Children's Home run by Pebbles Care Limited in North Yorkshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC481631 1 SC481631 Registered provider: Pebbles Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by an independent provider. It is registered to provide care for up to four children with emotional and social difficulties. There are currently two children living at the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2021.

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: requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC481631 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/05/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/03/2022 Interim Declined in effectiveness 11/05/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 08/10/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC481631 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have trusted adults around them who they can speak with, as meaningful relationships between the children and staff are encouraged. The registered manager has good relationships with the children and interactions between them are warm and friendly. All staff are invested in the children and have high aspirations for them to reach their full potential.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children make good progress with their education. Alternative provision is in place for one child who has had difficulties accessing mainstream education. Another child has just completed their GCSE exams and has been accepted into college. The attendance of both children has improved with the support from the staff and the registered manager.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s physical and emotional well-being has improved. The staff support one child to engage with therapeutic support. The child speaks with the staff following these sessions if they have become upset. This gives the staff the opportunity to support the child and navigate them through any challenging experiences.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff support the children to have new experiences and broaden their knowledge and interests. The children participate in activities outside of education that are appropriate to their age. They are encouraged to try new things, and this has helped one child with their fear of water.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to have meaningful relationships with their families and friends in a safe way. Children’s friends are invited to the home so that they can enjoy everyday childhood experiences. This helps them to feel valued and develops their relationships with their peers.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is dated and looks tired in some areas. The registered manager intends to refurbish the children’s communal bathroom and there are plans in place to redecorate one child’s bedroom. However, other areas of the home show general wear and tear. Sanitary bins in all of the bathrooms do not contribute to the otherwise homely feel that the staff have worked to achieve.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children know how to complain. The process is set out in the children’s guide, which is revisited regularly with the children. However, the recording of complaints and the way they are responded to lack rigor and are not child friendly. The registered manager did not respond to one child’s complaint. This oversight prevents the children from knowing that their concerns have been listened to, taken seriously, and acted on. Inspection report for children’s home: SC481631 4

p.3

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

Children in the home feel safe, and any identified risks are well managed by the staff. Although children do go missing from the home, the response from staff is effective. When there are any incidents, the staff know how to respond and do so in a timely way. Information is shared appropriately with other agencies and staff take all the steps they can to locate the child and return them home.

p.4

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

Staff are consistent in their use of therapeutic parenting approaches. When incidents happen in the home, they are managed appropriately. The children and staff are spoken with afterwards and restorative work is completed to help to repair any relationships that may have been affected. If consequences are used, these are natural and are not punitive. This helps the children to understand and learn from what has happened.

p.4

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

The children’s risk assessments are thorough and detailed, and they are completed with the input of the home’s psychology team. Psychologists consider any trauma that the child has experienced, and any responses and unwanted behaviours that children may display because of this. Risk assessments are updated when incidents happen. Children’s care plans are also updated to reflect the children’s current risks so that the staff know how to respond appropriately to meet the children’s needs.

p.4

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

When allegations have been made against the staff in the home, these have been reported to the relevant professionals and thoroughly investigated. The registered manager ensures that all of the appropriate actions are taken. Children’s risk assessments are updated and restorative work between children and staff is carried out when appropriate.

p.4

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

The grounds to the front and rear of the property are not well maintained. There is rubbish and debris in the grounds that could pose a risk to the safety of the children. The front of the property has a large garden, the majority of which is well maintained. However, there is an area that is overgrown and full of nettles. This prevents the children from accessing all the outside space.

p.4

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

Two fire doors in the downstairs of the home do not comply with the fire safety requirements. One is prevented from closing on release due to the carpet and the other does not close securely in the door frame. In the event of a house fire, these doors would not prevent the escalation of flames and therefore pose a risk to children and staff. The registered manager made immediate plans to have both doors refurbished.

p.4

good

The registered manager is highly regarded by the staff and by professionals involved in the children’s lives. She is an advocate for the children in her care and will challenge professionals when necessary. The children trust her and seek her out for support or help when needed. Inspection report for children’s home: SC481631 5 The supervision of staff is completed regularly. Supervision sessions are reflective in nature and well recorded with clear actions and accountability. Staff find these sessions useful as they have space to discuss anything that may be impacting on them or the care that they provide to the children. It is also a space for learning and development that the staff find valuable.

p.4

good

The registered manager produces a quality of care report every six months that assesses the care that the children receive. However, she has failed to monitor the progress that has been made since the previous report and has carried forward the previous actions. This oversight prevents the registered manager from identifying what has worked well and where improvements are needed in the quality of care provided to the children.

p.5

good

The use of physical intervention in the home is rare. When it has been needed to keep people safe, it has been fair and proportionate. However, the written record for one intervention is confusing as it does not detail events in a coherent way. There was also no record available of a conversation with the child following the measure. The registered manager did not identify this when they reviewed the record. Incomplete or inaccurate records do not provide the registered manager with the information they need to consider how such incidents can be avoided in future.

p.5

good

Monitoring and oversight by the registered manager is not thorough and inconsistencies in the children’s records have not been identified and addressed. Several documents, including risk assessments and incident reports have missing or incorrect information. This prevents children from having an accurate written record of their lived experience of their time living in this home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC481631 6

p.5

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered persons 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 persons must comply within the given timescales.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the outside areas of the home are safe and free of rubbish and debris that could cause injury to the children. 31 August 2023

p.6

Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home—

p.6

Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the two fire doors on the ground floor of the property that do not close securely in the door frame. 31 August 2023

p.6

Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

p.6

Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

p.6

Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; 30 September Inspection report for children’s home: SC481631 7 the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

p.6

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)(a)(iv)(v)(vii)(b)

p.7

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the inaccurate recording of physical interventions, in particular, the holds used, the time they were used for and whether the holds were effective.

p.7

Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must establish a procedure for considering complaints made by or on behalf of children.

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation.

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that no child is subject to any reprisal for making a complaint or representation.

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must supply to HMCI, at HMCI’s request, a statement containing a summary of any complaints made during the preceding twelve months and the action that was taken in response to each complaint. (Regulation 39 (3))

p.7

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the investigation, recording and outcome of any complaint made by a child. 30 September

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—

p.7

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

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)(h)) 30 September Inspection report for children’s home: SC481631 8 This specifically relates to the management oversight of important documents and records that are not consistently or effectively reviewed.

p.7

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment for the children. All areas of the home should be in a good state of repair and should be fit for everyday use. The home should maintain a domestic feel and not be sterile or institutional in any way. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that the six-monthly quality of care review, required under regulation 45, focuses on the experiences of the children living in the home and the impact that care is having on their outcomes. It should demonstrate progress made on targets that have been set and should not allow drift and delay by having actions that are not measurable. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2)

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: SC481631 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pebbles Care Limited

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 The Calls, Leeds LS2 7JU

p.9

Inspector

Gail McGann, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC481631 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

Inspector

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

Inspector

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

p.10

Inspector

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

p.10