Children's home run by Newcastle City Council

Inspection report 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 owns and manages this home. The home is registered to provide care for up to six children with emotional and/or social needs.

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Information about this children’s home

Four of the five children living in the home were consulted and observed by inspectors.

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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

Date of last inspection: 16 November 2021

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

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

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/11/2021 Full Good 17/02/2020 Full Good 04/02/2019 Full Outstanding 30/01/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: 1233307 3

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improvement to be good

Children’s experiences of living in the home are mixed. Most of the children have lived in the home for several years, which has provided them with stability. They have made progress in some areas, for example self-confidence, self-care and social skills. However, the quality of the care provided to children requires improvement.

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improvement to be good

Children’s care plans do not comprehensively identify their needs. The documents lack focus and do not link well with others. Therefore, the staff do not have well- defined plans to follow. This affects how well the children’s day-to-day care is coordinated.

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improvement to be good

Most areas of the property are homely, spacious and comfortable. However, by 11pm each day, every room on the ground floor is locked. This prevents children’s access to the lounge and kitchen. The provider has not carried out an assessment or reviewed this arrangement to ensure that it is necessary and proportionate. When asked about the rooms being locked, a child said, ‘It’s like having security. Not like being looked after.’

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improvement to be good

Children’s education experiences are mixed. Some children have successfully passed training courses and applied for work. This has helped to develop children’s aspirations, such as careers that they wish to pursue. However, when other children are excluded from their educational provision, they wait too long for an alternative learning provision to be provided. For some children, this increases the lack of structure in their day and creates additional gaps in their learning.

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improvement to be good

Children’s bedrooms are personalised and treated as the child’s private space. When staff are concerned that children may have dangerous items hidden in their bedroom, a room search is carried out. Staff complete a written record and detail the reason for the search and what they find. However, the management oversight of these records varies. Some documents do not clearly show if the child’s consent was obtained, or if the child was informed that the search had taken place. In addition, they are not consistently signed and dated.

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improvement to be good

Children know how to make a complaint. They have a variety of opportunities when they can talk about living in the home, such as during the children’s meetings. However, records do not consistently show how the children’s views have been listened to and acted on. While one child has an independent advocate, others do not. This means that not all children benefit from having an additional independent adult who can advocate for their rights.

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improvement to be good

Children do not have memory books that support their life-story work. Photos are stored on the office computers, which are not easily accessible to the children. While the provider has purchased books for each child, these have not been used. Inspection report children’s home: 1233307 4 Therefore, the recommendation that was raised at the last inspection to address this issue has been reissued.

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improvement to be good

Children have formed trusting relationships with staff, and they can identify an adult who they can rely on to provide them with help. The staff are sensitive to the children’s emotional needs. They offer children emotional support, particularly when the children experience difficult times in their lives. The relationships that the children have developed with the staff help some of the children to feel valued. One professional said that a child has an ‘excellent’ relationship with their key worker and the child ‘feels loved’.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to be healthy. They attend their routine medical appointments. The staff have good links with health services and have a good relationship with the looked after children’s nurse, who visits the home regularly and offers information and advice. When the staff are concerned about a child’s health, they talk with the child and promptly seek a medical opinion. The staff follow the advice given, which helps to promote children’s health and well-being.

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improvement to be good

Children have access to a range of positive activities, including cricket, trips to theme parks and visits to the seaside for ice cream.

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improvement to be good

The home has experienced an unsettled period, which has resulted in an increase in serious incidents involving children. However, the children say that they feel safe and that the staff talk to them about risks and danger, including ways to increase the children’s safety.

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improvement to be good

When children are missing from care, the staff take effective action. They understand their roles and responsibilities, such as searching for the child and alerting relevant professionals. The manager carefully reviews the action taken by the staff to ensure that the correct procedures are followed. If shortfalls are identified, the manager addresses these through staff supervision and further training.

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improvement to be good

The need for staff to hold children when they are in distress has increased. However, children are only held when this is necessary to keep them safe. While the quality of these records has improved, the manager’s monitoring systems have failed to identify that some records do not contain all the required information.

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improvement to be good

The quality of children’s individual risk assessments varies. While some documents are specific and detailed, others are inaccurate. Some documents lack clear strategies for the staff to follow and some do not always include the child’s current risks. Despite the absence of clear and consistent risk assessments, most of the staff understand the risks posed to the children and take effective action. This is because the manager and staff communicate effectively with each other. Inspection report children’s home: 1233307 5 The location risk assessment has not been reviewed for almost nine months. This is despite evidence that the risks in the local community have changed. This means that the risks in the community are not fully assessed. This may impact on the strategies that are in place to protect the children.

