Children's Home run by Pebbles Care Limited in North Yorkshire

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:

 Staff are highly effective at building trust, enabling young people to play a full part in what the home has to offer.  Staff provide young people with meaningful structure and good levels of supervision, building feelings of increased safety and security.  Young people‟s physical health, emotional well-being and social development improve from their starting points.  Staff view education as a high priority, promoting young people‟s increased participation in going to school and learning.  Staff help young people to learn how to manage difficult feelings, effectively leading to a decrease in all risk-taking behaviour.  Young people‟s needs are central to the running of the home.  Strong leadership and management enable staff to feel well supported, helping them to sustain their motivation to ensure good outcomes for young people. 

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Staff should encourage children to share any concerns about their care or other matters as soon as they arise. Children must be able to take up issues or make a complaint with support and without any fear that this will result in any adverse consequences. Children must be aware of this procedure and be reminded of it as necessary. In particular, in the event of a complaint being raised by a young person, staff should agree with them at the beginning of the process what would be a reasonable outcome and demonstrate whether the complaint is upheld. („Guide to quality standards including the children's homes regulations‟, 2015, page 22, paragraph 4.13)  The registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management

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Recommendations

of staff safeguard children and minimise potential risks to them. In particular, the registered manager must be the person responsible for verifying references for prospective staff. („Guide the children's homes regulations including the quality standards‟, 2015, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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Information about this children's home

The home may accommodate four children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is owned and operated by an independent provider.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

9/02/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness

p.5

Good

Staff understand the beneficial impact of helping young people to realise their individual abilities and talents. For example, they find out what young people like and might be interested in and provide them with reliable support to develop their skills. This approach builds meaningful trust and helps to establish good relationships between staff and young people. As young people gain a sense of achievement, their self-esteem improves as well. A member of staff said, „I think we are really good at getting them involved in activity that is just for them. It makes them feel more confident and gives them something they enjoy to talk about.‟ Young people live in a relaxed family atmosphere where there is strong emphasis on ensuring a homely, domestic environment. This is underpinned by established routines, such as eating together at mealtimes, regular one-to-one time with key workers, house meetings and organised activities. Young people learn to rely on

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Good

these predictable routines, reducing any anxieties about what to expect and freeing them up to get on with their lives. A young person said, „This is the nearest thing to being at home.‟ Another commented, „This is the first place that I have not kicked off in.‟ All young people make good progress in various ways. Young people stop misusing substances and sustain good school attendance and improved academic achievement. Young people‟s emotional well-being and social skills also benefit. These achievements help to maximise young people‟s potential and future outcomes. A member of staff said about a young person, „I have seen a massive difference in her mood. She is not so up and down.‟ Another comment from a member of staff was, „The young person resat her maths GCSE. She wanted to see if she could get a B.‟ Young people have a strong voice and staff respect the individual ways in which they choose to express themselves. For example, a young person new to the home

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Good

was invited to add to a collective handprint picture. The individual imprints of young people past and present and staff are signed and dated and displayed on the wall. This is one of the many pieces of expressive artwork completed by young people, which decorate the home. This inclusive custom, along with regular house meetings, helps young people to feel that they are of equal importance and builds a sense of belonging. A young person said, „When I first came here, I thought it was just another placement so what‟s the point? But not now.‟ Young people‟s transitions to and from the home are well managed even when these happen at short notice. Staff plan for any eventuality so they can support young people regardless of what happens, for example when a court makes a decision that means a young person has to leave, or when a young person is admitted to the home because their previous placement has broken down. These

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Good

situations are seized on as opportunities to start building relationships and staff offer to collect the young person and transport them to the home. A senior member of staff said, „I sent the member of staff who was going to be her key worker.‟ When talking about staff, a social worker said, „They bent over backwards on the day the young person was admitted. They said, “We‟re closer to where the young person is so we will go and collect her.” … They have spent the weekend finding out what she is interested in. They have been very proactive.‟ Young people receive good support in maintaining links with their families and home areas, regardless of distance. Staff understand how important it is to help young people to maintain these connections with friends and family and they get on with ensuring that this happens as planned. A parent said, „I have only met the staff once, but everything seems spot on. They dropped her off and picked her up.

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Good

My daughter seems comfortable and happy there. I signed all the consent forms. If I had any concerns, I would get on the phone to them straight away.‟ Young people know what do if they are unhappy or want to raise a complaint. It is also clear that these are taken seriously and investigated. However, the outcome of the sole complaint since the previous inspection has not been resolved to a young person‟s satisfaction. While this oversight does not in any way place young people at risk, a more flexible approach to determine what the young person wanted to see as a result of raising this matter was not employed. The impact of the approach used does not take into account the needs of young people who have experienced trauma, the outcome of which may unintentionally reinforce a young person‟s sense of being treated unjustly.

