Children's Home run by HMO NE Ltd in North Tyneside

Inspection report for children’s home: 2676045 1 Registered provider: HMO NE Limited T/A ForeverCare

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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 operated by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to four children who may have social and emotional difficulties, learning disabilities and sensory impairment.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, three children were living in the home. One of the children was being supported away from the home. Inspectors spoke to two children during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 6 November 2023

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2676045 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/11/2023 Full Good 30/01/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2676045 3

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improvement to be good

Children have varied experiences of living in the home. The registered manager did not appropriately consider children’s high-risk behaviours and their needs before accepting new children into the home. One child moved in and subsequently moved on from the home, following a significant increase in safeguarding incidents involving several children. This has caused disruption and difficulties for all the children.

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improvement to be good

Children’s progress in education is varied. One child has made good progress with their education. They have made friendship groups with other pupils at college. This new experience has extended their social opportunities outside of their education. However, some children have not engaged positively with education. No formal timetables are in place to demonstrate how children are supported to access education and how they should spend their days. The lack of input to establish a routine that prioritises learning means that children are not making academic progress in line with their plans and meeting expected academic goals.

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improvement to be good

Staff have direct discussions with children about any areas of concern. However, these sessions are often reactive and not restorative. Staff lack professional curiosity and do not consistently explore children’s experiences. It is unclear from records whether children are given the opportunity to learn and reflect on their emotions after difficult incidents.

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improvement to be good

The home is large and well appointed. However, some areas require attention for repair and replacement. Damaged walls, stained carpets and damage to worksurfaces in the kitchen detract from what would otherwise be a nice environment for children to live.

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improvement to be good

Staff help children to have meaningful relationships with their family and friends. Staff support children to spend time with the people who are important to them. For some children, the support that staff give them to spend time with loved ones is a new and valuable experience.

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improvement to be good

Children’s care plans and risk assessments are updated regularly; however, not all the known risks are considered. There is a lack of clear guidance for staff on how best to support children. Management oversight of children’s written plans is often out of date. As a result, children have experienced inconsistent care and responses from staff.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not ensure that medication is stored securely. The medication cabinet and key box were found to be unlocked. Medication records are not well maintained. For example, there are discrepancies in records relating to a medication error. After an Inspection report for children’s home: 2676045 4 incident, staff do not continuously assess children’s ability to self-administer medication to ensure correct medication consumption. This could put children at risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

Children know how to make a complaint. The manager investigates complaints and shares outcomes with the children in a timely manner. On one occasion, the manager’s response to a child was inappropriate due to the use of child-blaming language. This weakens children’s voices and opportunities to influence changes in the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff’s response to incidents of self-harm is not consistent. On multiple occasions, staff have not carried out room searches to ensure that dangerous items are removed. There is no clear monitoring system in place to assess children’s risks following incidents. This means that the management of these incidents is not always effective. Additionally, the manager and the staff do not inform professionals and family members following incidents. This shortfall increases the risk of closed cultures and hinders multi-agency working.

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improvement to be good

Consequences are not always restorative. For example, staff restricted the use of the internet because of children going missing from home. Children received financial consequences when they caused damage to the home and have not been offered the opportunity to carry out reparation work. These consequences are not always revisited in terms of their appropriateness or effectiveness. As a result, children were not helped to recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves or others.

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improvement to be good

Physical intervention is used only as a last resort to keep the children and others safe. Staff keep professionals and families informed following any incidents. The manager reviews all incidents and has discussions with staff to reflect on these incidents. This helps to ensure safe practice around the use of physical intervention and allows staff to consider their approach to supporting the children with their emotions.

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improvement to be good

Staff try to promote good relationships between the children. They hold individual discussions with children regularly 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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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is child-focused and speaks about the children with warmth and enthusiasm. She is supported by two deputy managers and the responsible individual.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive a wide range of training. The manager ensures that staff receive bespoke training to meet children’s needs before they move into the home. In-house training is also delivered during team meetings. A rota is organised to ensure that there are qualified staff on each shift.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff said that they like working in the home and that morale is good. Staff value the support they receive from the managers and senior leaders. Team meetings are regular and well attended by staff. Inspection report for children’s home: 2676045 5 The manager has developed good relationships with external agencies, including specialist health services, education providers and social care professionals. Professionals speak highly of the manager’s communication.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The effectiveness of the manager’s monitoring systems in the home has deteriorated in recent months. The manager does not identify and critically evaluate the home’s strengths and areas for development effectively. This has hindered the manager’s ability to improve outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management oversight and action on serious incidents are not consistently evident. The manager and the staff do not carry out lessons-learned exercises to reflect and identify learning from serious incidents. Notifications to Ofsted have not always been made. This oversight has prevented Ofsted from scrutinising how significant incidents and potential safeguarding matters are managed. It has prevented Ofsted from being assured that children are safeguarded and supported by the manager and the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff do not receive regular supervision. The frequency of supervision for staff is not aligned with the provider’s supervision policy. This hinders the manager’s ability to assess staff performance and improve the standard of care for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2676045 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; and

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)) 3 June 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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; 3 June 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2676045 7 ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicines kept in the home are stored in a secure place so as to prevent any child from having unsupervised access to them;

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child; and

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)) 3 June 2024

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; and

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. 3 June 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2676045 8 (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 3 June 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should be skilled in anticipating difficulties and reviewing incidents, such as learning from disruptions and placement breakdowns. They are responsible for proactively implementing lessons learned and sustaining good practice to ensure continuous improvement. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)  The registered person should ensure that any consequences used to address poor behaviour are restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)  The registered person should encourage children to share any concerns about their care or other matters as soon as they arise. Children must be able to take up issues or

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Recommendations

make a complaint with support and without any fear that this will result in any adverse consequences. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.13)

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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: 2676045 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: HMO NE LTD T/A ForeverCare

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hallgate House, 9 Grange Terrace, Sunderland SR2 7DF

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Inspectors

Cherie Chen, Social Care Inspector Lisa Gordon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2676045 10 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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