Children's Home run by Pebbles Care Limited in Leeds

Good

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

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people enjoy living at this home. They like the staff, who are caring, supportive and want to see them do well.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Staff have a thorough understanding of young people’s individual needs. They are well trained and have the necessary skills and knowledge to provide good care.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people make good progress and in the minority of cases when it is not so, action is taken to rectify this.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people are safe and the high quality of care results in the majority of young people reducing their levels of risk taking behaviour. When behaviour remains risky, care is reviewed effectively on a multi-agency basis to ensure safeguards are in place.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Leadership and management of the home is good and focussed on providing the best for young people.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, 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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

(5) The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (5)) 31/01/2016

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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

Evaluation of missing incidents should be undertaken to identify any gaps in training, skills or knowledge for staff or to record and retain evidence of what worked well. This evaluation should inform the review of the quality of care. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 45, paragraph 46). In particular improve both the recording and evaluation of the quality of safe and well checks and return home interviews.  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 where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children (The Guide to the Quality Standards page 56, paragraph 11.4). In particular ensure that completed matching assessments demonstrate that the impact has been fully considered.  Staff should be familiar with the home's policies on record keeping and

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Recommendations

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 (The Guide to the Quality Standards page 56, paragraph 11.4). In particular records must be clear about the progress children have made across all aspects of their welfare and development since admission to the home.

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Information about this children's home

The registered provider is a limited company. This children's home is registered to provide care and accommodation for four children with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

03/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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good

The staff team are nurturing and knowledgeable about each young person, their individual needs and vulnerabilities. Staff are understanding, sensitive and have good rapport with them. This enables young people to develop trusting relationships and their emotional well-being improves due to the safe environment they live in. This emotional security helps young people talk to staff about difficult feelings and their risk taking behaviour. Staff use a range of resources such as films about self- harming to help young people explore their own experiences. Young people become more resilient as a result and their risk taking behaviour significantly decreases. Substance misuse, criminal behaviour and self-harming all reduce and in some cases stop altogether . Young people make good progress given their abilities, experiences and background histories. This includes increased attendance at school, achievements

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good

at college and taking part in voluntary work. Young people become more confident, sociable and enjoy everyday leisure activities previously unavailable to them or thought that they did not deserve. One young person said, ‘I am fine, everything is fine, staff care and look after me.’ Young people like baking and cooking; they go ice skating, to the cinema, theatre, local restaurants and visit friends. Particular interests like diving and horse riding are followed up by staff. Bedrooms are personalised and young people were excited to decorate the home for Christmas. This contributes to them feeling part of the home and valued. Another young person said, ‘Yes, it is good here.’ Young people develop their independence skills, learning to travel, complete household tasks and budget their money. There is good planning and preparation for young people to move successfully into more independent living and gain

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good

employment. Admissions of young people moving into the home are considered carefully to avoid unnecessary negative impact. Records of ‘matching assessments’ do not reflect this decision making process sufficiently. Future admissions could therefore compromise the current settled environment in the home. Good care planning incorporates young people’s individual and diverse needs. Young people contribute to these plans, for example discussing their levels of staff supervision, safety strategies and preferences about where they will live next. Young people frequently make their views known to staff, who listen and respond well. They have good access to advocacy and there are other adults, independent of the home, to talk to if they want. Young people’s physical health improves through better diets, reduction in substance misuse and more exercise. Staff encourage attendance at routine and specialist health appointments. Young people access children and adolescent

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good

mental health services and other support groups specific to their needs. This has a positive impact on their emotional development. Young people continue to remain in contact with relatives and friends they knew previously. There is good support from staff with transport arrangements and supervision of contact if this is needed for safety reasons. This promotes young people’s identity and maintains their important relationships.

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good

Young people are safe, said they felt safe and get along with each other. Safety is a high priority and reflected in good staffing levels that provides the sensitive and comprehensive support needed. Good risk management ensures that young people’s individual vulnerabilities are effectively planned for and met. High levels of protection and thoughtful decision making support young people to participate in activities not only in the home but in the community. For example travelling to college independently when there has been significant previous self-harm. The approach used in the home is inclusive and empowers young people to take age appropriate risks in line with their abilities. Young people develop individual support strategies such as texting staff when they are feeling particularly vulnerable. This helps alert staff to a potential crisis and they are able to take prompt action to keep young people safe.

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good

There is good practice in reducing missing from home incidents. Staff are proactive in getting young people back home safely. They work effectively with the police and social workers to keep young people safe and reduce risks of exploitation. When risks increase the manager is quick to alert other professionals and ensure there is suitable multi-agency planning. Although details are kept of each missing from home incident, records are poorly organised. This makes it difficult to analyse or collate any pertinent information from young people’s comments made during return home interviews. Staff do undertake regular key working sessions with young people improving their understanding of risks. High staffing levels ensures that young people receive good support and supervision. Direct work includes a range of issues such as self-harm, sexual health, relationships, personal safety and behaviour. Staff use good strategies

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good

which promote belonging and feelings of well-being. As a result young people make better decisions and choices about keeping safe. On occasion young people need to be physically held to prevent self-harming. These incidents are thoroughly recorded, reflected on by staff and young people to encourage different behaviour and promote resilience.

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good

The manager was registered with Ofsted in May 2015, before taking up the post she was the deputy. She is working towards the required level 5 qualification and is supported by a deputy and two seniors. She fosters a nurturing environment that promotes the strengths in young people and supports their vulnerabilities. Her leadership ensures that staff are committed and motivated to invest in young people, spend time building relationships and provide good care. The Statement of Purpose discusses that, ‘Everyone deserves to have a home where staff help them achieve their goals. A family environment where they can settle, relax and find stability.’ This is clearly evident in the way that young people are cared for in this home. The recruitment, induction, training and supervision of staff is good. Staff have the skills and knowledge to give young people positive life experiences, keep them safe and help them progress. The staff team is friendly and very supportive, they enjoy

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good

coming to work and strive hard to give the best to young people. There is effective teamwork that provides important consistency and stability for young people. There is suitable oversight of the management of the home by the independent visitor. His monthly visits and reports contribute to maintaining good standards of care. The manager also completes a six monthly review highlighting young people’s progress and the positive impact the service has on their lives. The last review did not fully meet regulatory requirements. It did not consider feedback from stakeholders in relation to making any improvements. In contrast, on a day-to-day basis there is frequent contact with parents, carers, social workers and other professionals. The manager is responsive to their views and there is good partnership working. Stakeholders commented, ‘Communication is good, they (manager and staff) work well with us.’

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good

The manager keeps track of the young people in her care, knows their achievements, progress they have made and their difficulties. She ensures care plans and risk assessments are regularly reviewed and updated in line with young people’s development. Current recoding systems do however make it difficult to see the journey of young people since they moved in. This is not helpful for them to understand their own progress.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, 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,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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