Children's home run by Leeds City Council in Leeds

Inspection report children’s home: SC033389 1 SC033389 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

This is a local authority run children’s home. The home provides care for up to five children aged between 11 and 18 years old. The aim is to support children for up to eight months or longer, if in line with their care plan, to support children to return to family or foster carers.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2019.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 16 September 2021 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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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: 18 February 2020

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC033389 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/02/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/01/2020 Full Inadequate 17/01/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 18/09/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC033389 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and staff work together to create an environment that is warm, welcoming and has a sense of family. This provides children with a secure base from which to learn and develop.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children well and advocate on their behalf. They understand children’s frustrations when plans for moving from the home are slower than they would like, and staff work with the children to understand this while challenging other professionals. This validates the children’s feelings and ensures that their voice is heard.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff attempt to engage children in education and learning. Numerous incentives are in place, but not all children are taking part. Staff work creatively to try and educate children in a way that meets their needs, and they work with other agencies, such as local colleges. This has helped to establish alternative education plans for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children engage in activities with staff at a pace that meets their needs. Staff recognise and understand this and are flexible in their approach. This enables children to take part in new experiences and builds their self-confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s care plans and records are clear, up to date and capture the children’s needs. They are working documents that detail recent events. The manager has good oversight of these, evaluating and making amendments to future plans. This ensures that staff are working towards the most current plans and that they continue to be motivated and resourceful in helping the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Independence plans are in place and adapted to the children. The staff recognise that children need the opportunities to learn how to manage money and balance this with the associated risks. The plans in place are kept under review by the staff team to ensure these are in line with the children’s needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff have recently created a memory book for one child which shows the progress he has made. The manager recognises the missed opportunities with previous children and the need to make these a more dominant feature of the home to help capture the children’s childhood experiences.

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

Multi-agency working is a strength of the home. The staff work with police, social workers and exploitation teams to ensure the sharing of information. This enables disruption strategies to be used and plans for children to be put in place to help reduce the risks. When significant incidents occur, the manager responds well to ensure the safety of the children and staff. Inspection report children’s home: SC033389 4 Children have made positive relationships with staff. Staff give children the skills to communicate their views and wishes, which reduces their anxiety. As a result, there has been a significant reduction in the level of physical aggression and damage within the home from the children.

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

Numerous discussions take place with children to help educate them on potential risks. This includes the effects of using drugs, exploitation, going missing and community risks. Topics are regularly revisited, and children engage well in these discussions.

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

Risk assessments and missing-from-care protocols are clear for staff to follow. This enables all staff to work consistently with the children to ensure that they are better protected. Children are consulted and are aware of these plans, which has enabled staff to adapt how they respond. When children go missing, staff make every effort to locate them, and children are always spoken to by an independent person on their return to ensure their views are heard.

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

Not all staff know how to respond if a child makes an allegation, and the policy in place does not give enough clarity or guidance for staff. This does not provide effective protection to children. The manager responded to this during the inspection and put further plans in place to support staff’s understanding.

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

Incidents are clearly recorded and evaluated by the manager, with plans being updated when necessary and information shared with other agencies. Life space interviews take place with children and help to gather their thoughts and feelings, while repairing and amending relationships.

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

Sanctions are rarely used, as the focus is on positive reinforcement. When sanctions are used, they are proportionate and evidence that the child has been spoken to and agrees with the sanction. Any changes made from the manager’s evaluation are shared with the staff and the child to ensure they understand the reasons why. This helps children to learn socially acceptable behaviour and make reparation when this is helpful to support this learning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a clear vision for the home. At the time of the inspection, one child was living in the home. The manager is committed to the child and accepts that caring for this child is not in line with the statement of purpose. This is an administrative error and does not detract from the care being provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is preparing for when the child leaves and is clear that the home will focus on a more therapeutic, activity-based approach. He has already completed training, and plans are in place for the staff team to attend the same training. This means that staff will be better equipped with the skills and knowledge needed for the new approach. Inspection report children’s home: SC033389 5 Staff feel well supported and supervisions take place regularly. Supervisions are of a high quality and include well-being sections to further support staff and help them to feel valued as individuals. Learning and development are identified and addressed within supervision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is stable and regular team meetings help staff to work consistently with the children. Training is up to date for all staff and the manager has good oversight of this to ensure any shortfalls are addressed. Staff are given time to focus on gaining their qualifications and completing training, which ensures that they have the skills needed to support the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager responds quickly and effectively to external feedback received from Ofsted, regulation 44 visits and neighbors. This is documented clearly within the development plan for the home, which is used as a working document. The removal of a tree in the garden has helped to improve relationships within the community. A great deal of work has been undertaken to improve community relations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is proactive in sharing positive practice and learning with others external to the home. He wants the best for the children and staff team, and he shows a desire to achieve this. The staff are now learning and embracing this vision, but it is not yet embedded. Inspection report children’s home: SC033389 6

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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 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

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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v)(vi)(vii)).

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff know how to respond to allegations in line with policy and procedures. 10/02/2022

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Recommendations

 The manager should ensure that the home’s statement of purpose is kept under review and match the current purpose of the home. It should be child focused, indicating how the home provides individualised care to meet the Quality Standards for the children in their care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 14 and 15, paragraph 3.5)

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Recommendations

 The manager should ensure that children are encouraged to keep appropriate memorabilia and that staff help record and capture significant life events for children to look at and keep, such as memory books. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5) Inspection report children’s home: SC033389 7

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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: SC033389 8

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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: SC033389 9 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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