Children's home run by North Tyneside Council in North Tyneside

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC038557 1 SC038557 Registered provider: North Tyneside Council

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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 operated and managed by a local authority and provides short-break stays for up to five children who have a sensory impairment, learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

There is no registered manager. There is a manager in day-to-day control of the home.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted judged this children’s home as inadequate at the full inspection on 23 and 24 August 2022. Following the inadequate judgement, Ofsted issued two compliance notices under regulations 12 and 13 of The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 to address the serious concerns relating to the children’s safety and protection, and the widespread failings in the leadership and management arrangements of the home.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this monitoring visit was to review the progress and actions taken by the provider to meet the compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has implemented effective communication systems within the staff team. This helps to ensure that the staff are equipped with important information to help them to understand the children’s current needs.

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This monitoring visit

Staff promptly inform the children’s parents, where appropriate, of any information and incidents. Parents receive an update from the staff following their child’s stay, which promotes unity and inclusion. Family members provided consistently positive feedback regarding their experiences of communicating with staff. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC038557 2 Staff are provided with guidance to follow should a child become injured. This process includes seeking medical advice and informing the relevant people. This involvement helps to ensure that the children’s health needs are understood and met.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has booked training for all staff to help them to understand how to support the children who display inappropriate touching behaviour. Resources are available to staff in the meantime, so that they can begin to extend their knowledge of how to respond to children with this need.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s risk assessments are updated when new risks occur and following any incidents. However, information provided by a parent regarding the risks posed to their child online was not included in the child’s records. This means that the staff do not always have all the information that they need to help them to keep this child safe.

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This monitoring visit

The area of the home used to administer medication is clean, tidy and orderly. Information about each child’s medical needs is readily available to staff, which they use to check that medication is administered safely.

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This monitoring visit

There has been one serious incident of a child briefly leaving the home unattended that was not notified to Ofsted immediately. A review of the records found that the appropriate safeguarding processes were followed and a tour of the home found that actions have been implemented to help to ensure that a repeat incident does not occur.

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This monitoring visit

The interim manager has implemented auditing tools that are used to identify and address shortfalls. This assists the manager to continuously assess and improve the standard of care that the children receive.

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This monitoring visit

Following this visit, the compliance notices are met. An additional requirement is issued under regulation 12 relating to the children’s risk assessments, and a recommendation is made to notify Ofsted of serious incidents. The requirements previously issued under regulations 6, 11, 16, 33, 35 and 39 were not reviewed during this visit. For this reason, they are reissued. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC038557 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/08/2022 Full Inadequate 02/08/2021 Full Outstanding 26/11/2019 Full Good 11/12/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC038557 4

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iv)) 19 November 2022

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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

that staff— 19 November 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC038557 5 meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(ix))

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)) 19 November 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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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 (1)(3)(a)(b)) 19 November 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC038557 6 The registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (1)(a) (4)(b)) 19 November 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 date, time and location of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iii)) 19 November 2022

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must establish a procedure for considering complaints made by or on behalf of children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (1) (3)) 19 November 2022

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Recommendation

 The registered person should notify Ofsted and other relevant persons if one of the situations specified in regulation 40(4)(a)-(d) occurs, or if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home which the registered person considers to be serious (40(4)(e)). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC038557 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: North Tyneside Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Quadrant, Cobalt Business Park, Wallsend, Tyne and Wear NE27 0BY

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Inspector

Paula Kelly, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC038557 8 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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