Children's Home run by Right-Trak Limited in Newcastle upon Tyne

Inspection report for children's home: SC394909 1 SC394909 Registered provider: Right-Trak Limited Full inspection 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 private provider. The home provides care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties. The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2019.

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Information about this children’s home

There were two children living in the home at the time of this inspection.

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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 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: 27 September 2021

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC394909 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/09/2021 Full Good 17/12/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 24/06/2019 Full Good 17/01/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC394909 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children receive individualised and nurturing care from staff, resulting in positive and trusting relationships. The staff know the children well and, therefore, are quickly aware if a child is in need of additional emotional support. Observations throughout the inspection were of warm and affectionate interactions between staff and children. Children stay in touch with staff when they leave. One child who is now an adult visited recently and said that it was ‘the best home they had ever been in’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care is taken to support children both before and when they move in. They are provided with a video showing the staff team so that the children are familiar with the staff when they visit the home. For one child, their placement ended quickly following their admission as staff were unable to manage the presenting behaviours. The registered manager had not explored fully the information in the referral forms, which meant that the extent of the child’s needs was not understood. This resulted in an additional move for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are regularly obtained and acted on. They have had input into the improvements to the decor and layout of the building. The lounge and dining areas are homely, with artwork on display done by the children. Steps have been taken to make the external areas more inviting. Children are involved in decorating the home to reflect seasons or special events, such as Christmas and the World Cup.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s education is promoted. There is good communication with schools and education providers, and a teacher says that staff are supporting a child’s attendance and are ‘doing their best’. One of the children is making good progress at college. However, for another child, their school placement is fragile. The registered manager is linking with other professionals to identify how his educational placement can be maintained.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s relationships with family and friends are supported in line with their wishes. Where there has been a disruption to family relationships, staff help children to rebuild family links.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s health needs are met. The staff link closely with the in-house psychologist, who helps them to respond to children’s behaviour in a therapeutic way. The psychologist states that the staff are reflective and ‘have a desire to make children’s lives better’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote positive behaviour. Children have ‘well done’ sheets, which enable them to see the progress that they have made. Children have individualised and measurable goals, which are regularly reviewed. Consequences are used rarely in Inspection report for children’s home: SC394909 4 response to behaviour. Achievements are celebrated, and the registered manager and staff speak with pride about the progress that children make.

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

The registered manager and staff understand the vulnerabilities and potential risks associated with each child. Risk assessments are regularly reviewed, and the registered manager has a system to ensure that staff are aware of any changes to children’s plans. Work is done with children to help them to understand how to keep themselves safe.

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

One of the children has made significant progress, and their presenting risks are now negligible. This is recognised by their parent, who attributes it solely to the approach taken by staff with her child.

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

Overall, children are held less often to manage behaviour, and there have been improvements in how this is recorded and evaluated. Children are supported to speak to someone afterwards about what has happened. The staff team works alongside the in–house psychologist to explore less intrusive ways of managing behaviour. In addition, there is frequent refresher training on the use of holds, with the emphasis being on using de-escalation techniques to help children to manage their feelings in a safe way.

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

When repairs are reported, these are now addressed in a timely way. However, shortfalls in the daily checks have resulted in damage to fire doors not being identified quickly. This poses a risk in the event of a fire.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager cares deeply about the children and the staff. She models a nurturing approach for the staff to follow and is proactive in advocating on behalf of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and deputy manager work well together. Staff speak highly of their approachability and the support that they provide. Although there have been some changes, the staff team works collectively to ensure that the standard of care is consistent.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has improved the way that progress is recorded This is now more pictorial and, as a result, staff are better able to evaluate the impact of their practice. Children’s files are up to date, and child-friendly plans provide staff with the information that they need to keep children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and her team undertake mandatory training. New staff are provided with an induction, and all staff benefit from regular supervision and additional input from the psychologist. The manager is proactive in identifying additional training to better meet the needs of children and to keep them safe if new risks or vulnerabilities are identified. Inspection report for children’s home: SC394909 5

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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, the 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 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

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d)) 1 December 2022

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that they understand what will be required of them before they admit a child, to avoid disruption and instability for the child and for other children in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.5)

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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: SC394909 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Winovation, Houghtons Yard, Shields Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE6 2YP

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Melanie Spriddell

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Inspector

Laura Grundy, Social Care Inspector Sue Atkinson-Millmoor, Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report for children’s home: SC394909 7 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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