Children's home run by Leeds City Council in Leeds

Inspection report for children’s home: SC488679 1 SC488679 Registered provider: Leeds City Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A local authority operates this home. The home provides care for up to four children aged between 10 and 18 years. The children come to the home to complete a 12- week dialectical behaviour therapy programme. The staff work with the children and their families or carers to enable them to return to family-based environments. The staff use the multisystemic therapy and family integrated transitions model.

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Information about this children’s home

There was no registered manager in post at the time of the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, and the care and experiences of children are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 16 November 2021

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC488679 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/11/2021 Full Good 14/01/2020 Full Outstanding 08/01/2019 Full Outstanding 07/11/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC488679 3

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inadequate

Since the last inspection, there have been significant shortfalls in the safety and protection of children and the leadership and management of the home. These shortfalls have left children at risk of harm on multiple occasions.

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inadequate

Currently, none of the three children are in any form of education, training or employment. Staff do not provide children with structure during the day. Some children are often missing from the home or leave the home during school hours. Attempts made by staff to engage children in education, training or employment have been ineffective. This means that children’s opportunities to make improvements in their learning are reduced.

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inadequate

Some of the children’s bedrooms are unwelcoming, messy and dirty. At the time of the inspection, one child’s sink had not been cleaned for so long that it was not draining water. Another child’s bedroom was unkempt and had a plate of food which had been there for some time. The lack of domestic support from staff does not provide children with a comfortable space to relax and does not promote a positive living environment.

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inadequate

Staff receive training to support them in their care of the children. However, leaders and managers have failed to ensure that there is enough trained staff available to care for the children and meet their individual needs.

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inadequate

Staff support the children to attend any routine health appointments. If children struggle with their health appointments, staff build their confidence and discuss the importance and benefits of managing their own health.

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inadequate

Children spoken to say that they have positive relationships with staff and can talk to them whenever they need to.

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

The day-to-day care provided in the home does not ensure that children are protected from harm. Recently, there have been occasions when children have been missing for long periods and throughout the night. Furthermore, staff do not always follow the children’s missing-from-home care plans after 11pm because this is when the afternoon staff finish and go to bed on sleep-in duty. This does not protect children and does not facilitate their safe return to the home.

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

Staff do not know some children’s risks and what is required to ensure that they are kept as safe as possible. One child returned to the home in an unsettled state after being missing. The staff working left the child alone downstairs. With no staff present, the child left the home again and went missing in the early hours of the Inspection report for children’s home: SC488679 4 morning. This means that staff do not always take sufficient action to ensure that children are safeguarded effectively.

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

Door alarms are fitted on children’s bedroom doors but are not activated as staff say they are not needed. There are also window restrictors on all windows in the home. However, children have left their rooms and used a downstairs window to leave the home in the early hours of the morning without staff knowing. Therefore, the control measures that are in place do not work and staff fail to keep children safe, especially during the night. Leaders and managers responded quickly to this shortfall and arranged waking night staff with immediate effect.

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

Leaders and managers do not inform Ofsted of all serious incidents or safeguarding matters. This lack of transparency means that significant information is not shared and the regulator is not provided with information on how leaders and managers manage safeguarding incidents and any associated risks.

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

Children have been placed at serious risk of harm due to inadequate health and safety arrangements. One child smokes tobacco in their bedroom. This is a significant fire hazard which leaves staff and children at risk. Leaders and managers have failed to ensure that the children and staff can leave the home in an emergency. The main entrance to the home, which is a fire exit, is often locked. This means that children and staff are at risk of harm in the event of an emergency.

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

Physical interventions are rarely used. Records of these events are clear and confirm that children and staff have opportunities to talk about what happened and why. However, there is no evidence of management oversight of these records. This means that there is no evaluation as to whether the measure used was necessary and proportionate.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There have been recent changes to the management of the home. An acting manager has been in post since 23 February 2023 after the registered manager changed roles at short notice. This registered manager was brought in to lead the inspection. The upheaval in the management of the home caused unnecessary delays to inspection activity.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not have effective monitoring systems in place to evaluate records in the home. Consequently, leaders and managers have failed to identify the regulatory breaches, which has left children at risk of harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff have not received regular supervision. This does not give staff the support or guidance they need to reflect on their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have allowed children to move into the home who are not reflected in the home’s statement of purpose. Furthermore, leaders and managers do not ensure that the statement of purpose is kept under review. Consequently, Ofsted has not been made aware of changes made to the function, aims and Inspection report for children’s home: SC488679 5 objectives of the home. Ofsted has also not been updated as to how children’s needs will be met who live in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Multi-agency strategy meetings are held in response to the escalating concerns about children when they are in the local community. During these meetings, children’s safety plans are reviewed. Currently, these plans are mostly ineffective. Strategies in place do not sufficiently guide staff to safeguard children effectively or protect them from harm. For some children, this failure means that they continue to be at risk of criminal and sexual exploitation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have failed to provide Ofsted with a quality of care review since July 2021. This failure means that there is no record, reflection or analysis of the care provided in the home. There is no evaluation of the work carried out with children to enable them to make progress and no action plan to improve the quality of care in the home moving forward.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers respond appropriately to allegations. They work in consultation with the local authority designated officer, children’s social workers and Ofsted. This transparent way of working means that all professionals are up to date with such safeguarding information and have an understanding of how allegations are dealt with in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Serious and widespread concerns were raised throughout this inspection. However, before the end of the inspection, the provider acted immediately to address the main shortfalls. Senior leaders from the local authority offered assurances to the regulator that these actions were long term and would not be revoked. These assurances prevented Ofsted from taking more stringent enforcement action. Inspection report for children’s home: SC488679 6

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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

*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;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; 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)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(b)) 30 April 2023

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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—

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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— 30 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC488679 7 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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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;

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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)(d)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

*After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

provide adequate means of escape from the home in the event of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(a)(b)) 30 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff— 30 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC488679 8 provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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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;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(ii)(v)(viii)) 30 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b)) 30 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 30 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 30 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC488679 9 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)(c))

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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

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 30 April 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

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home. 30 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC488679 10 The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: SC488679 11

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Gemma McDonnell, Social Care Inspector Evelyn Chafota, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC488679 12 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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