Children's Home run by Advocate Recruitment Ltd in Gateshead

Inspection report for children’s home: 2656590 1 Registered provider: Advocate Recruitment Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by an independent provider. It provides care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The inspector spoke with the two children who currently live in the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2022.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

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.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2656590 2

p.1

improvement to be good

The progress children make is varied. Children do well in some areas and do not progress so well in others, such as with their education. Their day-to-day experiences vary, and their reaction to peer pressure and other daily events can disrupt the progress they make. Despite this, children still develop good relationships with the staff and the manager. Children respond well to the nurturing approach of the staff team. As a result, children feel listened to and respected.

p.2

improvement to be good

Staff advocate with schools, tutors and headteachers of virtual schools to get children back into school. However, the staff do not have a consistent approach to support children who do not attend mainstream education. There is no structured educational programme in place for children to follow. Therefore, children do not get up in the morning on a day-to-day basis to attend educational activities. This inconsistency does not help children to build a positive approach to education.

p.2

improvement to be good

Children’s bedrooms are not maintained to ensure that children live in a safe and hygienic environment. The children are encouraged to keep their bedrooms tidy and free from clothing and used crockery. However, the incentives in place to encourage this are not consistently applied by the staff.

p.2

improvement to be good

Staff do not always challenge the child’s placing local authority when they have failed to fulfil their duties to the child. This has led to some children not receiving their statutory health assessment in the necessary time frame. This does not support the overall health needs of children.

p.2

improvement to be good

The manager and staff are good at supporting the children to visit their friends and family who are important to them. The staff travel many miles with the children, and they remain in the local area, close to the child, so that they can help and support if required. The staff then ensure that the child is returned safely. This helps children to retain a sense of family and maintain their identity.

p.2

improvement to be good

The staff talk to children openly and use a large chalkboard in the living room to record anything of interest. The staff use scenarios to educate and explore topics with children, such as shopping budgets and different risks and behaviours. This supports and generates discussions openly, with children and staff learning and listening together.

p.2

improvement to be good

Children’s risk assessments and behaviour management plans are not detailed enough. They do not provide context to some of the children’s behaviours. This does not help the identification of purposeful strategies to reduce the children’s known Inspection report for children’s home: 2656590 3 risk-taking behaviours. The children’s risk assessments and behaviour management plans are completed, reviewed and evaluated by the manager. This practice does not support the staff to develop their knowledge and skills in assessing risk and managing behaviour. This limits the effectiveness of the safe care provided to children as there is no independent scrutiny of these plans.

p.2

improvement to be good

There is not always a member of staff on duty in the home who is qualified in first aid. The manager has struggled to find an accredited trainer. However, this training has now been booked for all staff to attend.

p.3

improvement to be good

When serious incidents occur which involve children, the manager does not always inform Ofsted in a timely manner. Following an incident, the manager notified Ofsted by email that the incident had occurred. However, this led to delays in information being shared and the correct process being followed. This prevents independent scrutiny of the actions taken by staff to ensure that children are safe.

p.3

improvement to be good

There have been no incidents when children have gone missing from the home. This is a significant improvement for children who have come to live at this home. A child said, ‘I feel safe in the community. If I don’t feel safe, I call the home and someone comes to pick me up straight away. This helps me feel safer.’

p.3

good

The registered manager has now established a stable staff team after many staff left, including the previous registered manager and recently appointed deputy manager. Staff and the children’s social workers expressed that they feel supported in their roles and that they have good relationships with the manager.

p.3

good

The manager and leaders do not consistently carry out a comprehensive assessment for children before they move into the home. The risk assessment does not suitably evaluate and consider all the child’s known risks and emerging needs, nor does it assess how the child may affect the children who already live in the home. This leaves children at risk of further trauma.

p.3

good

The internal monitoring and review systems do not help the manager to identify areas for improvement. They are ineffective in identifying trends. Therefore, the manager cannot rectify the shortfalls in practice in a timely manner. Additionally, data required by Ofsted was not readily available for the inspector to view. The external, independent scrutiny of the home is welcomed and takes place monthly.

p.3

good

The home does not yet provide the children with a homely environment. The garage for the home is currently being converted into an office space, and an area of damp in the living room was being addressed during the inspection. The home requires some cosmetic repair and decoration in the hallways and to internal doors as some areas look tired and marked. This has been identified by the manager. Inspection report for children’s home: 2656590 4 The manager has not updated the statement of purpose and provided a copy to Ofsted in a timely manner. This does not help Ofsted to review how the home intends to provide individualised quality care to children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2656590 5

p.3

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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

p.5

Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs. (Regulation 5 (b))

p.5

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the children’s statutory healthcare assessment takes place as required. 31 August 2022

p.5

Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.5

Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

p.5

Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

p.5

Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

p.5

Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(vi))

p.5

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to children being provided with the necessary support to help them to maintain their bedrooms to an acceptable standard. 31 August 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2656590 6 The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

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)(viii))

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that the staff support the children to follow an education timetable in the home during the day to provide a structured day of learning. 31 August 2022

p.6

Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, and inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

use the 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)(f)(h)) 31 August 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2656590 7 This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that there are systems in place to monitor and evaluate the quality of care provided for children.

p.6

Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate revise it; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send to HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 31 August 2022

p.7

Requirement Due date

at all times, at least one person on duty at the home has a suitable first aid qualification. (Regulation 31 (2)(a)) 31 August 2022

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

p.7

Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 31 August 2022

p.7

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that required maintenance and decoration of the home are completed in a timely manner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that the behaviour management strategies recorded for each child are detailed and understood and applied by staff. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.34)  The registered person should ensure that any decision to accept placements for children follows a full consideration of the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4) Inspection report for children’s home: 2656590 8

p.7

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: 2656590 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Advocate Recruitment Limited

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Bell Anderson, Lindum, 264 to 266 Durham Road, Gateshead NE8 4JR

p.9

Inspectors

Michael Dack, Social Care Inspector Ruth Jackson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2656590 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.

p.9

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.10