Children's Home run by Leeds City Council in Leeds

Unique reference number SC066120 Inspection date 23/01/2012 Inspector Simon Morley Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 19/09/2011 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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About this inspection

The report details the progress made by the provider since the last full inspection, identifies any further strengths, any areas for improvement and makes judgements as outlined in the Inspection of children’s homes – framework for inspection (March 2011).

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Good progress The children’s home has demonstrated continued improvement in quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the large majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Satisfactory progress The children’s home has maintained quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Inadequate progress The children’s home has failed to address one or more requirements and/or has not met the majority of recommendations and/or the quality of care and outcomes for children and young people have declined since the last full inspection.

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Brief description of the service

This home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children of either sex from 10 to 17 years old. Children and young people who use the home have special educational needs, physical disabilities and associated emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Brief description of the service

Care is organised on a shared basis with young people staying in the children's home for part of the week and then going home to live with their families. When at home with their families other young people stay at the children's home. Ten families and young people are supported in this way with a maximum of five young people staying in the children's home at any one time.

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Progress

Since their previous inspection the service is judged to be making satisfactory progress.

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Progress

Since the last inspection, progress has been made in relation to all the areas identified for improvement. The majority of the statutory requirements and recommendations have been fully met. Others still need further progress.

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Progress

The manager of the home is now in a permanent post and has made good progress in applying to be registered with Ofsted. She is now supported by a line manager with a strong background and experience of working with children with disabilities. These improvements to the management structure help ensure children and their families receive services they need and children are more appropriately placed in the home. As a result of an improved admissions process, there is a better, settled and calmer atmosphere. Children can take part in more activities and have more freedom to enjoy what the home has to offer.

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Progress

The Statement of Purpose is under review to provide children, parents and social workers with better information about the home, what it provides, and its aims and objectives. The new version was not available at the time of inspection. Likewise, there is now a draft development plan highlighting what improvements are to be made to the service making it better for children and their families.

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Progress

There are better arrangements for consulting with children and their families so that they are more included in decisions about their care and more able to participate in how the service develops.

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Progress

The majority of staff vacancies have been filled and the manager is able to increase staffing depending on the diverse needs of children. As a result, the staff group and staff on individual shifts are better able to meet the individual needs of all children in the home.

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Progress

Records have improved in relation to physical intervention used with children as part of their behaviour management plans. However, these records still fell short of regulatory requirements making it hard to effectively monitor these incidents. This issue was already highlighted by the registered provider and action taken to improve this further. The frequency with which staff use physical intervention, as a means to keep children safe, is minimal. While this is good practice it is not evident that the necessary records will be made should physical intervention be used.

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Progress

Décor and furnishings have improved, particularly in relation to children's bedrooms making them more homely.

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Progress

Efforts have been made to overcome physical restrictions, such as locked doors, on normal movement around the home. This is to help ensure more able and independent young people are not unnecessarily restricted. Similarly, such young people have opportunities to develop their independence skills through shopping, budgeting and cooking. However, access to the kitchen is still restricted which continues to limit opportunities for young people to develop their skills further.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure physical restrictions on normal movement within the home do not impose similar restrictions on all children regardless of ability (NMS 10.4)  ensure children receive care which helps them prepare for independence, in particular support young people who have the ability to access appropriate kitchen facilities to develop their practical skills (NMS 12)  ensure an up-to-date Statement of Purpose is available to and understood by children, parents, staff and the placing authority (NMS 13)  ensure there is clear written policy and guidance that clarifies the purpose, format and content of record keeping, particularly in relation to maintaining records of the use of physical intervention. (NMS 22)

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