Children's home run by Leeds City Council in Leeds

Inspection report children’s home: SC406505 1 SC406505 Registered provider: Leeds City Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a local authority. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to 12 children or young people who have learning disabilities, which may also include physical disabilities and sensory impairment. Children and young people stay at the home for short breaks and on a shared-care basis. The experienced registered manager has been in post since January 2016.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 18 to 19 December 2018

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 19 December 2017

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC406505 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/12/2017 Full Outstanding 20/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 24/01/2017 Full Good 22/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC406505 3

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Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively assess the risk to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.2)

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Recommendations

This is in relation to improving the consistency of the colour coding of high risks to children or young people in risk assessments, to help to prevent any confusion for staff. Inspection report children’s home: SC406505 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children and young people enjoy excellent relationships with staff. The staff care for the children and young people using a very nurturing approach. The staff have outstanding knowledge of each child’s and young person’s very complex needs. The in- depth knowledge that staff have about each individual allows the staff to tailor care very specifically.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children’s and young people’s life experience improves. Some children and young people partake in activities here for the first time. Some of the children and young people try activities here that they cannot do anywhere else. The children and young people enjoy trips to the seaside, specially adapted bike riding and visits to the cinema.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children, young people and their families are benefiting enormously from whole- family support. Coffee mornings, stay-and-play events and tea-and-talk groups, facilitated by the staff, are enabling parents to access professional advice and peer support. The groups have specialist speakers attend to provide advice to parents around issues such as sleep and behaviour. One parent said: ‘The coffee mornings are excellent support for the whole family, and they offer you advice. The sleep one was really good, and we are doing it at home.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children and young people feel valued because, no matter what their level or style of communication, they are listened to. Bespoke Braille and sensory care plans help all the children and young people to be part of their care planning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

When the children and young people cannot access the home, personalised care packages are delivered in the family home. One parent said: ‘If there is an issue, they solve it. They just think outside the box all the time, and go over and above to make sure the child gets what they need.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children and young people maintain good health. The staff are specially trained to understand and manage the children’s and young people’s very complex health needs effectively. The staff work in partnership with a variety of specialist health professionals to make sure that the children and young people receive the complex healthcare that they need.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Research-based practice is regularly used to improve children’s and young people’s physical and emotional well-being. A recent piece of work is improving the children’s and young people’s sleep routines and their emotional well-being at bedtimes. The staff work closely with teams such as the child and adolescent mental health services to help to improve the children’s and young people’s emotional health. Inspection report children’s home: SC406505 5

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

On one occasion, an individual risk assessment was not followed, resulting in a child going missing from the home. The staff immediately followed the missing from home procedures and took appropriate action to find the child. Robust action has been taken to reduce future risk.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Learning has been taken from research around improving the children’s and young people’s risk assessments. The consistency of the colour coding of high risks to children and young people is inconsistent in some risk assessments. This could cause confusion for the staff in identifying the highest risks to the children and young people.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Physical intervention is extremely rare and is used only as a last resort for the safety of the children, young people and the staff. The staff use their strong relationships and in- depth knowledge of the children and young people to manage any behaviour challenges positively.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The staff are trained to identify wider risks to the children and young people, such as child sexual exploitation and radicalisation. The staff receive regular safeguarding training. As a result, the staff are familiar with the safeguarding procedures and feel confident to follow them through.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The dedicated registered manager shows ambition and drive to continue improving the service for the children, young people and their families. The registered manager is ambitious for the children and young people to have a quality experience of care. He is keen to ensure that all the children and young people who have the most complex communication needs have a voice in their care planning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The children and young people make the most of their time here. The registered manager has rigorous systems for monitoring progress and experience. The registered manager regularly applies research in practice to make sure that the children and young people receive the bespoke quality care that they deserve.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager creates a positive environment, and the staff follow his example. The registered manager uses reflection consistently to continue to improve care practice. The staff constantly reflect on their work as a result of the several ways in which supervision is undertaken. Supervision practice includes regular sessions with the managers and senior staff. Peer-on-peer supervision helps staff to support each other, and children and young people also contribute to analysing staff practice and feeding back to them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is a strong advocate for the children and young people. The registered manager works in partnership with a variety of professionals to make sure that the children and young people receive the specialist support that they need. Inspection report children’s home: SC406505 6

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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 difference 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: SC406505 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Merrion House, 7th Floor West, Merrion Centre, Leeds LS2 8TU

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Inspector

Jamie Richardson: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC406505 8 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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