Children's home run by Leeds City Council in Leeds

Inspection report for children’s home: SC033389 1 SC033389 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

The home is owned and managed by a local authority. It provides care for up to five children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Four children were living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in 2019 and is suitably qualified for the role.

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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

Date of last inspection: 14 February 2023

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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: SC033389 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/02/2023 Full Good 01/11/2021 Full Good 18/02/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/01/2020 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: SC033389 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide nurturing care and have good relationships with the children. They are attentive to children’s individual needs and always treat them with respect and dignity. Through these positive relationships, staff ensure that children experience a range of activities inside and outside of the home. These meaningful relationships help children to trust the adults who provide their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is welcoming and decorated to a good standard. Children have a sense of belonging as their bedrooms are personalised to their taste. One child said that they like their bedroom and have chosen their decor.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to attend routine medical appointments. Staff carry out key- work sessions with children around key health topics, including healthy eating and managing emotions. This helps children to understand that making the right lifestyle choices can help them to live a healthy lifestyle. This in turn helps children to consider their long-term health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children regularly attend education and are making progress from their starting point. One child, who is new to the home, is not yet in education. The registered manager works closely with outside agencies to move this forward, advocating on the child’s behalf, to ensure that a suitable provision is found. During school hours, staff carry out educational activities in the home with the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views and wishes are considered through discussions with staff and their social workers. Social workers described how staff ‘advocate well’ for children during meetings. This partnership working means that children’s wishes are acted on, when appropriate. This ensures that the children are involved in decisions about their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager and staff recognise the importance of children’s relationships with their families. They support children to have time with those who are important to them, which helps children to maintain these relationships. As a result, children are not isolated from their families.

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

Children’s risk assessments are up to date and provide staff with clear actions to follow to reduce the potential risk of harm to children. Changes to the document are communicated to the staff and relevant professionals. This means that all who are involved in the children’s care are up to date with relevant information.

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

The registered manager responds quickly to allegations from children. These are shared with the appropriate people, such as the local authority designated officer and social care professionals. Necessary steps are taken to protect children, and Inspection report for children’s home: SC033389 4 lessons learned from the registered manager change staff practice for the better. Staff said that they feel confident to raise and report any safeguarding concerns to leaders and managers.

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

Missing-from-home incidents receive a multi-agency response from the police and social care professionals. This joined-up working means that all relevant professionals are aware of presenting risks for the children when they are missing from the home. Children receive a return home interview from an independent person. Children sometimes share their concerns, which has led to further support for the children. However, on some occasions, staff are not consistent with their checks when children are missing during the night. This reduces the likelihood of finding the children as quickly and safely as possible.

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

In the event of a fire, the registered manager does not ensure that children and staff are able to leave the home without delay. This is because external doors, including the fire exit, are locked during the night. This prevents those in the home from having an adequate means of escape.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and deputy manager are a stable management team. They know the children and staff well. Staff and professionals spoke highly of the commitment from the registered manager and the deputy manager. Together, they lead by example, which encourages high aspirations for the children to do well in life.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager ensures that the necessary people and professionals are involved to support children’s care. The registered manager advocates strongly for children’s needs and challenges outside agencies when necessary. This ensures that children receive the right support from the right people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Reflective supervision sessions and staff meetings are held regularly. These meetings are held alongside detailed handovers of information about the children’s day and any concerns that need addressing. This provides staff with the up-to-date knowledge they need to support children effectively in their daily lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are up to date with the provider’s mandatory training. However, specific training, such as substance misuse and county lines, is out of date, and some staff do not have this training. This is a missed opportunity for staff to gain important knowledge so that they can provide relevant and up-to-date care to meet children’s specific needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager monitors the quality, strengths and areas for improvement in the home. They maintain oversight of the day-to-day management of the home and address any areas for improvement with staff. This supports staff with their continued development. Inspection report for children’s home: SC033389 5 Changes to the recruitment processes are not in line with regulation. The registered person does not have oversight of new employees who start to work in the home. Formal references have not been received for one new member of staff, and both new members of staff have gaps in their employment history that have not been explored. This means that leaders and managers do not know whether staff employed are suitable to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager does not keep the statement of purpose under review. Currently, the document is not a true reflection of what the home provides for children. This is misleading information for placing authorities and stakeholders. Inspection report for children’s home: SC033389 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, The 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

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; and

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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)) 31 December

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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

employ an individual to work at the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that written references are from the new employee’s most recent employer and that there is a satisfactory explanation for any gaps in employment. 31 December

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Recommendations

 The registered person should specify the procedures to be followed, and the roles and responsibilities of staff, when a child is missing from care. Staff should be consistent in their response to these procedures. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 10.11)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs. Training should be refreshed more frequently so that staff can apply relevant care to children’s ever-changing needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC033389 7 (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 9.28)  The registered person should ensure that the statement of purpose is kept under review and is relevant to what the home can provide for children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14,

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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: SC033389 8

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Gemma McDonnell, Social Care Inspector Jo Cansfield, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC033389 9 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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