Children's Home run by Northumberland County Council in Northumberland

Inspection report for children’s home: SC486604 1 SC486604 Registered provider: Northumberland County 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

This home is operated and managed by a local authority to provide care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There were four children living in the home at the time of the inspection. The inspector spoke to three of the four children.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: SC486604 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/07/2024 Full Good 07/08/2023 Full Good 22/08/2022 Full Good 25/05/2021 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC486604 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress from their starting points. Three of the children have lived in the home since the last inspection and are settled. Staff know the children well and keep children at the centre of their practice. Staff are committed to ensuring that the children are looked after by people who know them and understand their needs. Children build and maintain relationships locally, which contributes to them being able to form and sustain a support network for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to attend education and are making progress. Staff liaise regularly with education colleagues and update them about children. Staff help children to take part in extra-curricular activities, such as a residential trip abroad. One child has returned to a full-time timetable and another child’s improved speech helps them to engage better in the school day.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend routine appointments and staff seek out additional professional support when this is needed. Staff encourage children to be active and to learn about healthy lifestyles. Staff efforts have helped children to develop skills to maintain good health for when they move on from the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support all children to prepare for their futures. All children are encouraged to learn self-care skills and to participate in daily family life. This helps children to learn to live together and prepare them for when they are ready to move on.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in a range of activities in and out of the home. They enjoy days out and are encouraged to explore their interests. Staff encourage children to learn new skills and then celebrate children’s successes. This helps children to build confidence and experience a sense of achievement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of nurturing children’s relationships with their family and friends. Staff have good relationships with family members and show children that everyone caring for them can get along. Families report feeling welcome in the home and comfortable spending time with their children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is a large property which is clean and well decorated. The gardens are well maintained, and children have space to explore and to play. Three of the children’s bedrooms are personalised, and all have their own en-suite bathrooms. One child’s bedroom had a number of electrical cables across the floor. This could pose a tripping hazard or risk of fire. Inspection report for children’s home: SC486604 4

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

Staff have good relationships with children. Children can identify a trusted adult they can talk to about their concerns. Children are observed to have warm, relaxed interactions with staff. Staff talk warmly about the children and know them well.

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

When children go missing from home, staff follow the organisation’s procedures and have a well-coordinated response. Staff work with partner agencies and are persistent in searching known locations to find children and ensure their return home. Staff ensure that children are offered a return home interview by an independent person. This gives children an opportunity to talk about their experiences and provides staff with valuable information about why children go missing from home.

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

When children are distressed, staff use de-escalation as their first response. Children are only held when it is necessary to protect them or others. Staff keep detailed records and are trained in approved techniques, which are regularly reviewed. The holds are well managed and are effective in keeping children safe.

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

Staff take prompt action to protect children from harm when safeguarding concerns arise. When police take action to investigate concerns, the manager and staff work in partnership to ensure that children are well supported and that they work effectively to multi-agency plans. On one occasion, the manager challenged the police when the delay in progressing an investigation was impacting negatively on children. This delay caused upset and confusion to a child and has impacted on their relationship with staff. The manager and staff are now working to rebuild the relationship with the child and re- establish trust.

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

Children’s risk assessments do not include all known risks. Staff know children’s risks and discuss these with partner agencies. However, these documents do not provide staff with clear guidance on how to keep children safe. One child’s main risk is not included in their risk assessment. This does not provide assurances that all staff understand the risk and respond effectively to safeguard the child.

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

Staff have discussions with children to help children understand their risks. However, these discussions are held retrospectively and in response to immediate concerns. Staff do not plan key-work sessions with children to follow up on known risks or have discussions about any anticipated risks that may arise. This means that children may not have the tools to keep themselves safer when faced with new situations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers do not have effective systems in place to maintain consistent oversight of the home. Consequently, the manager has not identified shortfalls in staff practice, risk assessments that are incomplete and a lack of focus on plans that meet all of the needs of children. This has resulted in a lack of consistency in the care that children receive. Inspection report for children’s home: SC486604 5 The manager’s assessment of children moving into the home is not always thorough. The manager does not always review all information held by the local authority before a child moves in and consider this alongside the needs of other children in the home. This means staff have not been fully prepared to meet the competing needs of children in their care effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff supervision is not taking place in line with the timescales set out in the organisation’s policy and there are significant gaps for some staff. This limits the manager’s oversight of individual practice and reduces opportunities to address staff learning needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Multi-agency working is a strength of the manager and staff. The manager shares decision-making about the children’s care with partner agencies and escalates any concerns to hold others to account. The feedback from professionals is consistently positive about staff and the support that children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Team meetings are well attended and take place weekly. Additionally, there are case management meetings monthly which give staff time to reflect on their practice and to develop strategies to support children through difficult situations. Inspection report for children’s home: SC486604 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 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

that staff 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(i)) 2 June 2025

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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; 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)(h)) 2 June 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC486604 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that systems are in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive regular supervision. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure that children feel safe and are safe. Staff should support children to be aware of and manage their own safety, both inside and outside the home, to the extent that any good parent would. Staff should help children to understand how to protect themselves, feel protected and be protected from significant harm. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.9)  The registered person should ensure that the children’s home complies with relevant health and safety legislations. In particular, children’s bedrooms should be free from avoidable hazards. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality

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Recommendations

standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should work closely with the placing authority to understand the child’s relationship history and the impact that the child’s arrival may have on the group living in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 38, paragraph 8.3)

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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: SC486604 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Northumberland County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered Providers Address: County Hall, Morpeth NE61 2EF

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Inspector

Lisa Gordon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC486604 9 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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