Children's Home run by Sunbridge Childcare Ltd in North Tyneside

Inspection report for children’s home: 2638322 1 Registered provider: Moncur Group Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private provider to care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager and the home registered with Ofsted in July 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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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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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2638322 2

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improvement to be good

There are three children currently living in the home. The inspector spoke to the children during this inspection.

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improvement to be good

The manager and staff set the children targets. Some of these targets are reasonable and focused on positive outcomes, such as to promote good health and to attend education. However, some targets put the onus on the children to develop positive trusting relationships with others. This approach lacks understanding of the children’s previous experiences and does not support the children’s emotional well- being.

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improvement to be good

The manager does not always assess the competing needs of children before new children move in. For example, the manager does not consider the potential impact that new children might have on the children who already live in the home. Consequently, there is a lack of guidance for staff to help them to mitigate the children’s competing risks.

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improvement to be good

Children’s care-planning documents are sometimes sparse and in some areas they are blank. This means that there is insufficient information to help staff to understand how they should meet the children’s needs.

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improvement to be good

Care planning around trips is not always effective, and the staffing arrangements in place for these trips are not always suitable to meet the children’s needs.

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improvement to be good

Communal areas of the home are stocked with books to suit children with a broad range of reading abilities. There are games and activities to appeal to the children’s individual interests.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children who face issues with attending education to complete learning at home. Some children have been supported to return to school following a significant period of non-attendance. Staff talk to the children about the various education and employment options that are available to them, to encourage the children to develop aspirations.

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improvement to be good

Staff use key-work sessions to promote healthy choices and to give the children advice on health, including sexual health. There are health guidance leaflets available for children to access, either with the support of staff or confidentially, as the children choose.

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improvement to be good

Staff have helped the children to understand the changes to restrictions imposed by the government during the COVID-19 pandemic. When there was an outbreak of COVID-19 in the home, staff spent extra time with the children to help to reduce the Inspection report for children’s home: 2638322 3 risk of spreading the infection. This also helped the children to experience continuous care.

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improvement to be good

Children experience inconsistent boundaries. There is a complex incentive system in place for the children, which the staff interpret differently from each other. All the children said that they are unhappy with this system. One child said: ‘I understand the need for rules, but we are not treated like teenagers. A major let-down here is consistency.’

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improvement to be good

References are obtained when new staff are recruited. However, there is no information recorded to show whether the references have been verified when staff have previously worked with children. This fails to demonstrate that all the required checks are made prior to staff caring for the children. This practice does not follow safer-recruitment guidelines.

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improvement to be good

Physical restraint has been used on one occasion. It is not clear when children or staff were spoken to following the restraint as these records are not dated. This means that it cannot be established whether this support was provided within the necessary timeframes.

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improvement to be good

The manager acts swiftly when safeguarding concerns arise and takes prompt action to keep the children safe. The manager updates the staff when new risks emerge. Staff adhere to the strategies that are in place to help them to keep the children safe.

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improvement to be good

There has been a significant reduction in the number of incidents of children going missing from the home. Staff identify the children’s triggers for this behaviour, and implement effective strategies to support the children to make safer choices. One professional said: ‘The staff are quite insightful.’

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improvement to be good

Staff help the children to learn about and respect the cultural needs of others. Staff support the children to take part in group discussions on topics such as anti-bullying. This helps the children to develop tolerance and understanding.

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good

The manager’s auditing processes are not consistently effective as they have failed to identify the shortfalls raised. When the manager identifies practice issues, they confidently challenge the staff concerned and support them to make changes to improve the children’s experiences.

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good

Staff have completed the organisation’s mandatory training. However, only one member of staff has completed training on self-harm. This means that most of the Inspection report for children’s home: 2638322 4 staff have not been supported to develop the skills to help them to know how to respond to children with this specific need.

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good

Supervision is not always held regularly. When supervision does take place, there is little focus on the children. Supervision records are not always legible, which limits their use as a resource for staff.

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good

Team meetings are well attended. They are used to discuss how to incorporate the children’s views to make improvements to the care that the children receive.

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good

The manager keeps the location assessment under review and updates this when new risks emerge. This helps to ensure that staff have the current information to help them to understand the risks that the children may face in the community, so that staff can take action to reduce these risks.

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good

The manager shares any significant incidents that involve the children with the relevant agencies. However, the manager has not notified Ofsted of two serious incidents. This oversight has prevented Ofsted from having a full understanding of these incidents. In addition, this has prevented Ofsted from being assured that all the necessary actions have been taken to safeguard the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2638322 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—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iv)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that each child’s care- planning documents are detailed with the child’s individual needs and that this information is used when planning the care that the children receive.

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Requirement Due date

This also specifically relates to ensuring that the incentives system does not inappropriately deny the children their freedom. 3 March 2022

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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—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and 3 March 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2638322 6 positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

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)(v)(ix)(x))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that targets set for children are suitable and that these targets are explained to the children.

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Requirement Due date

This also specifically relates to ensuring that all staff are consistently provided with supervision that is an opportunity to discuss the children’s needs.

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; 3 March 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2638322 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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This is specifically in relation to ensuring that the manager records an assessment of the competing needs of the children and how staff should reduce these risks. 3 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(d)) 3 March 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all the children’s case records are kept up to date and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3) This specifically relates to ensuring that restraint records are dated when entries are made.  The registered person should ensure that the staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective Inspection report for children’s home: 2638322 8 and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should notify Ofsted and other relevant persons if one of the situations specified in regulation 40(4)(a)-(d) occurs, or if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home

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Recommendations

which the registered person considers to be serious (40(4)(e)). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10)

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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: 2638322 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Moncur Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 8 Mosely Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear NE1 1DE

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Inspector

Paula Kelly, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2638322 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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