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’s provision is good because:

 The majority of young people develop trusting relationships with staff and, through these relationships, accept the advice and guidance they are given. As a result, they make individual progress in their lives.  Young people benefit from the commitment that staff and managers offer in providing a stable and nurturing home.  Staff and managers are effective in sharing information and communicating with other agencies. This ensures that young people receive services that meet their needs.  Most young people enjoy spending time with staff and benefit from the diverse activities that are offered. These activities are individualised and support young people’s confidence.  Young people are supported to increase their levels of independence, as appropriate to their age, and are fully supported to make positive choices.  Young people’s health improves as a result of staff actively encouraging regular physical activities and providing healthy diets.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

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)) 28/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development; receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)(c)) 31/01/2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following 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 plan and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4). In particular, that impact assessments fully evaluate and document the impact upon existing children, and any identified impact is minimised through documented plans.  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 (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality

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Recommendations

standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9). In particular, that the carpet on the stairs and landing areas is replaced, and paintwork that is scuffed and flaking, in areas of the home such as bannisters and walls, is redecorated.  It is good practice for a note of the content and/or outcomes of supervision sessions to be kept and to ensure that both the person giving the supervision and staff member have a copy of the record (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.4). In particular, that supervision notes are typed.

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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 three young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 25/01/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 10/11/2015 Full Outstanding 18/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 04/12/2014 Full Good

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Good

The majority of young people enjoy and value the time and support that staff offer to them. As a result, young people make progress in school and their peer relationships improve. One young person commented: ‘They helped me to change, make me more OK with people. They help me with college and any problems, and my friends if they aren’t OK.’

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Good

Young people are supported to understand decisions that are made in their interests and that it is not always possible to act on their views. Staff are sensitive to young people’s aspirations for greater independence and support young people to make safe decisions. Young people have made progress in establishing part-time work that offers a sense of achievement and prepares them for adulthood.

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Good

Young people develop trusting relationships with staff and this enables them to feel confident in the advice and support that they are offered. Young people are treated with respect and are valued as individuals. This tailors staff response to providing individualised care. As a result, for some young people, the behaviours that led to the breakdown in previous placements have either ceased or significantly reduced.

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Good

Young people grow in confidence through the nurturing care that staff provide to young people. One independent reviewing officer (IRO), commenting on the progress of one young person, said: ‘He had very low self-esteem and very little pride in how he looked. It has begun to turn around. Now he takes pride in his clothes and his demeanour has changed. Whatever they are doing, it is working for him.’

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Good

Young people’s health improves because of living at the home. They learn the value and importance of exercise and healthy routines, and this is incorporated into their weekly activities. As a result, young people’s body mass index improves, eating habits change and their overall awareness of health issues increases. Through the input of health professionals, young people grow in awareness of sexual health and safe relationships. This work is reinforced and supported by the individual time that staff spend with young people.

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Good

Consistent and predictable routines contribute to young people’s sense of safety and well-being. Most young people respect the boundaries that are put in place and sanctions are rarely used. Some young people, however, have struggled with these perceived restrictions. As a result, other young people have at times become distressed during emerging incidents. Although impact assessments are completed at the time of referral, these assessments do not clearly evaluate or record the impact upon young people already in placement.

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Good

Young people enjoy safe and supported contact with family members. For some young people, contact time has been increased and this serves to strengthen their identity and longer-term care plans. Young people are emotionally and practically supported to manage more complex family relationships and the disappointment that young people can at times feel.

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Good

Most young people do not go missing from the home, use alcohol or drugs or become involved in child sexual exploitation. When young people do go missing, however, there is a prompt and robust response from staff and managers. Staff search for the young people, continuously attempt to stay in contact and maintain regular liaison with other agencies. Genuine concern is expressed with regards to young people’s safety and welfare. Professionals comment that the staff and management response is timely and thorough.

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Good

Most young people are responsive to the relationships that staff establish with young people. As a result, they become safer through the individual work that is undertaken with them on appropriate relationships, sexual health matters and overall levels of staff supervision. One young person commented: ‘It’s been good. They have changed me a lot. I always got angrier easily and wouldn’t talk to anyone. I’ve stopped running off and self-harming.’

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Good

Expectations and boundaries are continuously reinforced and young people are not unnecessarily criminalised by their actions. Managers respond appropriately to concerns regarding young people’s behaviour.

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Good

Staff manage any conflict between young people, or between young people and themselves, in a consistent and supportive manner. Physical intervention is rarely implemented because staff use de-escalation and restorative means of reaching a positive resolution to situations.

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Good

There are safe staff recruitment processes in place. This ensures that young people are protected from people who may pose a risk to their safety and welfare. Judgement grade

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Good

The manager has been registered to manage the home since 2011 and is suitably qualified and experienced. She understands and knows the young people well and most young people, through living at the home, make individualised progress.

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Good

Young people enjoy a relaxed and informal relationship with the managers. They have a strong presence within the home and are available to both staff and young people alike.

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Good

Staff receive regular supervision and consider the managers and team to be supportive. However, supervision of newly appointed members of staff has not been in line with company expectations, and supervision records are hand-written. These hand-written accounts vary in their legibility and quality and do not always provide clarity with regard to staff progress or action plans.

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Good

New members of staff receive induction and training and there is a variety of ongoing training offered. Training, however, is not necessarily led by the presenting needs of young people. For example, there is currently no training offered to staff on the effects of domestic violence or gang culture, despite having a young person who has been significantly affected by these issues. This reduces staff insight into the work that other agencies provide to support young people and also limits staff in providing individualised pieces of work.

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Good

Managers and staff establish good working relationships with other agencies and this ensures that young people experience well-coordinated services. One IRO commented: ‘They have worked well with me and I have been very impressed.’ In addition, family members report being warmly welcomed at the home and feel that staff are fully supportive of their relationship with their children.

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Good

The management team ensure that regulatory bodies are offered suitable oversight through the prompt and appropriate notification of significant incidents. There is management oversight of the daily ongoing care that is offered to young people. However, management reporting to regulatory bodies does not meet regulation. Management reports do not detail how professionals’ views or those of families have been ascertained or have influenced the quality of care provided.

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Good

On the whole, the home provides good facilities and bedrooms are personalised to the tastes and interests of young people. There are, however, areas of the home that are showing signs of wear and tear. For example, paintwork on the bannisters requires renewing and the carpet on the stairs and landing is both worn and stained. Improving these will help to maintain a nurturing and caring environment.

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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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Information about this inspection

T: 0300 123 1231 Text phone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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