Children's Home run by South Tyneside Council in South Tyneside

Inspection report for children’s home: SC032697 1 SC032697 Registered provider: South Tyneside Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A local authority operates and manages this home. The home provides short-break stays for up to four children with emotional and social needs at any one time.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is also used as a base to provide outreach support to children and their families, some of whom access the short-break service.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 17 August 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

The short-break service temporarily closed on 12 December 2022 to develop the service into a place where children may live on a permanent basis. The provider has submitted the appropriate application to Ofsted for a change in conditions of registration. This is in response to the provider’s strategy to provide homes for children in care.

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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: 9 December 2021

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC032697 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/12/2021 Full Outstanding 19/11/2019 Full Outstanding 29/01/2019 Full Outstanding 15/03/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC032697 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress and benefit from their short-break and longer-term stays. Staff provide children with increased opportunities to develop their skills, socialise with others and enjoy activities. Children like spending time in the home and look forward to their stays.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive lasting relationships with the staff. Outreach sessions enable children to get to know the staff and develop positive relationships prior to child’s stay. Children are less anxious about overnight stays and settle well. These relationships prove essential in helping the children to tell the staff about their harmful past experiences and what is happening in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children adore the home’s animals, and they look forward to spending time with them during their stays. Walks with the visiting dog and time with the hamster, guinea pig and rabbit help the children to learn how to care for others, develop new skills and positively express their emotions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to have better family relationships. Where appropriate, the staff arrange fun activities for children and their parents to enjoy time together. Parents are invited to the home and staff model play, showing parents how to positively engage with their child. One staff member spoke proudly of the difference that this had made to a child and parent’s relationship, and described a heart- warming scene of the child and parent ‘having belly laughs’ together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home’s condition is maintained to a high standard. Rooms are child-friendly with soft furnishings, such as bean bags and comfy sofas. Colourful decoration and photos of the children’s artwork mean that the rooms are inviting and interesting for children to enjoy. The range of toys, crafts and games help to entertain and engage children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to participate in local initiatives, such as charity fundraising and celebrating events such as the Queen’s Jubilee. This helps the children to develop their understanding of their culture and to make a positive contribution in the area that they live.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The challenge to find suitable homes for some children in the local authority has placed additional pressures on this service. This has resulted in some children living in the home for a short period of time. As a result, the provider has been unable to operate as usual, as they have closed the short-break service on at least three occasions. This has prevented children from enjoying their time in this home and has prevented their families from receiving the respite care that they need.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children have moved in to the home in an emergency, and, in two examples, senior leaders have made decisions about which children live in the home, rather Inspection report for children’s home: SC032697 4 than the home’s manager. This affected the time that the manager and staff had to prepare and devise good-quality care plans for the children.

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

Risks to children are well understood. The manager and staff effectively assess children’s vulnerabilities, and they take appropriate and effective action to reduce the risks. Children’s safety plans are regularly reviewed and considered in the context of children’s trauma and the help that they need. The staff liaise with relevant safeguarding professionals, and they appropriately share information when they are worried about a child’s welfare. This joined-up working promotes the children’s welfare.

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

When children are missing from home, the staff take appropriate action, as they search for the child and inform the child’s family and the relevant professionals. The manager reviews each missing-from-home incident, and she ensures that a return- home interview is completed. Interviews are used to gather intelligence about the child’s whereabouts and their reason for why they have been missing. Any concerns that are identified through this review are acted on.

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

Staff support children to understand how to be safe at home and in the community. For some children, this has helped them to reflect on how their behaviour affected themselves and others, resulting in them making better and safer decisions.

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

Allegations made against staff are taken seriously. Appropriate action is taken to manage any potential risks while the provider carries out an investigation. Relevant professionals are informed and consulted with, so that decisions are timely and prioritise the safety of the children.

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

Incidents of physical intervention are rare. It has been used on two occasions to protect a child and to prevent injury to others. Staff complete a written record, which shows who was present and the action taken. However, some details to help explain what happened were not clear, and the manager’s analysis did not identify whether the restraint was proportionate and necessary.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is motivated. She invests in developing the staff’s practice and she enhances their skills so that the children benefit from good-quality care. Guest speakers often attend the staff team meetings so that the staff learn about issues that may affect the children’s well-being, and the local services and how they can be used more effectively to meet the children’s needs. The staff apply their learning in practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager monitors the quality of care that children receive, and values the contributions of internal and external auditors. When shortfalls are identified, the manager considers the impact on children and takes timely action. Therefore, the Inspection report for children’s home: SC032697 5 manager understands the home’s strengths and areas for development, and, as a result, is exploring ways to review the children’s progress more often.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are flexible and respond well to the changes in their role. They have adapted well to caring for children on a longer-term basis, rather than providing short-break stays. The staff say that this has been a challenge and fast paced, so they have learned their new role quickly. However, they are proud of the difference that they make to children’s lives, and they say that they feel well supported by the management team. The staff trust each other and work well as a team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s records reflect their day-to-day experiences and are written in child- friendly language so that they are easier for the children to understand. Records identify the children’s success and sensitively explain any incidents or worries. When appropriate, records include photos of the activities that children enjoyed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff have good relationships with the professionals and significant people in each child’s network. The quality of communication is good. The manager advocates well on behalf of the children, and she escalates any concerns about the children’s well-being. Professionals and the children’s families all provided positive feedback about the staff’s practice and the quality of children’s care. One professional said, ‘It’s a really good service [for children]. We’re lucky to have it.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staffing pressures have resulted in the manager, operations manager and staff covering additional shifts for others. Children’s daily care is led by permanent staff who form part of the core staff team and know the children well. However, occasionally, some relief staff, who have not completed the organisation’s mandatory training, are also used. While these training sessions have been planned, they are yet to be delivered. The manager and responsible individual are aware of this shortfall, and they have reported that this training is being prioritised and brought forward.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular practice-related supervision, where they discuss the children’s needs, the staff views and their well-being, and their development and training needs. Usually, a detailed record is completed from each supervision session. However, in some examples, the discussions were not correctly documented or shared with the staff member. The same issue was identified in debrief records. The manager was already aware of this shortfall and acknowledged that this is an area to improve. Inspection report for children’s home: SC032697 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

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

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)) 4 February 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the child’s plans form the basis of their care. Plans should be up to date and reflect all the child’s individual needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.1)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the records of restraint are thorough and accurate. They should enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that a record of the staff’s supervision session is kept for the staff, including the manager. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3) Inspection report for children’s home: SC032697 7

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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: SC032697 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: South Tyneside Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Town Hall, Westoe Road, South Shields, Tyne and Wear NE33 2RL

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Inspectors

Catherine Heron, Social Care Inspector Catherine Clasper, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC032697 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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