Children's Home run by Leeds City Council in Leeds

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

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This is a local authority children’s home that provides care and support for up to four children aged between 11 and 17 years. The home closed in March 2022. The home reopened in April 2022 to support one child who did not live at this home until June 2022. At the time of the inspection, there was one child living at the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager in post since March 2022. A new acting manager has been appointed but has not yet applied to become registered with Ofsted.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

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

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/05/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2611210 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is confident to share their views directly with the acting manager and staff. When the child raises an issue or asks for something for the home, the staff ensure that the child understands what action has been taken to meet their request. The acting manager and staff consider ideas raised by the child and implement these whenever possible.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff encourage the child’s friends to spend time in the home and they regularly visit. For example, the child invited a friend for their birthday tea, prepared by the staff. This helps the child to develop positive friendships in a safe environment.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who have moved out of the home receive support to understand the reasons for this. The staff team prepare them for moving to their new homes and share information with staff at their new homes on how best to support them.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage the child to pursue their individual interests and to try new things. The child takes part in activities with staff that they enjoy. This provides the child with the opportunity to gain new experiences and have fun. This helps the child to create memories.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is re-engaging with their education. This is a significant achievement given their starting point. However, the child’s education is not prioritised by the acting manager and staff and sessions have been missed as a result. This does not support the child to fully recognise the importance of their education.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team has failed to ensure that the child’s family are updated on the child’s progress or that the child’s relationship with their family is supported. This is despite the child requesting to spend time with their family. The acting manager has not been proactive in putting plans into place.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment lacks a sense of warmth and damage has not been repaired. The child’s bedroom was unkempt, and staff fail to ensure that it is a nice place for the child to spend time.

p.3

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

Positive behaviour is promoted by the staff through individualised incentives and praise. Staff rarely use consequences and prefer to use positive reinforcements to support the child’s behavioural development. When consequences have been used, they are clearly documented and the child’s voice is captured. The manager has reviewed these for effectiveness and ensured that consequences are restorative in nature. Inspection report for children’s home: 2611210 4 The acting manager and staff know how to support the child when they are unhappy because of the positive relationships they have built. This has reduced the level and intensity of incidents as well as the need for the child to be held to keep them safe.

p.3

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

Staff use key-work sessions and informal discussions to help the child to reflect on the potential risks they face and give them the knowledge to protect themselves from danger.

p.4

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

Incidents of the child going missing from the home have significantly decreased. The child’s missing-from-home protocol lacks clarity, but staff understand their responsibilities and act to protect the child. When the child does go missing, the staff follow this up. Work is completed with the child on their return to increase their safety awareness.

p.4

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

On one occasion, there was a delay in notifying the designated officer from a local authority about an allegation made against a member of staff. The acting manager has quickly addressed this shortfall. The staff and acting manager have received detailed training of what actions to take and are confident in what to do.

p.4

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

Staff understand the risks and vulnerabilities for the child, but these are not all clearly recorded. Individual support plans are in place for most risks and provide clear guidance to staff. However, some risks are not clearly assessed, such as candles in the child’s bedroom and staffing levels, which does not provide the staff or the child with consistency.

p.4

good

The acting manager is new in post and has identified most areas that need improving. However, these changes have not all been made or are not embedded into working practice.

p.4

good

The acting manager has effective oversight of incident reports and detailed recording forms, and identifies shortfalls in practice. However, the manager has not recognised the significant progress that the child has made and is not reviewing the level of staffing needed.

p.4

good

The acting manager has recognised the impact of using agency and relief staff on the child’s anxiety and their ability to build and keep relationships with all of the staff team. The acting manager is working to address this and there has been more stability since October 2022.

p.4

good

Staff spoken to feel well supported by the manager and receive regular supervision, which staff say is reflective and helps them to develop their practice. Staff said that the manager and deputy manager work well together, and they feel confident to approach them with issues or concerns. Inspection report for children’s home: 2611210 5 The staffing ratio in the child’s plans is unclear. This makes it difficult for the staff to follow. The child and staff do not understand why this is in place and documents do not evidence how this works in practice. For example, inspectors identified one staff member who supported the child in the community. On other occasions, two staff members supported the child. This inconsistent approach is confusing for the child. There is no evidence to show that the manager has explored how staff can effectively support the child.

p.4

good

The independent person visits the home in line with regulation. However, the child’s views are not consistently captured in the monthly reports. This means that any views expressed by children are not included in the independent person’s evaluation, regarding if the child is safeguarded and their well-being promoted in the home.

p.5

good

The acting manager is clear about what she would like to do to improve the home and what she wants to achieve for the child. The acting manager is reflective in her approach and is keen to learn and develop as a manager. Inspection report for children’s home: 2611210 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

p.6

Requirement Due date

provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (2)(vii)(viii)(c)(i)) 31 March 2023

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

p.6

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 31 March 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2611210 7 ensure that staff—

p.6

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;

p.7

Requirement Due date

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;

p.7

Requirement Due date

is given appropriate advocacy support. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(b)(iii))

p.7

Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

p.7

Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

p.7

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

p.7

Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

p.7

Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (a)(i)(ii)(iv)(v)(x)) 31 March 2023

p.7

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— 31 March 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2611210 8 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential;

p.7

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;

p.8

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

p.8

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;

p.8

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)(b)(f)(h))

p.8

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the independent visitor regularly consults with children and their families to enable them to do a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promote the welfare of the children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.15)

p.8

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: 2611210 9

p.8

Children’s home details

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

p.9

Inspectors

Ruth Jackson, Social Care Inspector Debra Boldy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for 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.

p.9

Inspectors

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 or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspectors

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

p.10