Children's Home run by Leeds City Council in Leeds

Inspection report for children’s home: SC033657 1 SC033657 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

This home is operated by a local authority. It provides care for up to 5 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. The home uses a therapeutic model of care to support children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been vacant since October 2025. There is a manager in post; however, they were not present for this inspection. The deputy manager and a senior member of staff led this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection,3 children were living in the home. All 3 children were spoken.

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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: SC033657 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/09/2024 Full Good 23/08/2023 Full Good 20/02/2023 Full Good 27/07/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC033657 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children speak positively about their experiences of living in this home. The staff provide a warm, family-like home with a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. The children have positive relationships with the staff, and fun and laughter can be heard in the home. Children say that the staff care about them, and children feel supported in their day-to- day lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making clear progress from their starting points. One child, who previously struggled to leave their bedroom, is now attending football coaching sessions, goes to the gym and uses public transport. Another child, who has experienced a significant absence from education, has started a lifeguard course, and takes pride in their achievements. As a result, children’s confidence is increasing and they are enhancing their future skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents and professionals are consistently positive about the care that the children receive. They shared that the staff know the children very well. The staff place a strong emphasis on building positive and trusting relationships. These relationships are central to the positive progress made by children. This is helping them to feel valued, respected and enables them to develop socially and emotionally.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff speak and write about the children with respect and thoughtfulness. Daily logs are addressed directly to the children in a letter-style format. This allows children to look back on their experiences. These records reflect genuine care and positive regard.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive support when moving in and out of the home, with useful guides created to help them through these changes. Children are supported to develop practical independence skills, including cooking, cleaning and managing money. Additionally, the staff support the children in understanding and managing feelings of isolation and loneliness. Continued development in this area, particularly to support earlier preparation for their next steps, would further benefit the children in moving to the next stages of their lives.

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

Children say that they feel safe in this home. They are confident in sharing any worries or concerns they may have with the staff. They trust that the staff will listen to them and take appropriate action. This is because the staff have worked hard to ensure positive relationships are built.

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

Skills sessions completed with the children are a particular strength of this home. These sessions address important topics designed to help keep children as safe as possible. Topics such as community safety, substance misuse, emotional regulation and family relationships are covered. Children work through these sessions alongside the staff. The Inspection report for children’s home: SC033657 4 children are supported to reflect on their experiences, understand the impact of their actions and learn from mistakes and how to move forward with positivity.

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

Incidents of children going missing from the home have reduced. If a child does go missing, staff respond promptly, actively searching for them and reporting concerns to the police where appropriate. For one child, who spends extended periods with their family, staff conduct thorough checks and welfare calls to ensure their welfare. This proactive approach helps to keep children as safe as possible and reinforces to the child that the staff care.

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

When children are involved in incidents, staff respond appropriately and manage situations effectively. Risk assessments are reviewed regularly, and specific safety plans are implemented where necessary. This ensures that staff have clear and practical strategies in place to support children and promote their ongoing safety and wellbeing.

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

A long-standing manager has left the home since the last inspection. This change in leadership has had an impact on both staff and children. A new manager is now in post, and staff speak positively about their approach and support. However, shortfalls were identified in the overall leadership and management of the home.

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

There are gaps in the frequency and recording of staff supervision sessions. Although some staff report that they do not feel the need for formal supervision sessions, these are not taking place in line with the home’s policies and procedures. At a time of change, these sessions are more vital in ensuring the wellbeing of staff.

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

Records of team meetings demonstrate an inconsistent approach to supporting staff. Positively, staff feel able to openly share any worries or concerns. However, these are not consistently followed up or reflected on by the managers. This, alongside gaps in formal supervision sessions, means that some issues are not addressed in a timely manner.

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

Appropriate escalation to social workers is not always effective in ensuring children’s required documents are received in a timely way. One child’s pathway plan does not reflect their time and progress in the home. The same child has not yet started life-story work, despite managers stating the child is ready to start this work to aid an understanding of their culture and identity.

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

All managers and staff have completed trauma-informed training. Staff speak positively about this training. Although it is still in the early stages of implementation, they demonstrate an understanding of children’s backgrounds and experiences and how these can influence behaviour. This informed approach, alongside consistent support from the staff, is contributing to children making progress. Inspection report for children’s home: SC033657 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 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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must ensure that effective monitoring tools are in place to identify all shortfalls and take action. 1 April 2026

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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)) 1 April 2026

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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: SC033657 6

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Jo Birtwhistle, Social Care Inspector (lead) Amy Sims, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC033657 7 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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