Children's home run by Harmony Children’s Services

Inspection report for children’s home: SC424759 1 SC424759 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 run children’s home that provides care and support for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties and learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered at the home since August 2013.

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Information about this children’s home

There were two children living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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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: SC424759 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/03/2022 Full Good 12/06/2019 Full Good 25/09/2018 Full Good 15/01/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC424759 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children living at this home are settled and making progress. This is because they are provided with a high standard of individualised and nurturing care from the adults who look after them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children respond well to the structure and routines in place at this home, which are individual to each child’s identified needs. Both children have made progress in all areas of their lives since they moved into this home. This is because staff provide children with care that is consistent and predictable, which provides them with a sense of security and stability.

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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. The manager and staff are committed to removing the children’s barriers to education. Staff work in partnership with educational settings to ensure that children receive the right support in school. For one child, this has meant that they have improved attendance. For the other child, this collaborative approach has meant that their additional health needs are being met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have experienced improved health since they moved into this home. This is because there is a strong multi-agency approach, where the manager and staff work collaboratively with health professionals. This ensures that staff are better equipped to meet the children’s needs, which means that children are receiving the right support. One health professional said, ‘The child has done extremely well since they moved into the home.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy positive and trusting relationships with staff. Staff have open and honest conversations with children, in line with their plan. They respond sensitively to children when they talk about topics that are specific to children’s individual needs. Records of conversations between children and staff capture the children’s wishes and feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to see the people who are important in their lives. Staff build positive relationships with families. One parent said, ‘Staff are brilliant, they can’t do enough for the child.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to take part in activities, such as day trips, dog walking, trampolining and go-karting. Staff consider the children’s health needs when they plan activities. This means that children are helped to enjoy activities that provide them with new experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to prepare for living independently in the future. Staff understand the children’s starting points and their abilities. Children are helped to become independent in their personal self-care. Staff help children to overcome their anxieties about independence by supporting them at a pace that is comfortable for Inspection report for children’s home: SC424759 4 them. This positive approach increases the likelihood that children are better equipped to live independently in the future.

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

The children who live at this home are happy and settled. Staff understand the vulnerabilities and risks to the children in relation to their physical and emotional health. Staffing ratios are high, and this means that children receive supervision and support in line with their individual risk assessments and plans.

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

There is a multi-agency approach to the assessment of the risk to children. There are robust plans in place. These provide staff with guidance and clear steps to follow to mitigate some of the risks to the children. This positive and informed approach means that staff are better equipped to ensure that children are increasingly safe.

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

Staff are clear on their responsibilities and the steps that they must take when a child is missing from home. Records show that the action that staff take when a child is away from the home without permission is proactive and in line with the child’s plan.

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

Records for children who have now moved out of the home show that staff respond well to serious incidents. The strategies staff use to support children to manage the difficult emotions that they are experiencing are clear in the children’s records.

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

When children have been restrained, the action that staff have taken has been necessary and proportionate to reduce the risk of harm to the child. However, discussions with the user of the restraint and with the child have not always happened within the relevant timescale to meet the regulatory requirement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and suitably qualified. She is committed to be a role model of positive practice and ensures that she sets clear expectations for staff. This means that children receive good-quality care from a team who are motivated and want the best outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has ensured that the transitions for children moving into and from the home have happened in a supportive and planned way. When a child has moved into the home, she has considered the risks for the child and the impact on the children already living at the home. This well-considered approach has meant that the children are happy and settled, are making progress and like living together.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has built strong relationships with other professionals who are involved with the children. The manager and staff understand the importance of partnership working to ensure that children receive the right support. Professionals said that good communication and sharing information are strengths of this home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC424759 5 The manager ensures that staff have access to the relevant training and resources to meet the needs of the children living at the home. When children have additional health needs, she has ensured that staff have received training and support from health professionals involved in the child’s care. This means that children receive the right support in line with their plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff said that morale is high and that they feel supported by the manager. Records show that supervision is reflective and provides staff with the opportunity to discuss the changing risks for children and their plans. However, staff, including those newly appointed, have not received regular supervision. This hinders staff’s learning and development and has the potential to impact on the quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are auditing and monitoring systems in place to track the risks to children, the progress that children are making and the development of staff. However, the systems in place have not identified some shortfalls, such as the supervision of staff and the gaps in some records relating to the restraint of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has not supplied the regulator with a copy of the review of the quality of care report within the expected timescale.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has assessed the location of the premises to ensure that the home is appropriate and suitable for the children living there. However, while there is evidence of consultation, the information has not been included in the review. The manager has not demonstrated in the written document that they have consulted with and taken into account the views of each relevant person. Inspection report for children’s home: SC424759 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 registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) 27 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)) 27 February 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45 (1) (4)(a)) 27 February 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC424759 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the home’s location at least once a year. They should ensure that when conducting the review and consulting with relevant people, that the views of each relevant person are considered. They should record the views of each relevant person. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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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: SC424759 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: SC424759 9 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 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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