Children's Home run by Catholic Care (Diocese of Leeds) in Leeds

Inspection report children‟s home: SC001531 1 SC001531 Registered provider: Catholic Care (Diocese of Leeds) Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a charitable organisation. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to seven children or young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home also contains two one-bedroomed self-contained flats for young people who are preparing to live independently.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 26 to 27 September 2017

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children‟s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Key findings from this inspection

 The children and young people have positive experiences that create life-long memories, such as going on holiday or learning to swim.  The children and young people continue to make progress in all areas of their lives, and the staff strive to maintain this progress and ensure that they have Inspection report children‟s home: SC001531 2 positive outcomes.  The children and young people have established trusting relationships with staff.  The risks to children and young people have significantly diminished.  The children and young people‟s admissions and discharges are well planned and the impact is fully explored.  The children and young people are making continued progress within education, which has a wider impact on their lives and future aspirations.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children‟s home‟s areas for development:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Incorporate safeguarding policies and procedures into practice to ensure that the children and young people are immediately kept safe and protected.  Reform the training arrangements for new staff members to ensure that they are equipped with the required safeguarding knowledge.  Members of the staff team should develop their knowledge around radicalisation to further equip their care practices.  Ensure that the staff receive supervision that provides opportunity to reflect on the needs of the children and young people.  Ensure that pertinent needs of individual children and young people are evident in their plans.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 01/11/2016 Full Outstanding 04/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 20/07/2015 Full Outstanding Inspection report children‟s home: SC001531 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person must take to meet 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

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure– that staff– take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child‟s welfare; and are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home‟s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(vi)(vii)) 27/10/2017

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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Recommendations

 Staff need the knowledge and skills to recognise and be alert for any signs that might indicate a child is in any way at risk of harm. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 43, paragraph 9.12) This is with particular reference to the staff team developing its skills and knowledge around the pertinent safeguarding issue of radicalisation.

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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. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 62, paragraph 14.4) This is with particular reference to placement plans, which need to contain pertinent information that could assist in the help and care provided by the staff.

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Recommendations

 The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the Inspection report children‟s home: SC001531 4 manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 61, paragraph 13.2) With particular reference to the need for records of supervision sessions to develop so that they include the discussions and reflection of staff‟s practice in relation 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 are making exceptional progress in all areas of their development; this is admirable, given their individual starting points. Their progress is incremental as a result of the help from the staff, who clearly understand the children and young people‟s needs. One child said: „It is better than any care home I have been in. I have been in four before, plus foster care, and this home beats all of them.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people are gaining new experiences. The staff help the children and young people to build on their life skills and enjoy childhood experiences, as these may not be available once they leave the home. For example, some of the children and young people have been on holiday abroad, while other children are learning how to swim.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people‟s education is given the highest priory. The manager is effective at ensuring that the right provision is sourced for the children and young people based on their needs and wishes. As a result, a child is now looking forward to starting school after previous troubles in education. One young person said: „When I was in London, I never went to school but now I never miss a day.‟ In addition, a professional said: „There is a significant difference in [Name‟s] commitment to education, and I feel I need to make comment on his progress – he is much more receptive and open.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people‟s increased well-being and self-confidence are improving their emotional and physical health. The staff help the children and young people to lead a healthy lifestyle and as a result their physical health steadily improves. One child is now benefiting from a gradual weight gain, while another child has stopped smoking cigarettes. Although some young people continue to use illegal substances, staff recognise that the frequency of use is reducing and the staff continue to provide the young people with relevant help and guidance to address this habit.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people experience a planned move into the home. As a result of this preparation, anxieties that the child or young person may have are reduced. The children and young people are provided with an opportunity to meet the staff, see pictures of the home and talk about their likes and dislikes before visiting the home. In addition, the manager makes arrangements to ascertain relevant information to ensure that the impact of the children and young people being placed does not affect the needs Inspection report children‟s home: SC001531 5 and progress of the children and young people already living in the home. This results in the children and young people feeling comfortable and their needs are understood and met from the point of admission. However, to guarantee that all of a child or young person‟s needs are met, the staff need to elaborate on some care plans. This is to ensure that they contain the pertinent information gained in preparation for admission.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has excellent facilities to help the young people prepare for independence. The staff team‟s focus is to help the young people build upon their individual development needs. This may be around motivation, isolation, promoting relationships or managing family dynamics. As a result, the young people are better prepared to start the next chapter of their lives. However, after leaving the home, the staff still offer the young people support and guidance, which some young people embrace. A professional reported: „I like the home and I recommended a lot of people to transition here. There is good stability of staff and it feels like a family-orientated place. The staff are very good at supporting the long-term outcomes for children and young people as they move forward through their lives.‟

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

The children and young people are kept safe. The staff help maintain their safety through their practices; for example, measures are in place to significantly reduce the number of times the children and young people go missing from home. The children and young people are helped to resolve the factors that contributed to their episodes of going missing; this has included supporting family contact and developing safe free time. In addition, for one young person, the move to the home has impacted positively on previous concerns and involvement around gang affiliation.

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

Staff have clear working safeguarding policies in place to ensure that the children and young people are protected in the home. However, it is apparent that following a safeguarding incident, immediate action was not taken by staff to protect a young person from potential harm. This has evidenced gaps in practice, knowledge and training for staff that need to be addressed. Once aware, the manager quickly and effectively implemented measures to protect the children and young people in the home from harm.

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

The children and young people develop fundamental relationships with the staff team. Staff create a nurturing and emotionally supportive environment for the children and young people. This creates a home where the children and young people are having open discussion with the staff, which prevents the escalation of harmful behaviours. One young person says: „Staff try and stop you from getting “wound up” and annoyed and staff are really good at keeping things calm.‟

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

The children and young people are helped to refine their behaviours, as there are clear processes and care practices that promote and encourage positive conduct. The children and young people are actively involved in the creation of their assessments, and they can reflect on what they see their risks to be and how the staff can help improve their behaviours and safety. This is providing the children and young people some ownership Inspection report children‟s home: SC001531 6 and responsibility for their own safety and therefore the number of physical restraints imposed on children and young people is minimal.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has been in post since June 2015. She has a vast level of experience and is appropriately qualified. A staff member said: „She is an excellent manager, she is one of the best. You feel confident around her because she knows her stuff and everyone speaks very highly of her. It is nice to have a manager who knows what they are doing.‟

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Over time, members of the staff team have built on their relationships with professionals and utilise these to develop the care and services provided to the children and young people. Professionals report that the staff team is clear about the needs of the children and young people and that the staff team is proactive in working together with all agencies. A professional said: „I have no concerns about staff practices. I am in the home frequently and there is nothing that I identify that they could be doing better.‟

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a consistent and stable staff team that is committed to the children and young people. As new staff come into post, they report that they are being well supported. New staff are recruited through a safe recruitment process to ensure that the needs and safety of the children and young people are maintained to the highest standard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is clear about her oversight of the home and is able to identify the strengths and the developments that are required to improve the home for the children and young people. The manager has clearly reviewed the needs of the home using feedback from others to detail where the service requires development. However, this report from the independent person needs further embellishment to be an evaluative document with a distinct action plan.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team receives regular supervision and a staff member reports on the benefits of this time, saying: „It provides clarity around my roles and responsibilities in the home.‟ However, the records of discussion could be broadened, especially for new workers in relation to the reflection on practice and the behaviours of the children and young people, to further staff‟s development.

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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 Inspection report children‟s home: SC001531 7 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 children‟s home: SC001531 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Catholic Care (Diocese of Leeds)

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 11 North Grange Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS6 2BR

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Inspector

Jennifer Fenlon, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC001531 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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