Children's home run by Leeds City Council

Inspection report : SC033638 1 SC033638 Registered provider: Leeds City Council

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account good

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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Overall experiences and progress of

Date of last inspection: 20 February 2017

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: None Inspection report : SC033638 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 The children’s and young people’s participation in education improves. This will improve their chances of gaining employment in later life.  The children and young people benefit from accessing a range of activities. This helps them to structure their free time positively.  The children and young people learn how to lead a healthy lifestyle. As a result, some of the children’s and young people’s health improves.  The children and young people enjoy good relationships with the staff. They feel they can talk to them if they are upset.  The staff team is confident to follow safeguarding procedures to keep the children and young people safe.  The staff manage incidents of challenging behaviour well without the use of physical intervention.  The manager is passionate and ambitious about the care of the children and young people. He continually strives to raise standards.  The manager’s high standards and thorough monitoring systems are improving

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Key findings from this inspection

the quality of care that the children and young people receive.  All the staff feel well supported by the manager.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 25/10/2016 Full Good 30/03/2016 Interim Not judged 24/06/2015 Full Inadequate Inspection report : SC033638 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirements Date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure–

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Requirements Date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other.

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Requirements Date

In particular, this relates to managing relationships between children and young people to prevent bullying. 1/11/2017

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Requirements Date

The health and well-being standard is that–

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Requirements Date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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Requirements Date

In particular, ensure that the children’s and young people’s substance misuse and smoking continues to be monitored and that children and young people are supported to stop. 1/11/2017

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Requirements Date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (‘the independent person’s report’) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether –

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Requirements Date

children are effectively safeguarded; and the conduct of the home promotes children’s well- being.

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Requirements Date

(Regulation 44(4)(a) and (b)) 1/10/2017 Inspection report : SC033638 4

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Recommendations

 The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny for the home and make best use of information from the independent and internal monitoring (including under regulation 44 and 45) to ensure there are continuous improvements. They should be skilled in anticipating and reviewing incidents, such as learning from disruptions and placement breakdowns. They are responsible for proactively implementing lessons learned and sustaining good practice. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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Recommendations

This is with particular reference to improving the regulation 44 visitor’s monitoring and the quality of the report to support the manager in identifying areas for development, which will improve the care for the children and young people.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs, and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of the staff in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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Recommendations

This is with particular reference to ensuring that all staff undertake training to help them understand radicalisation and the associated risks to the children and young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people feel they can talk to the staff. They feel that the staff listen to their views and help them achieve their goals. As a result, the children and young people enjoy good relationships with the staff. The staff know the children and young people well. This helps them to tailor care to meet the individual complex needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people’s families remain extremely involved in their lives. The staff work hard to support family contact and family holidays. This helps the children and young people to maintain their identities and build positive relationships with loved ones. One parent commented: ‘They are brilliant. They keep me informed and work together with me. They involve me in everything.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some of the children and young people learn how to lead a healthy lifestyle. As a result, some of them achieve a healthier weight and their physical fitness improves. Work is ongoing to educate the children and young people about the risks of smoking, substance Inspection report : SC033638 5 misuse and alcohol misuse. However, some of them continue to smoke and use illegal substances at varying levels.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff consistently promote the children’s and young people’s education. Consequently, individual attendance is improving. Some of the children and young people are managing to complete a full school timetable for the first time. Others have been able to sit their exams. This is helping them to gain places on college courses, which will prepare them well for later life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people enjoy a range of activities. This includes holidays abroad and in England, trips to theme parks, going to the local gym and trampolining. This teaches them how to structure their days positively and broadens their social experience and confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people learn skills such as cooking, how to keep their bedrooms clean, how to use public transport and budgeting. This improves their independence and prepares them for adulthood.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Incidents of bullying occur in this home. This affects the children’s and young people’s emotional well-being. The staff are quick to respond to incidents of bullying. They provide positive role modelling, offering a nurturing and respectful approach to others. Group discussions and work with individuals help the children and young people to understand the impact of bullying. The children and young people feel they are able to talk to the registered manager and the staff about any incidents of bullying. They told the inspector that they feel confident that the staff will address it. One young person said: ‘I can always tell the manager. He sorts everything out here.’

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Incidents involving restraint are rare in this setting because the staff are very good at using de-escalation techniques. Personalised incentive charts help to motivate the children and young people to improve their behaviour. The staff use a restorative approach effectively to help the children and young people to understand the impact of their challenging behaviour on others.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The staff team has a good understanding of the children’s and young people’s risk and is quick to respond to any incidents and take effective action to keep them safe. The staff educate the children and young people about dangers and provide them with knowledge and skills to keep themselves safe.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The children and young people rarely go missing from this home. When they do go missing, the staff actively look for them. The staff team works closely with the police to ensure that they are returned safely. The staff are very proactive and look for the children and young people if they have not been in touch regularly. They know the places that they go to and they take action to keep them safe.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The staff team demonstrates a good knowledge of safeguarding procedures. It is Inspection report : SC033638 6 confident to follow procedures and act quickly to make sure that the children and young people are safe. The staff have knowledge of the risks that the children and young people may face, such as child sexual exploitation. The staff have not had training to help them recognise other risks that the children and young people could face, such as radicalisation. This may hinder them in recognising any signs that the children and young people may be influenced.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: Outstanding

The registered manager has been in post since June 2016. The manager is making significant improvements to the standard of care provided. He leads by example. The staff team now mirrors his ambition for every child to achieve, and it has high expectations of the quality of care. One member of staff commented: ‘This is the first time I have experienced a manager like him.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: Outstanding

The registered manager ensures that the children and young people are fully involved in their care planning and the running of the home. He listens to their views and helps them put their plans into action. He creates innovative ways to capture the children’s and young people’s voice. This ensures that they are fully involved in assessing and monitoring their own progress. Consequently, the children and young people are starting to identify their achievements. They can see their progress. This improves their confidence and self-esteem.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: Outstanding

The registered manager has robust monitoring systems. This allows him to track individuals’ progress. The systems highlight any patterns, which may suggest that progress is declining. He is quick to take effective action to address any issues and to commission specialist services when necessary. However, external monitoring systems do not support the registered manager’s oversight. The external visitor’s reports lack clarity and evaluation. They do not provide the visitor’s opinion as to whether the children are safeguarded and their well-being is promoted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: Outstanding

The staff team benefits from regular and reflective supervision. It feels well supported by the registered manager. One member of staff commented: ‘We have a good manager who is very approachable. I feel he supports us.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: Outstanding

The registered manager works closely with other professionals such as the police and social workers. Consequently, the children and young people have access to the services they need. The registered manager rigorously challenges senior managers or professionals when necessary. This ensures that the service is meeting the children’s and young people’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: Outstanding

This home is operating within its statement of purpose and is providing good care for children and young people. Inspection report : SC033638 7

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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 whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, 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’. Inspection report : SC033638 8

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Provision sub-type: Children’s home

Registered provider address: Leeds City Council, 40 Great George Street, Leeds LS1 3DL

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Inspectors

Jamie Richardson, social care inspector Rachel Holden, HMI Inspection report : SC033638 9 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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