Children's Home run by Leeds City Council in Leeds

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2611210 1 Registered provider: Leeds City Council

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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 are currently two children living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been away from the home since October 2023. There is an interim manager appointed to the home to cover the registered manager’s absence.

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Inspection date: 4 January 2024

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 4 January 2024

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector has looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2611210 2

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Findings from the inspection

We identified the following serious and/or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

 Ineffective leadership and management arrangements mean that the home has not been operated in line with the home’s statement of purpose.  The requirements made at the last inspection have not been addressed. These will be carried forward.  The staff have not been provided with clear support and direction to ensure that the children’s welfare is consistently promoted.

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Findings from the inspection

Although staff are aware of significant safeguarding events that the children are suspected to have endured, the staff lack essential information related to these alleged events. In the absence of this crucial information, the staff cannot act to better protect the children from people who may pose a significant risk of harm to them.

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Findings from the inspection

The staff do not have meaningful guidance or direction from leaders and managers to better support the children to process traumatic events. This leaves the children without vital emotional and practical support. Additionally, it undermines the efforts of other safeguarding agencies to seek justice for the children.

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Findings from the inspection

Systems in the home that should enable effective communication and passage of information between staff are ineffective. In addition, there is no clear management oversight of significant incidents involving the children. Consequently, the manager has missed opportunities for the staff to learn and reflect. Cumulatively, this leaves the children feeling frustrated, agitated and confused about the staff’s decision- making.

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Findings from the inspection

The arrangements for the staff to have protected time for supervision sessions are inadequate. Consequently, new staff members to the home have not had sufficient support at a crucial point in their development, in some instances for many months. This oversight prevents leaders and managers from being assured that these staff have the skills and knowledge to care for children effectively.

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Findings from the inspection

Some staff have not completed any of the provider’s mandatory online training as leaders and managers have failed to offer them sufficient time to do this. This significantly curtails the staff’s ability to develop their knowledge and skills, which hinders their ability to provide good-quality care to the children.

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Findings from the inspection

The children have made several allegations about the poor practice of staff. The manager has responded quickly, and worked well with the local authority designated officer and the children’s social workers, to ensure that these allegations have been Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2611210 3 investigated fully. These efforts have increased the staff’s confidence and ability to better manage this aspect of their role.

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Findings from the inspection

The staff feel supported by their leaders and managers, especially when the children use racist language towards them. The staff understand why the children behave in this way, and they work well with the children to educate them on why this is unacceptable.

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Findings from the inspection

The staff have built good relationships with the children in challenging circumstances. The staff have shown perseverance in adversity. This has resulted in the children making some progress in some aspects of their lives, such as in their access to education.

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Findings from the inspection

The registered manager has not been in day-to-day charge of the home since 26 October 2023. While interim arrangements have been in place, these have been ineffective. The lack of ownership and oversight of the day-to-day running of the home has hindered the children’s experiences and resulted in disjointed and poor care practice. These failings have resulted in Ofsted issuing a compliance notice under regulation 13. Ofsted will monitor the provider’s progress in meeting the steps outlined in this notice. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2611210 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/07/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 14/11/2022 Full Good 25/05/2021 Full Good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2611210 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, 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

*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;

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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’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; and

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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

In particular, the registered provider must ensure that: 25 February 2023 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2611210 6  there is a long-term plan to support any person who is in day-to-day charge of the home to register with Ofsted  leaders and managers provide the staff with all known information about those individuals who may pose a significant risk of harm to children, and clear guidance on what actions the staff must take to safeguard the children from these individuals  leaders and managers provide all staff with regular and effective supervision sessions  there is an effective system for sharing information with staff, in order for the staff to deliver the day-to- day care for children effectively  there is an effective system in place for leaders and managers to scrutinise staff practice to ensure that it remains relevant and safe to provide effective care to children. Where there are shortfalls identified in

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Requirement Due date

practice, leaders and managers must take decisive action to safeguard children.

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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 25 February 2023 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2611210 7 are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e))

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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))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is reissued. 26 February 2024

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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

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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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. 25 February 2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2611210 8 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) (2)(a)(b) (3)(b) (4)(a)(b))

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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))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is reissued. 25 February 2024

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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))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is reissued. 25 February 2024

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Requirement Due date

*This requirement is subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should support the staff to be familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be accessible to anyone with a legitimate need to view it. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Assurance 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

Steve Guirey, Social Care Inspector Assurance 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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