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 T/A 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 run. It is registered for up to five 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; however, the home considers emergency placements. This will be dependent on availability and compatibility with the existing young people. The home offers placements on a short-, medium- and long-term basis. The home is soon to be 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

Date of last inspection: 10 January 2019

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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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

10/01/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 12/06/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/08/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC035816 3

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improvement to be good

The opportunity for young people to achieve and make progress is variable, with some young people progressing well in some areas and others living through poor day-to-day life events as a result of their complex needs and vulnerabilities. This has destabilised the home.

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improvement to be good

Some young people continue to make progress in their education, and staff work hard to promote the importance of learning. For others, there has been a recent decline in attendance and engagement. One young person continues to wait for the local authority to identify an appropriate provision and is receiving home tuition. The manager has attended meetings and been diligent in challenging the local authority. Staff encourage and promote learning, and another young person is successfully completing an apprenticeship in painting and decorating.

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improvement to be good

Young people who have lived at the home for some time have developed positive and trusting relationships with core staff. Healthy and light-hearted banter is a regular feature; however, this can be overshadowed by disruptive and volatile behaviours from some of the young people. In particular, one young person who has more recently moved to live at the home remains unsettled, and staff have struggled to manage his unpredictable and risk-taking behaviours and keep other young people safe. This has resulted in an early placement breakdown.

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improvement to be good

Staff are proactive in encouraging young people to engage in activities of their choosing. This has included trampolining, bowling, going to the cinema and out for meals. Equally, staff will try to motivate the young people to stay active and have offered cycling, taekwondo and gym membership. One young person has developed a keen interest in repairing bikes.

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improvement to be good

Some of the young people achieve life skills in preparation for independence. However, their reluctance to engage in direct work with staff impedes their progression, as they prefer to spend time away from the home. The recording of key-work sessions with the young people is infrequent and poor in quality, as staff are having to manage confrontational behaviours on an all-too-frequent basis.

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improvement to be good

Contact with family is supported and most of the young people continue to maintain positive relationships with individuals who are important to them. This has strengthened family ties and resulted in one young person going to live with a relative.

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improvement to be good

The young people continue to live in a homely environment. However, since the last inspection, the decoration and furnishings throughout the home have been damaged. Replacement furniture is constantly being purchased but there remain half-painted walls Inspection report children‟s home: SC035816 4 and several areas where walls have been repaired. This damage has occurred after repeated incidents caused by some young people who are experiencing severe difficulties, particularly when they are not able to regulate their emotions.

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improvement to be good

All the young people have well-documented risk assessments and behaviour support plans. Staff have a good awareness and understanding of the young people‟s needs and vulnerabilities and are usually effective in managing challenging behaviour. This means that physical intervention has not been used. On some occasions, negative and risk- taking behaviour has been unpredictable and staffing ratios have not adequately managed the situation, resulting in police intervention.

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improvement to be good

The young people do not often go missing from the home, and they generally adhere to rules regarding coming in on time and keeping in touch when on free time. When young people have been absent without authority or missing from the home, staff have been proactive in informing relevant professionals. However, staffing levels have not enabled staff to go out looking for the young person, and staff have not always followed the joint-working protocol when facilitating return home interviews.

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improvement to be good

Furthermore, staff have not routinely undertaken work with young people on the dangers and consequences of risk-taking behaviour, including all forms of criminal exploitation and the dangers of knife crime. The manager and staff need to work more closely with the youth offending teams and others, to bring about positive change with the young people concerned.

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improvement to be good

The home‟s location risk assessment has not been updated in line with statutory guidance. This means that there is no up-to-date information or intelligence of any risks and opportunities presented by the home‟s location and strategies for managing these. The manager is aware of this shortfall and is addressing this.

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

The management of the home is undergoing a period of change. The relatively new registered manager is leaving, and another new manager has been appointed and is due to submit their application for registration. This has caused some instability with the young people and a decline in staff morale.

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

The staff remain committed to putting the needs of young people first. They try very hard to build strong, trusting relationships with the young people, to enable them to care and work with the young people positively. Some young people‟s placements have conflicted with the needs of other young people living at the home. Although matching considerations have improved, the impact of this has presented disruption to daily life and routines for all young people.

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

Feedback from professionals has been mixed. One social worker said: „I have been very Inspection report children‟s home: SC035816 5 impressed with the quality of care and provision of support given to [name of young person]; the manager and staff have been proactive in sourcing and identifying the right educational placement.‟ Another social worker raised some issues with communication and lack of consultation over contact arrangements.

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

Recent recruitment has taken place, and a robust induction process is in place and new staff feel supported. Existing staff are either qualified to the appropriate level or undertaking their diploma. This means that young people are receiving support from suitably qualified individuals. All staff have recently undergone autism training that has helped them to understand and better meet the needs of the young people in their care.

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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 prepare and implement a policy (“the missing child policy”) etting out—

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Requirement Due date

the steps taken, and to be taken, to prevent children from being absent without permission; and

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Requirement Due date

Before implementing, or making an amendment which the registered person considers to be substantive to, the missing child policy, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person; and

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Requirement Due date

have regard to any relevant local authority or police protocols on missing children. (Regulation 34 (4)(a) and (5)(a)(b)) 28/06/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children‟s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1)(2)) 28/06/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC035816 6 The children‟s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children‟s care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

ascertain and consider each child‟s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child‟s best interests when making decisions about the child‟s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home‟s care;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child‟s privacy will be respected and the circumstances when it may have to be limited.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)) 28/06/2019

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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—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

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— that staff— 28/06/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC035816 7 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 develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vii) and (xi))

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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— that staff—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child‟s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home‟s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(ii)(iv)(v)(vi) and (vii)) 28/06/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC035816 8 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements to the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(d)(f)(g)(i)(ii) and (h)) 28/06/2019

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Recommendations

 The Statement of Purpose is of particular importance to this Standard (regulation 6(2)(a) and (b)(i)). Homes are required to develop and keep under review a “Statement of Purpose” (regulation 16 and schedule 1). („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 14, paragraph 3.5) Inspection report children‟s home: SC035816 9  Staff should be familiar with the home‟s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  Children will have varied pre-care experiences. A large proportion of children

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Recommendations

come into care for reasons relating to trauma, neglect and abuse. The registered person should ensure that staff are prepared and able to listen to children who want to talk about their past experiences. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 15, paragraph 3.11)  The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child‟s assessed needs as recorded in the child‟s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. The Statement of Purpose is an important document in the process of care planning as it sets out the needs of children the home is set up and equipped to care for. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  Staff should understand factors that affect children‟s motivation to behave in a

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Recommendations

socially acceptable way. Staff should encourage an enthusiasm for positive behaviour through the use of positive behaviour strategies in line with the child‟s relevant plans. The capacity and competence of staff to build constructive, warm relationships with children that actively promote positive behaviour, provides the foundations for managing any negative behaviour. Staff should have the skills to respond to each child‟s individual behaviour. Where necessary they should manage conflict, maintain constructive dialogues and react appropriately if challenged by a child in their care. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 39, paragraphs 8.13 and 8.14)

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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 Inspection report children‟s home: SC035816 10 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 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Northern Life Care Limited T/A 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(s)

Cath Sikakana, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC035816 12 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(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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