Children's Home run by South Tyneside Council in South Tyneside

Inspection report for children’s home: SC032701 1 SC032701 Registered provider: South Tyneside Council

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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 local authority. It provides care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home. The inspector spoke to all the children during the 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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC032701 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/08/2023 Full Good 30/08/2022 Full Good 17/02/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 09/11/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC032701 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children usually remain living at the home for a long time. Children experience stability, often for the first time and after several previous changes of home. This has been particularly life changing for one child, who has returned to school, developed deeper relationships with staff and now has their emotional needs met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The views and wishes of children are at the heart of the home. Staff advocate on behalf of the children. An example of this is that one child has returned to live with their family. Staff made sure that the child was supported with the move and continue to provide outreach assistance to the child and their family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children experience good relationships with staff. Children settle quickly and begin to form strong relationships with some staff, despite only being there for a brief time. A consistent approach by staff supports children to get used to new routines and boundaries, which helps children adjust to the expectations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are mixed responses in respect of children’s engagement with education and some children struggle to attend school every day. However, children also make progress and children have sat their exams and await their results. This has enabled the children to plan for their future and decide on college courses. Another child, who was not going to school at all, is now going to every session at their alternative school provision. This is addressing the gap in their learning. Staff celebrate the children’s achievements, which shows children that staff are proud of their individual progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that there is specialist help for children who need it, such as cognitive assessments. This will identify any support that the children need in the future around their learning needs. Through conversations with staff, children begin to identify the help that they need, which makes it more likely that they will engage in services such as therapy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to see their families and, if it is appropriate, staff will support these arrangements. If this support has an impact on the relationships between children and staff, alternative arrangements are made and this role is fulfilled by other professionals. This ensures that the lines between caring for the child and supporting the family do not become confused. The child’s needs are always the priority.

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

The children’s key risks and vulnerabilities are well understood by staff. Staff support children well. For example, staff know how to help both practically and emotionally if a child self-harms. When necessary, staff put additional measures in place to keep children safer, such as the use of bedroom door chimes. The children’s risk assessments address why this action is necessary. However, the plans do not address how these arrangements Inspection report for children’s home: SC032701 4 will be reviewed. Children will, therefore, not know how long these restrictions will be in place for.

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

An increase in episodes of going missing for one child has led to concerns about their safety when they are out in the community. There is a robust procedure underpinning staff’s practice and staff understand their responsibilities when children are away from the home. Staff make efforts to find children and locate them before involving the police. Once home, staff check to make sure that the child is okay. There are conversations to help staff to try to understand why children chose to stay away from home.

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

Staff instil rules and boundaries to support children’s positive behaviour. Staff use individualised techniques to calm situations when children are angry or upset. Children share their views about the strategies that staff should use, helping staff think about what might be useful during those times. Consequently, physical guides and holds are rarely used, and instead staff use their relationships to effectively de-escalate situations.

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

There have been two medication administration errors and both issues have been investigated by managers. The learning identified has been discussed in team meetings and through refresher training. Where necessary, managers address any issues around staff practice, which ensures that managers act in the best interest of children to make sure that children receive the best possible care.

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

If allegations have been made, these are taken seriously and the local authority designated officer is contacted for advice. This ensures that proper investigations are completed to make sure that the children remain safer.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is enthusiastic about her management role and leads by example. Her knowledge and experiences help to ensure that the support and planning for children is appropriate to their needs, so that they have the level of care they deserve and need.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is ambitious for the children and their planning. Two children have moved home to live with family, which has been a significant achievement. They have had a thoughtful ending to their time in the home with a weekend away at a festival and a celebration dinner with everyone.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff address the daily records to the children. These are written in a child-centred and helpful way. This is a strength of the staff team. Children can access their records when they are older and gain a clear understanding about their time living in the home. However, this was not consistent across all records, where some unhelpful professional language appears in some documents. This is an area for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff show commitment to the children and they want them to have positive experiences. The team has remained stable with minimal change. Staff work well Inspection report for children’s home: SC032701 5 together and support each other. Their diverse experience and knowledge bring different ways of working with the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported by the management team and spoke positively about this. They can speak to managers about any issues affecting them. This ensures that the manager knows when staff need extra support for their own well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Learning underpins the care provided. This takes place in team meetings, staff discussions and training. The staff also seek ways to improve their practice when the children’s needs change. For example, a psychologist is consulted about the children. This provides an analysis about children’s early life experiences, the impact of this and how this might influence them now. External professionals also give staff appropriate strategies to support children. This helps staff to think about children and their experiences holistically, giving them a greater understanding of their behaviours and needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and the team have particularly good working relationships with the care team around the children, ensuring that the children have the consistent approach that they need. Inspection report for children’s home: SC032701 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 privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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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 kept under review and, if necessary, revised. (Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(iii) 14 October 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff 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)

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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: SC032701 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: South Tyneside Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Town Hall & Civic Office, Westoe Road, South Shields NE33 2RL

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Inspector

Miriam Dolman, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC032701 8 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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