Children's home run by Pebbles Care Limited in Leeds

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC056259 1 SC056259

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Pebbles Care

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home, which comprises a main home and a small bungalow, is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. There is no registered manager at this home currently, although a manager has been appointed and has commenced work at the home recently.

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This monitoring visit

This children’s home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 14 and 15 August 2018. This led to a restriction of accommodation notice, four compliance notices and several requirements. The purpose of this visit was to monitor the restriction notice and review the progress in meeting the compliance notices and the requirements.

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This monitoring visit

A manager has been in post since the end of August 2018 but is not yet registered with the regulator. He has taken action to address some of the shortfalls identified at the last inspection but a number of these are still in progress or outstanding. Therefore, three compliance notices have been reissued. No new placements have been made, in line with the restriction. Seven of the requirements from the full inspection have been carried forward.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s and young people’s risk assessments are up to date and reflect the current risks and behaviours. The documents describe the actions and strategies that staff must take to keep children safe and to mitigate risks. However, there is no monitoring system to make sure staff continue to review and amend these documents, particularly after serious incidents.

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This monitoring visit

Safeguarding training has been delivered. However, staff still lack understanding and insight relating to the underlying emotional and safety needs of children and young people living at the home. They have not yet received training in issues such as Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC056259 2 sexually harmful behaviours and autistic spectrum disorder. The manager has identified strategies to explore competency and knowledge through supervision and team meetings. These had not taken place at the time of the visit.

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This monitoring visit

The manager is working on addressing poor staff practice and is clarifying the expectations about maintaining good-quality record keeping. The regulator has been appropriately notified of safeguarding issues. This includes a further incident of a young person having unauthorised access to the internet. The current internet monitoring system did not detect this. Staff still lack understanding about internet safety, leaving children and young people at risk of accessing inappropriate material and communicating with unknown individuals.

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This monitoring visit

There are still regulatory shortfalls to be addressed and new systems to be developed and embedded in staff practice. The statement of purpose has not been updated and there is no consultation system to inform the quality of care review, which has not been completed.

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This monitoring visit

Refurbishment has commenced on the home’s internal environment. The completion of the staff office has allowed staff to move out of the ‘chill out’ room. The home looks clean and tidy, with the manager giving staff delegated household tasks to maintain this. The residents’ meeting has enabled children and young people to express their views about the decor and colour schemes for their bedrooms.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 14/08/2018 Full Inadequate 23/10/2017 Full Good 23/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 07/12/2016 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC056259 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to— meet the needs of each child; and enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(i)(ii)) In particular: complete the refurbishment of the office space so that children and young people have access to their study area; repair and redecorate all areas of the home that have been damaged; introduce a maintenance recording system for staff to record damage and repairs needed to the home. 04/11/2018

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who— develop positive relationships with them; engage with them; and take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff— ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in 04/11/2018 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC056259 4 the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare; help each child to express views, wishes and feelings; help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child; regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the

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Requirement Due date

quality of the home’s care; help each child to understand how the child’s privacy will be respected and the circumstances when it may have to be limited; make each child aware of and, if necessary, remind them of each of the matters in sub-paragraph (d)(i) to (iii); ensure that each child— has access to the home’s children’s guide, and the home’s complaints procedure, when the child’s placement in the home is agreed and throughout the child’s stay in the home. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vii)(b)(ii)) The registered person should ensure that the views of each relevant person are taken into account, so far as reasonably practicable, before making a decision about the care or welfare of a child. (Regulation 7 (2)(e)) In particular, speak to the placing authority when changes are made to a young person’s care, such as the administration of new medication. 04/11/2018

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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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans; strive to gain each child’s respect and trust. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(viii)) 04/11/2018 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC056259 5 * 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— assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if

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Requirement Due date

necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; help each child to understand how to keep safe; and have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)) 04/11/2018

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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— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 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 work as a team where appropriate; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; 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; demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and

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Requirement Due date

improved by taking into account and acting on— research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and use monitoring and review systems to make continuous 04/11/2018 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC056259 6 improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(g)(i)(ii)(h)) The care planning standard is that children— 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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 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

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Requirement Due date

out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)) In particular, complete impact risk assessments and peer matching assessments of young people referred to the home, prior to their admission. 04/11/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must operate a disciplinary procedure which, in particular— provides for the suspension from work of an employee if necessary in the interests of the safety or welfare of children; and provides that the failure on the part of an employee to report an incident of abuse, or suspected abuse, whether past or present, in relation to a child to the appropriate person is a ground on which disciplinary proceedings may be instituted. The registered person must ensure that all employees— receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (2)(a)(b)(4)(b)) 04/11/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which— include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; are kept up to date; and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 04/11/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (‘a quality of care review’) at 04/11/2018 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC056259 7 least once every 6 months. In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating— the quality of care provided for children; the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. 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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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home. The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(3)(4)(a)(b)(5))

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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: SC056259 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 Wyther Lane, Leeds, Yorkshire LS5 3BT

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Inspector

Tina Ruffles, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC056259 9 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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