Children's Home run by Pebbles Care Limited in Wakefield

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 make good progress. They achieve well at school and find employment. There is a good range of social and leisure activities which boosts their confidence and improves their support networks.  Young people feel that staff support them well. They build trusting relationships with staff and there is a strong focus on their emotional well- being.  Young people are effectively protected from harm. Missing from home incidents, risks of exploitation and offending behaviour all reduce.  Staff training and supervision, along with good partnership working and robust monitoring, contributes to young people getting all the help they need.

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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)) 26/02/2016

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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

 Where children placed in a home are not participating in education because they have been excluded or are not on a school roll for some other reason, the registered person and staff must work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 28, paragraph 5.15)

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Recommendations

 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.

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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

24/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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good

Staff make the home welcoming and inviting. It is well kept, homely with lots of pictures of young people’s achievements. Their bedrooms are personalised reflecting their tastes and they have chosen how to decorate the home. One stakeholder commented, ‘The home is always clean and tidy with a friendly atmosphere throughout.’ Staff strive to maintain a family type environment with positive routines for education, work, social and leisure activities. Staff and young people cook, eat and relax in the evenings together. Young people like living at this home and they make good progress from the time they move in. Staff provide a nurturing and caring environment that has a positive impact upon their self-esteem, emotional health and motivation to succeed. For example, young people significantly reduce the amount of time they are missing, improve their behaviour and become more independent. Staff are committed, patient and sensitive to the challenging emotional and

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good

psychological needs of young people. Staff are persistent and stand by young people despite the barriers they present. This creates strong, positive and trusting relationships with staff, who treat them respectfully, acknowledging their unique strengths and needs. Young people feel valued and important because of the praise, affirmation and individual care they receive. A parent commented, ‘He receives excellent care, staff genuinely care.’ Young people access children and adolescent mental health services for their emotional development and improve their resilience. Young people’s physical health improves from a reduction in substance misuse, more exercise and healthy diets. Staff support young people to attend routine and specialist health appointments.

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good

Young people return to education, seek employment and successfully sustain apprenticeships. Their commitment to learning and achievements significantly improves future life chances and contributes positively to their transition to adulthood.

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good

This is further enhanced by young people engaging in the independence assessment programme with staff. Young people do their laundry, budget, shop, cook, clean, undertake household maintenance; learn about paying bills and housing support. They develop the skills and knowledge needed to live more independently. On occasion finding the right education setting has been slow despite the manager’s attempts to resolve this with the placing authority. Staff do their best to provide structured educational activities. However, co-ordination and oversight from educational professionals has been lacking and subsequently delays the return to formal education.

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good

Young people are regularly consulted and included in decisions about their day to day care and future. They feel listened to and they actively take-part in meetings and discussions with staff. Young people have their own advocates and staff also act as advocates for them. The manager responds well to young people’s requests and suggestions. This has led to a wide range of leisure activities, positive outcomes about placement transition, more free time and individualised independence programmes.

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good

Young people continue to remain in contact with relatives and friends they knew previously. They also make new friends, widening their social activities and support networks. This includes overnight stays and friends also visiting the home, which promotes young people’s identity, develops and maintains their important relationships.

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good

Young people feel safe and are safe. They make better choices about risk taking behaviour that improves their personal safety. Young people discuss issues about their safety with staff on a regular basis, such as their behaviour, relationships, internet safety and missing from home incidents. One stakeholder commented, ‘All the children are happy and feel they can talk and discuss their problems with all staff.’ Safety is given a high priority and staff have a very good understanding of young people’s individual vulnerabilities. A young person said, ‘Staff keep me from running off, teach me not to talk to strangers.’ Risk management is effective and there is positive partnership working with other agencies such as the police, local safeguarding team and voluntary sector. The manager attends local risk panels. The multi-agency working ensures that risks to young people are fully explored and there is a shared approach to keeping

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good

them safe. The police missing person coordinator commented, ‘They do a lot of work keeping young people safe, will find them if missing and work well with other agencies.’ Missing from home incidents are rare. When they do occur, staff search for young people, liaise with other professionals and make sure young people return safely. Risks from sexual exploitation are addressed and young people engage with a specialist service to eliminate these risks. One social worker commented, ‘I am glad she is in this home. It’s the right placement. She has turned around in a short space of time.’ Staff are positive role models and provide young people with clear boundaries and expectations of behaviour. This helps young people get along better with each other and reduces the levels of challenging behaviour. Staff manage conflict sensitively with positive reinforcement as opposed to sanctions. The quality of relationships between them and young people helps keep a friendly, calm and

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good

settled atmosphere in the home. A young person said, ‘Staff stop me arguing with other people they are good at looking after me.’ There are infrequent times when young people are physically restrained; this is a last resort to keep them and others safe. Young people are included in discussions and decisions about this so as to find alternative strategies and reduce the times this occurs. Practice is monitored by the manger ensuring it is safe and appropriate. Admissions of young people moving into the home are generally considered very carefully to avoid unnecessary negative impact. On one recent occasion the admission was managed by the registered provider. The corresponding ‘matching assessment’ did not reflect a safe decision making process. This compromised the current settled environment in the home for a short period of time.

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good

The Registered Manager is suitably qualified with lots of experience and has managed this home for over seven years. She keeps her development up-to-date through professional networks and training. An experienced deputy and two senior staff contribute to consistent and effective management of the home. One stakeholder commented, ‘It is a very organised and very supportive home.’

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good

The manager has systems in place to monitor the quality of care for young people. Combined with her six monthly written reviews this prioritises the needs of young people focussing on their outcomes and progress. The six monthly reports do not fully meet regulations as these documents do not sufficiently consider the views of stakeholders. The impact of this is minimised from the good day-to-day communication with parents, carers and social workers about young people. The manager knows the strengths and weaknesses of the service and is always trying to improve young people’s experiences. The requirement from the last inspection is met so that records are accurate and up-to-date. Young people have opportunities to see their records, care plans and comment about their care and incidents they have been involved in.

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good

The home is appropriately staffed and the team is becoming increasingly diverse. Staff have a range of backgrounds and expertise so that individually and as a team they provide young people with good quality support. They work effectively giving young people consistency, stability and a secure base. One social worker commented, ‘The staff have stuck by him and are very committed when others might have given up. They all care about him and want him to do well.’

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good

The manager and staff receive regular supervision and feel very supported in their role. In particular, staff like the flexible rota which promotes a good work-life balance. This helps promote their motivation and commitment to supporting young people.

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good

Staff work collectively and in partnership with young people, relatives and other professionals, with young people at the heart of all they do. One social worker commented, ‘They have kept to the care plan, work well with other agencies, keep me up to date with plenty of information.’ The drive to achieve positive outcomes for young people ensures that input from other agencies is almost always effective and timely so that young people’s needs are holistically met.

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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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