Children's Home run by Pebbles Care Limited in North Yorkshire

Inspection report children‟s home: SC481305 1 SC481305 Registered provider: Pebbles Care

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Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered since January 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has declined in effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

There has been a period of instability due to the challenging behaviours of children and young people. This has led to an increase in violent, verbally aggressive and risk-taking behaviours both in and out of the home.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

There is not enough consideration given to the needs and vulnerability of children and young people currently living in the home, when assessing the impact of new admissions. Children and young people are sometimes admitted to the home when this is not a good match or in the best interests of those already there. This has resulted in escalating behaviours and an increase in bullying in the home. Children and young people are sometimes subjected to serious verbal and physical bullying and this is not Inspection report children‟s home: SC481305 2 recognised. Key-working sessions are attempting to address the aggressive behaviours, with detailed recording to support this work. However, they have not been effective in reducing instances of bullying, due to the lack of acknowledgement. These behaviours have a significant impact on children and young people’s sense of well-being and belonging in their home.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children and young people have been exposed to sexual exploitation and have been in very unsafe situations. Risk assessments are not always updated following significant incidents. This means that the current, dynamic risks are not addressed and could ultimately leave children and young people at further risk of harm.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

There has been an increase in children and young people going missing from the home and an increase in incidents within the home where children and young people are coming into conflict. When physical interventions are required, these are well recorded in respect of the incident. However, management oversight and staff de-briefings are not being completed within timescales after the more recent incidents. This shows a lack of management grip on events within the home, demonstrating that staff are not supported to reflect on, and learn from, incidents involving children and young people.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children and young people have been setting fires in the home and this is placing them and others at significant risk of harm. Repairs to the home are not completed in a timely way, due to the procedures staff must follow before these can be actioned. As a result, the home has been without one of the fire doors for a number of weeks. This increases the risks to all at the home.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Not all children and young people are attending school regularly. When they are not in school, plans to give structure to their day and offer educational experiences are not in place. This is having an impact on their engagement in education and limits their opportunities to socialise with their peers. As a result, children and young people are lacking positive stimulation and are in the home during the day. This is leading to some of the incidents of conflict between the children and young people.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home needs some general repairs inside, and the outside areas are looking unkempt. There has been damage to the home due to the behaviours of the children and young people which have involved, for example, breaking items in the home, setting fires and damaging doors. In addition, the outside of the home requires general tidying, with rubbish to be cleared. The condition of the home has a direct impact on the children and young people’s overall day-to-day experience of living in the home.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Notifications of serious events do not contain sufficient detail. This makes it difficult for the regulator to accurately assess the concerns or understand if the actions to address those concerns are appropriate. This includes the provider not sharing the extent of children and young people’s experiences when missing from home and when exposed to exploitation. Communication between the staff and the manager, following staff’s attendance at meetings, is not effective. For example, the manager has not always been updated about the information shared at those meetings. This means the management oversight is limited, potentially resulting in ineffective strategies for keeping children and Inspection report children‟s home: SC481305 3 young people safe.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

When children and young people go missing from the home, there is a robust, planned response from the staff. Due to the remote location, staff have torches at hand for the dark nights, and high-visibility jackets for use on the road side. They are usually well prepared and keep coats and car keys handy. During the inspection, two young people left the home without authorisation. A timely and coordinated response from the staff helps to ensure that children and young people are safeguarded.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff have good relationships with the children and young people. They join in with the children and young people singing in the dining room, play board games and support them to engage in positive activities, such as cadets. This helps children and young people to form the basis of trusting relationships and allows the staff to engage them in positive progress and change.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/07/2019 Full Good 14/05/2019 Full Inadequate 24/10/2018 Full Good 13/06/2017 Full Good

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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 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 10/01/2020 Inspection report children‟s home: SC481305 4 registered person to ensure— that staff—

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(ix)(x)(xi)(xii)(xiii))

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Requirement Due date

This is with particular reference to:  Ensuring that staff are equipped to recognise and address bullying behaviour  Ensuring that staff have the skills to effectively avoid or de-escalate confrontations between the children and young people  enabling children to live in the home, free from worrying about being the victim of verbally aggressive, violent or bullying behaviour.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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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

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a) (iv)(v)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff should ensure that risk assessments are 10/01/2020 Inspection report children‟s home: SC481305 5 updated following significant incidents; also, that the day-to-day plans for the children and young people are set out in such a way that their needs are met. They should be engaged in organised educational activities when not in school, so that incidents with other children and young people are reduced. The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home; and

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager should ensure that the information and assessments held in respect of the children and young people at the home are fully considered prior to agreeing the placement of a new child or young person.

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Requirement Due date

The children and young people new to the home should have a suitable period to settle into the home before further children or young people are admitted.

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Requirement Due date

Also, the manager should regularly review the suitability of the placement for all children and young people, especially when there are questions as to whether the placement is meeting their individual and collective needs. 10/01/2020

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home. (Regulation 25 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

in particular, the manager should ensure that all fire doors are in working order and that any damage is repaired without delay. 13/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it. 10/01/2020 Inspection report children‟s home: SC481305 6 The registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (2)(3)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This is with particular regard to the registered manager ensuring that debriefs take place and that these are recorded along with management oversight, within the required timescales. 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

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).

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified;

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Requirement Due date

and any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(d)(i)(ii)(5)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the notifications should contain full details of the incident and any information obtained through child protection strategy meetings following the event. In addition, the manager should ensure that they are fully updated by staff of all information shared in those meetings. 10/01/2020 Inspection report children‟s home: SC481305 7

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Recommendations

 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. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) In particular, ensure that repairs are carried out, broken items replaced and that any unnecessary signs are removed. Improve the outside areas, removing rubbish and carrying out general repairs and maintenance.

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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

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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’.

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Children’s home Inspection report children‟s home: SC481305 8 Registered provider: Pebbles Care

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Deb Duffy: social care inspector Debbie Foster: social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC481305 9 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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