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 home is operated by a local authority. The home uses an integrated treatment model and dialectical behaviour therapy. These are used to support young people to develop emotional resilience and build the skills they need to live independent lives. The home prepares young people for semi-independence. This home can accommodate a maximum of four young people of either gender between the ages of 15 and 17 years of age with varying abilities.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC033657 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/04/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/11/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 11/07/2017 Full Good 13/12/2016 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC033657 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The efforts that staff make to help the young people manage their emotions are paying off. Incidents of challenging behaviour are reducing. In recent months, the young people have experienced an unpredictable environment where other young people’s behaviour has become violent. This has resulted in damage to property and assaults to staff. Despite the challenges in the home, other young people feel safe and supported by the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people learn the importance of maintaining good physical health. The young people undertake activities which promote their physical health, such as playing football and trampolining.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people make progress in their education. One young person was previously accessing education for one hour a week. Now, they access a full-time learning plan. Other young people are making progress at college towards qualifications, which will help them achieve their aspirations to go to university.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people’s confidence and social skills improve. They are building up the ability to go out alone and make new friends. The young people learn a range of independence skills, such as using public transport, budgeting and cooking. This will help them to be as independent as possible when they move on from this home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people’s emotional well-being is supported through specialist therapy services. The staff work with the specialist services to help them to understand the young people’s personal level of functioning. The staff then tailor care to each young person’s abilities. This individualised approach is improving the young people’s emotional well-being and it is helping to build relationships between the young people and the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people are working with a new therapy approach. However, the young people do not have an understanding of the relevance of this therapy. Some of the young people said that they were not consulted about the introduction of the new approach. There is a lack of evaluation of the effectiveness of the therapy. As a result, the impact cannot be assessed.

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

The staff make every effort to build strong relationships with the young people to enable them to manage incidents of challenging behaviour positively. As a result, physical intervention is used as a last resort and for the shortest time possible.

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

The staff understand the risks to the young people. The staff follow clear risk assessments which help them to manage each of the young people’s risks consistently. Inspection report children’s home: SC033657 4 The young people learn how to keep themselves safe. The young people learn about the potential consequences of their actions and how these could affect their life chances. The staff work closely with a range of services to help educate the young people about keeping safe. Services they work with include the police and the youth offending team.

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

The staff receive regular safeguarding training, and they are confident to follow safeguarding procedures. The staff have knowledge of the wider risks, which could affect the young people, such as county lines and radicalisation.

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

The staff are provided with time to reflect on their personal development and the emotional impact of their roles through regular supervision. However, the needs and experiences of the young people are not clearly reflected in supervision sessions. This is a missed opportunity to improve the care planning for the young people.

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

The matching assessment for new young people coming into the home does not fully consider the impact on the young people already in placement. Consequently, at times, some young people’s needs have a negative impact on other young people’s experiences in the home. The experiences of the young people while living in this home are not fully reflected in their care records. Consequently, the impact of the violence in the home on some young people is not robustly monitored.

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

A requirement relating to notifying the regulatory body of significant events has not been met. This is hindering the regulatory body in assessing the effectiveness of safeguarding practice.

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

The registered manager is keen to continue to improve care for the young people. He promotes the importance of education and is ambitious for the young people to achieve. The registered manager leads by example and provides a positive role model for the staff team to follow.

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

The improvement in the independent visitor’s reports is helping the registered manager to understand the strengths and weakness of the home.

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

The young people access the specialist services they need because the registered manager maintains good communication with other professionals. One social worker said: ‘The staff are excellent at communicating with me and raise any issues quickly.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC033657 5

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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 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

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))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that there is clear management monitoring and review of the impact of new therapeutic approaches, which includes the children’s views and opinions. 01/05/2019

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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— is instigated; or 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)) 01/05/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC033657 6 The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. Regulation 33(4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that supervision focuses on children’s experiences, needs, plans and feedback. 01/05/2019

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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 staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. (Regulation 14(1)(a)(b) and (2)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that daily records reflect each child’s lived experience, including children’s views. 01/05/2019

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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)(a)(b) and (2)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that matching assessments of new children coming into the home also contain a full assessment of children’s needs already placed. 01/05/2019

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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 7

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Jamie Richardson: social care inspector Rachel Holden: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC033657 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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