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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC481631 1 SC481631 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 managed by an independent provider. It is registered to provide care for up to four children who have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2021.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Ofsted carried out an interim inspection on 30 March 2022. The inspector found that the home had declined in effectiveness. Ofsted issued a compliance notice under regulation 12 due to serious concerns regarding safeguarding practice. This compliance notice was monitored at this full inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: SC481631 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/03/2022 Interim Declined in effectiveness 11/05/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 08/10/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 08/01/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC481631 3

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improvement to be good

Not all children are making progress. For one child, this home does not meet their needs. Although staff have received some additional training, this is not sufficient to provide the level of support, structure and routine that the child needs.

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improvement to be good

Children’s progress in education is mixed. Some children are attending school and making progress. However, one child is no longer accessing any formal education. Assessments of this child’s learning needs have not been completed, and plans to support the child back into education are not currently being progressed. As a result, this child spends extended periods of time in the home, missing out on valuable education and opportunities to socialise with their peers.

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improvement to be good

There have been delays in meeting the mental health needs of the children. Children should benefit from therapeutic formulation plans as assured in the statement of purpose. Currently, no children have a completed assessment or plan in place. This means that their needs are not clearly identified, and plans to support them are not effective.

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improvement to be good

Staff sometimes lock outer doors, which restricts children’s access. This means that children cannot always freely exit or enter the home to use the garden or leave the premises. This also presents a risk in the event of a fire. These actions restrict the liberty of children living in the home without any identified need or legal permission.

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improvement to be good

Children said they like living in the home and have good relationships with the staff. They recognise that staff want to help and support them, and care about meeting their needs. This helps children to grow in confidence and helps them to feel secure in their attachments.

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improvement to be good

There have been improvements to the condition of the children’s bedrooms and the home is welcoming. Each child’s bedroom is decorated to their individual taste and these rooms are clean and tidy. Photographs of the children and examples of their artwork are displayed around the home. This shows children that they are valued by staff.

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improvement to be good

Children are offered a range of new activities and experiences. Two children have recently been on a short holiday, and another child had experienced rock climbing for the first time. This helps children to explore their interests and talents and gives them a sense of achievement. Inspection report for children’s home: SC481631 4

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improvement to be good

A compliance notice under regulation 12 was issued at the interim inspection on 30 March 2022. The quality of risk assessments has improved, and each area of concern has its own assessment and plan to manage and reduce this risk. However, risk assessments do not always identify all of the dangers associated with a risk of harm. For example, risks in relation to internet use do not acknowledge the dangers that unknown adults may pose online. The specifics steps of the compliance notice have been met, but there are further shortfalls identified under this regulation. This can leave children at risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not communicate clear and consistent expectations around the behaviour of children. Staff are reluctant to challenge inappropriate or dangerous behaviours and therefore children are not taught what is acceptable. Staff do not employ their training to help children understand what socially acceptable behaviour is. This can, on occasion, exacerbate any incidents. This lack of consistency does not provide children with a sense of security or stability.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing, the staff follow children’s individual protocols and make attempts to locate them at known locations. When children return, they are welcomed home and staff ensure they are safe and cared for. The manager makes sure that the local authority completes return home interviews to gather information about the event. Although children’s risk assessments are updated, the information does not always reflect the seriousness of incidents. This means that plans to mitigate risk may not be effective.

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improvement to be good

Physical restraint is a last resort and only used in line with regulation. Records are kept of all restraints, and these are reviewed by the manager after the event. The online system does not accurately demonstrate if actions have been completed within statutory timescales. The manager does not robustly evaluate the use of physical restraint and monitoring systems are not in place to identify patterns or trends.

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improvement to be good

Children benefit from one-to-one discussions with staff. These sessions relate to key issues and risks and are recorded well. They are also effective in establishing trusting relationships between the children and the staff. Sessions help children to understand their risks, but do not always translate into action plans to keep children safer. This makes it difficult to monitor the impact of these sessions on children’s progress.

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good

The home now has a permanent manager in post who is developing in her role. Staff gave positive feedback in relation to working in the home and the support they receive from managers. The home is fully staffed and, while agency staff are used on occasion, they are regular staff who know the children and the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC481631 5 The manager has a system in place which can monitor staff training. This identifies that not all staff have received training specific to meeting the individual needs of children. The manager has not kept this record up to date and, therefore, does not have oversight of any gaps in the skills of the staff team. This does not ensure that children receive the right care and support at all times.

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good

Leaders and managers do not ensure that the needs of children are assessed and met as set out in the statement of purpose. Children living in the home have not benefited from the therapeutic formulation plans. This limits the manager’s understanding of the children and delays their care planning and access to specialist support.

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good

The manager does not always use opportunities from staff practice to learn lessons and make improvements. For example, when a restraint is used, the manager ensures that the recording is complete, but these records lack evaluation. This means that there is no exploration of the effectiveness of that restraint or what might need to change next time.

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good

The manager did not inform Ofsted of one significant event. In addition, one other notification had insufficient detail to properly understand the incident. This hinders Ofsted’s oversight of serious incidents in the home and means the regulator cannot ensure that the necessary actions have been taken to protect children.

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good

Supervision practice in the home has improved. Staff have received regular supervision and most staff have now had their practice appraised by the manager. This gives the manager an opportunity to have better oversight of the home.

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good

The manager is building her understanding of the shortfalls of the home and has made some progress in addressing shortfalls since the last inspection. The manager has followed the admission process when a child came to live in the home. This meant that they were able to talk to the child and arrange to visit them prior to them moving in. However, this child had previously lived in the home so the relationship was already established. The impact assessment demonstrated that the home could meet the child’s needs, but also that the manager had considered the needs of the other children living in the home. This ensured that the child was welcomed appropriately into the home.

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good

The manager and staff communicate well with other professionals and keep them up to date in relation to significant events for children. Education professionals have commented on the quality of conversations and daily handovers to share information about a child’s day. This helps other agencies to ensure that children get the most out of their time in school and are supported with education at home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC481631 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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)) 8 July 2022

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that risk assessments detail the steps that staff must take to reduce the risks of harm and address incidents where children might be harmed. 8 July 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC481631 7 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

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; and

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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)(f)(h)) 8 July 2022

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(i)(ii)(iv)) 8 July 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC481631 8 After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

make arrangements for persons working at the home to receive suitable training in fire prevention. (Regulation 25 (1)(c)) 8 July 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that all relevant information is included in the notification. 8 July 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that a record of supervision is kept for all staff, including the manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation 33(4)(b). In particular, the registered person should ensure that accurate records of discussions are kept and that these records are agreed by both the supervisor and supervisee. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3)

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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: SC481631 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

Deb Duffy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC481631 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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