Children's Home run by Leeds City Council in Leeds

Inspection report children’s home: SC033657 1 SC033657 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 children’s home is operated by a local authority. It provides care for up to four children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The current manager is not yet registered with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement

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requires improvement

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement

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requires improvement

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement

Date of last inspection: 10 November 2017

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requires improvement

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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requires improvement

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/11/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 11/07/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC033657 2 13/12/2016 Full Requires improvement 11/10/2016 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: SC033657 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, 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 registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii) and (e))

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Requirement Due date

This is specifically in relation to notifying the regulator of all serious events. The notifications need to provide enough details for the regulator to make a judgement. 17 May 2018

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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. (Regulation 17 May 2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC033657 4 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)) 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

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

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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. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(iv)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This is specifically in relation to the provider assessing the placements based on the needs and presenting behaviour of children, and taking action which swiftly reduces the risk of harm on each other when necessary. 2 May 2018

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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

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. (Regulation 13 (1)(2)(f)) 17 May 2018

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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;

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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— ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are 17 May 2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC033657 5 designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This is specifically in relation to the provider maintaining the home to a high standard.

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Recommendations

Any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person must make a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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improvement

There has been a recent escalation in the number of incidents of challenging behaviour. As a result, at times the children are experiencing a chaotic environment. Some of the children have had their bedroom door kicked off several times and some of their possessions have been taken and damaged. This leaves some of the children feeling unsafe. Some of the children are at risk of harm by engaging in criminal activity together, such as stealing staff cars, credit cards and the television.

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improvement

The children’s physical and mental health is likely to be negatively affected by their increased cannabis use. Work to reduce cannabis use is ongoing. The staff try to reinforce healthy lifestyle choices. The staff educate the children about healthy eating and encourage physical activity.

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improvement

Education attendance and progress for the children is variable. Some children have received awards for good attendance and others are achieving good grades at school. Educational attendance and progress for some of the children has recently declined. The staff continue to encourage the children to attend education to increase their employment opportunities in later life.

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improvement

The staff team is trying to maintain the home while it awaits refurbishment. Some areas require professional attention. The cooker is broken and the kitchen worktops are cracked in places. The carpets in the living room and on the landing are stained in areas. Some paintwork around the home is poor. This is not consistently creating a quality home environment.

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improvement

Some of the children’s social skills improve from relationship work with the staff. The children learn a range of independence skills, such as home maintenance, how to travel Inspection report children’s home: SC033657 6 on public transport, budgeting and cleaning. These skills are preparing them well to live independently.

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improvement

A range of activities are on offer for the children. Activities include go-karting, going to the cinema and football. Children engaging in these activities have improved social skills and life experience.

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improvement

There have been several occasions when the children have taken belongings from staff and visitors. As a result, a staff member’s car has been stolen and a credit card has been taken and used fraudulently. Guidelines around possessions have been issued to the staff but they are not always followed. Guidelines do not include procedures for visitors. This provides the opportunity for the children to access keys and personal items.

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improvement

Some of the children feel they are targeted negatively by others. The staff offer a nurturing approach and try to support the young people to be kind to each other. This is not always successful, and some of the children feel the staff are not able to protect them. As a result, the children resort to calling the police. This affects their emotional well-being.

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improvement

When the children go missing from home, the staff follow missing procedures and go in search of the children. The staff work closely with the police to help find the children.

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improvement

The staff undertake training which helps them to identify risks that children may experience, such as child sexual exploitation, radicalisation and keeping safe when online. The staff benefit from visits from local agency professionals, which enhances their knowledge.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement

There is weakness in the monitoring of the staff’s practice. The acting manager has implemented guidance around safety procedures that is not always followed. This has resulted in repeated incidents of risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement

The notifications of serious events sent to the regulatory body lack key information. This hinders the regulatory body’s oversight of safeguarding practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement

The quality of the analysis of the independent visitor’s report varies. Some reports lack specific dates of events and examination of actions taken. This does not help the manager to identify areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement

The manager’s monitoring has identified when the children’s needs clash and create risk. He has taken action to begin the process to move some children. However, this action is taking too long and putting others at risk of harm and bullying. Mostly, the members of staff feel supported by the management team and have regular Inspection report children’s home: SC033657 7 supervision that helps them to reflect on their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement

The manager works effectively with other professionals. The manager has recently introduced a new initiative whereby the children and the staff work closely with adults who have been looked after. This helps the staff and the children to share their experiences.

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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 children’s home: SC033657 8

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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 children’s home: SC033657 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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