Children's home run by Northumberland County Council in Northumberland

Inspection report for children’s home: SC059203 1 SC059203 Registered provider: Northumberland County Council

p.1

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 local authority. It provides short breaks for up to six children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2011.

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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC059203 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/03/2024 Full Good 20/01/2023 Full Good 10/12/2021 Full Good 14/02/2020 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC059203 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are welcomed into the home following a carefully managed assessment period. The manager speaks with the child, their family and their social worker to better understand how to care for them. Visits to the service are gradually increased to support children to be more familiar with the staff and the environment. Feedback from the child and their family informs the decision to increase future visits and eventual overnight stays.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from trusted and long-lasting relationships. The interactions between the children and staff are warm and familiar. Staff communicate well with children who are not able to speak. Staff are sensitive to children’s nonverbal cues and can therefore meet their needs.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children take an active role in deciding what activities to do and what food they like during their stay. It is routine for children to use a range of communication methods to inform the staff of the choices they would like to make. The staff’s skill in communicating with children means that all children have a voice and are able to have some control during their stay.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff hold weekly celebrations for children’s successes, where children can win a medal, trophy or certificate. Children work on their individual targets and choose an award for meeting their goals. This approach gives the children a sense of achievement and encourages them to become increasingly independent. One parent said that her child is now ‘dressing herself, making her bed and helping in the kitchen’.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children are approaching adulthood, staff ensure that they have a positive end to their time with the service. The children are involved in the planning of celebrations with their friends and staff to mark the occasion. Children are provided with memory books, and gifts are given to remind the children of their time. Special events are organised that create lasting memories for the children, their family and peers.

p.3

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

Staff know the children well and understand how to support them to manage their emotions. Known behaviours and triggers are captured in detailed plans that staff use to support the children. This helps to reduce children’s anxieties and promote a positive experience during their stay.

p.3

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

The staff use their knowledge of the children and their individual communication aids to reduce the impact of bullying for children. The ability of staff to understand the children’s cues and allow them to convey their feelings has been successful in identifying concerns for one child in school. This has allowed staff to take action that has helped reduce those times when the child is anxious. Inspection report for children’s home: SC059203 4 The staff are vigilant and show professional curiosity when children have unexplained injuries. On one occasion, concerns were escalated to the manager, who liaised with the school and other agencies to ensure the incident was investigated and an explanation was received. This response from the staff and manager supports a positive safeguarding culture.

p.3

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

The manager ensures that fire drills take place with both children and staff so that they are familiar with the procedure. The manager considers the impact on those children who are sensitive to loud noises and works with the school to reduce the impact during tests. This allows everyone to take an active role in drills throughout the year to support the safety of children if an emergency occurs.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a suitably experienced and qualified registered manager. The staff are experienced, and the home is well resourced to provide the children with the support they need during their stay.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is aspirational for children. She promotes an ethos of children receiving nurturing, unconditional care. She has a strong vision for the development of the home. For example, she will not admit children to the home unless there is good evidence that new referrals will benefit from a group-living environment. This is proving effective, and children are enjoying their stay.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When complaints are received, these are taken seriously and managed appropriately by the manager. Complainants receive a timely, written response that is in line with the home’s policy. The manager seeks to gain a positive resolution, but when a desired outcome cannot be achieved, the manager gives a clear explanation as to why.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff receive regular supervision and have their performance appraised annually. Staff reflect on their work and look to improve the care that children receive. Staff discuss the children they work with in depth with the aim of addressing any concerns and identifying the progress children are making. Staff feel well supported and better able to carry out their duties and improve care for children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The records related to children’s experiences during their time at the service lack detail and are limited to short descriptions of events. This does not capture the experiences of the children and provides a poor record for children to look back on.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s annual monitoring of the children’s files does not always ensure care plans are up to date. The changes in how one child is cared for and the progress they make are not included in their plan. The monitoring of meals, any new communication methods, and procedures for using aids were not updated. Some of these changes had been in place for some time. This could leave staff unsure about how to care for children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC059203 5

p.4

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child, and children’s plans should be regularly updated to reflect any changes in how they are cared for. (‘Guide to The Children’s Home’s Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62 paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that care plans include a strategy for a particular type of care, treatment or intervention. The care staff will need to understand the purpose of any such care. (‘Guide to The Children’s Home’s Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.15)

p.5

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 standard’. Inspection report for children’s home: SC059203 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Northumberland County Council

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, Morpeth NE61 2EF

p.6

Inspector

Lee Riley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC059203 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.

p.6

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.7

Inspector

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

p.7

Inspector

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

p.7