Children's Home run by Laska Care and Education Ltd in North Yorkshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2567806 1 Registered provider: Laska Care and Education Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. Two 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 May 2020.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2567806 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/07/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 14/06/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 21/06/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2567806 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children living in the home have close relationships with staff. Staff support and encourage the children to share their views, and use different approaches that are appropriate to the children’s individual needs. The support from staff helps the children to feel settled and more invested in their time in the home. One social worker said, ‘The children are settled, happy, and enjoy living in the home.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are provided training that gives them a good understanding of children’s health needs. Staff are better placed to help children to access specialist emotional well-being support when appropriate. This results in children having positive individual care routines. Children’s care plans are written for the children, and staff spend time helping the children to contribute towards their plans. This gives children a voice and say in the care they receive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage and support the children to develop their independence skills and participate in a variety of activities, such as horse riding and spending time with friends. Staff are proud of the confidence and progress that the children make through social opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are making positive progress in their education. Staff support the children to attend school and provide travel arrangements to assist the children in having the best possible start to their day. One education professional said, ‘The staff are very committed to the children, and this contributes to the children making good progress at school.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of children maintaining relationships with their families. One family member explained how staff are proactive in supporting family time. This practice ensures that children benefit from seeing their loved ones in a safe and supportive environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are sensitively welcomed into the home with well-thought-out and planned transitions. However, there are gaps in one child’s initial needs assessment around the support staff would offer the children to help build relationships. This meant that the child’s needs were not fully understood by staff prior to them moving in.

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

Staff spend quality time with the children. This gives the children a safe environment to share their worries and helps them to feel safe. Children know how to make a complaint and feel confident in sharing their views.

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

Staff use calming techniques to help children during emotionally difficult times. Staff talk openly with children, and this helps to de-escalate situations before they happen. Inspection report for children’s home: 2567806 4 This approach helps the children to understand potential triggers and manage their own behaviours. The use of consequences for unwanted behaviours is minimal. Staff use positive incentives to support the children's behaviours, such as rewards for good school attendance.

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

Staff offer the children direct support around issues such as self-injurious behaviour, bullying, and exploitation. This helps the children to be safer. Staff support the children around peer challenges, and work with professionals to ensure that the children have the right support to reduce any potential difficulties with other children.

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

Staff carry out room searches sensitively and only when appropriate. Staff seek consent from children and provide the children with a clear explanation as to why such actions are required. This approach involves children and helps them to understand risks and speak openly with staff about difficult subjects.

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

Most staff have a good understanding of children’s associated risks and the actions to take to reduce the risks. The children’s risk assessments are detailed, but there are gaps in the records of some local risks that might affect children. This means that the manager cannot be confident that all staff have the required information regarding actions needed to support the children to stay safe.

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

On one occasion, staff did not support a child in line with the child’s care plan. A child ended up in a vulnerable situation when staff failed to maintain sight of the child after the child had left the home when distressed. Staff looked for the child, but there was a delay in the child being reported as missing. Staff physically intervened to return the child home safely. There was a delay in the registered manager talking with the child and staff regarding the incident. Because of this, the manager did not notify the local authority designated officer in a timely way of concerns that the child shared about staff practice. The children’s social worker was aware of concerns. However, the child was not provided with appropriate support at the time to maintain their well-being.

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good

Leaders and managers did not ensure that there was appropriate and timely management oversight during a significant incident. This meant that there was a delay in the registered manager taking action in line with the home’s procedures.

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good

The manager is proactive in recruiting staff. However, at times, there has been insufficient staff available to support the children to reflect their care plans. This could hinder the quality of care offered to the children. The manager has not ensured that all staff have access to regular supervision. This means that staff are not provided individual support to reflect on their own practice and any developmental needs.

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good

The manager has not provided children with timely feedback when they made a recent complaint. This left the children not knowing the outcome of their concerns. The review Inspection report for children’s home: 2567806 5 of the quality of care provided in the home has not demonstrated that children's care is improved by feedback from children and significant others.

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good

The manager has not addressed refurbishment to some areas of the home. Some actions were taken immediately to address important health and safety issues during the inspection. However, repairs are needed to the interior and outside area of the home, so that it is maintained to an acceptable standard.

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good

The manager has not ensured that children’s medication is disposed of in line with medical guidance. This can cause confusion for staff when administering medication to children.

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good

The manager is aware that the home’s monitoring systems require strengthening to address some of the identified shortfalls, and ensure that there is thorough and consistent management oversight. The manager has plans to improve this moving forward.

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good

Staff complete mandatory training and have accessed additional training around children’s individual needs. The manager has ensured that staff attend regular team meetings. This provides staff with the opportunity to reflect as a team on the children’s care and if their own practice meets the children’s needs. Staff are provided a space to reflect on and discuss the organisation’s policies procedures, such as whistle-blowing.

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good

All professionals and family members spoken with said that they are regularly updated about the children and communication from staff is ‘excellent’. Inspection report for children’s home: 2567806 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, The 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

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home's child protection policies;

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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)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that children’s plans and assessments include all known associated risks, and that all staff understand what actions are needed to reduce risks to children. 21 June 2024

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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— 21 June 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2567806 7 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 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

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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; 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)(c)(d)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that suitable arrangements are in place to offer all staff individual supervision sessions to support them in their roles; that children have timely and appropriate response to their complaints; and that stakeholders’ views are included and considered as part of the quality of care review.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person should ensure that management oversight of important records in the home is carried out in a timely manner and that actions are carried out in accordance with the home's procedures, including the referral of any allegations against staff to the relevant agencies. Inspection report for children’s home: 2567806 8 The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

(a)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—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child's behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and 21 June 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2567806 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 (1)(a)(b) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(c).

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Recommendations

 The registered person should take prompt action to ensure that the environment is safe from hazards, and ensure that repairs to the home and outdoor leisure equipment are carried out in a timely manner to promote a domestic and homely environment. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that medication is effectively managed by following relevant guidelines. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 17.15)

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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: 2567806 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Laska Care and Education Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Euroway House, Roydsdale Way, Bradford BD4 6SE

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Inspector

Gina Lightfoot, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2567806 11 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted Inspection report for children’s home: 2567806 12

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