Amber House

Inspection report children’s home: SC356604 1 SC356604 Registered provider: Pebbles Care

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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 private company. The home provides care and accommodation for up to four children or young people who may have social, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home offers medium- to long-term care and will consider accepting emergency admissions.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is warm and welcoming, providing a friendly, caring and child-focused environment. Children and young people are given the opportunity to develop resilience through structured key working, education, life and leisure skills to support a positive and better future.

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Information about this children’s home

The experienced manager has managed the home since May 2017. She became registered in April 2018. She has recently completed her level 5 diploma in leadership and management.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 10 to 11 September 2019

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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 outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 15 May 2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC356604 2 Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC356604 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/05/2018 Full Outstanding 16/05/2017 Full Outstanding 18/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 27/07/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC356604 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The young people living at this home are flourishing because they receive care that addresses all their complex needs and vulnerabilities. There is no doubt that the young people are making sustained improvement and progress in their lives. Professional feedback is highly positive, stating that the home is ‘unique’, ‘warm and hospitable’ and staff go ‘above and beyond’ in the support and care that they provide.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Placement stability is a key strength. Young people have lived at the home for significant periods and feel a real sense of belonging and permanence. The manager and the staff team do not give up on the young people. They are dedicated, committed and take a genuine interest in their day-to-day lives. Young people experience a natural transition from the home when they move on to independent living. The young people have positive endings and remain part of the home’s extended family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people are supported to make their views known and grow in self-confidence as a result. Young people have a voice and their wishes and feelings are regularly discussed, valued and acted on. The young people said: ‘If you have any problems go and bug staff and they will take your issue seriously,’ and ‘I’ve lived at this home for over three years. I can tell you that it is not as bad as you would think a typical care home would be because this home is not an ordinary house.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The manager and staff are highly attuned to young people’s emotional well-being and mental health issues. Staff have an excellent understanding of past traumas and the barriers to learning that face young people coming into care. Innovative and restorative practice enhances young people’s life chances as they are more able to self-regulate their behaviour and make more positive choices.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people make measurable and excellent progress, not just in their academic achievements, but in their ability to settle, adapt and enjoy attending school or in holding down employment. Staff are excellent advocates and want the best for the young people irrespective of their learning needs. Two young people have been prefects in their final year of schooling, one young person is captain of the school football team and another has mentored Year 7 pupils. Young people new to the home experience very minimal disruption to their education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The manager and her staff team go that extra mile in nurturing and maintaining family relationships. This level of relationship building has enabled the young people to have meaningful contact with their parents and siblings. For some young people, this has meant re-establishing contact and repairing fraught relationships. As a result, young people moving on from the home are able to rely on their families for support. Inspection report children’s home: SC356604 5

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

The manager and staff are very mindful and attuned to any identified risks associated with each young person. This is clearly reflected in the well-documented risk assessments and behaviour management plans. The young people do not go missing from home and there has only been a handful of incidents of unauthorised absence. Good connections with the police community support officer involves her visiting the home on a monthly basis to talk to the young people about keeping themselves safe.

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

The manager and staff have created an extremely open and honest safeguarding culture in the home. Any risk-taking behaviours are discussed with the young people and key- work sessions focus well on the presenting concerns or issues.

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

The young people engage in themed work on a range of issues, such as child sexual exploitation, child criminal exploitation and county lines, unhealthy relationships and online safety. This work is undertaken in conjunction with individual discussions with the young people and provides a valuable preventative strategy. The young people are able to make safe and informed decisions about their lives.

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

In addition, the manager has a wealth of knowledge about the range of risks facing young people and the increased vulnerabilities of young people who are looked after. Close working relationships and effective communication with professionals and family provide additional safeguards and underpin the wraparound care for the young people.

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

The young people receive a lot of input from the staff to help them develop their own sense of safety and to regulate their emotions more effectively. A significant amount work is done around keeping safe online and appropriate online safety tools are used to block unsuitable activity. Risks for young people have reduced and are continuing to reduce as a result of living in the home.

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

The employment of staff is exceptionally robust, with safe recruitment practices in place. Thorough vetting procedures and a structured induction period give staff a positive message about their roles and responsibilities. This means that the home does not need to use agency staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is highly motivated and dedicated. She takes her role and responsibilities earnestly and is very much committed to ensuring that the young people have the best opportunities. The manager has worked for the company for 13 years and has acquired a wealth of knowledge and experience. She had just completed her level 5 diploma in leadership and management at the time of the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is not complacent and is always looking for new ideas and better ways of working that improve the lives of the young people in her care. The manager, along with her staff team, undergoes regular training and keeps abreast of current issues and research. The manager and her deputy attend private provider meetings that highlight Inspection report children’s home: SC356604 6 emerging concerns in the locality and surrounding areas.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has robust monitoring and quality assurance systems in place to ensure that the young people continue to receive high-quality care. The development of the home and of the staff is given priority and staff have responsibilities that enhance their role, skills and experience. For example, one member of staff is taking the lead in disseminating learning on the trauma pathway model and another leads on health and safety in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

From the referral and matching process to the admission to the home, the manager ensures that she is fully aware of all the details that inform her decision-making. Equally, the manager completes a synopsis of each young person in residence and reflects on this when considering new referrals. The manager views all the young people as deserving nothing but the best and challenges professionally to achieve this for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is passionate about the lives and outcomes for young people. This is evident through her persistent challenge when advocating on their behalf. This challenge may be in relation to identifying suitable move-on accommodation or in sourcing the right educational placement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The retention of staff is very good and new staff experience a well-coordinated induction and probationary period. Continuous professional development is encouraged. The home’s development plan reflects the skills and experience of the staff, their strengths and areas of development.

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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: SC356604 7

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Cath Sikakana: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC356604 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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