Amber House

Assurance visit report: SC356604 1 SC356604

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run children’s home offers care and accommodation to children and young people aged between 8 and 17 years old. It supports children and young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties on a short-, medium-, or long- term basis. Children and young people are supported to work through past trauma and develop skills to prepare them for independent living.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is in the process of registering with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection date: 10 September 2019

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection judgement: Outstanding

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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:  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. Assurance visit report: SC356604 2

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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.

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The care of children

Children benefit from positive relationships with staff. This enables children to ask for support and to engage in open discussions about their thoughts and feelings. Children develop their knowledge and understanding as a result of this.

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The care of children

The staff team supports children to engage positively in education. During the COVID-19 restrictions, the staff team offered additional opportunities for formal learning alongside the work provided by schools. This helped the children to maintain their learning and gave them confidence when they returned to school.

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The care of children

The staff team works with the company psychologist and with the local mental health team to support the children. This input from professionals provides staff with strategies and ways of working with the children.

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The care of children

Children’s wishes are listened to and staff are very responsive to their requests. For example, one of the children recently decided that they wanted to be vegan. Staff responded quickly, giving the child lots of information about vegan foods and helped to plan a suitable weekly menu.

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The care of children

The manager and staff team support and facilitate individual contact plans for the children, if required. As a result of COVID-19 restrictions, one child was unable to see their family face to face and was not permitted by the social worker to have phone contact. The manager challenged this to enable the contact to be virtual, in line with the child’s wishes.

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The safety of children

Staff understand children’s needs and presenting behaviours and respond in a balanced way. This means that children are able to take age-appropriate risks. Equally, staff intervene if there is a risk of harm and explain the reasons why to the children.

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The safety of children

Risk assessments provide the staff with clear action to take to minimise risk and de- escalate incidents. However, at the time of the visit, these documents were being updated following a recent incident. The manager had ensured that the staff team was aware of the most up-to-date strategies to follow to help better protect children.

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The safety of children

The manager is working closely with the police to reduce the risk of children going missing from the home. The manager ensures that information is shared with the police; this includes children’s triggers for behaviour. This gives the police a better Assurance visit report: SC356604 3 understanding of the children’s behaviour and the emotional impact of police intervention.

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Leaders and managers

There has been no registered manager since March 2020. A new manager was appointed and started in post, but this ended prior to registration with Ofsted. The deputy manager has now been appointed to the manager’s role. He has a good oversight of the home and is currently in the process of registering with Ofsted.

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Leaders and managers

The manager is confident in challenging professionals to meet the needs of the children and escalates concerns appropriately. Professionals recognise the importance of this, with one saying, ‘I’ve had an ongoing drive from the home to make me realise how it is for [young person]. I’ve valued this challenge and pushing.’

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Leaders and managers

The manager has not always followed the policy on dealing with safeguarding allegations. His response has potentially compromised a safeguarding investigation. While his intensions were well meaning, they did not align with safeguarding procedures.

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Leaders and managers

External monitoring systems are not impartial and do not offer robust scrutiny to support the development of the home. For example, on one occasion, a significant incident and breach in policy was not identified by the regulation 44 visitor. This does not support the manager to address practice shortfalls.

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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 must comply within the given timescales.

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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—

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and 01/12/2020 Assurance visit report: SC356604 4 are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(vi) and (vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the manager and staff follow the company’s own policies when an allegation or disclosure is made.

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Recommendations

 Any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person must make a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. The registered person must appoint the independent person and is ultimately responsible for making sure that an appointment does not give rise to a conflict of interest that would, or would appear to, compromise the ability of that person to reach a rigorous and impartial judgement of the quality of that home’s care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraphs 15.5 and 15.6)

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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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Inspectors

Debra Boldy, Social Care Inspector Cath Sikakana, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: SC356604 5 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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