Children's home run by Newcastle City Council

Inspection report for children’s home: SC033645 1 SC033645 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

This home is operated and managed by a local authority.

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to six children with physical disabilities and/or learning disabilities. One child may reside in the home and five children may stay under short-break arrangements.

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Information about this children’s home

There are 47 children using the service. One child lives in the home and there were three children on a short-break stay during the inspection. An inspector spoke with one child, and observed interactions of the other children with the staff.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2017.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean the children are not protected.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC033645 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/03/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/10/2019 Full Outstanding 04/10/2018 Full Outstanding 05/03/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC033645 3

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inadequate

Inspectors found serious failings in how well children are helped and protected. As a result, children’s overall experiences were judged to be inadequate.

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inadequate

Children’s care plans continue to be out of date, despite this being raised in the previous inspection. Plans are not thorough and do not consistently include the children’s needs, and how these will be met. Therefore, staff do not have clear plans to follow.

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inadequate

Some children have made progress. For one child, their communication skills have developed. However, there is a culture of low aspirations for children. Their progress is not tracked, and targets are not identified or monitored. In some examples, they were out of date and lacked ambition for the child. This affects the progress that children make.

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inadequate

The provider has carried out some home improvements. For example, they have painted some of the rooms, displayed new pictures and completed some repairs. During the inspection, the manager quickly addressed the two broken window handles that prevented the windows from being secured.

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inadequate

The quality of the children’s medication records has improved. They now show when medication has been administered and by whom. The staff are suitably trained and they understand their roles and responsibilities when managing medication. In addition, a new system has been introduced to alert the staff to changes in children’s medication. This helps to reduce the risk of medication errors.

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inadequate

Children have positive relationships with the staff and the manager. Children were seen to be enjoying their stay, having fun and laughing together. The staff are in tune with the children’s individual communication skills. This helps the staff to respond to the children and meet their needs. One child said that they liked to visit the home and described the home as one of their favourite places.

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inadequate

Children’s family and the professionals working with them say that the staff communicate with them well. The staff liaise with the children’s parents before and after each child’s stay, to share information and highlight significant events. A written record of the child’s stay is also completed; however, this record is not always consistent with the child’s experiences.

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inadequate

Children’s files continue to lack the required information. Some files do not include the child’s up-to-date personal education plan, healthcare plans, and looked after children care reviews. This affects the quality of information that the staff have available to them to meet the children’s needs. Despite this being raised at the last inspection, this has not been addressed effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: SC033645 4

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

The manager does not ensure that the staff take affective action when there are serious concerns about a child’s welfare. In one example, staff did not follow the required safeguarding procedures when one child presented with unexplained bruising. In addition, the staff did not inform the child’s placing local authority and other professionals. The manager’s oversight failed to identify this poor practice and, therefore, no action was taken. These failures expose the children to the risk of harm.

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

Children’s behaviour support plans are poor quality, and they are not up to date. The strategies identified in the child’s plan to manage their behaviour are not specific and, in some cases, not relevant to the child. This means that the staff do not have clear plans to follow. Therefore, the children’s behaviour is not managed effectively. In one example, a child was distressed and the staff did not use effective strategies to help the child. The incident escalated, which resulted in the child experiencing further distress and requiring emergency medication to relax.

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

When serious incidents to children occur, the staff do not complete thorough written records. Inspectors found that body maps are not consistently completed, and the quality of information provided in these records is poor. This shortfall was identified in the previous inspection and has yet to be rectified. In addition, the children’s records do not demonstrate that the children’s night-time checks have been completed in accordance with their relevant plans.

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

When children have an accident, the staff recognise that the child is injured and offer them emotional support. However, the staff have failed to ensure that two children received appropriate medical attention. In addition, this was not identified through the manager’s oversight of the accident record.

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

Children’s individual risk assessments are not kept up to date and they do not provide the staff with clear strategies to manage the children’s known risks. This affects how well the children’s risks are reduced, and how well the staff can provide relevant and consistent safe care to meet the children’s individual needs.

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

Staff recruitment checks are not thorough; therefore, they do not provide the manager with assurances that the staff are suitable to work with children. In one example, the manager did not scrutinise an application and discrepancies that were apparent in the staff’s information were missed. The manager did not review the outcome of background checks, or consider the impact of them on the children. This poor practice increases the risk of children being looked after by unsuitable people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The provider has failed to address all of the breaches in regulation that were identified in the previous inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: SC033645 5 Staffing pressures and the lack of sufficient staff to cover the rota means that the management team regularly completes shifts on behalf of others. This affects the quality of management oversight and the pace of improvement work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager has failed to ensure effective management oversight and scrutiny of the children’s records. The children’s written records are incomplete and are not detailed, so it is not clear what action has been taken by the staff. Poor- quality management oversight has failed to identify these shortfalls. This means that children’s experiences are not analysed, and poor practice is not addressed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff morale is low, and some staff feel unsupported. Practice-related supervision does not take place at the frequency detailed in the provider’s policy. This means that some of the staff experience longer periods between supervision sessions. Other staff have not received specific training to meet the children’s individual needs. These issues affect how well staff are supported to carry out their role and meet the children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager’s monitoring systems are not effective. Some sections of the audit tool are out of date and inaccurate. This means that emerging themes relating to the children’s care are not quickly identified, and opportunities to make improvements are missed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home’s statement of purpose is not accurate despite the document being recently reviewed. Errors, which were identified in the previous inspection, have not been addressed. Therefore, when the document is shared with people who are considering using the service, such as children’s parents and commissioners, the information is not correct.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The failures identified during this inspection were immediately brought to the attention of the manager, responsible individual, and the placing local authority. The provider took immediate action to address some of the shortfalls identified. Due to the seriousness of the inspection findings and the repeated failures, three compliance notices have been issued under regulations 12, 13 and 14.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The previous requirement issued under regulation 36 has not been met. This has been reissued. Inspection report for children’s home: SC033645 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 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

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Requirement Due date

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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)) 31 July 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; 31 July 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC033645 7 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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

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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 have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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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; and

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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)(c)(d)(f)(h)) 31 July 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. 31 July 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC033645 8 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;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(a)(b)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must 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.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to ensuring that the children’s care plans are kept up to date and are followed.

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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. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 31 July 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)) 31 July 2022

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for children’s home: SC033645 9

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is maintained to a good standard. This specifically relates to repairs, furnishings and the garden area. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all of the children have access to appropriate advocacy support and, where possible, that this is provided by a person who the child chooses. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.16)

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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: SC033645 10

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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 Paula Shepherd, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC033645 11 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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