Children's Home run by Leeds City Council in Leeds

Inspection report for children’s home: 2611210 1 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

This is a local authority children’s home that provides care and support for up to four children aged between 11 and 17 years.

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Information about this children’s home

There is currently one child living in the home. Care provided to the child is from an independent company.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been away from the home since 26 June 2023. The service delivery manager and other managers from the authority are sharing the responsibility of the oversight of 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 inadequate

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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: 14 November 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: 2611210 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/11/2022 Full Good 25/05/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2611210 3

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improvement to be good

The child spends time with staff, which helps them to build positive relationships with the adults around them. The child and staff engage in activities such as trips to the seaside and pamper evenings. Consequently, the child has positive experiences as a result of living in the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff encourage the child’s interests and promote these by taking the child to do what they enjoy such as horse riding. This promotes the child’s self-esteem and confidence while out in the community.

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improvement to be good

Some parts of the house are unwelcoming for the child due to ripped wallpaper and old paintwork that has peeled off windowsills. The child’s bedroom was unkempt and had a plate of food and a pan on the windowsill. This does not create a homely environment for the child to flourish.

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improvement to be good

Staff support the child to attend their routine health appointments. Nevertheless, the child does not wear their prescription glasses. Staff do not routinely carry out direct work with the child around the importance of wearing the glasses and what further health implications could arise. Furthermore, the staff are concerned that the current plan to support the child with improving their personal hygiene is ineffective.

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improvement to be good

When there are concerns with the child’s mental health, the staff tap into the local authorities therapeutic services for guidance and support. This enables staff to discuss alternative approaches to better meet the child’s needs. However, staff do not raise the child’s awareness around the importance of attending these sessions with the therapeutic social workers or other specialists such as mental health professionals. Therefore, the child is not educated on how these sessions may support them with their personal progress. This is a missed opportunity for the child to reflect on their background experiences and recognise how these may influence their development.

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improvement to be good

The child’s educational progress has improved. When the child struggles with their education, meetings between the education provider, the child’s social workers and the staff are held to discuss the child’s plans. This transparent communication ensures that the child’s plans are adapted when needed. This means that the child receives an individualised timetable that reflects their learning and support needs.

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improvement to be good

The child has been involved in one physical intervention since the last inspection. The child sustained some small bruising on their arm as a result of this physical intervention that was conducted by the previous staff team. Leaders and managers Inspection report for children’s home: 2611210 4 took effective action to address this and acted quickly to identify an alternative company to provide the care for the child. Consequently, there have been no further physical interventions.

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improvement to be good

Staff are aware of the child’s risks and strategies to use to reduce the likelihood of further disruption in behaviours. All staff recognise that the child’s incidents are reducing in severity and frequency. This reflects that the child feels less anxious around the new team in place who support them.

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improvement to be good

Professional boundaries are not maintained consistently within the child’s staff team. The child has experienced inconsistency within the staff team for a long period of time. Some staff members allow themselves to be filmed on the child’s phone. These recordings are then posted on social media. This blurs boundaries between what is personal and professional and hinders the staff’s ability to deliver safe care.

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improvement to be good

There is a multi-agency response when the child goes missing from the home. Missing from home incidents have reduced since the last inspection. This is progress for the child. Agency staff spoken to at the inspection are aware of the child’s missing from home protocol should they need to use this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The staff that provide care for the child are trained in safeguarding, physical intervention, administration of medication and self-harm. Nevertheless, they do not have the relevant required childcare qualification for their role. However, permanent staff have now been employed by the local authority. They are currently on their induction and due to start work in the home on 7 August 2023.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers debrief the staff following an incident. Together, they discuss what could have been done differently to help develop positive relationships. Nevertheless, staff do not receive regular and structured supervision sessions. This does not help the staff to routinely reflect on their practice and develop their skills. This prevents the staff having a better understanding of the child’s needs. This does not support the child’s progress and development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers failed to notify Ofsted of serious incidents. This does not provide the regulator with information on how leaders and managers respond to safeguarding concerns and how they manage children’s risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The provider’s current monitoring systems have not identified the shortfalls that have been raised at this inspection. Ineffective monitoring means that some paperwork lacks evaluation, and leaders and managers have failed to identify trends and patterns in the children’s behavours. This oversight has prevented the staff from adapting their practice to provide better care to the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers take allegations from the child seriously. They work in consultation with the local authority designated officer and the child’s social worker, Inspection report for children’s home: 2611210 5 who visits the child. This transparent way of working provides safeguards for the child and means that the child feels listened to. Inspection report for children’s home: 2611210 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered persons must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The 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.

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well- being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iv)) 27 August 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—

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Requirement Due date

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 work as a team where appropriate; 27 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2611210 7 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’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)(b)(c)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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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. (Regulation 32 (1) 3(b) (4)(a)(b)) 27 August 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)) 27 August 2023

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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)) 27 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2611210 8

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meet the needs of its children. The home will, in most cases, be a homely environment. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2611210 9

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Gemma McDonnell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2611210 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 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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