Children's home run by Pebbles Care Limited in Leeds

Inspection report for children’s home: SC379274 1 SC379274 Registered provider: Pebbles Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and operated by a private provider. The provider provides care for up to four children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a new manager in post. She has not yet submitted her application to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 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 27 January 2021 to carry out a monitoring 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC379274 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/04/2019 Full Good 29/05/2018 Full Good 07/02/2018 Full Good 16/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC379274 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children build trusted relationships with the staff. They provide the children with a home environment, which enables the children to build their self-confidence and begin to feel safe and secure.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All the children have made some positive progress since moving into the home. The staff support the children to experience good levels of stability, and they help the children to move on from the home successfully. For example, one child has returned back to the care of their family, and another has moved into a more specialist and suitable home where their additional needs can be met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves into the home are well planned. Wherever possible, the staff ensure that the children feel welcomed and reassured. The staff provide the children with the support that they require so that the children’s day-to-day care needs are met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have regular one-to-one key-work sessions with the children where the children can express their wishes and feelings. However, not all of the children routinely take part in these meetings. The manager is working with the children to improve this to ensure that the children’s views are captured and incorporated in the running of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s bedrooms are personalised. However, the manager’s monitoring systems have failed to identify that one child’s bedroom was very untidy. In addition, the manager had failed to ensure that this bedroom was free from avoidable hazards because routine health and safety checks have not been carried out. This practice exposes children to avoidable risks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive consistent care as structured education, and activity planners are in place. One child has excellent school attendance and is making progress beyond expectations. The other children are being actively supported by the staff to ensure that they have access to the education provisions that they need. The staff work with the virtual school headteacher and the children’s schools to reduce any barriers to the children accessing education. As a result, the children have education plans in place to ensure that they are in good routines and that they can fulfil their educational potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work in partnership with the nurse of the children who are looked after and the home’s in-house clinical psychologist. This helps to support the children’s physical and emotional health needs. This means that the children’s health and developmental needs are prioritised by staff, and all the children have up-to-date health assessments. Inspection report for children’s home: SC379274 4 Children are supported to engage in their hobbies and interests. Children enjoy playing imaginary games, going on walks, visiting trampoline parks and going on holidays with the staff. All of the children have memory books which include photos of all their positive activities and experiences that they have engaged in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff support the children to have ongoing relationships with the children who have left the home. The staff arrange activity days that all the children attend, and they ensure that those children who have left the home continue to receive gifts for significant celebrations. This means that the children continue to feel valued and connected to those who they have built up significant relationships with.

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

The staff understand the children’s known risks and individual needs. There are behaviour management plans and risk assessments in place. These are reviewed regularly by the manager and deputy manager in consultation with social workers and other agencies. This helps to safeguard the children.

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

The staff use a therapeutic model of practice. This allows the children to rebuild relationships and develop an understanding of how their behaviours can impact on them and others. This means that the children are better equipped to manage their emotional and behavioural needs so that they can get along with others better.

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

Staff training and effective working relationships with key agencies promote the safety of the children. The staff regularly consult with the in-house clinical psychologist, the police, educational professionals and the missing from care coordinator, which supports them in their roles. This level of consultation with professionals helps the staff to develop their practice to better support the children.

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

When children do go missing from the home, the staff follow the children’s risk assessments and respond quickly. The staff will contact the children and their known associates, search the local areas where the children are known to go and work in partnership with other agencies and families to reduce the risk. As a result, the frequency of children going missing from the home has reduced.

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

There are low levels of the use of physical restraints. When they do occur, they are well recorded, the staff and children are debriefed and there is good management oversight. Staff use supervisions, team meetings, handovers, and consultations with the in-house clinical psychologist in order to reflect on the incidents to improve this practice.

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

Children’s bedrooms are not maintained to a safe level because they are not kept free from avoidable hazards. Children have access to cigarettes and paraphernalia linked to illicit substances because the staff do not routinely complete checks on the children’s bedrooms. Consequently, children are exposed to a level of risk. Inspection report for children’s home: SC379274 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has been in post for four months. She and her team are child-focused and are aspirational for the children. The manager and the staff have provided some stability for the children throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, which has brought about a number of changes to the staffing arrangements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff access regular training and supervision, attend regular team meetings and consultations with the in-house psychologist and undertake an annual appraisal. These systems support the staff’s developmental needs to ensure that the children receive a good level of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team has gone through several changes due to COVID-19. However, there is now a committed and stable staff team in place. The staff provide positive role models for the children and are developing their practice to enable the children to experience the continuity of care and support that they require.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager makes referrals for specialist support and assessments to ensure that the children’s needs are fully met. For example, referrals have been made to the substance misuse team and child and adolescent mental health services for the children. This means that the child’s needs are known and that the correct resources are put in place quickly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are good monitoring systems in place, which are continually being improved. The manager completes monthly audits, which enables her to have a good oversight of the children’s progress and a good understanding of her staff and their development needs. However, these systems have not been in place long-term, so as to provide sufficient evidence of improved management oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a workforce development plan in place, which is reviewed and updated regularly. This plan supports her in having a good understanding of the strengths of the home and the areas for development. As a result, the manager can plan for the future development of her staff and for the future improvements in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s statement of purpose has not been routinely updated to reflect the changes that have taken place to the management and staffing. In addition, the manager has failed to share the updated statement of purpose with Ofsted as required. Inspection report for children’s home: SC379274 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 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

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(f)(g)(h)) 31 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 31 March 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC379274 7 ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the home’s décor is maintained to reflect a warm, welcoming environment, and that checks of the children’s bedroom are routinely completed to ensure that these are safe for the children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b)) 31 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings; 31 March 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC379274 8 help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child; and

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. (Regulation 7 (2)(a))

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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 for children’s home: SC379274 9

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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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Inspector

Noel Cooper, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC379274 10 regulates and inspects 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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