Children's home run by Impact Childcare and Education

Inspection report for children’s home: 2519081 1 Registered provider: Impact Childcare and Education 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 managed by an independent provider. It provides care for up to five children with emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager at the home since April 2023. There is an interim manager in post. She is still to submit her application to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, four children were living in the home. The inspector spoke with two of the children.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 2519081 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/08/2022 Full Good 22/06/2021 Full Good 03/03/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 16/09/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2519081 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children well, demonstrate a lot of care for them, and have aspirations for them. Two of the children have lived in the home for three to four years. This has given them stability, allowing the children to develop good relationships with the staff who look after them. This helps children to feel secure and settled.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is help for children’s learning and education. Children who have not attended school for months are now going full time. This progress will increase their long- term options. However, the acting manager has not escalated their concerns about the delay in the decision-making for one child and their examinations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to prepare for adulthood. There is encouragement to assist with small tasks around the home, such as cooking meals or doing the washing. This helps children to develop independence skills that they will need as adults to be able to look after themselves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Transitions in and out of the home are well planned. When a new child is due to move in, they have visits to the home, which helps them to begin to get to know the children and staff. Similarly, those who move out continue to have support from staff, which helps them to make the important transition to living alone.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff take into consideration the children’s views, especially about what they want to do in their free time. One child has been able to use a music studio to create an album. There are also group activities such as days out to go treetop climbing or for meals out. These activities make sure that children have natural everyday experiences together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Careful thought is given to children spending time with their families. Staff know the issues well and support important relationships, helping the children to maintain family connections. Children’s wishes are also considered and respected if they choose not to go.

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

Risk assessments and behaviour support plans are individual for each child. Staff have a good understanding about the issues children face and how best to help them. Staff support children, for example in dealing with self-harming behaviours or if they struggle with eating issues. Children said that they can talk to staff and share their feelings. Staff provide practical care that involves medical and mental health advice. When children are facing times of crisis, there is a good multi-agency response. This includes staff contacting other professionals, such as the rapid response nurse. Staff follow the advice, ensuring that the children get the right support. This helps children to feel safe and well cared for. Inspection report for children’s home: 2519081 4 Staff support the children to manage their feelings and emotions. This involves informal chats, discussions, or more formal sessions to educate the children. Staff

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

use their good relationships to help children when they struggle to manage their emotions. Also, children have rewards when they do something well, such as money for treats. This helps children to understand expectations and encourages them to make good choices. As a result, staff rarely need to use physical interventions.

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

The leadership team takes complaints and allegations seriously. This involves seeking advice from safeguarding professionals. There is a robust process and the results of leadership team’s investigations determine the next steps. This helps to keep children safer. Children are told the outcome of their complaints, which helps them to feel listened to.

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

Children rarely go missing from care. There was a minor increase in missing-from- care incidents when two children moved into the home. As these children have settled, and through them relationships with peers and staff have developed, the instances of children going missing from care have reduced again. Staff understand their responsibilities and take action to find children. This reduces the risk of harm that children might face while they are away from home.

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

There have been some medication errors. However, the response to this was appropriate. This includes a review of the medication process and extra staff training. This response ensures that staff have been helped to avoid further errors.

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good

The acting manager is committed. She knows the children and staff well as she has worked in the home for two years. The recruitment of suitable staff has been a challenge, so that there are some staff vacancies. In the meantime, the staff will work additional hours. On occasions, the acting manager and responsible individual care for the children when there are insufficient staff. This provides consistency for the children.

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good

The staff voiced some anxiety about the recent management changes, although new staff are joining the home, and the interim manager is helping the staff to work together as a team.

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good

The children’s records vary in quality. Some give a good sense about what is happening daily for children whereas others do not. This makes it hard to understand the children’s day-to-day experiences. There is also a variation in how staff talk about children in their records. The recording is not always child centred. Staff do not write from a child’s perspective, which is important if children choose to look at their records now, or in later life.

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good

One child’s education, health and care (EHC) plan is not on their file and has been missing since 2022. Due to the lack of management oversight, the child’s EHC plan Inspection report for children’s home: 2519081 5 has not been identified as missing from their records, and the placing authority has not been robustly challenged to provide the document. This means that staff have not been providing up-to-date and consistent care for the child.

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good

Professionals say that the children are well cared for by the staff. They have confidence in staff’s ability to meet the children’s needs both on a day-to-day basis and when the children are in crisis. Professionals are confident that staff will seek external advice and support if this is needed. This gives professionals confidence that staff act in the best interests of children and makes sure that children have a coordinated, consistent approach from the adults involved in their care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2519081 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c)) 29 March 2024

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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

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h)) 29 March 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion, and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report for children’s home: 2519081 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: 2519081 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Impact Childcare and Education

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Impact Childcare & Education, 3–5 Brenkley Way, Blezard Business Park, Seaton Burn, Newcastle upon Tyne NE13 6DS

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: No registered manager

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Inspector

Miriam Dolman, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2519081 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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