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improvement to be good

Some new staff have been recruited. However, in one example, the manager did not follow safe recruitment practice. The employment history of one staff member was not thoroughly checked and a reference from the previous employer was not obtained. This is despite the staff member working with children. The inspector raised this with senior leaders at the end of the inspection.

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good

The staff and the manager work well together as a team. Together, they genuinely care about the children’s well-being.

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good

Staffing pressures, changes in the home’s management team and an increase in incidents have resulted in the manager being more involved in the children’s day-to- day care. While the manager has completed good-quality key-work sessions with the children, this has reduced his management oversight and the quality of leadership in the home. The manager acknowledges this shortfall and is determined to make the necessary improvements to address this.

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good

Despite the challenges during recent months, the staff feel supported in their role. The staff have regular access to management advice. One member of staff said, ‘The manager is available 24/7 regardless of where he is.’

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good

Staff receive regular practice-related supervision. The agenda includes discussion about the children’s needs, staff’s well-being and their training and ongoing development. However, in most records of supervision, the safeguarding arrangements for children are not included as a standard agenda item. This oversight reduces the opportunity for the staff to consider and raise any safeguarding concerns. It also prevents the manager from reiterating the safeguarding procedures, including the whistle-blowing policy, which should be followed.

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good

The manager has reviewed all staff’s training records. When he has identified gaps in the staff’s training, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, he has taken effective action to address these. While most staff have completed the required residential childcare qualification, one member of staff has not completed this in the required time frame.

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good

The manager does not have an effective system to measure and monitor the children’s progress. This means that the manager does not fully understand what the children have achieved and where they need extra support. Despite this being raised at the last inspection, this shortfall remains. Inspection report children’s home: 1233307 6 Professionals are positive about the home and state that, most of the time, communication is good. Staff ensure that professionals are consulted at appropriate times and are welcomed into the home for visits and meetings. When the manager is concerned about the service provided by another agency, he is not afraid to challenge. The manager escalates concerns to senior leaders in the organisation and, when appropriate, requests formal meetings to discuss the well-being of the children. Inspection report children’s home: 1233307 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, 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(viii)) 18 August 2022

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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

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the children’s risk assessments are accurate and include relevant strategies to keep the child safe, and that all other risks assessments, 18 August 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 1233307 8 such as the group living risk assessment and the location risk assessment, are kept up to date.

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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

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)(a)(f)) 18 August 2022

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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.

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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

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(b)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the children’s targets and needs are clearly identified in their plans, that these plans are kept up to date and that the children’s progress is regularly reviewed. 18 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and 18 August 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 1233307 9 any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to ensuring that any decision to lock the doors is fully assessed and reviewed regularly. This process must include consultation with the children and all of the relevant professionals.

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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))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all of the required checks are completed before staff work in the home. 18 June 2022

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained— 18 November Inspection report children’s home: 1233307 10 the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”).

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (2)(a)(b) (4)(a) (5)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff complete the relevant qualification by the relevant date.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the manager and staff recognise the importance of understanding who we are and where we come from as is recognised in good social work practice, for example through undertaking life- story work or other direct work. The registered person 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)  The registered person should ensure that a child’s bedroom is not generally entered without their permission, though it may be necessary to establish routines to allow for rooms to be cleaned regularly. Usually, rooms should only be searched if the child has been informed or asked for their permission. Immediate searching may be necessary where there are reasonable grounds for believing that there is a risk to the child’s or another person’s safety or well-being. (‘Guide

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Recommendations

to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.20)  The registered person should ensure that all children have access to appropriate advocacy support and, where possible, this should be provided by a person who the child chooses. Children looked after are entitled to an independent advocate to advise them and ensure that they have the support needed to express their views, wishes and feelings about their care and lives. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.16)  The registered person should ensure that supervision of staff practice is effective. Every adult in the home should engage in the safeguarding culture of the home so that they understand what they would need to do if they found other staff misusing or abusing their position to the detriment of the safety of a child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43,

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Recommendations

paragraph 9.14) Inspection report children’s home: 1233307 11

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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: 1233307 12

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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 NE1 8QH

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Inspectors

Catherine Heron, Social Care Inspector Julia Hagan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1233307 13 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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