Children's home run by Pebbles Care Limited in Leeds

Inspection report for children’s home: SC056259 1 SC056259 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

The home is owned and operated by a private organisation. The home provides care and accommodation for up to six children who may have social and emotional needs. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since December 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home.

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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 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

Date of last inspection: 11 January 2022

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC056259 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/01/2022 Full Good 06/03/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 15/10/2019 Full Good 05/11/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC056259 3

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improvement to be good

The experiences of children living in the home are variable. At times, some children have made progress, but this has not been the experience of all children. All of the children have recently expressed a wish to live elsewhere. Some children have said that they do not always feel safe.

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improvement to be good

One of the children has not been in any form of education for almost a year. The majority of staff have failed to develop trusting relationships with the child. The child frequently sleeps during the day and is awake throughout the night, and this routine has been accepted by some staff. The registered manager has attended multi- agency meetings to support the child to return to education. However, this has not happened and the child has lost valuable time to learn and develop skills because of the length of time they have been out of education. The child’s social worker and the registered manager both agree that the home is no longer meeting the child’s needs.

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improvement to be good

Other children have built trusting relationships with the staff. They talk openly to the staff about challenges they face. These children have learned to express their emotions appropriately with the staff. This helps prepare them for managing future relationships with others.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager promotes regular and meaningful time between the children and their families and loved ones. Professionals value the registered manager driving this forward. For some children, this has built positive relationships with family members and has helped them to plan for their future adult life.

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improvement to be good

The home is clean, warm and homely. The lounge area has recently been decorated with a contemporary feel and new carpets have been fitted through areas of the house. The home has a welcoming and nurturing feel about it.

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improvement to be good

Some children have said that they do not always feel safe living in the home and want to move and live elsewhere. The staff fail to manage the language and behaviour of one child, and this has a detrimental effect on the other children living in the home. This situation is largely managed by supporting children to spend time away from one another. This does not support children to manage their relationships, nor address feelings around their well-being and security.

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improvement to be good

Medication in the home is not stored safely or securely. Keys were left in the medication cabinet and a child accessed medication that could have been harmful to Inspection report for children’s home: SC056259 4 them. Thankfully, this was averted. The registered manager has since reviewed the systems for safe storage of medication.

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improvement to be good

Fire extinguishers are not stored safely in accordance with the home’s fire risk assessment. This leaves children and staff at significant risk if there was to be a fire, especially during the night. The registered manager responded to make a temporary plan when this was raised.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments capture current risks to children. The manager reviews these regularly and particularly after any incident. These are shared with the team and are reinforced by input from the psychologist in the organisation.

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improvement to be good

Children and young people are rarely held for their own safety and that of others. When a physical intervention is needed, the registered manager and staff reflect on what happened leading to the incident and what happened afterwards. Lessons are learned and children’s voices and opinions are listened to. This helps children to build and maintain positive relationships with their peers and staff.

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improvement to be good

Children rarely go missing from home. There has been one incident since the last inspection and this was managed appropriately. Lessons were learned from the incident in order to reduce the likelihood of a reoccurrence.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All staff are up to date with mandatory training and have had specialist training to help meet the differing individual needs of children. Staff describe the therapeutic training they have received as supportive and effective with the children. They report seeing a difference in one child and young adult and how they respond to a more therapeutic approach.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and appraisals. Staff said that they feel well supported by the registered manager, and the training they receive equips them with the skills and knowledge to support them in their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are regular and well attended. They are child-focused and cover areas for development. Team meetings are used to keep staff informed, and to give staff an opportunity to contribute to the support of the children and development of the care provided in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is described as ‘proactive’ by professionals. One professional said that difficult situations are handled sensitively by the registered manager. The registered manager uses reflection with the staff to learn from incidents, to prevent them happening in future. This helps to create a reflective learning environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Not all staff have completed the mandatory diploma qualification within the required timescales. This requirement was made at the last inspection. The requirement has not been met and has therefore been restated. Inspection report for children’s home: SC056259 5

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that the registered manager works with the virtual school head to ensure that each child receives suitable and appropriate education. 31 March 2023

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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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; and

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(iv)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that medication is stored safely in accordance with the policy.

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Requirement Due date

Also, that staff support the children to feel safe from bullying from other children. 31 March 2023

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must— 25 March 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC056259 6 take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home. (Regulation 25 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that fire extinguishers are available to use in all parts of the building in case there is a fire in the home.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual—

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Requirement Due date

does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period; or

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Requirement Due date

works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part- time basis. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b) (6)(a)(b)) 31 March 2023

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Information about this inspection

The Inspector has 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: SC056259 7

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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

Carol Jagger, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC056259 8 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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