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Good

Young people‟s safety improves as a result of their living at the home. For instance, since the last inspection, no young people have gone missing, and young people‟s self-harm behaviour has decreased. Young people at risk of child sexual exploitation are carefully supported, significantly reducing the likelihood of any concerns. Young people experience staff as being genuinely invested in helping to improve their lives. It is this aspect of the home‟s approach that really benefits young people, helping them to make safer choices. A social worker said, „I think that placement is the best thing that has happened for the young person.‟ Improved review and evaluation of young people‟s risk assessments meet a previous recommendation. The identified risks and agreed actions are shared with other professionals working with young people, such as child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). Any additional guidance provided as a result of

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Good

this joint working forms part of the risk management strategy. This means that staff have all the necessary information about what are the best ways to proactively approach any concerns, helping to increase young people‟s safety and well-being. A member of staff said, „I think we keep young people safe because we know the policies and procedures, what to do if a young person tells us something. We tell them we have to pass it on. We help them manage their free time and we supervise their access to the internet.‟ Staff give young people clear and consistent messages about boundaries and about how to treat each other and they demonstrate these values by being good role models. The success of this was evident at inspection, as a senior member of staff said, „Tea is going to be later than expected because young people want to wait till the other young person comes back from the gym. They always eat together.‟ Another comment was, „I have known them be sat at the table together

p.8

Good

for three hours playing cards.‟ All young people have a trusted adult whom they can talk to and, in most instances, they feel confident about talking to any member of staff. Key workers are clear about their responsibilities to form meaningful relationships by sensitively exploring issues with young people that are of relevance to them. A key worker said, „I agreed a positive reward for the young person. She said she would love a spa day with me.‟ Restraints are rare, and no sanctions have been used since the last inspection. Staff use key-worker sessions and house meetings to promote a culture of positive peer pressure, aimed at promoting and sustaining appropriate behaviour. A senior member of staff said, „We don‟t really use sanctions. We work more restoratively.‟ Effective links are in place with the designated officer in the local authority and with the police, particularly those who work to protect young people with increased

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Good

vulnerability. The manager is in the process of building links with a newly created service aimed at preventing child sexual exploitation. A senior member of staff said, „It‟s really good that they are setting up the service as there has been a need for this in the area.‟ A safeguarding professional said, „They ask for advice and guidance even when they don‟t have to, and I don‟t mind this. I‟d much rather they did.‟ Recruitment practices are sound and include all the necessary checks and vetting. However, although references are verified with referees, this task is not undertaken by the registered manager. This is a missed opportunity to involve the person who is legally accountable for making decisions about the suitability of prospective staff, when, for example, reference information is scant or there is a particular point warranting further discussion. Judgement grade

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Good

Leadership and management of the home are good. The manager, recently registered in May 2016, is a qualified social worker with significant experience of working in residential settings. This person has quickly established sound systems that support staff and good care practice. A senior member of staff said, „I like systems that are simple and straightforward. The less time you spend in the office, the more time staff have to spend with young people.‟ About management of the home, a member of staff said, „The manager is really good. What she does works.‟ Staff are clear about their responsibilities to meet young people‟s needs. The positive attitude and culture that this generates in the home demonstrates that the home is run primarily for the benefit of young people. All staff feel well supported and they understand how to make a meaningful difference to young people. A member of staff said, „We work with young people so they know every day is a

p.9

Good

new day. We try and make them laugh. It lightens the mood.‟ A young person jokingly said, „The only thing I think staff could do better is not wake us up at 10 o‟ clock when we are on holiday.‟ Regular supervision, staff meetings, and established handovers that focus on the needs of young people help to sustain consistently good care practice and effective communication. A member of staff said, „We are really good at working together and passing information on. Handovers work really well and the systems we have in place.‟ New staff undergo a thorough induction that provides them with a good grounding about child development and the experiences of children who come into the looked-after system. There is also a meaningful refresher for staff who have an established knowledge of these areas. In addition, regular staff training aimed at renewing and increasing staff‟s understanding and skills is provided. A member of

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Good

staff said, „I have never worked at a home where there has been so much training.‟ Young people‟s records are accessible, well maintained and organised. All information compiled by the home about young people is thoughtfully written, non- judgmental and in plain English. This includes key-worker sessions, weekly summaries and the home‟s placement plans. Staff know that young people can see what is written about them and there are systems in place that respect young people‟s right to see this information. A social worker said, „All the updates they send me are there. I know if the young person wanted to come back and look at the time she was in care, she will be able to look at what was written and it‟s all good. It‟s all positive, what they write about her, in her language, in words she can understand.‟ Reports by an independent visitor to the home now make clear this person‟s opinion that the home safeguards and promotes young people‟s welfare. These

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Good

visits take place regularly and are aimed at promoting improvement. The registered manager uses this and other effective systems to monitor the quality of care that young people receive and the impact that this has on improving their outcomes and progress. Ofsted is notified in the event of any serious matters affecting the safety and welfare of young people. This means that the regulator is alert to matters of concern and has overview of what action the home takes to safeguard young people. Staff are effective at working with other professionals and parents, keeping them informed about young people‟s needs and progress. This inspires confidence that the home is accountable for the care it provides to young people and promotes good working relationships. A social worker said, „Nothing is too much trouble for staff. I said to my colleagues, “It‟s is pity that all children‟s home are not like that.”‟

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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 children looked after 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 that 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 that 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 whom 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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