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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2641044 1 Registered provider: Action For Children 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 run by a children’s charity. The home can care for up to four children who have emotional and/or social difficulties. There are three children living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2021.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2641044 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/04/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2641044 3 Inspection judgements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children form positive relationships with staff who know them well. Children say that they like living in the home and that they feel safe. The children’s views are regularly sought, and they say that they are listened to. Children receive a written response from the manager to the suggestions that they make.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children are moving into or out of the home, this is carefully planned so that it is a positive experience. The manager ensures that children already living in the home are spoken to about any changes. The manager obtains information from a number of sources to ensure that needs of the child moving in can be met. How the other children will be affected is not consistently evidenced in the admission process. Children are welcomed to the home by both staff and the other children, which helps them to settle in. When children move into the home, they are provided with the information that they need to understand what living at the home will be like.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child who had become increasingly unsettled at the home has moved on. Careful planning around the move meant that all of the children were supported emotionally. Care was taken by staff to ensure that children celebrated the positive experiences that they had enjoyed together. Children stay in touch when they move on. This adds to their support networks and reflects the value of the relationships that they form with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to spend time with family and friends. If plans are not progressing in line with children’s wishes, the manager will advocate on their behalf.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to engage in education. However, only one child attends school regularly. When not in school, staff ensure that children engage in structured learning activities. When children’s learning needs are not being met, both the manager and responsible individual advocate on their behalf and escalate concerns. Staff communicate with schools to help children overcome obstacles to learning. A professional said that staff do all that they can to encourage school attendance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff involve children in a wide range of activities. Children are learning to swim, skate and develop their gymnastic skills. They enjoy theme nights, karaoke, board games, and art and crafts, as well as air hockey and trampolining. One child said that they had really enjoyed taking part in an activity to raise money for a children’s charity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met, and they have access to specialist support if required. Staff help children to achieve healthy goals, such as not smoking. The staff work with the in-house psychologist so that they can provide therapeutic support to each of the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2641044 4 The home is decorated and furnished to a high standard. Before children move in, rooms are personalised to help them to feel welcomed.

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

Children’s plans are updated as their needs change or new risks emerge. The manager ensures that staff follow plans to help children to be safe. Staff encourage children to be involved in writing plans to manage known risks. This helps children understand how to keep themselves safe. Professionals say that the staff make them aware of any concerns without delay so that issues can be addressed promptly.

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

The staff are proactive in supporting children to use social media safely. Devices are regularly monitored, and if concerns arise, steps are taken to ensure that children are not exposed to potential online harm.

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

Staff carry out direct work with children. Key-work sessions and informal ‘chit chats’ help children to understand potential risks.

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

There are no alarms on children’s bedroom doors. However, due to current safeguarding concerns, motion sensors are used to alert staff to children needing support at night. The children are aware of these, and the correct consents are in place.

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

Children rarely go missing from the home. If they do leave the home without prior agreement, staff follow them to keep them safe and help them to return quickly.

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

If children are unkind to their peers, staff work with them to help them understand the impact of their behaviour on others. Positive behaviour is supported through the use of incentives.

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

There has been an increase in the use of holds for one child, who is currently experiencing some additional emotional distress. In the majority of incidents, the use of physical restraint was necessary for the child’s and staff’s safety. Staff consistently use low-level intervention and hold for the shortest possible time. Children and staff are spoken to afterwards about what has happened so that lessons can be learned.

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

There were, however, two incidents when a child was guided out of a room when they were not placing themselves or others at risk. These were correctly recorded as physical interventions. However, moving children when it is not necessary or proportionate is not consistent with good practice or the legal framework. The manager had reviewed the incidents but had not discussed with staff that alternative strategies should have been used.

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

Staff complete a body map when children have an accident; however, the time that the record is made is not recorded. This means that there is a potential gap in information, should a child require medical assistance, as the timeline for when any marks were observed is not readily available. Inspection report for children’s home: 2641044 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and responsible individual are aspirational for the children. Their commitment to ensuring that the family atmosphere within the home is reflected in the interactions between staff and children. All professionals spoken to were positive about the level of communication from the manager and the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that the manager is approachable and supportive. New staff receive an effective induction that includes shadowing more experienced staff. This gives them the opportunity to build relationships with the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home and uses monthly summaries to track any patterns of behaviour or concern. This helps in evaluating children’s progress. The start and review dates of one child’s record of learning independent skills had not been recorded. This means that children cannot see the progress that they have made from their starting points.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular reflective supervision. The manager also ensures that team meetings and team days are additional opportunities for staff learning, leading to practice improvements. Handovers are used effectively so that staff are aware of any areas of concern and that tasks are allocated across the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Records are written in child-friendly language. Staff know where to find any updates to children’s plans, and the manager has a system to ensure that all staff are familiar with any changes. The manager does not consistently ensure that information that is no longer accurate or relevant is removed from children’s plans. This means that they are confusing to read.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager values the input from the independent person and responds to any feedback that she receives as to how further improvements to the quality of care might be made. 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

Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

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Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child);

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Requirement Due date

serious damage to the property of any person (including the child); (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b)) 28 July 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they record how they have considered the needs of all the children living in the home when making decisions about new children moving in. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  The registered person should ensure that the home’s records are sufficiently accurate and individualised to ensure that children have a ‘living record’ of their progress and experiences. Specifically, out-of-date information should be removed when records are updated. The dates of children’s plans being updated should be consistently recorded, and body maps should include the time that they were created. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.19)

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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: 2641044 7

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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

Laura Grundy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2641044 8 regulates and inspects 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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