector during the inspection. The manager has used this process as a tool to assist her in improving the care that children receive. However, the manager has not developed a system to ensure that this review is completed or shared with Ofsted every six months as required. Inspection report children’s home: 2602142 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 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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(b)(d)) 12 December

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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— 3 January 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2602142 7 ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

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.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b)) 3 January 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c)) 3 January 2022

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all visitors are requested to sign in when they visit the home. 3 January 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2602142 8 The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation.

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Recommendations

 The registered manager should ensure that any records that may be kept electronically (regulation 38) can be easily accessed by anyone with a legitimate need to view them and, if required, be produced in a legible form. In particular, ensure that there is a system in place that enables the regulator to access relevant documentation in the absence of the registered manager. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 14.2)

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Recommendations

 The registered manager should have a system in place that allows them to monitor the matters set out in Regulation 45 at least once every six months. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 15.2)

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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: 2602142 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: North Tyneside Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Quadrant East, 16 The Silverlink North, North Shields NE27 0BY

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Inspector

Paula Kelly, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2602142 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit

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Inspector

www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspector

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Inspector

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

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