Children's home run by Northumberland County Council in Northumberland

Inspection report for children’s home: SC468929 1 SC468929 Registered provider: Northumberland County 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 to provide care for up to four children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2013.

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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: SC468929 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/06/2022 Full Good 11/05/2021 Full Good 28/01/2020 Full Good 29/01/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC468929 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

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

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There has been an unsettled period, with some staff shortages and safeguarding incidents since the last inspection. Children had varying experiences when moving out from the home. Two children have successfully moved on from the home in accordance with their plans. The children have kept in touch with the staff after they moved out. One child moved in and subsequently moved on from the home. This was an unexpected change of care plan for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met. Children are supported to attend all their routine health appointments. Staff identify the children’s emerging health needs quickly, prompting referrals for specialist health services, such as mental health services. This multi-agency approach means that children’s health needs are promoted effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are committed to support children to access education. They are persistent and strongly advocate for children to receive education that meets their needs. Staff communicate effectively with the children’s education providers and support them with their learning when appropriate to do so. For children who receive home tuition, there is a study room which allows the children to focus on their education free from distraction. As a result, the children have made progress with their education from their individual starting point.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff use incentives to encourage positive behaviour. One child requested a pet hamster in their bedroom. This included them undertaking research about the breed of the hamster and the relevant costs. This helps to teach children about taking responsibility and encourages them to be kind and empathetic.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from a range of activities that enhance their social experiences. These include swimming, horse riding and going on day trips. As a result, the children are making lasting memories, learning new skills and having fun.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to spend time with their families and other people who are important to them. Family time arrangement is carefully considered in line with the children’s wishes and their care plans. This helps the children to spend time with people who are significant in their lives and also supports the children’s understanding of their identity.

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

Staff understand each child’s risks. Individual risk assessments are regularly reviewed and reflect the children’s vulnerabilities. Clearly written guidance supports staff to know exactly what action to take to minimise the risk to children and protect Inspection report for children’s home: SC468929 4 them from harm. Staff support the children to take age-appropriate risks that support their development and independence, such as independent travel and free time in the community where appropriate.

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

Regular consultation with the educational psychologist is effective in improving staff practice. It also allows staff to understand the reasons behind some behaviours, providing a nurturing environment for children. This enables staff to support the children during difficult times and helps the children to learn to regulate their emotions.

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

Staff try to promote good relationships between the children. Staff have quickly identified when a child became the victim of bullying behaviour. However, they were not effective in addressing that bullying, which continued for some time. This only stopped when one of the children moved on from the home. Staff now hold regular discussions with children about being kind and respectful to each other. This reflects the staff’s commitment to supporting children to manage and take responsibility for their actions.

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

Staff restrain children as a last resort to keep the child and others safe. Staff ensure that the measures that used are proportionate and for the least amount of time. There are discussions between children and staff that support learning from these incidents.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff respond quickly. They follow the missing-from-home protocols, actively look for the children and work with local police until the children are found. When children return to the home, staff spend time with them, giving them the opportunity to share any worries or anxieties they have and to discuss their reasons for going missing. Staff support the children to understand the risks of going missing and how to keep themselves safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has high expectations for what all children can achieve. The staff are positive about the manager and describe a supportive working environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular and reflective practice-based supervision. The supervision process provides the staff with the guidance they need to provide good, consistent care to the children. Staff also benefit from regular team meetings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a strong advocate for training and ensures that all staff have access training to further develop their practice and to continually improve the quality of the care provided to children. She has arranged bespoke training, such as emotional coaching, for the staff. This has ensured that there is a collective approach to support the children to work through their past trauma. Inspection report for children’s home: SC468929 5 The manager consults with the children, their families and professionals to improve the service. Levels of communication are good. This partnership working helps to plan children’s care effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last full inspection, there has been a high turnover of staff. The manager ensures that the recruitment processes are comprehensive and thorough. Staff, including agency staff, are suitably checked to ensure that it is appropriate for them to be working at the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC468929 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

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(xi)(xii)(xiii)) 31 January 2024

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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 children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended 31 January 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC468929 7 that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)) Inspection report for children’s home: SC468929 8

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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: SC468929 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Northumberland County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, Morpeth, Northumberland NE61 2EF

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Inspector

Cherie Chen, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC468929 10 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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