Children's Home run by Pebbles Care Limited in North Yorkshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC481631 1 SC481631 Registered provider: Pebbles Care Limited 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 private provider. It offers 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 at the home. The inspector spoke with both children as part of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2021.

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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

Date of last inspection: 24 September 2024

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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: SC481631 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/09/2024 Full Good 11/07/2023 Full Good 23/05/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/03/2022 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC481631 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have lived at the home for a long time and say that they are happy there. They have formed trusting relationships with staff. One child said, ‘I can speak to any of the staff if I have a problem. They listen to me, and they help me find a solution.’ Children moving into the home are helped to settle in. Staff encourage them to participate in activities so that they begin to feel part of the home. A professional noted how quickly a child had settled into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children regularly attend school, and staff provide thorough handovers about children’s well-being each day. Staff and school staff work together to provide a consistent response to children, which increases their sense of stability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have fun at the home. They are encouraged to choose activities that they would like to do, which the staff will then endeavour to arrange. Children are supported in spending time with their families. Staff regularly review whether arrangements for family time are working for the child and, if needed, will make changes, such as to the venue or timings, to ensure that the arrangements meet the children’s needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prepare children for independence. They are given appropriate tasks that reflect their age and understanding. As children get older, they are supported with tasks such as budgeting and creating CVs to prepare them for life after they leave the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are listened to. They have one-to-one sessions with staff, where they can express their wishes and feelings. The children also use QR codes or feedback forms to tell staff how they are feeling. Children actively participate in menu planning. Listening to the children enhances their sense of belonging. However, the registered manager does not consistently incorporate children’s views in the quality of care review, which undermines efforts to understand their perspectives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Although children enjoy close relationships with staff, they have not always been given the opportunity to say goodbye or understand why staff are no longer in contact when staff leave the home. This has led to children feeling confused and upset.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Generally, the home is warm and inviting with ample space for the children to spend time together or individually. However, there are areas of the home that need to be cleaned and maintained to provide a nurturing environment for the children.

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

Children experience clear and consistent boundaries, which provide them with a feeling of safety. There has been a significant reduction in concerning behaviours for one child, Inspection report for children’s home: SC481631 4 as they have experienced consistency and support from staff to help them feel increasingly safe.

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

Following physical interventions, children are spoken to the next day and asked about their feelings and what might have helped them while they were experiencing emotional difficulties. These reflections are subsequently incorporated into their risk management plans. Reparation work is carried out with the child, which helps them feel wanted and increases their sense of belonging.

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

There has been a reduction in incidents of children being missing from the home. When a child goes missing, staff take appropriate action and follow the individual missing-from- home procedure for the child. Staff search for children until they are found. After a child has been missing, they can talk to staff about how they felt at the time and why they went missing, which helps staff understand the child. Furthermore, children are offered an independent interview after they have returned home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There has been a period of instability in the leadership of the home. The registered manager has been on maternity leave for several months, and during that period the effectiveness of the leadership and management of the home has declined.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager covering the maternity leave has made poor decisions regarding staff spending time with children who currently live at the home and children who used to live there when they were not officially working. In one incident, the registered manager agreed for a child to go on holiday with a member of staff knowing that other staff members who were on annual leave were also going to the same place with their children at the same time. The child subsequently became distressed and needed to be physically held when faced with having to spend time with all the staff and their families. Another child spent time alone overnight with a staff member who was not working. The registered manager endorsed both incidents, highlighting poor decision-making skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The impact of such incidents has been mitigated by the responsible individual taking swift action to challenge the poor decisions that were made and to advise staff of appropriate behaviours and expectations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff do not always follow agreed plans. This has led to confusion and instability for children. There have also been instances of staff members making allegations against other staff members in relation to their childcare practice. The registered manager has not always notified the regulator, which affects its ability to assess the level of risk for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Managers have not always made decisions that reflect the specific needs of the children. Bedroom door alarms have been unnecessarily activated for both children, as this measure is not part of their care plans. Inspection report for children’s home: SC481631 5 Managers do not always ensure that staff have the required qualifications for the role. One member of staff does not hold a level three qualification, and leaders have not sufficiently demonstrated that their qualification is equivalent to a level 3 qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Thorough reflective supervision sessions take place. Staff discuss the children and show a clear understanding of the trauma they have experienced. Staff recognise that children have made progress from their individual starting points.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Managers challenge other professionals when plans do not meet the individual needs of children. This demonstrates that managers understand the children and know how to best meet their needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC481631 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

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(i)) 31 December 2025

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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; and

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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 28 November 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC481631 7 and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(f))

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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.

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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) (2)(a) (3)(b) (4)(a)(b)) 31 December 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

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c) 28 November 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing, supportive environment that is adequately cleaned throughout. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that any decisions to limit a child’s access to any area of the home and any modifications to the environment of the home are only made where this is intended to safeguard the child’s welfare. All decisions should be informed by a rigorous assessment of the individual child’s needs, properly recorded, and kept under regular review. In particular, bedroom door alarms should only be Inspection report for children’s home: SC481631 8 used if they are part of the child’s care plan. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should have a system in place that allows them to monitor the

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Recommendations

matters set out in regulation 45 at least once every six months. The registered person should carry out a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided in the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2)

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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: SC481631 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pebbles Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 The Calls, Leeds LS2 7JU

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Children’s home details

Registered managers: Katie McCosh and Cameron Eaton

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Inspector

Karen Karlsson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC481631 10 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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