Children's home run by Radical Services Limited in Leeds

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 sustained effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced. While new to this home, he has been a registered manager for a considerable number of years. The assistant manager is currently supporting another home within the organisation. In the interim, a senior care officer is acting up in to this role. The home is run in line with the aims and ethos of the statement of purpose. There has been an organisational strategic decision to change the management and the staff in the home. The transition arrangements to manage this were thorough. The care of the young people was uninterrupted and they still have access to the previous staff team should this be required. Staff are suitably qualified or working towards this. Training packages reflect the needs of the young people.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people are making good progress. They receive individual care that reflects their needs. Young people receive the encouragement that they need to identify their own individual interests and staff support them to develop these further. While there have been considerable changes within the home, young people have positive relationships with staff. Young people know how to raise issues and they receive the support that they need to do this. However, complaints are not routinely responded to in a timely way. Once the procedure is followed, it is done to a good standard and the correct measures are put in place.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people are accessing education and their attendance and attainment are good overall. The manager and staff work in partnership with other agencies to ensure that young people are accessing educational provision to meet their needs. Presenting health concerns receive the correct responses and concerns are escalated when needed. Furthermore, young people do make good progress in relation to their emotional health and well-being. However, not all health concerns are fully considered. Consequently, these are not assessed and young people do not routinely have access to the services that will improve their health.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people receive the support that they need to understand and manage their own risk-taking behaviour, which enables them to make safer decisions. For example, going missing from home was a key risk indicator for all young people that live here when they arrived. However, there has been a significant reduction in going missing from the home and young people do not go missing now.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Risk assessments are in place. However, there are some contradictions within the assessments and plans. Consequently, levels of the risks are not always clear. Nonetheless, safeguards to manage welfare and vulnerabilities are effective. Staff work together with the young people and partner agencies to ensure that they understand the risks and that these are managed both sensitively and appropriately. Where concerns arise, staff respond well and in a timely manner. This ensures that young people are kept safe. When notifications to the relevant authorities are required, these are not always done well. The process is not followed correctly and the information provided is unclear.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people benefit from effective behaviour management practices. Rewards are used to encourage positive behaviour. However, they are not always recorded. Therefore, it is unclear if these are consistent and help to support young people to make positive choices. There have been a number of restraints since the last inspection. These largely related to one young person who has recently left the home. This transition was managed well and the young person moved to a place that could meet his needs. Since this time, there have been no restraints. In the instances of restraint, procedure is followed well. The recording is to a good standard with clear management oversight.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people are supported to access activities. Where young people have specific interests, staff explore ways to help them develop these further. Young people are supported in accessing employment opportunities and this encourages independence. However, how ready young people are for independence is not clear. Young people do not have clear independence plans. Consequently, it is difficult to identify how ready young people are for independence, what their strengths are and what they need further support with.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Where it is part of the care plan, young people have regular contact with their family. Staff work together with the social worker to promote contact and seek ways to manage this safely. Good strategies are developed to manage relationships with family and friends. This supports young people to see their family and friends while also ensuring that they are safe. When circumstances change, staff respond to this accordingly and they put the correct measures in place.

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Information about this children's home

This is a children’s home operated by a private company. It is currently registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four young people. The home cares for young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 23/06/2016 Full Good 02/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 14/07/2015 Full Good 06/08/2014 Full Good

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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

 The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, with 24 hours, to the appropriate people. The system should cover the action that should be followed if the event arises at the weekend or on a public holiday. Notification must include details of the action taken by the home’s staff in response to the event. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 63, paragraph 14.13)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff help each child to prepare for any moves from the home, whether they are returning home, moving to another placement or adult care or to live independently. This includes supporting the child to develop emotional and mental resilience to cope without the home’s support and, where the child is moving to live independently, practical skills such as cooking, housework, budgeting and personal self-care. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 17, paragraph 3.27.) Specifically, ensure that this is targeted in line with young people's needs assessments, that progress is measured and staff have sufficient knowledge to provide this support.

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 62, paragraph 14.4.) In particular, all assessments and plans should have a link with each other and the information in them should be clear. Recording of information should be timely and accurate and show a clear chronology of events.

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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, 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

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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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