Children's Home run by Leeds City Council in Leeds

Inspection report children’s home: 2611210 1 Registered provider: Leeds City Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A local authority owns and runs this children’s home. It is registered to offer care and accommodation for up to four children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home was registered on 16 December 2020. The registered manager left her post on 9 April 2021. An interim manager is in post.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

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

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2611210 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report children’s home: 2611210 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from positive relationships with staff. Children will ask for support and are able to communicate how they are feeling so that staff can support and reassure them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children struggle to attend school. However, staff provide them with lots of incentives and opportunities that help prepare the children for education. This includes home learning and visits from school staff. This has helped the children to feel more confident, which has then enabled them to re-engage in education suitable to their learning needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to see their family. The COVID-19 pandemic has prevented visits inside the home. However, this did not affect the children as they all prefer to see their family away from the home. Staff have built positive links with children’s family members. This promotes open lines of communication and helps children to sustain their close relationships with the people who are most important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive support to develop their independence skills in order to prepare them for their future. Staff adapt their approaches dependent on the child and use a mix of planned and unplanned sessions. This enables children to develop the skills needed for adult life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are known and understood by staff. When needed, staff ensure that children can access internal and external support for specific matters such as drug awareness. The staff have been resourceful and creative and recently sourced support workshops from ex-drug users. This has helped children to engage in the work and learn more about the dangers of using drugs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Damage to the home has been quickly repaired, and any repairs remaining are minimal. The provider has been proactive in building links with glaziers to ensure that replacement windows are fitted quickly. However, debris was found outside in the garden on the day of the visit. This could have caused a risk of harm to children, staff or visitors.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Feedback from professionals and family is positive regarding the standard of care children receive. There is a recognition that staff are building the skills needed to support the children. Overall, the view is that children are better protected and are making progress.

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

Staff react appropriately to safeguarding concerns and information is shared promptly with professionals. For example, when risks emerged relating to children’s safety online staff took decisive action, notified relevant professionals and worked Inspection report children’s home: 2611210 4 closely with the children to address the risk. This response helped to reduce the risk to children.

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

There have been incidents in the home of disruptive and aggressive behaviour. This is because some staff lack experience and knowledge. However, training has been received and the acting manager has worked closely with the staff to help them respond effectively to children when they are feeling anxious or heightened. This training, along with the positive relationships in the home, has helped to reduce the intensity and number of incidents.

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

Children’s risks of child sexual and/or criminal exploitation have been identified and the acting manager and staff are working closely with professionals to implement plans to better protect the children.

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

Numerous key-work sessions have been completed with the children on their emotional well-being. While there are concerns with the relationship between two of the children, safeguards have been put in place to help reduce the risk. This is supporting the children to feel better protected in their home.

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

Missing from home episodes are high but are reducing. Staff actively search for the children when missing and staff were clear on the risk assessments that are in place. However, one risk assessment did not identify that the police should be called sooner than 11pm if staff have not seen the child. This has the potential to increase the risks children are exposed to.

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

Risk assessments are in place for known risks, but are covered within four different documents. This makes it confusing and repetitive and has the potential to give conflicting advice.

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good

There has been a lack of management oversight of the home. However, the acting manager has recognised this, and improvements are being made. Shortfalls identified during the inspection were addressed and recognised, but are not yet fully embedded in practice.

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good

Management oversight is hindered by the various reports and forms completed for the same incident and information is not easy to locate. For example, incidents are recorded on one format and then a further form with similar information. Debriefs with staff and children are recorded separately, which makes it difficult for the manager to have full oversight. This has impacted on the management team’s ability to effectively utilise its time when reviewing, amending, and updating plans.

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good

The previous manager had identified significant risks when matching one child moving into the home. Although the manager then identified some potential mitigating factors, including training for staff and increased staffing, none of these were put in place. The previous manager knowingly moved a child into the home Inspection report children’s home: 2611210 5 without staff having the skills to support the child. This is unsafe practice and has the potential to increase risks to children.

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good

The acting manager is taking effective steps to address the concerns from the poor matching of children. Training has now been put in place and staffing arrangements include a waking night. This helps to better protect the children.

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good

Not all staff have up-to-date training on how to protect children who are at risk of sexual exploitation or criminal exploitation. The acting manager is in the process of addressing this. However, training in autism awareness has been delivered to staff. This is helping the staff to develop their knowledge and skills in specific areas.

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good

Staff report that they feel supported by the current management team and receive regular reflective supervisions. However, it is not clear in the record that supervision sessions focus on the children or incidents that have occurred. This hinders the manager’s ability to identify areas for improvement or what needs to change.

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good

Notifications have lacked detail of staff actions and at least one notification of a significant event has not been sent. This does not enable Ofsted to have full oversight of the home. However, appropriate action was taken by the staff and the manager during and following these events.

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good

The management team is working hard to support and empower staff to make decisions while on shift. This is helping to develop staff confidence, their knowledge and skills. Inspection report children’s home: 2611210 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to children only moving into the home when staff have the skills to support and meet the child’s needs. 8 July 2021

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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

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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)) 29 July 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2611210 7 In particular, risk assessments must be clear and accessible to staff, and missing from home protocols must clearly identify when to notify the police. The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to staff training and the manager’s oversight of documentation and records. 29 July 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that notifications of serious events contain details of the action taken by the staff during the event. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the premises are safe for children, including the removal of any debris following incidents or repairs and having an up-to-date electrical certificate. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report children’s home: 2611210 8

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: 2611210 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Leeds City Council, Civic Hall, Calverley Street, Leeds LS1 1UR

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Inspector

Debra Boldy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2611210 10 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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