Children's home run by Harmony Children’s Services

Inspection report for children’s home: SC461450 1 SC461450 Registered provider: Harmony Children’s Services Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned and managed children’s home. It is registered to provide care for up to three children who may experience emotional and/or social difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were three children living at this home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered at this home since October 2021.

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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: 1 February 2022

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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: SC461450 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/02/2022 Full Good 19/06/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 27/11/2018 Full Good 21/11/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC461450 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress because they receive a high standard of nurturing care from staff who know them well. Children respond well to the structure and boundaries that are in place at this home. This approach means that children receive consistent care, which provides them with a sense of stability and security.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are committed to providing the children with positive and trusting relationships. When children have anxieties about relationships, staff help them to build trust in the adults who care for them at a pace that is comfortable for the child. They understand how the relationships that they build with children have an impact on the progress that children make.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress in their education from their starting points. This is because staff work collaboratively with schools to ensure that children’s emotional needs are understood and they are receiving the right support. This increases the likelihood that children will experience improved outcomes in their future education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy improved health because of the help that they receive from staff to overcome their anxieties about health appointments. For some children, this has meant that they have attended appointments and received the right treatment. Children are helped to access services to support their emotional and mental health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff talk to the children about topics that are specific to children’s individual needs. Records show that these discussions are open and honest, and capture the child’s wishes and feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s day-to-day experiences are positive because staff are committed to providing them with routines and structure to their day. Some children enjoy going out to do activities, such as swimming and playing football, while other children prefer to spend time with their peers. The inspector observed one child laughing and having fun when playing with their toys and games with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to spend time with the people who are important in their lives. Staff help children to understand their feelings when relationships become difficult. Children’s friends are welcomed into the home when they visit. This gives children a sense of belonging and provides them with the same experiences as their peers.

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

Staff understand the individual vulnerabilities and risks to children, and they are clear about their responsibilities to ensure that children are better protected. Staff are curious about the risks to children, which means they respond immediately when the risks to children change. However, not all identified risks are consistently Inspection report for children’s home: SC461450 4 recorded in the children’s records. This means that staff are not always provided with guidance on the steps they need to follow to mitigate those risks. There is sometimes conflicting information in the children’s records. This has the potential to hinder staff decisions about keeping children safe.

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

One child is at risk of going missing. Staff are clear on the steps that they need to follow if they go missing, including searching for the child and reporting them as missing. Records show that staff are proactive in their response. They search the local area for the child, and, when needed, will challenge others who may hinder their attempts to find the child. They educate children about the risks of going missing and use strategies to engage children in positive activities.

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

Staff understand how children’s experiences have an impact on their behaviour. They are resilient and consistent in their response to incidents of unwanted behaviour involving the children. This predictable response means that children are provided with a sense of safety and security, and the number of incidents has reduced.

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

When children have been restrained, the action taken by staff has been necessary and proportionate to reduce the risk of harm to the child. Records show that staff and children are not always provided with the opportunity to discuss the restraint. This prevents reflection and learning, which could be used to reduce the likelihood of incidents happening in the future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and suitably qualified. She is committed to a vision of providing children with nurturing and consistent care that considers individual childhood experiences and trauma. She is a positive role model to staff, which means that staff are motivated to share the ethos and vision for the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A child moved in to this home in a planned and supportive way, which has helped them to feel increasingly safe and secure. The manager considered the risks for the child and the impact on the children who were already living at the home. The children are happy and like living with each other.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision, which helps them to reflect on practice. Team meetings take place regularly, providing staff with the opportunity to discuss changes to the children’s plans and changing risks for individual children. Staff said that they feel supported and that their learning and development are a priority. This supportive environment means that staff morale is good. Staff work as a team to provide children with a high standard of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

This home is sufficiently staffed to provide the children with consistent care. The manager ensures that staff receive the relevant training to meet the needs of the children who are living at the home. Where there has been a change to the risks for children, the manager has acted immediately to ensure that staff have access to the necessary training. Inspection report for children’s home: SC461450 5 The manager and staff have built strong relationships with other professionals who are involved in the children’s care. Professionals said that a strength of this home is the positive relationships between staff and the children. One professional said, ‘Staff really know the child well. The communication with the home is excellent; this means that we are better equipped to support the child in school.’ Strong partnership working means that the children receive the right support and continuity of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are effective audit and monitoring systems in place to track the risks to children, the progress that children are making, and staff development. While some shortfalls have been identified and addressed by the manager, some of the information in written documents relating to children’s risk assessments and restraint records has not been scrutinised. Inspection report for children’s home: SC461450 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— that staff—

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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, ensure that all identified risks to children are assessed and recorded in written documents. Ensure that written documents provide clear steps for staff to follow, and conflicting information is not recorded across documents. 23 February 2023

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv)) 23 February 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC461450 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 for children’s home: SC461450 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Harmony Children’s Services

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 3 Park Square, Leeds LS1 2NE

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Inspector

Rachel Webster, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC461450 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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