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

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to five children who may experience emotional and social difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2024.

p.1

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.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 17 January 2024

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2519081 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/01/2024 Full Good 08/08/2022 Full Good 22/06/2021 Full Good 03/03/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 2519081 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are attuned to the children’s needs. They use their positive relationships to talk to the children and understand what is important to them. Children feel close to and trust the staff, whom they can confide in when they need help or advice.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children’s preferred methods of communication. For example, one child prefers to write notes rather than using words. Staff sensitively understand the reasons behind this and enable it to happen. Staff’s inclusive practice enables children to participate in daily life at the home. They are skilled at talking to children, asking questions and responding to their social cues. This ensures that all children feel included in daily life at the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff act when there are concerns that the children’s local authorities are not taking the children’s views into account in their long-term plans. All children are encouraged to have an advocate to help ensure that they know their rights and have someone independent to promote their voice.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most children go to school or college. One child has started going to school again after being absent for a year and is making excellent progress. Another child is being helped to study for their GCSEs. Staff take time to understand the barriers that prevent children from going to school, such as mental health needs, and look for alternatives when needed to help support the children’s learning.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children develop their independence skills for later life. Children learn how to wash their clothes, clean and cook meals. Staff helped one child to do some online courses in food hygiene and other topics, which increased the child’s employability. As a result, the child secured a part-time job, and they are now learning how to budget and save.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have good relationships with the children’s family and friends. Everyone can visit the home, and they often come for tea, helping children to maintain relationships with important people in their lives.

p.3

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

Staff understand the struggles children experience and how to help when they arise. For example, when children self-harm, staff act swiftly and respond sensitively, making sure children have immediate support for their injury and seeking further medical advice when necessary. They ensure that children can speak to specialist services about their emotional well-being.

p.3

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

Children are helped to understand the dangers and risks associated with online safety. This broadens the children’s knowledge and skills, about how to keep themselves safe, Inspection report for children’s home: 2519081 4 and understanding of the impact their own actions can have on other people. This work is done at the child’s pace, giving them time to process their learning so that they get the most out of the support provided.

p.3

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

Missing-from-home incidents are well managed. Staff act quickly and look for children in the local area. A coordinated response with local authorities, the police and the children’s families helps the children return home safely, minimising the risks associated with being missing from home. Effective management oversight helps the team consider different preventative measures to reduce the likelihood of further incidents.

p.4

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

Staff respond well to behavioural issues to support the safety and well-being of the child concerned. They offer advice and use strategies individual to the child to lessen worrying behaviours. When staff have not responded in a supportive way, they reflect on their own practice and identify how to manage the situation differently in the future.

p.4

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

Positive behaviour is encouraged through incentives and the use of consequences, helping to support good decision-making. However, consequences are not always used in a restorative way. They can be reactive to the presenting behaviour of children and not used as an opportunity to help children learn.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is committed to the children and the staff team. She has good systems to monitor what is happening in the home. This allows her to have consistent oversight of staff’s practice and the impact on the children’s care. The manager works hands on, helping staff, showing them what is expected and providing them with additional support when needed.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff know the children’s individual needs and how best to support them. They confidently talk through scenarios that demonstrate their ability to keep children safe. The staff have a lovely nurturing approach in the way they engage with the children. However, this is not always translated into the children’s records, with some language used that is not helpful to children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals are confident in staff’s ability to meet the children’s needs. The manager consults with the wider professional network if they are concerned about staff’s continued ability to meet a child’s needs when challenges arise. This ensures that important decisions are made jointly for children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular practice-related supervision and team meetings. The children, challenges and successes are discussed thoroughly. However, there is less captured about staff practice and reflective discussions in supervision records. These gaps in information limit the manager’s ability to understand negative patterns or trends in practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2519081 5 There have been several children move into and out of the home since the last inspection. The assessment that is completed before children move in is not robust enough to reassure the manager that children can live together. However, where possible, moves into and out of the home are well planned. This allows children time to adjust, to get to know the other children in the home and the staff team, or more about their next home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2519081 6

p.4

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any consequence used to address poor behaviour are restorative in nature and 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 ensure that they have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice that allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, and they have fully considered the impact that

p.6

Recommendations

the placement will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  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)

p.6

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 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Impact Childcare and Education

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 3-5 Brenkley Way, Blezard Business Park, Seaton Burn, Newcastle upon Tyne NE13 6DS

p.7

Inspector

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

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8