Children's Home run by South Tyneside Council in South Tyneside

Inspection report children’s home: SC032697 1 SC032697 Registered provider: South Tyneside 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 provides short-break stays for up to four children with emotional and/or social needs at any one time. The home is also used as a base to provide outreach support to children and their families, some of whom access the short-break service.

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Information about this children’s home

There are six children currently accessing the short-break service. The inspector spoke to one child during this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The current manager was appointed in February 2021 after a long period of working in the home as the deputy manager. She was registered with Ofsted on 17 August 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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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 19 November 2019 Inspection report children's home: SC032697 2 Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC032697 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/11/2019 Full Outstanding 29/01/2019 Full Outstanding 15/03/2018 Full Good 17/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children's home: SC032697 4

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outstanding

Children make excellent progress in this home.

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outstanding

The staff focus on the children having meaningful experiences and making progress in all areas of their lives. The seamless link between the short-break service and the outreach support means that the staff have an excellent understanding of each child’s life, their needs and their family’s situation. This insight is used well to coordinate the children’s care to make sure that their experiences during their stay are the best that they can be.

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outstanding

Children’s introductions are carefully planned and carried out at the child’s pace. The manager consults with the child’s family and all the relevant professionals to gather all the necessary information to prepare for the child’s stay. The children are allocated a key member of staff who supports the child with their introductions to this home. This helps to reduce the children’s worries about being away from their family home.

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outstanding

Children have excellent relationships with the staff; these are usually developed before the child’s stay. Children feel that they can depend on the staff. This results in the children identifying the home as a safe place to be and somewhere that they look forward to visiting. When describing their experience, a child said, ‘It’s nice. I like to visit. You can talk to the staff.’

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outstanding

Children benefit from the array of new experiences which the staff provide. Through their knowledge of the children’s family life, the staff select activities which the children enjoy greatly. This enables the children to discover new experiences and hobbies which they have never tried before. This helps the children to develop their confidence so that they can explore their environment and see what their community has on offer.

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outstanding

The home’s condition is impressive. The home is maintained to an excellent standard. Children’s artwork is on display throughout the home, creating a colourful and child-friendly environment. The staff meticulously prepare for each child’s stay by ensuring that each child’s bedroom is welcoming and personalised with gift boxes. This helps the children to feel comfortable and enjoy their stay.

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outstanding

Children receive excellent care and support from the staff who are skilled and experienced in working with children. As well as providing respite care, some children stay at the home for longer periods of time when this is needed. During these times, the staff take greater responsibility for meeting the children’s health and education needs. This ensures that the children access all the relevant services and support that they need. Inspection report children's home: SC032697 5

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

Risk assessments focus on the children’s individual risks and vulnerabilities. The manager assesses the impact that each child may have on the other children staying in the home. She has put plans and strategies in place to help keep the children safe.

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

The staff understand and follow the strategies that are in place to protect the children from harm. This was confirmed by a parent who said, ‘The staff understand the risks. They are responsive, and they do what they say they are going to do.’

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

Serious incidents involving the children are extremely rare. During the past 12 months, there have been two incidents of concern. The staff managed these incidents effectively, and they shared the information swiftly with the appropriate safeguarding agencies and the children’s families. The manager scrutinised these incidents in a timely manner and considered what additional safety measures were required. This helps to protect the children from harm.

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

The staff complete creative, individualised key-work sessions with the children, which usually take place before each child’s short-break stay. This helps the children to be able to focus on relaxing and having fun during their stay. Staff incorporate partner agencies into delivering group sessions to discuss topics, including knife crime. This helps the children to become aware of potential dangers and what they can do to stay safe.

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

Due to COVID-19, the home was closed for approximately 9 months. The manager and the staff have put measures in place to reduce the risk of children contracting the COVID-19 virus. They have limited the numbers of children staying in the home at any one time and they have increased the level of cleaning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The management team has changed since the last inspection; however, this has not undermined the quality of leadership in the home. The new manager, who was previously the deputy in the home, received a comprehensive handover which has resulted in a continuation of excellent leadership and management oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has extensive experience of working with children and families. She is forward thinking and promotes a learning culture in the staff team. The staff share their learning from their training with one another. This means that the staff continually update their practice so that the children are cared for by highly skilled staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is innovative and actively looks for ways to improve the service. She thinks carefully about what changes can be made to ensure that children’s experiences are vastly improved. For example, the manager has introduced a new recording system which has reduced the duplication of some records, meaning that the staff now spend much more time with the children. Inspection report children's home: SC032697 6 The manager and her team promote reflective practice and use any shortfalls they identify as opportunities to learn. They listen attentively to the feedback from the children and use this to make positive changes. Staff development days focus on enhancing the children’s experiences in the home and include guest speakers, for example testimonies from care experienced adults.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Effective monitoring systems help the manager to maintain insightful knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. The manager confidently challenges poor staff performance when required. She carries out observations of staff practice and where shortfalls are identified, she addresses this effectively. This results in the children receiving better care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager ensures that the home’s record-keeping is excellent. Case records are written in a child-friendly manner and reflect the children’s experiences during their stay. Photographs enrich the records, showing pictures of the children’s activities in the home. This means that the children’s records are thorough and meaningful for the children in the future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and her team maintain positive relationships with their partner agencies, and they demonstrate a strong multi-agency approach. Feedback from professionals is consistently excellent and highlights the positive difference that staying in this home makes for the children. One social worker said: ‘The staff support [name of child] to overcome every obstacle.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Due to COVID-19, there have been some staff absences. Therefore, the provider has employed three relief staff from within the organisation to cover shifts and support the core team. All the staff read all the children’s records before caring for the children. This helps to ensure that the staff are familiar with the children’s needs and any recent changes to their care. Inspection report children's home: SC032697 7

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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: SC032697 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: South Tyneside Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Town Hall, Westoe Road, South Shields NE33 2RL

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Inspector

Catherine Heron, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC032697 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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