Children's home run by Northern Life Care Limited T/A UBU in North Yorkshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC035816 1 SC035816 Registered provider: Northern Life Care Limited, trading as UBU

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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 privately operated. The home is registered for up to five children or young people who have been assessed as having emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and mild to moderate learning disabilities. Preferably, all placements will be planned, but the home will consider emergency placements. Acceptance of emergency placements is dependent on availability and compatibility with the existing children and young people. The home offers placements on a short-term, medium-term and long-term basis. The home is without a registered manager and interim arrangements are in place.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

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 to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC035816 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/08/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 07/12/2016 Full Good 03/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC035816 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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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 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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) and (2)(a)) 02/07/2018

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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 promotes their welfare.

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) and (2)(h)) 31/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 02/07/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC035816 4 (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the 27/07/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC035816 5 behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them. (Regulation 11 (1) and (2))

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Recommendations

 The registered person must specify the procedures to be followed and the roles and responsibilities of staff when a child is missing from care or away from the home without permission and how staff should support the child on return to the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.28) In particular, ensure that staff follow the strategies set out in the support and risk plans in full, including searching and checking that the young person is where they state they are and facilitating return home interviews.  The relevant plan may include a strategy for a particular type of care, treatment or intervention. The care staff will need to understand the purpose of any such care and the way in which the past experiences of abuse or neglect may manifest itself in the day-to-day life of the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.15)

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Recommendations

In particular, staff must regularly carry out direct work with young people on the identified areas in their plans. Key-work sessions must be recorded fully and be relevant to the child’s or young person’s vulnerabilities.  Regulation 45 sets out requirements for the registered person to have a system in place which allows them to monitor the matters set out in the regulation at least once every six months. The registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2)  The processes the registered person puts in place to enable such a review to take place should allow for a report to be generated at least once every six months. The generated report should be sent to Ofsted and the placing authority of all

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Recommendations

children in the home who are looked-after children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.3)  The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and Inspection report children’s home: SC035816 6 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) In particular, the frequency of supervision should be in line with the home’s policy.

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improvement to be good

Outcomes for children and young people have been varied, with some making progress while others have not. The compatibility of the children and young people living at the home has not always been conducive and behaviours have been unsettled. This has resulted in early placement breakdowns and disruption for two of the children and young people.

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improvement to be good

Two of the young people living at the home have built positive and secure relationships with the staff. Those young people are supported in all aspects of their lives, seeing improvements in their behaviour and good attainment and engagement in their education. Staff turnover and changes in the staff team have, for some children and young people, affected their ability to establish trusting and strong relationships with the staff. Because of this, staff have felt de-skilled in their ability to manage their complex behaviours.

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improvement to be good

The health and well-being of the children and young people is important to the staff. The children and young people are encouraged to eat healthy and nutritious diets, and staff engage the young people in activities that promote their physical and emotional well- being. One young person has joined a gym, and another has worked hard at significantly reducing her alcohol intake. A professional noted when he visited: ‘[Name] presented as a totally different young person to the one that I first met, and it is evident just how much progress [Name] has made.’

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improvement to be good

Staff facilitate and support the children’s and young people’s contact with their family, helping to nurture and sustain family relationships. Staff regularly keep parents and carers updated and have responded to any areas of concern. However, the monitoring of one young person’s contact has been inconsistent, making him vulnerable to exploitation. His activities have not always been known to staff so that they are able to ensure that he is safe.

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improvement to be good

The children and young people have opportunities to engage in regular consultation, share their views and are involved in decisions about their day-to-day lives. Some of the children and young people have been involved in decorating the home and personalising their bedrooms. Inspection report children’s home: SC035816 7

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improvement to be good

Impact risk assessments completed on children and young people have not been fit for purpose. This has had an adverse effect on the child’s or young person’s needs being met and the ability of staff to manage the complex and challenging behaviours. This has resulted in two children and young people experiencing an untimely and abrupt end to their placements.

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improvement to be good

Furthermore, there was a period when the needs and complexities of the children and young people in placement were not well matched. The actions of some staff to manage the associated risks and behaviours saw an increase in physical intervention to prevent harm to self and others. In relation to two of the children and young people, staff felt they did not have the necessary skills or experience to understand their complex needs. This compromised their ability to offer safe care.

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improvement to be good

There has been a significant decrease in missing from care episodes. Mainly, children and young people have responded well to the strategies in place through a well- coordinated multi-agency response. Incident reports did identify some inconsistencies in staff practice and in recording requirements. Children and young people have not had independent return home interviews.

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improvement to be good

Staff regularly complete key-work sessions that focus on improving the behaviour of children and young people to give them a greater understanding of how to manage their own safety and well-being. These sessions have included key issues of sexual health, friendships and appropriate peer relationships and independence planning.

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improvement to be good

The environment is safe, secure, homely and welcoming. Staffing ratios have improved and ensure that the children and young people are protected in the home and in the community. Risk assessments are comprehensive and regularly reviewed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home has been without a registered manager for a significant period. The interim manager has also recently resigned from her position within the company. This has resulted in staff, children and young people experiencing instability in the management and leadership of the home. A manager has recently been appointed and is progressing her registration.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

During this inspection cycle, the provider has initiated a recruitment drive and several new staff have commenced employment, with more staff due to start in the near future. Safe recruitment processes, alongside a comprehensive induction, have ensured that staff are suitable to carry out their roles and responsibilities. The provider has further transferred two experienced staff to support the manager to improve the service. Inspection report children’s home: SC035816 8 The impact of inconsistencies in the management of the home has meant that some staff have not been receiving regular supervision. This limits their learning and their ability to provide consistent practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff have not routinely been debriefed following a significant incident when, for example, physical intervention has been used. Recent developments have seen some improvements and staff report an increase in morale.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The staff team is committed, enthusiastic and very child-centred. For some children and young people, staff have been instrumental in their progress and achievements and are good role models. Staff work effectively with external agencies, such as the police and education providers. A social worker said: ‘Staff are totally on board with [name of young person’s] care plan and have worked relentlessly to get things moving, in understanding his behaviours and complex needs. The impetus and change of pace is noteworthy.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Internal monitoring and auditing of the home and evaluation of the quality of care have not been consistent. Reports relating to the quality of care have not routinely been received by the regulatory body and within the timescale. This compromises the ability of the manager to identify shortfalls and areas for improvement.

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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: SC035816 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Northern Life Care Limited, trading as UBU

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 9 Haywra Street, Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG1 5BJ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Linda Bilsborrow

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Inspector

Cath Sikakana, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC035816 10 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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