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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC038564 1 SC038564 Registered provider: North Tyneside Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a local authority and is registered for the care of up to five children with social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in 2007.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC038564 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/08/2021 Full Good 01/10/2019 Full Good 29/08/2018 Full Good 25/01/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC038564 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are five children living at the home. The inspectors spoke to three children during this inspection.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel cared for and happy. The staff consistently put the children’s needs first, which reinforces the children’s sense of security and their trust in the staff.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves to and from the home are well planned. Children are fully involved in their transition planning. Staff implement these plans effectively. The manager and the staff work closely with mental health professionals and education providers. This ensures that the children have the right support that helps them to learn to regulate their emotion and behaviour. This has led to children moving successfully into longer-term homes.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are supported by a stable and consistent staff team. This means that the children build positive relationships with the staff, who they become attached to. Staff provide them with continuity of care that helps the children to develop and sustain their positive attachments. The children said they can seek support from the staff and the manager whenever they need.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children enjoy a wide range of activities in the home and in their local community. For example, the children go to the gym, play sports and go to local activity clubs. Activities are linked to the children’s personal preferences, talents and interests.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of children seeing their close family and friends. Children are supported to keep in touch with those who are important to them. Staff proactively address any difficulties that arise in these relationships so that the children can continue to have stable support networks around them. The children particularly enjoy the time that they spend with their friends in the community. This means that the children enjoy similar social experiences as their peers. For children who do not wish to have contact with their family, staff respect their wishes. Support is offered to help the children to understand their feelings towards family time.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff support the children to attend their educational provisions. Children engage with their learning and make clear progress. For children who are not in education, the staff help them with their learning at home, and they encourage the child to develop life skills such as cooking and tidying. As a result, the children have better life chances.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff use technology creatively to support children whose English is not their first language. The staff ensure that any dietary and religious preferences are respected, Inspection report for children’s home: SC038564 4 and they spend time supporting children who may have travelled significant distances to become familiar with the local area.

p.3

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

The home provides children with stability even through adverse times. The staff respond effectively to the children’s diverse and complex needs, which helps to build trusting relationships. This means that the children accept the staff’s advice and support to work through their struggles.

p.4

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

Children’s risk assessments provide staff with clear actions to follow to reduce the risk of harm to the children. Staff know the children’s risks and know what they need to do to keep the children safe. Staff talk to the children about their risks and how to keep themselves safe.

p.4

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

Staff help children to understand bullying by initiating conversations and through children’s meetings. When children are unkind to each other, the staff identify and address this immediately. Children are supported to learn to be kind to each other, and they are helped to understand why bullying behaviour is not acceptable. The staff support the children to manage any disputes between them using direct work to help the children to reach a solution. This helps the children to develop socially acceptable behaviours.

p.4

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

Missing-from-home incidents are rare. However, when such incidents have occurred, the staff have implemented the missing-from-home protocols effectively. This means that the child returns home as quickly as possible.

p.4

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

Children receive praise and rewards from the staff, which helps to reinforce positive behaviours. Staff implement clear and consistent boundaries to help the children to learn and understand acceptable behaviours. Staff understand the triggers for children’s behaviours and anticipate incidents well, which enable them to prevent behaviours from escalating.

p.4

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

Staff use appropriate restorative consequences when children display inappropriate behaviours. The manager reviews the effectiveness of these consequences in a timely manner to improve behaviour management strategies. However, the manager does not always seek the views of the children. This oversight prevents the manager from understanding the child’s view on this practice.

p.4

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

When children need to be held to prevent harm to themselves and others, the staff do this appropriately. This practice is used as a last resort when other identified de- escalation methods have failed. Key-work sessions are held promptly after the incident to ensure the children’s well-being and to help the child to identify potential triggers for their behaviour. However, the manager does not consistently ensure that the date is added to the record when staff have been debriefed. Therefore, the reader is unable to determine when the staff debrief took place. Inspection report for children’s home: SC038564 5

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a suitably qualified and experienced manager. He is supported well by senior staff. They work together to support one another and complement their skill sets, which has a positive effect on the staff and the children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is realistic about the home’s strengths and areas for development. The monitoring systems in place mean that when shortfalls are identified, the manager acts quickly to address them. Since the last inspection, the manager has ensured that the physical environment of the home has improved. For example, a new kitchen and bathrooms have been installed in the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are cared for by a consistent group of staff, who collectively have the knowledge, experience and skills to provide high standards of care to the children. The staff feel supported by the management team, and they can have open and honest discussions with it.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff supervision is regular, child-focused and reflective. The supervision process provides the staff with the guidance they need to provide good and consistent care to the children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Regular team meetings are held to discuss the progress that the children make, the care practice and the staff’s well-being. This enables the staff to develop a sense of shared ownership about the home’s care practice. Staff report that there is good leadership and that they feel supported.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals report that the level of communication with staff is good and that they are kept informed about the children’s progress. This positive partnership working helps to plan children’s care effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: SC038564 6

p.5

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.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

p.6

Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

p.6

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”)—

p.6

Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

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 (1)(a)(b) (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 9 December 2022

p.6

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: SC038564 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: North Tyneside Council

p.7

Children’s home details

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

p.7

Inspectors

Cherie Chen, Social Care Inspector Laura Grundy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC038564 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.

p.7

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.8

Inspectors

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

p.8

Inspectors

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

p.8