Children's home run by Leeds City Council

Inspection report for children’s home: 2821932 1 Registered provider: Leeds City Council

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were living in the home. One child was spoken with.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in 2025.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2821932 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build trusting relationships with children at their own pace and do not place pressure on children to engage before they are ready. Instead, staff use creative and sensitive approaches to develop relationships, such as engaging in activities that children enjoy, including cooking and games. Staff are visible around the home. This helps children to feel secure and contributes to developing their relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote a sense of belonging for the children. Children are supported to personalise their bedrooms by choosing items during shopping trips. Staff also show genuine interest in children’s hobbies and interests, including activities like fishing. One child keeps pets with the help of staff, and this is very important to the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff listen to children during daily interactions and act on their wishes. Children asked for gym equipment, and this has been obtained for them. One child requested unsupervised family time, and this has also been facilitated after careful planning. This makes children feel listened to, which helps them to continue to build trust and respect for the adults who care for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child is making progress from their starting point with their education. When barriers arise, the manager advocates on behalf of children to ensure that children receive the support and provision that they are entitled to. This helps children to remain engaged with learning and achieve better outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to develop practical life skills. Children are involved in everyday tasks such as shopping and cooking. One child has recently started using public transport to travel to college independently. This demonstrates their increased confidence and preparation for adult life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff speak to children about various topics, including substance misuse, positive relationships and smoking. Nevertheless, it is unclear if staff consistently support children to understand the importance of attending health appointments. The manager reports that conversations do take place when children refuse to attend, but these are not routinely recorded. As a result, the impact of this work cannot be fully demonstrated.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The communal areas of the home are warm and welcoming. However, the condition of some areas upstairs does not reflect a homely environment. Such as paint on parts of the ceiling in one child’s bedroom. In the children’s shower room, the floor is unkempt, and the sealant is damaged and coming away. These issues detract from the overall quality of the home environment.

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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2821932 3 Children risk assessments include all known risks and are updated as and when required. They provide staff with helpful strategies to support children when they need it the most.

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

When children become distressed, staff de-escalate situations effectively by using verbal redirection and giving children space to calm. Consequently, the use of physical intervention has not been necessary to support children.

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

The manager and staff take appropriate action to safeguard children from exploitation. The manager works closely with the police and social workers to develop safety plans aimed at reducing risks. To strengthen this approach, staff speak to children about exploitation and help them understand the signs of abuse.

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

Staff conduct room searches in response to identified risks. When harmful items are found, staff take appropriate action to remove them and notify the relevant professionals, such as the police and support services.

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

Records of missing-from-home incidents are generally well maintained and align with children’s individual plans. However, one record lacked clarity and did not indicate whether the child was on agreed independent time or not. It is important that all missing-from-home records clearly detail the actions taken by staff to manage and reduce risk.

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

Staff do not take effective action to manage fire safety risks. Although risk assessments and staff discussions indicate that the use of metal bins has been considered as a safety measure, this has not yet been implemented. In addition, children who smoke in their bedrooms and are at risk of fire setting do not have appropriate safety measures in place to reduce the risk of fire. Staff have not acted with sufficient urgency to address these concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is dual registered and manages her time effectively between both homes. She is making good progress in developing this home and ensures that children receive the support that they need to make positive progress. Staff share this ethos and are effective in helping children to achieve their individual goals. The manager is well respected by the staff team, who report feeling well supported in their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When children’s statutory documents contain language that is not in their best interests, the manager appropriately challenges the relevant professionals. She ensures that meetings are held to amend wording that may be perceived as blaming or negative towards the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager responds without delay when children make allegations against staff. She works in line with the designated officer and follows all guidance provided. Feedback from the designated officer confirms that there are no concerns regarding the management of allegations. Inspection report for children’s home: 2821932 4 Staff receive the training they need to support children in their care. Child specific training is arranged in response to risks as they arise. This equips staff with the knowledge and skills needed to provide effective care to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a clear understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. A detailed plan is in place to support continued improvement. Professionals and one parent say that there are no concerns with communication from staff. One parent said that their child is making progress due to the support provided by staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has failed to notify Ofsted of some serious incidents and in other cases, she has not provided the updates when these are required. This limits Ofsted’s ability to monitor how staff and leaders respond to significant concerns and safeguard children effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: 2821932 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 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; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)) 2 November 2025

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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

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; and

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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) (b)(e)) 2 November 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any areas of the home that appear worn and when parts of the walls have paint missing these are promptly addressed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraphs 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that staff consistently support and encourage children to attend all health appointments. When a child refuses, staff should record the discussion held with the child about the importance of attending, in line with the home’s Statement of Purpose and its approach to promoting children’s health and Inspection report for children’s home: 2821932 6 well-being. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 33, paragraphs 7.3)

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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: 2821932 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Merrion House, Merion Centre, Leeds LS2 8LX

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Inspector

Gemma McDonnell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2821932 8 and inspects 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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