Children's Home run by Newcastle City Council in Newcastle upon Tyne

Inspection report for children’s home: SC033642 1 SC033642 Registered provider: Newcastle City Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to six children with emotional and social difficulties and learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager in post since June 2023, and an interim manager is overseeing the home.

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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: SC033642 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/05/2022 Full Good 28/09/2021 Full Good 06/07/2021 Full Inadequate 16/10/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC033642 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children said that staff take good care of them. One child said that ‘this is the best place to live’ and that they do not want to live anywhere else. Another child said that ‘carers really care’ and said ‘I love her’ when talking about their key worker.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children develop positive relationships with staff. Staff engage children in activities, and they enjoy spending time together. All of the children said that they are happy living in the home and could name staff who they have a trusting relationship with.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s emotional and physical health is important to staff. The children’s emotional health is supported by the in-house psychological service. Staff make use of the therapist’s advice that is shared in meetings. This means that all staff are helped to have a good understanding of children’s individual needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers complete an assessment of the needs of children when considering a child moving into the home. Managers explore how children will live together and whether staff have the necessary skills to meet the needs of all children. The home accepts children who need a home urgently. When this happens, children benefit from opportunities to meet staff and view the home by virtual means when an in- person visit cannot take place. One child said that this reduced their worries about moving into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children they care for well. They keep track of the progress children are making while in their care. When progress stalls, staff ensure that children have access to support. This helps to ensure that children continue to make progress from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Not all children in the home are accessing education or training or developing their skills. Staff work with children and education professionals to help them back into education or work experience. This gives children the support they need to learn and develop.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who are moving towards independence can live in a self-contained flat that is attached to the home. This helps children to develop their independence while having the support of staff close by. Children are well prepared to move on from the home and are supported through a period of transition. Staff maintain links with children when they have moved out of the home, sometimes for several years.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The property is well furnished, and the kitchen area is the hub of the home. However, the decor is dated and not all damage or repairs have been addressed. This gives the property an institutional appearance. Inspection report for children’s home: SC033642 4

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

The staff understand children’s individual risks and plans. Risk assessments are thorough and have strategies in place to help reduce or manage risks for children. One child has complex health needs, and staff engage with professionals to better understand how to reduce risks to the child’s health. Safety plans to manage risks are reviewed and monitored regularly. This supports staff to take effective action to help children feel safer.

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

Children are allocated a key worker, so they have a consistent person who focuses on their care. Key-work sessions take place regularly with children and include direct work about important issues such as substance misuse and missing-from-home incidents. Children are helped to understand how to make safer decisions. Children said they can speak with staff if they have any worries or concerns.

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

Physical interventions are rare in the home. The reasoning and actions taken by staff are recorded in detail. Children and staff are provided with an opportunity for a debrief. This gives those involved an opportunity to repair their relationships and consider what can be learned from these events.

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

Consequences are used to help children understand the impact of their behaviour. Children are given opportunities to make amends, and there is a strong focus on promoting positive behaviours. There has been some inconsistency in how staff use consequences. This could be confusing for children and does not provide them with clear expectations.

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

Some children go missing from home. When this happens, staff follow children’s risk assessments and the agreed protocols. When they return, children are welcomed back into the home and engage with return home interviews by an independent person. However, the home’s missing-from-home procedure and children’s missing- from-home safety plans are not aligned. This could lead to staff responding inconsistently when children at risk go missing from home.

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

Staff lock doors to prevent children from accessing some areas of the home. This is used to manage perceived risks in the upstairs of the home and to prevent free access to the pantry. This practice has not been subject to a review and has unnecessary consequences for all of the children.

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

When bedroom searches are undertaken, the rationale for undertaking them is appropriate. However, the records do not evidence whether children are informed of room searches in advance or whether their consent is sought. This does not ensure that children are consulted in relation to decisions or actions to keep them safer.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff and children have experienced a change in the management arrangements in the home. The impact of this has been lessened due to a stable staff team; some Inspection report for children’s home: SC033642 5 staff have worked in the home for over a decade. Children are therefore cared for by consistent adults.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The interim manager has monitoring systems in place to identify ways to improve the service. These systems are increasing the leaders’ and managers’ understanding of the home’s strengths and weaknesses. This enables the provider to plan improvements to the service and the care afforded to children. For example, there are plans in place to move to new premises that can better meet the needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision. Records show that the children and the arrangements for keeping them safe are the focus of discussions. Staff said they are able to reflect on their practice and the impact this has on the experiences of children. Annual appraisals take place to consider staff development and progression.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers hold regular team meetings. This provides an environment for staff to reflect on the progress of children and any concerns that may arise. The support provided to the team allows them to develop their practice and gives them an opportunity to share knowledge. This helps them to better meet the needs of the children in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home uses CCTV to monitor the outside of the home. The use of this is not in line with the organisation’s policy. Managers have not sought consent for the use of this from the children’s placing local authorities. It is therefore unclear whether professionals and children are aware of this surveillance. Inspection report for children’s home: SC033642 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, 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

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (1)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 8 September 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children;

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Requirement Due date

the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance;

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy. (Regulation 24 (1)(a)(b)(d)) 8 September 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children. They should seek to maintain Inspection report for children’s home: SC033642 7 a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that a child’s bedroom is not generally entered without their permission, though it may be necessary to establish routines to allow for rooms to be cleaned regularly. Usually, rooms should only be searched if the child has been informed or asked for their permission. Immediate searching may be necessary when there are reasonable grounds for believing that there is a risk to the child’s or another person’s safety or well-being. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16,

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Recommendations

paragraph 3.20)  The registered person should specify the procedures to be followed and the roles and responsibilities of staff when a child is missing from care or away from the home without permission and how staff should support the child on return to the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.28)

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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: SC033642 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Newcastle City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Newcastle Civic Centre, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear NE1 8QH

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Inspector

Joanne Wallis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC033642 9 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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