Children's Home run by Leeds City Council in Leeds

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 in all areas of their development.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people enjoy a range of activities which enhance their physical health and life experiences.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people’s education is highly prioritised.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The manager responds robustly to any safeguarding issues and allegations.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The staff have a good understanding of safeguarding procedures.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The manager recognises the strengths and areas for development for this service.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The staff feel well supported by the manager. They receive regular supervision.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The staff team works effectively in partnership with other professionals.

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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

 The registered person should monitor and review the patterns and trends of turnover of staff, whether agency or directly employed, and to understand and where possible address any negative trends. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.19)

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Recommendations

Specifically, continue efforts to stabilise the staff team and ensure consistency in the long term for young people.

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Recommendations

 The registered person is responsible for ensuring that staff consistently follow the home’s policies and procedures for the benefit of the children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20)

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Recommendations

Specifically, ensure that all staff follow the behaviour management policy, procedures and young people’s individual plans.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.2)

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Recommendations

Specifically, ascertain and evaluate the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff.

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Information about this children's home

This children’s home is operated by a local authority. It provides medium to long- term care for up to five young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 09/07/2015 Full Good 25/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 18/06/2014 Full Good 14/01/2014 Interim Satisfactory progress

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people living in the home are

Young people enjoy good health. They attend all routine medical appointments. To support individuals’ emotional well-being staff seek appropriate therapy for them. Staff promote activities to improve young people’s physical health such as going to the gym and bike riding. One young person successfully completed a tour of the county on his bike.

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people living in the home are

Staff are dedicated to supporting young people’s education. This helps young people to make good progress. Where educational placements break down, staff actively source alternative provision. Staff work hard to support the young people to keep positive learning routines until their educational provision is back in place.

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people living in the home are

Young people’s relationships with their families is highly prioritised. Staff help young people and their families to rebuild and maintain relationships. They work in partnership with parents to plan young people’s care. This helps young people to maintain their sense of identity and belonging. One professional commented: `They manage contact very well. The home have an excellent relationship with the family.’

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people living in the home are

Young people enjoy a range of activities such as holidays, trampolining and local youth groups. Through their involvement in the youth group, some individuals undertake charity fundraising and are working towards a trip to support the work of a charity in another country. This improves young people’s life experience, social confidence and self-esteem. One professional commented: `I have seen him improve so much socially from this group.’

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people are helped and protected

Inconsistency between staff responses to challenging behaviour has, on occasions, heightened young people’s frustrations and aggression. Recent work has been undertaken to improve consistency of how staff respond to behaviours that are challenging. However, it is too early to assess the impact of these changes.

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people are helped and protected

Staff feel confident in following procedures to safeguard young people. The manager is robust in responding to any allegations. She is swift to notify relevant professionals to share information to keep young people safe.

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people are helped and protected

Young people are rarely missing or absent from this home. Staff are quick to redirect situations, which successfully distracts young people from leaving. When young people are absent, staff members follow missing-from-home protocols effectively. One professional commented: `The enquiries made by staff when young people have gone missing have been thorough and diligent.’ Staff are aware of the wider risks and vulnerabilities young people may face when absent, such as child sexual exploitation. This enables them to spot the early signs of abuse so that they can intervene quickly.

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people are helped and protected

Up-to-date risk-management plans assist staff to understand and manage young people’s individual risks. Staff members plan effectively for new admissions. Any risks are identified prior to the young person’s arrival. This knowledge supports staff in keeping the young people safe immediately, and assists in establishing positive relationships. One professional commented: ‘They have built up a good background knowledge about them before they went to the home. The risk assessments are very thorough.’

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people are helped and protected

Recruitment and vetting procedures for new staff are good. This ensures that young people are cared for by adults who pose no risk.

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leaders and managers

The registered manager has been in post since November 2015. She is suitably experienced and qualified to undertake the role. The manager has met the recommendation made at the last inspection. Consequently, young people’s life story work has started. This supports young people in understanding their past history and identity.

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leaders and managers

The manager is dedicated to making sure that young people’s needs are met. The manager is fully aware of the strengths and areas for development of this service. She has promptly reviewed care planning practice in response to staff absences. This now ensures, regardless of which staff are working, that individual work with young people continues. This approach is in its early stages so its effectiveness is not yet evaluated.

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leaders and managers

There have been significant changes in the staff team since the last inspection, with half the staff team in temporary positions. The manager strives to maintain the same temporary staff to keep consistency for young people. In the short term, this allows young people to build positive relationships with the staff. In the long term, a stable and consistent permanent staff team will allow bonds to develop and relationships to strengthen further.

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leaders and managers

Staff benefit from reflective supervision. This assists the manager to monitor the quality-of-care practice and helps her to identify development areas. Staff report that the manager always has an ‘open door’. This enables them to get the guidance they need to undertake their role effectively.

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leaders and managers

Current monitoring systems do not always fully reflect the overall progress that young people are actually making. The manager is planning to use a new system to help her to show best practice, but this is not yet functional. The manager’s monthly monitoring reports do not always fully evaluate children, parents and professional opinions of young people’s care. This potentially hinders the manager in planning and identifying areas of future development. External monitoring has not always been effective in helping the service to improve. This is currently being addressed.

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leaders and managers

The manager is keen to ensure that the staff work closely with other professionals to make sure children receive the support they need. One professional commented: ‘They work in partnership with us. They have good communication. Appropriate information is always passed on.’

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leaders and managers

This home is functioning within its statement of purpose and providing good care for young people.

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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 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 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

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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