Children's Home run by Leeds City Council in Leeds

Requires improvement

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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because:

 At the last inspection, this home was judged inadequate. The compliance notices and regulations set at the last inspection are met. Further work to ensure that progress continues and practice improves is now required.

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because:

 Attempts have been made to stop young people smoking in bedrooms and educate them of the dangers. This is not yet effective.

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because:

 Recording does not show who has been involved in fire evacuation tests.

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because:

 The manager’s monitoring reports do not fully demonstrate how young people’s opinions influence their care and the running of the home.

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because:

 The behaviour management policy is currently under review. It is not yet implemented.

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because:

 Key work sessions are in place. Staff need to continue to understand and develop their practice to meet young people’s very complex needs.

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because:

 Staff have made efforts to improve young people’s health. This has not yet been successful in all aspects of their healthcare.

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because:

 Young people are not yet engaging in education.

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The children’s home’s strengths

 The senior manager’s presence in the home is supporting the registered manager and staff to improve care practice.

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The children’s home’s strengths

 The registered manager and staff are receiving regular supervision.

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The children’s home’s strengths

 Staff are following missing from home protocols.

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The children’s home’s strengths

 Risks for young people are starting to reduce.

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The children’s home’s strengths

 There are improving links with social workers, police and other services, such as substance misuse agencies.

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The children’s home’s strengths

 Additional training to improve the home and to help staff understand how to meet young people’s needs is effective.

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The children’s home’s strengths

 The home environment is significantly improved.

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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

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that the persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire. (Regulation 25 (d)) In particular, ensure that all children and staff take part in a fire drill. Ensure that this is demonstrated in records and is monitored by the registered manager. Consult with the fire brigade on best practice for when children refuse to move in an emergency. 01/01/2016

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review, the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating the feedback on and opinions of the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it. (Regulation 45 (b)) 01/03/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (‘the behaviour management policy’) which sets out how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)) 01/03/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:

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Recommendations

 Children must feel and be safe. Staff should support children to be aware of and manage their own safety both inside and outside the home to the extent that any good parent would. Staff should help children to understand how to protect themselves, feel protected and be protected from significant harm. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.9)  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. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) In specific relation to stopping young people smoking in the home, consideration should be given to completing additional work around the dangers of smoking, together with additional staff checks and the additional

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Recommendations

implementation of clear guidance and boundaries.

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is owned and managed by a local authority.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 11/10/2016 Full Inadequate 22/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 02/07/2015 Full Good 18/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Requires improvement

Young people are starting to spend more time in the home because staff are using new strategies to help them engage in positive activities. It is giving staff time to undertake essential work with young people around their feelings and keeping safe.

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Requires improvement

Young people are not always committed to attending education or the health services they need to improve their physical and emotional well-being. Staff continue to promote the importance of education and efforts are ongoing to engage young people with health services.

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Requires improvement

Staff educate young people about the dangers of substance misuse, alcohol and smoking. As a result, young people use harmful substances less often and consume less alcohol.

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Requires improvement

Young people enjoy contact with family and friends. Staff are supporting young people to build positive and safe relationships. This helps young people to maintain their sense of identity. It builds support networks for their move to independence.

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Requires improvement

Young people are able to voice their opinions. Staff actively listen to young people’s views and act upon them. This has resulted in positive changes to the home environment and care practice, such as the redecoration of the home and relocation of the office.

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Requires improvement

Actions taken by staff to prevent young people smoking in bedrooms is not yet effective. The risk remains that a fire could start in the home from smoking. Recording of emergency evacuations is not accurate. It is not clear which staff and young people have been involved. The actions that staff should take when young people refuse to follow evacuation procedures has not been assessed. This leaves it unclear what the plan would be to protect young people in the event of a fire. Boundaries are not always effective in managing challenging behaviour. Senior managers recognise the need for change and the home’s behaviour management policy is under review. Changes are not yet implemented in practice.

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Requires improvement

Risk assessments and plans for young people going missing from home contain clear actions and expectations of staff. This helps staff to understand their role. Staff successfully follow missing from home protocols and locate young people as quickly as possible. This reduces young people’s exposure to risks such as child sexual exploitation.

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Requires improvement

Young people are safer, and the risks to them are reducing, because staff are engaging them better in direct work around risk-taking behaviour and safe relationships.

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Requires improvement

The manager has been in post since April 2015. She became the registered manager in April 2016. She is suitably qualified and experienced to undertake the role.

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Requires improvement

The registered manager’s understanding of the areas of strength and development for this service continues to improve. Positive changes have been made since the last inspection to the management of risk and the quality of care young people receive. These changes now need time to progress and embed in practice.

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Requires improvement

The manager’s monitoring reports do not demonstrate the views and opinions of young people effectively. Consequently, it is not evident how young people’s views influence changes to their care and the running of the home. The responsible individual’s oversight of the manager’s report is not clear.

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Requires improvement

Strong working relationships with social workers and other specialist professionals, such as substance misuse services and the police, continue to develop. This ensures that young people receive the correct services to meet their needs.

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Requires improvement

The increased presence of senior managers in the home is helping to ensure that young people’s experiences continue to improve and risks to their safety reduce. The registered manager and staff now receive regular supervision. This ensures that they fully understand their professional role.

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Requires improvement

Additional staff training is providing staff with the skills and knowledge they need to continue to improve the quality of care young people receive.

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Requires improvement

This home is operating within its statement of purpose. The progress, experience and safety of young people requires further improvement.

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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 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 (Carcass), 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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