Children's home run by Leeds City Council in Leeds

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judge that it has sustained effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children continue to make good progress and have positive experiences of living in the home. Since the last inspection, three children have moved out.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

After settling in the home and making significant improvement with his behaviour, one child went to live with his sibling in foster care. The manager planned this transition well, with a number of visits, gradually increasing the amount of time at his new home until a permanent move was appropriate. Planning included joint work with foster carers to help make this a success. Another child went home to live with his family. He initially found it difficult at the children’s home and frequently ran back to his family. Overtime, he built up good relationships with staff and reduced his missing from home behaviour. He has positive views of the home and staff. Good assessment and planning by the manager helped a third child moved to a placement more suited for his needs.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Two new children have moved in, are settled and making progress. As a result of effective care planning, one of these now stays on a shared care basis and spends a lot of time at his family home. However, risk assessments considering the impact of new admissions do not fully reflect the decision making process. This compromises the ability to demonstrate how these decisions are safe and appropriate.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff are committed to providing children with positive experiences. They spend time talking to children and show their interest in the children’s lives and welfare. Staff read and play games with the children and support them to complete their homework. Children enjoy a wide range of activities such as trips to local parks, places of interest, rock climbing, going to the cinema, reading and playing on the computer. The care plan and risk assessment for one child does not fully reflect her needs and risks with regards to developing free time outside of the home. Although she has made good progress so far, this limitation compromises how well she might develop her independence skills and resilience further.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The quality of care helps children grow in confidence, develop their social skills, and form strong, trusting relationships with staff. The advice and support staff give children helps them make safer decisions, such as not running off and helps them improve their behaviour. Social workers and independent reviewing officers are complimentary about the standards of care, the ability of staff to be child-centred and work well in challenging situations. Likewise, a parent commented favourably about the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff use physical intervention as a last resort to manage challenging behaviour. Management oversight of such incidents did not evidence the rigour required by regulations. There is some reflection by staff and the manager about the use of restraint, which limits the impact of this shortfall.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There is good partnership working with other agencies, relatives, and carers. This helps meet the holistic needs of children and promotes contact with important family members. When the child’s care plan is for a return home or move to foster care, the ability of the manager and staff to work with others helps make these transitions positive. Relatives are welcome in the home, for example, one parent comes for tea and helps her child to bed on one night of the week.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Safeguarding practice is generally good. There is a prompt and robust response to any complaints or allegations, with the safety of children a priority. Staff respond to missing from home incidents effectively and ensure that children return safely. Evaluating missing incidents is hampered as records are not always accurate and do not include if ‘safe and well’ checks are made by the police and the outcome of these checks.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has addressed the two recommendations for improvement made at the last inspection. One was in relation to improving the state of the garden and the hedges are now trimmed. However, since then the garden has deteriorated again. It is scruffy in appearance, contains rubbish and old and broken furniture. It does not look inviting or welcoming. Similarly, there are areas inside the house in need of decoration. The second recommendation relates to staff qualifications with these staff now working towards achieving this.

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Information about this children's home

This local authority children’s home is registered to provide care for up to five children of either gender with emotional and or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

10/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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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

6: The quality and purpose of care standard.

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Requirement Due date

6 The quality and purpose of care standard. In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, in particular ensure care plans and risk assessments are up to date and reflect children's needs about free time out of the home, the registered person must- 2(b) ensure that staff – (vi) help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult. 30/04/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that- within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")- has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii) &(c)) 30/04/2016

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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

 For children's homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 15, paragraph 3.9). In particular: remove all rubbish and broken furniture from the garden and clean the paths; remove or improve the quality of the partition at the top of the stairs; and, decorate areas where there is torn wall paper and bare plaster.

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Recommendations

 Evaluation of missing incidents should be undertaken to identify any gaps in training, skills or knowledge of 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 9.31) In particular, records should: relate to the right child, and include the date and outcome of safe and well checks or whether they did not occur.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied 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, the 'placement risk assessments' should fully analyse and evaluate the potential risks and impact of a new admission and include why the admission is deemed safe and appropriate.

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection, we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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

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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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