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 emotional and/or social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The inspector spoke to all three children during this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in July 2021. There is an acting manager in post who is not yet registered.

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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 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: 1 February 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2638322 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/02/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2638322 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children develop trusting relationships with the caring adults. The staff help the children to learn to share their worries, so that they can be solved together. This approach supports the children to view the staff as dependable. One child said, ‘I know the staff really care about me.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders assess the competing needs of children before new children move in. However, leaders do not obtain the necessary permissions from the child’s placing local authority during the admission procedure. This includes consent for medical treatment and for the use of surveillance to the exterior of the home. This means that there is no written consent for these areas of practice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s care plans include their views, and identify how the staff should respond to the child’s needs. Staff promptly complete the actions identified in these plans, which helps to show the children that their needs are important.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children have made significant improvements in their education, while others have experienced issues with attendance. Staff support the children to attend, and help them to complete their schoolwork at home that is provided through the child’s school. This helps to promote the child’s continual educational progression.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped by the staff to learn about sexual health and the importance of healthy choices. Staff advocate for the children to ensure that they receive the health services that they need, including continued access to mental health services. This promotes the good health and well-being of the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff seek the children’s views before they arrange trips and activities so that the children are involved in planning these. Children enjoy new experiences and exciting activities, which are opportunities to explore the world around them and have fun.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff support children who move out of the home well. The staff understand the significance of these changes and celebrate them so that the children have a positive and memorable experience.

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improvement to be good

Staff recognise that the risk of children harming each other increases during the night. However, there are no effective or proactive strategies in place to reduce these risks. While children have not experienced harm due to this shortfall, this oversight means that the risk to the children remains. Inspection report for children’s home: 2638322 4 Key-work sessions do not always focus on pertinent topics. This is a missed opportunity to reaffirm the boundaries in place to protect the children and to proactively help the children to learn how to be safe.

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improvement to be good

The staff complete daily checks of children’s mobile devices, who face risks associated with using these items. However, the records of these checks do not always include which member of staff has made the entry. This means that there is a lack of accountability. In addition, only three members of staff have completed the training to help them to understand the risks posed to children online. This limits the possibility of all of the staff having the knowledge to identify and address such risks.

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improvement to be good

A new rewards system has been implemented, which the children say they are happy with. Children are given consequences to help them to understand that they are responsible for their behaviour. However, the records of this practice do not include that the children or the staff are spoken to about the measure used, nor does the record include whether the practice is effective. This demonstrates that there is not sufficient scrutiny of this practice to help to ensure that it is fair.

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improvement to be good

Staff complete training to improve their understanding of how to respond to children who self-harm when they are in crisis. Staff help the children to find alternative calming and soothing strategies. Consequently, children find alternative ways to manage their emotions so that self-harm incidents reduce. Staff praise the children for the progress that they make, which further promotes making safer choices.

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improvement to be good

Children know how to complain and feel confident to raise issues. Complaints are taken seriously and dealt with quickly. This helps to show the children that their views and feelings are valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager, who is the former deputy, is being supported by senior leaders to oversee the management of the home. The manager is in the process of applying to register with Ofsted. The management arrangements have helped the children to experience some consistency despite the staffing changes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Reflective supervision is held regularly with the staff. Supervision includes focused discussion about the children’s needs. Team meetings are also held regularly and are well attended. These processes are used to explore how to raise the standard of care that the children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders take safeguarding concerns seriously, and they share information swiftly with all of the relevant agencies. Leaders consult with partner agencies and collaboratively develop measures to help to keep the children safe in the community. One professional, who commented on improved partnership working, said, ‘The staff have been really cooperative with us and I’m really grateful.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2638322 5 Recruitment procedures follow safe recruitment guidelines. This gives assurances that the adults who are caring for the children are suitably vetted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has implemented improved monitoring systems. However, these processes do not include effective scrutiny of some areas of practice, including behaviour management. This limits the opportunity to ensure that all areas of practice are reviewed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2638322 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

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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

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)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the children’s risk assessments include the strategies to help the staff to mitigate the risks to the children.

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Requirement Due date

This also specifically relates to ensuring that the staff are proactive and help the children to understand how to keep safe.

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Requirement Due date

This also specifically relates to ensuring that there are sufficient measures in place to reduce the potential harm that the children may pose to each other during the night. 18 June 2022

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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— 16 July 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2638322 7 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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(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

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that appropriate permissions are gained during the admission procedure. 16 July 2022

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within five days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record 16 July 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2638322 8 confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that there are enough suitably trained staff (including someone in a management role) on duty to meet the assessed needs of all of the children in the home. This specifically relates to ensuring that the staff complete training in online safety. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 51, paragraph 10.1)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they gain consent to any monitoring or surveillance by the placing authority in writing at the time of placement. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 3.16)

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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)

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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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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 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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