Children's home run by Leeds City Council

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judges that it has improved effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The recommendations that were set at the last inspection have been met. The manager is now clear about the procedure for notifications, and the details of fire drills are being fully recorded.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people live and grow up in a nurturing environment. Their outcomes are improving because staff continually seek opportunities to promote their health, education and emotional development. Young people are listened to and supported to respect both themselves and others. This helps them to build safe, secure and stable attachments with others.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

One young person has moved into the home since the last inspection. This move was planned in advance and included gradual introductions that progressed to overnight stays, all of which assisted the young person to feel more familiar with the new environment. The manager is advocating for this young person to obtain the appropriate educational placement for his needs.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

One young person has moved out of the home since the last inspection. The manager was proactive in ensuring that this proceeded in a timely manner in order to meet the needs of that young person and the needs of the other young people who live in the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

One young person is in the process of being reunited with their family, and staff are working with the whole family o ensure a smooth transition. For example, the parent was supported to put appropriate boundaries in place for the young person around the use of a mobile phone.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people make steady progress in education. For one young person, school attendance has improved by over 35% in the last three months. Another young person is successfully engaging at college. The registered manager works closely with placing authorities to secure the most appropriate education for young people and to sustain and rebuild young people’s confidence in education.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The physical and emotional health needs of young people are supported by referrals to services such as smoking cessation and therapeutic counselling. One young person has set himself a goal of eating more healthily and losing weight. Staff encourage and support him, and celebrate his achievements. Another young person is also attending smoking cessation sessions.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people continue to be effectively safeguarded by thorough risk assessments that are regularly reviewed and communicated to all staff. Staff have an excellent understanding of the way in which past experiences can affect the day-to-day lives of young people. Staff take a positive attitude and use a restorative approach to help resolve issues. As a result, there have been no complaints or incidents of physical intervention since the previous inspection. No young people have gone missing from the home and they continue to be well protected against child sexual exploitation.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people say they enjoy living at the home. One young person commented, ‘[My] anger has calmed down a lot.’ He also said that he has learnt to listen more since being at the home. Young people enjoy a range of activities which are developing their individual interests and expanding their life experiences. They proudly displayed photographs of a recent trip, during which they visited a number of historical attractions. A trip to Europe is being planned for this summer.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The outcomes for young people are a top priority for the manager, who actively champions their interests with other professionals who are involved in their lives. Through partnerships with families, social workers, the virtual school’s headteacher and health professionals, young people receive a range of interventions which further their all-round progress and development.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager is skilled at reviewing incidents with the young people and the staff team, and ensures that the lessons learned from incidents are implemented. Monthly audits are undertaken by an independent visitor. However, these are not sent to the regulator in a timely manner. This reduces the opportunity for the quality of care and the safeguarding of young people to be fully monitored.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager provides reflective and ambitious leadership. He empowers staff to develop the confidence and skills to continually improve care for young people. His high aspirations are communicated to the young people, and the resulting positive and nurturing relationships are a key feature of this home.

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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 who have 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 25/10/2016 Full Good 24/06/2015 Full Inadequate 17/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 29/05/2014 Full Adequate

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

 Make best use of information from independent monitoring to ensure that there is continuous improvement (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24). Specifically, ensure that the independent visitor’s report is sent to Ofsted before the end of the month that follows the month in which the visit took place.

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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 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 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, 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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