Children's home run by Leeds City Council in Leeds

Inspection report for children‟s home – monitoring visit: SC033389 1 SC033389

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Leeds City Council

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children‟s home is operated by a local authority. It provides care for up to four children or young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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This monitoring visit

This children‟s home was judged declined in effectiveness at the interim inspection on 18 September 2017. Following that inspection, four requirements were set and four compliance notices were issued. At this monitoring inspection, it was found that two compliance notices and a requirement are not met.

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This monitoring visit

This home remains in poor condition. Consequently, this does not meet a requirement set at the last inspection. The front upstairs window was seen to be broken at the last inspection; at this inspection, it was noted that it is still broken and boarded up. A further back-bedroom window is now broken and boarded up. There have been efforts to take away broken equipment from the garden. However, the garden still contains some rubbish, a broken basketball net and a broken shed with protruding nails. The garden looks unkempt and it is still not providing the children with a safe place to play.

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This monitoring visit

The staff team has made efforts to improve the inside of the property by painting a bedroom, a hallway and a bathroom. However, the home remains in great need of professional repair and redecoration. The paintwork, decor and tiling around the home are tired and damaged in places. Fans in the main bathroom are blocked with dust. The electric box, which was not secured to the wall at the last inspection, remains insecure. In addition, there is an exposed carpet rod in a child‟s bedroom. This sharp implement is likely to injure a child‟s foot.

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This monitoring visit

A compliance notice around the staff assessing risk and managing children‟s behaviour is not met. Although individual risk assessments are now up to date, the Inspection report for children‟s home – monitoring visit: SC033389 2 staff team is still not adequately risk assessing activities that it undertakes with the children. The staff team is not demonstrating that it is learning from previous incidents and known risks. This is heightening the risk that the staff will not have the correct resources to manage the children‟s behaviour in the community. It leaves them without backup plans for keeping the children safe when out on activities.

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This monitoring visit

The assessment of risk in the home is poor. For example, sharp knives are not always stored in a secure area. This leaves a potential risk that the children could use them inappropriately to harm themselves or others.

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This monitoring visit

Adequate steps have not been taken to meet a compliance notice in relation to the management team‟s monitoring and oversight of the home. The management team continues to fail to notify the regulatory body of serious events. This hinders the regulatory body‟s oversight of safeguarding practice.

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This monitoring visit

The external visitor‟s reports are not helping the management team to identify shortfalls in safeguarding and care practice. The external visitor‟s conclusion as to whether the children are effectively safeguarded is not clear. The visitor‟s reports are not always factually correct, and lack analysis of safeguarding and care practice. This is hindering the manager‟s monitoring and oversight of the service.

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This monitoring visit

The children‟s individual behaviour management plans now provide the staff with positive strategies for managing the children‟s behaviour. A change in behaviour management practice ensures that the staff team is working within the behaviour management policy. Consequently, the staff team does not lock the children in their bedrooms or out of the home. This meets a compliance notice and a requirement set at the last inspection.

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This monitoring visit

Poor assessment and poor matching of the children‟s needs have resulted in all of the children moving out of the home for their own safety or the safety of others. This placement breakdown is likely to have a negative impact on the children‟s emotional well-being.

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This monitoring visit

The home is due to close so that a full review of the staff‟s skills and experience can be undertaken. There are plans to develop staff training and improve care practice. Support systems for the staff are improving. The manager and senior managers are now providing the staff with out of hours guidance and support. This meets a compliance notice set at the last inspection.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 27/06/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/03/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 22/11/2016 Full Good Inspection report for children‟s home – monitoring visit: SC033389 3 22/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children‟s home – monitoring visit: SC033389 4

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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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Requirement Due date

*The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who–

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Requirement Due date

understand the children‟s home‟s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; and

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children‟s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live comfortably.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the home is maintained to a good standard inside and out. 10/12/2017

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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.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child‟s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child.

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Requirement Due date

*The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in 10/12/2017 Inspection report for children‟s home – monitoring visit: SC033389 5 relation to the children‟s home that–

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13(2)(f) and (h)) *The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if–

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person consider to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 40(4)(e) and (b)) 10/12/2017

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Requirement Due date

*The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent persons report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person‟s opinion as to whether–

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children‟s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person‟s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children–

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children‟s home; and 10/12/2017 Inspection report for children‟s home – monitoring visit: SC033389 6 have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home‟s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children‟s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children‟s home – monitoring visit: SC033389 7

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Jamie Richardson, social care inspector Inspection report for children‟s home – monitoring visit: SC033389 8 to 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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