Children's Home run by Leeds City Council in Leeds

This monitoring visit

On 30 August 2017, Ofsted carried out an inspection. The judgement was that the home required improvement to be good. This monitoring visit was undertaken due to escalating concerns as a result of a notification received by Ofsted in relation to incidents at the home.

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This monitoring visit

The children‟s risk assessments still do not contain all known risks as they are not always updated after significant events. This leaves the children at risk of harm. Because of unassessed risks, the children have been able to have unsupervised access to each other‟s bedrooms during the night while the staff team is asleep. Children who are at high risk of self-harm do not have an assessment of risk during the night. Consequently, they are without supervision during this period and risks are not managed.

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This monitoring visit

The children‟s individual behaviours significantly influence others. As a result, the children start to copy each other‟s harmful behaviours, such as taking medication overdoses. As one child‟s behaviour escalates, others sometimes join in. During a recent incident, the children‟s behaviour has become out of the staff team‟s control, resulting in all four of the children for a prolonged period physically attacking the staff, verbally abusing the staff, carrying out significant damage to the home and damaging cars on the street. This is putting the children and others at risk. As a result of staff being unable to manage the behaviours leading to this incident, some of the children have moved out of the home. This placement breakdown is likely to cause the children emotional distress. The inability to manage and reduce incidents in the home has caused significant emotional distress to some young people left in the home. One young person has taken an overdose

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This monitoring visit

When the staff are unable to manage the children‟s behaviour, they call the police. Children have been held at the police station for around seven hours without an appropriate adult. This does not provide effective levels of care and does not meet a requirement set at a previous inspection around the same issue.

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This monitoring visit

There is no on-call system for the staff to ring to get help or advice if they need it at night or at weekends. This leaves the staff dealing with challenging incidents alone for long periods of time. Staff have been unable to manage the emotional distress caused by escalating incidents of poor behaviour in the home, which has resulted in staff needing therapeutic support.

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This monitoring visit

There are no detailed recordings or clear expectations for the staff to follow around searching the children‟s bedrooms. This leaves the quality of the room searches unknown. The manager is not able to monitor where the staff team is finding harmful objects.

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This monitoring visit

The independent visitor‟s report does not support the registered manager‟s monitoring systems. The visitor does not analyse effectively all issues that arise in relation to safeguarding and care practice. As a result, the manager is unable to use the information from the independent visits to identify any shortfalls and improve practice.

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This monitoring visit

When the children go missing, the staff team reacts quickly. The staff team goes looking for the missing children and works closely with the police to find them. The registered manager is proactive in ensuring that the children have interviews on their return. She actively follows up interviews where there is delay. This meets a requirement set at last inspection. On 30 August 2017, Ofsted carried out an inspection. The judgement was that the home required improvement to be good. This monitoring visit was undertaken due to escalating concerns as a result of a notification received by Ofsted in relation to incidents at the home.

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This monitoring visit

The children‟s risk assessments still do not contain all known risks as they are not always updated after significant events. This leaves the children at risk of harm. Because of unassessed risks, the children have been able to have unsupervised access to each other‟s bedrooms during the night while the staff team is asleep. Children who are at high risk of self-harm do not have an assessment of risk during the night. Consequently, they are without supervision during this period and risks are not managed.

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This monitoring visit

The children‟s individual behaviours significantly influence others. As a result, the children start to copy each other‟s harmful behaviours, such as taking medication overdoses. As one child‟s behaviour escalates, others sometimes join in. During a recent incident, the children‟s behaviour has become out of the staff team‟s control, resulting in all four of the children for a prolonged period physically attacking the staff, verbally abusing the staff, carrying out significant damage to the home and damaging cars on the street. This is putting the children and others at risk. As a result of staff being unable to manage the behaviours leading to this incident, some of the children have moved out of the home. This placement breakdown is likely to cause the children emotional distress. The inability to manage and reduce incidents in the home has caused significant emotional distress to some young people left in the home. One young person has taken an overdose

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This monitoring visit

When the staff are unable to manage the children‟s behaviour, they call the police. Children have been held at the police station for around seven hours without an appropriate adult. This does not provide effective levels of care and does not meet a requirement set at a previous inspection around the same issue.

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This monitoring visit

There is no on-call system for the staff to ring to get help or advice if they need it at night or at weekends. This leaves the staff dealing with challenging incidents alone for long periods of time. Staff have been unable to manage the emotional distress caused by escalating incidents of poor behaviour in the home, which has resulted in staff needing therapeutic support. There are no detailed recordings or clear expectations for the staff to follow around searching the children‟s bedrooms. This leaves the quality of the room searches unknown. The manager is not able to monitor where the staff team is finding harmful objects.

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This monitoring visit

The independent visitor‟s report does not support the registered manager‟s monitoring systems. The visitor does not analyse effectively all issues that arise in relation to safeguarding and care practice. As a result, the manager is unable to use the information from the independent visits to identify any shortfalls and improve practice.

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This monitoring visit

When the children go missing, the staff team reacts quickly. The staff team goes looking for the missing children and works closely with the police to find them. The registered manager is proactive in ensuring that the children have interviews on their return. She actively follows up interviews where there is delay. This meets a requirement set at last inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets 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

*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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child‟s welfare

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Requirement Due date

that the home‟s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12(2)(a)(i)(vi) (b)) 3/12/2017

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Requirement Due date

*The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‟s home that—

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home‟s statement of purpose; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to 3/12/2017 meet the needs of each child; ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; ensure that the home‟s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; and 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(1)(b), (2)(a)(c)(d)(e)(h)) 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

*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; and

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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

*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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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

(Regulation 44(4)(a),(b) and (5)) 3/12/2017

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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 home since their last Ofsted inspection. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. 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

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Information about this inspection

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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