Children's home run by Pebbles Care Limited in Leeds

Inspection report children’s home: SC056259 1 SC056259 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, which comprises a main home and a smaller home in the grounds, is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. There is a manager in post and he became registered on 11 September 2019.

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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 good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 5 November 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

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. A monitoring visit on 24 September 2018 identified that some of the steps in the compliance notices had been met. However, three compliance notices were reissued in relation to the actions that were not met. The notice restricting accommodation remained in place. A further full inspection was completed on 5 and 6 November 2018 and the home was Inspection report children’s home: SC056259 2 judged as requires improvement to be good. The new manager had taken action to address the steps in the three compliance notices but not all of these were met. This led to a further restriction of accommodation notice and the re-issuing of one compliance notice. On 8 December 2018, a visit was undertaken to monitor the restriction notice and

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

review the provider’s progress in meeting the compliance notice and the requirements. The compliance notice and requirements were met and consequently the restriction of accommodation was lifted.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/11/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 14/08/2018 Full Inadequate 23/10/2017 Full Good 23/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: 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 registered person must— notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16(3)(b)) 09/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must co-operate with the child’s placing authority in agreeing and signing the child’s placement plan. (Regulation 17(2)) 09/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained— the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma. The relevant date is— in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32(4)(a)(b)(5)(a)(b)) 09/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used. (Regulation 35(3)(a)(vi)) In particular, the physical intervention records need to identify the physical location of staff during a restraint, including which 09/12/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC056259 4 staff are physically holding the child.

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Recommendations

 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). This is with particular reference to the staff being clear in their written recording to ensure that the children’s records are accurate with the detail needed.  For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9). This is with particular reference to the

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Recommendations

timeliness of getting the damage caused to the home repaired.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are making progress relative to their starting points. The staff understand the children’s life experiences and the impact that they have on their behaviours. The needs and complexities of the children underpin the individualised, responsive and child- focused care that the children receive. The staff nurture the children, and they routinely read bedtime stories and run the children a bubble bath. The children are building a sense of belonging. Relationships are forming between the children and staff as quality time is spent together. The children trust the staff, and this enables them to talk about personal and sensitive issues. This positive engagement is empowering the children to become confident in accepting and asking for help. The children are listened to. Their wishes and feelings are at the forefront of all decisions that are made. The children actively contribute to their care plans and understand their

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

desired outcomes. One child’s progress has enabled them to have a pet. The manager advocates strongly for the children to ensure that the decisions made about them maintain the children’s happiness, progress and protection. Education plans for children are individualised to their specific needs and ability. The children are encouraged and prepared to engage in their planned education. The staff liaise with education professionals to ensure that the children’s educational plans develop in line with their development. The home is welcoming, and the children view it as their home. It is decorated and furnished to a high standard. However, there is some evident damage to one child’s bedroom and, although this has been reported, the damage has not yet been fixed. Inspection report children’s home: SC056259 5

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

Missing-from-home incidents have reduced. If the children go missing, the staff actively try to find them by working closely with families and professionals. The manager and staff spend time actively listening to the children and young people to understand why they go missing and what they can do differently. This includes plans to enable the children to spend more time with their friends safely. The staff practice restorative measures, as they are always trying to improve and repair their relationships with the children, while ensuring that any concerning behaviours are addressed. The delivery of this approach is strengthened through frequent and pertinent ‘key working’. The staff talk to the children about all forms of exploitation, anti-social behaviour and the negative impact of smoking tobacco. This work is revisited to ensure that children retain this information. The staff help the children to better understand how

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

to improve their behaviours. For one child, a ‘fidget box’ has been developed to help them to manage their anxieties when travelling in the car, and negative incidents have vastly reduced. The children say that they are happy at the home. When possible, the staff ensure that the children experience a planned move into the home with their risks assessed prior to any move This ensures that children can be kept safe and able to make positive relationships, helping them to thrive. Not all information from placing local authorities has been accurate and the manager has ensured that lessons have been learned from this admission and following reassessment of the child, and that their needs are being met. One child does not have a placement plan from their local authority, and this can affect the way their care is delivered. The staff are skilled in managing the children’s complex behaviours. Most incidents are

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

managed through the staff’s ability to engage the children and de-escalate situations. However, when the staff have needed to use physical interventions to maintain the safety and protection of a child, the records are not clear. The records do not distinguish which staff members have intervened and whether they are suitably trained.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home now has a registered manager. His confirmed registration provides stability to the team. The staff team has been on a journey and, throughout the past year, the manager has made significant changes to the team’s care practices, ensuring that the children’s needs are prioritised and met. The staff are well supported. Their ability to care for the children is enhanced through good training and guidance. Their practice continues to be routinely reviewed through team meetings, supervision and annual appraisals. This enables the manager to respond to identified gaps in the staff’s practice, confidence or knowledge. Further training has been scheduled to support the staff to enhance the quality of the children’s records as some contained misleading or inaccurate information. The deputy manager, who also works shifts along with the staff, ensures that the children are always receiving consistent care. The management team has clear practice

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Inspection report children’s home: SC056259 6 expectations of the staff team, and it takes immediate action to address any deficits in staff practice. There has been high staff turnover and checks are completed to ensure that those appointed are safe to care for the children. The induction for new staff prepares them with the knowledge and skills to support the children. Not all staff have the required level three qualification. The manager has action plans to support his staff to complete this as some have fallen out of the required timescale. The manager has reflected within his statement of purpose the changes to his team; however, he has not forwarded the amended document to the regulator. Partnership working is a strength. Professionals report that information sharing is good, with one professional stating, ‘Communication is outstanding.’ The manager embraces the guidance and discussions with professionals, including specialist agencies, to improve

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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: SC056259 7

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Jennifer Fenlon, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC056259 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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