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

Assurance visit report: SC481305 1 SC481305

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is owned and operated by a private provider.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection date: 5 December 2019

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection judgement: Declined in effectiveness

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Information about this visit

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), Ofsted suspended all routine inspections in March 2020. As part of a phased return to routine inspection, we are undertaking assurance visits to children’s social care services that are inspected under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF).

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Information about this visit

At these visits, inspectors evaluate the extent to which:

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Information about this visit

 children are well cared for  children are safe  leaders and managers are exercising strong leadership.

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Information about this visit

This visit was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000, following the published guidance for assurance visits.

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Information about this visit

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is leading Ofsted’s work into how England’s social care system has delivered child-centred practice and care within the context of the restrictions placed on society during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Findings from the visit

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit. Assurance visit report: SC481305 2

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The care of children

Children are happy and settled in the home. They have good relationships with the staff and say that they feel able to speak to the staff about things that worry them. The staff know the children well and understand their needs. This knowledge means that the staff are able to support the children to make good progress.

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The care of children

Children pursue their interests and take part in a range of activities. During the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, staff converted a spare room into a beauty salon area for children to use, and also encouraged them to produce artwork to display around the home. These activities provided children with a daily routine, which helped to support their well-being.

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The care of children

Education has remained a priority during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. For example, one child received daily tutoring. The tutor said that she felt that the support the child received from staff was the best she had encountered. Furthermore, because of support from staff, a child who had not been attending school is now ready to start a new school placement in the coming weeks.

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The care of children

When children need specialist help and support, staff make sure that these are available. This includes quick access to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. Children say that they appreciate this support from staff. It is with the encouragement of the staff that children are open to learning new strategies that will help them to better manage their feelings and emotions.

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The care of children

Children raise any concerns that they may have. The children are confident that the staff will take their concerns seriously and resolve their complaints. This further strengthens the positive relationships between the children and staff.

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The safety of children

When children move into the home, managers complete an ‘impact risk assessment’ in consultation with partner agencies. This consultation also takes account of the needs of the children already living in the home. This means that managers and staff are aware of children’s needs before they are admitted, understand how these needs may affect other children and know how to appropriately support children during this time.

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The safety of children

Children understand the risks to their safety. This is because staff use key-work sessions to discuss these with the children. Managers regularly review children’s risk assessments to ensure that effective strategies are in place for the staff to use to help them to keep children safe. Consequently, children become safer and risks to their safety are reducing.

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The safety of children

When children go missing from home, staff follow their risk assessments and missing from care plans to support their quick return to the home. However, children are not always offered a return home interview. On these occasions, the manager Assurance visit report: SC481305 3 raises this shortfall with the local authority. Despite interviews not always taking place, staff speak with the children and the information is used to better inform the children’s risk assessments. This helps to keep children safe.

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The safety of children

Leaders and managers have completed a safe area review to consider some of the potential risks to children’s safety when they are away from the home. However, this review does not include all hazards. For example, while this document identifies the close proximity of railway tracks, it does not make reference to how this hazard may place children at risk of harm or detail measures to manage this risk.

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Leaders and managers

The registered manager has been away from the home since February 2020. Since this time, other leaders and managers have been responsible for the running of the home. The previous deputy manager has recently taken up the role of manager and is now in day-to-day charge of the home.

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Leaders and managers

Relationships between managers, staff and other professionals, including children’s social workers, are positive. One social worker said that they would not hesitate to recommend this home for other children. However, with regards to a recent admission, the deputy manager did not appropriately challenge the child’s social worker when they failed to provide the local authority care plan. While the deputy manager made sure that information relating to the child’s behaviours was available prior to their admission, not having the child’s care plan means that the staff may not be aware of all the child’s needs.

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Leaders and managers

Leaders and managers do not ensure that staff receive regular supervision or their annual appraisal. This means that they are unable to monitor staff practice effectively, or quickly address any performance issues. As a result, leaders and managers cannot be assured that all staff are able to meet children’s needs.

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Leaders and managers

The independent visitor has not consulted with the children or their families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Leaders and managers have not challenged this shortfall. This means that they do not have feedback from others to help them to identify any shortfalls in practice.

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Leaders and managers

Leaders and managers have not completed an internal review of the quality of care provided to children. This means that they do not have sufficient oversight of the impact that the care provided has on children’s progress and experiences. As a result, there is no action plan in place to develop the service. Assurance visit report: SC481305 4

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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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c)) 30/10/2020

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Requirement Due date

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; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c)) 30/10/2020

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (2)(a)) 30/10/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and 30/10/2020 Assurance visit report: SC481305 5 any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report").

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(3)(4)(a)(b)(5))

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Recommendations

 When establishing the home, the registered person must ensure that it is suitably located so that children are effectively safeguarded and can access services to meet needs identified in their relevant plans (see regulation 12 (2)(c)). Under regulation 46, the registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pebbles Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 The Calls, Leeds LS2 7JU

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: David Hitchen Assurance visit report: SC481305 6 Registered manager: Laurie Smith

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Inspectors

Deb Duffy, Social Care Inspector Gemma McDonnell, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: SC481305 7 to 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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Inspectors

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