Children's Home run by Action for Children Services Ltd in Newcastle upon Tyne

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2641044 1 Registered provider: Action for Children

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a charity. The home can care for up to four children with emotional and/or social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in November 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2641044 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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The care of children

Children say that they are happy. Children voice their views about how their home is managed in regular children’s meetings and by using a suggestion box. The children’s voices are heard and, following their requests, items have been purchased to support them to participate in leisure activities in their home.

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The care of children

All of the children attend an educational provision, and the staff support the children well to make progress with their education. This includes helping the children with their homework.

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The care of children

Children are supported by the staff to attend their routine health appointments and to access additional help with more complex health needs, including drug misuse and mental health difficulties. Staff implement the guidance that is given from these professionals, which helps them to better support the children.

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The care of children

Children are supported well to increase their peer relationships. Children access local community-based activities and are encouraged to develop friendships outside of the home. One child’s friend visits the home to spend time with them.

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The care of children

The manager makes extensive enquiries about the needs of a child before considering whether the child should move into the home. The manager assesses the needs of the children already living in the home before a new child moves in. The manager provides the staff with guidance to help them to understand and mitigate the children’s competing risks so that all of the children can live together safely.

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The safety of children

Children’s risk assessments are detailed and clear. They are regularly updated with new information so that the assessments remain current. However, staff do not consistently check the electronic devices of one child known to be at risk of criminal exploitation. This means opportunities to support the child to become increasingly safe are missed.

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The safety of children

Staff regularly complete sessions with the children which are centred around the children’s individual needs. The staff are sensitive to the children’s experiences and demonstrate a nurturing approach. This helps the children to feel supported and understood. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2641044 3 Staff check the children’s bedrooms daily and complete room searches when necessary. These are effective and increase the safety of the children.

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The safety of children

Children are supported well to manage their behaviour and understand the effects of their actions. Consequences are clearly recorded and are largely restorative in their approach. This provides the children with the opportunity to reflect on their actions and what they can do to put things right.

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The safety of children

Physical interventions are rare and only used when necessary by the staff to support the children to manage their emotions and behaviour. This is because the staff understand the needs of the children well and they are skilled in adopting a trauma- based approach. However, in exceptional circumstances, the staff do call the police and request their support when the staff are unable to manage a child’s behaviour.

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The safety of children

Children rarely go missing from the home. When this occurs, the staff and manager escalate their requests for the children to be spoken to by someone independent after the child returns home. This creates the opportunity for new information to be made available to inform the child’s risk assessments, which helps to promote their well-being and safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Since the previous inspection, the manager has improved the monitoring systems used to scrutinise and evaluate the care that the children receive. This ensures that any outstanding tasks are identified and then completed in a timely manner. This contributes to the progress made by the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The manager is perceptive and understands and responds well to the children’s changing and emerging needs. She ensures that the staff are fully aware of all the children’s needs, and she increases the staffing numbers when this is required. This helps to better support the children in times of crisis and provides the children with continuity of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The manager escalates any concerns to the children’s placing local authority or education service when she has concerns that a child’s needs are not being fully met. This helps to support the children to receive the level of care and support that they need.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Records of physical interventions clearly set out the details of the incident. However, they do not consistently reflect the times and the dates of when the staff and children were spoken to after the restraint was used. They also do not clearly set out the time and the date that the manager reviewed the restraint. This shortfall prevents the manager from ensuring that all their procedures are completed in a timely manner and prevents them from addressing any potential concerns about this practice. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2641044 4 Staff supervision is reflective and considers the needs of the children as well as the needs of the employee. However, supervision records are not consistently signed by the supervisee, meaning it is unclear if the record is a true and accurate account of supervision. In addition, not all staff have supervision in line with the organisation’s timescales, meaning opportunities to address practice issues or update a staff

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

member on the needs of a child are missed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection have been met. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2641044 5

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25 April 2022 Full Good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2641044 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

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

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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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

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is

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Requirement Due date

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 15 November Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2641044 7 within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that records of physical interventions clearly set the times and the dates of when the staff and the children were spoken to after a physical intervention has been used. The registered person must also ensure that the time and date of any management oversight are recorded.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the staff continually and actively assess the risk to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. In particular, the registered person should ensure that there is an effective plan in place which allows the staff to check the mobile phones of children who are at risk of criminal exploitation. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that there are systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive regular supervision so they can reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the

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Recommendations

Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2641044 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Action for Children

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 3 The Boulevard, Ascot Road, Watford WD18 8AG

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Inspector

Julia Hagan, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2641044 9 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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