Children's home run by Right-Trak Limited in Newcastle upon Tyne

Inspection report for children’s home: SC465475 1 SC465475 Registered provider: Right-Trak Limited

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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 managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to 5 children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager’s post has been vacant since July 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

There were three children living in the home at the time of the inspection. All three children were spoken to.

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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

Date of last inspection: 12 September 2023

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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: SC465475 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/09/2023 Full Good 03/10/2022 Full Good 11/05/2021 Full Good 02/07/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC465475 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home provides care for young children who benefit from having a staff team that has the energy to match the children’s ages and levels of activity. Staff respond to the needs of the children and offer hugs and comfort when they are needed. This helps the children to build secure and trusting relationships with the staff. Children say they like living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of learning and education for all children. Children who have been at the home for some time are settled in school and making good progress. One child had not had any access to early learning opportunities before coming to the home. This means that they do not have some of the basic skills that a child of their age would be expected to have. However, in a short space of time, staff have been able to help them learn new skills, such as sitting at the table at mealtimes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a thorough understanding of the children’s health needs and ensure that they attend all of their appointments. They also help children to develop healthy habits in relation to food choices and an active lifestyle. Some children have required the support of other health professionals due to their early experiences. The staff have regular consultations with a psychologist to help them understand the impact of trauma on the children’s development. This then helps the staff to better support the emotional well- being of the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand how difficult it is for children to move in and out of the home. Staff support children with a detailed plan to help them become familiar with the changes. This helps children to settle into their new home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand each child’s communication method. Staff undertake specialised training such as Picture Exchange Communication System. This means that children with additional needs can communicate with staff and can share their views and wishes. This helps each child to be fully involved in home life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from joining in with a wide range of activities. These include, but are not restricted to, walks in the park, swimming lessons and structured trips. This helps children to develop new skills and confidence in trying new things.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s bedrooms are personalised with their own belongings. Some of the communal areas in the home require care and attention. This detracts from the overall homely feel.

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

Staff know the children well and have a good understanding of the risks for each child. Care plans and risk assessments are regularly updated so that staff are working with the most up-to-date information about children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC465475 4 Staff understand the importance of a predictable and appropriate environment for young children. Staff provide structure to the children’s day, and they model good manners and the use of kind words. This shows children by example how they should behave and respond to others. This helps children to develop socially acceptable behaviour.

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

When children become angry or upset, staff help children to understand their big emotions, which can sometimes mean that children are held. The manager and staff are proactive in seeking to understand why this is necessary and to review practice to better meet the children’s needs. For one child, this means that they no longer need to be held at bedtime, when this used to be a regular occurrence.

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

Staff lock two of the external doors, which act as fire exits at night. This could prevent children and staff from exiting the home safely in the event of an emergency. This could have significant consequences for those in the building during a fire.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The new manager has applied but is not yet registered with Ofsted. Staff turnover, including the previous registered manager, has been high, creating an unsettled period for children. The new manager has worked to unite the staff team and minimise the impact of these changes on the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is creating a positive environment through team building and working in partnership with staff. She sets out clear expectations for staff behaviours of inclusivity and acceptance. This ensures that staff can work together to meet the children’s needs and feel supported by the manager and each other.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals speak highly of the manager and staff and say they have good working relationships. The manager has been able to appropriately raise challenge when the children’s plans are not kept up to date and important documentation is missing. This means that they now have the relevant information to contribute to care planning for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager monitors practice in the home using monthly audits and her scrutiny of the reports provided by the independent visitor. This provides her with a good insight into the strengths of the home and areas for further development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Under the previous manager, not all staff received regular supervision and support. This has been identified by the new manager, who is taking steps to address this. The lack of support has affected the confidence of some new staff members. Additional probation support has been implemented to ensure that all staff received a complete induction. Inspection report for children’s home: SC465475 5

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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

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

provide adequate means of escape from the home in the event of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(b)) 20 September 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered provider should ensure that the home is a nurturing and homely environment that is maintained to a good standard. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: SC465475 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Winovation, Houghtons Yard, Shields Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE6 2YP

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Melanie Spriddell

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Inspector

Lisa Gordon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC465475 7 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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