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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC068243 1 SC068243 Registered provider: North Tyneside Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated and managed by a local authority. It is registered to provide care for up to six children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 11 July 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

There were five children living at 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC068243 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/07/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/01/2022 Full Good 21/05/2019 Full Good 03/07/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC068243 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most children said that they like living at the home. Children experience a stable staff team, which has helped them to build trusting relationships with the adults caring for them. Children said that they can identify staff members who they can talk to. Children’s confidence improves through having positive relationships with adults. This also enables the children to ask for help and support from the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are offered a range of activities for enjoyment and to build on their social skills. The children are able to engage in activities together that they are interested in. Some of the children prefer more individual time, which the staff and other children respect. Staff use incentives and group activities to encourage children to try new experiences. This also helps the children to live and get along together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most of the children attend an education provision. Some children have good attendance, which helps them to learn and develop. This also increases their future life choices. When children are not attending education, the staff make efforts to provide informal education, particularly around developing their independence skills. This provides children with the opportunity to gain skills that will equip them to live independently in the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager’s and staff’s approach to family time is inconsistent. One child is supported to spend time with extended family members who do not live locally. This promotes the child’s identity and helps them to maintain positive relationships. However, the registered manager was unaware of arrangements for indirect family time for one child. This means that the staff are unable to support the child to maintain and understand the importance of these relationships. Additionally, on some occasions, staff do not communicate effectively with the children’s parents.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who move into the home receive a copy of the home’s children’s guide. This gives children helpful information and helps the children to understand what to expect and how to make a complaint. However, the children’s guide and other important documents, such as consent forms, are not provided in an accessible format that children can understand, such as in a different language. This limits the children’s ability to independently make a complaint or refer to information.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Transitions from the home for children are inconsistent. When some children have a planned move out of the home, there is limited forward planning to help the child to prepare for the move emotionally and practically. This limits the opportunities to help the children to adapt and build resilience. Additionally, it increases the risk of the move not being successful. Inspection report for children’s home: SC068243 4

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

Children said that they feel safe living at the home. The registered manager carefully considers the compatibility of new children who move into the home. This includes each child’s needs, vulnerability and personality. As a result, the children living at the home have shared interests and hobbies. This has provided a more cordial feel to the home.

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

Risk assessments are regularly reviewed and updated. Records show the date, author and reason for any change. This means that the staff have up-to-date information to be able to respond to the children’s needs.

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

Staff understand the risks associated with children going missing from the home. Staff make efforts to balance the children’s wishes to enjoy free time alongside keeping in touch with the children when they are out of the home. When children do go missing from home, staff follow procedures to ensure their safe and timely return.

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

The registered manager and staff follow safeguarding procedures when there are child protection concerns. Communication with professionals and specialist services ensures that the children receive the appropriate help and support. This helps the children to understand the importance of seeking help and increases the likelihood they will do so in the future.

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

Behaviour management strategies are specific and relate to the reason they are implemented. Children understand the reason for the action taken by staff and how long a consequence will be in place. Staff ensure that any restrictions are reviewed and removed when they are deemed no longer necessary. Children receive consistent responses from the staff, which helps them to understand rules and boundaries.

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

The registered manager identifies potential risks of children accessing each other’s bedrooms. Bedroom door alarms have been used overnight as a safety measure. However, the registered manager does not review these arrangements or seek consent from the children or the placing authority. Additionally, some children have disproportionally experienced these measures when risk assessments do not warrant them.

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

Children have access to the internet and enjoy having ownership of their own devices. However, staff do not routinely check devices to ensure that the children are accessing appropriate information. Additionally, children are not supported to understand the risks associated with the internet and how to keep themselves safe. This is a missed opportunity to help children develop skills that could reduce their risk of harm. Inspection report for children’s home: SC068243 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has high aspirations for the home. He is conscientious and strives to make improvements that will benefit the children and help them to flourish.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has implemented positive changes since the last inspection. He has improved the quality of monitoring and oversight of the home. Staff said that they feel there is a more consistent approach, which has increased their confidence to fulfil their role. Staff turnover has decreased, which helps to provide predictable care arrangements for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager carries out regular audits of children’s files. Incidents are triangulated and the registered manager is beginning to identify themes and patterns to help reduce future occurrences. The registered manager records his oversight of incidents, which provides a learning opportunity for staff. Additionally, this ensures that the staff provide consistent responses to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular individual supervision sessions to reflect on their own needs and development. Group supervision sessions provide staff with the opportunity to discuss the children’s progress. The registered manager adopts a strength-based approach to create and review actions. This helps the registered manager to monitor the quality of care that the children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and staff have made improvements to provide a more homely environment. However, areas of the home are institutionalised, such as the front door and internal fire doors. Additionally, areas of the home, particularly bathrooms and bedrooms, need repair and maintenance. These features detract from a homely environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has insufficient monitoring systems in place to identify that some children’s files do not contain up-to-date statutory documents. This limits staff’s ability to follow children’s care plans accurately.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff at the home have various experiences of caring for children. However, the registered manager does not consistently evaluate staff’s qualifications, for example whether the staff hold the necessary equivalent qualifications. This means that some members of staff have not attained a relevant qualification within the regulatory time frame. Inspection report for children’s home: SC068243 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 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

so far as reasonably practicable in the light of the child’s age and understanding, the child is informed in advance of the intention to do the monitoring or surveillance; and

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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)(c)(d)) 18 November

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; and

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to children’s statutory documents. 18 November

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s guide is made available to all children when their placement in the home is agreed. This must be provided in an accessible format and explained to each child to make sure that they understand it. In particular, the registered person should ensure that the guide is translated into a language that the child understands. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.21)  The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets children’s needs. Children’s home will, in most cases, be Inspection report for children’s home: SC068243 7 homely, domestic environments. The registered person should ensure that, as far as possible, a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression is maintained. The registered person should ensure that repairs in children’s personal space, such as

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Recommendations

bathrooms and bedrooms, are addressed promptly. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of helping the child to develop skills to have positive relationships with others, such as family members, siblings and previous carers, in accordance with their relevant plans. In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff have contact details for parents and record all family time arrangements for children, which includes indirect arrangements. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 38, paragraph 8.6)  The registered person should consider whether and how they can support the child to access a computer and the internet safely. In particular, the registered person should ensure that children understand the risks associated with using

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Recommendations

the internet. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 29, paragraph 5.19)  The registered person should work with the placing authority to ensure that each child’s transition is planned and help each child to prepare for leaving both practically and emotionally. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.9)  The registered person should ensure that the content of any qualifications held by the individual closely corresponds with the qualifications set out in regulations for staff. In particular, the registered person should ensure scrutiny of staff qualifications to be satisfied that staff hold relevant qualifications. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 10.13)

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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: SC068243 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: North Tyneside Council

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Cat Makel, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC068243 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 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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