Children's Home run by Leicester City Council in Leicester

SC039025 Unique reference number 14 December 2009 Inspection date Warren Clarke Inspector Random Type of Inspection

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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You can obtain copies of The Children Act 2004, Every Child Matters and The National Minimum Standards for Children's Services from: The Stationery Office (TSO) PO Box 29, St Cripins, Duke Street, Norwich, NR3 1GN. Tel: 0870 600 5522. Online ordering: www.tso.co.uk/bookshop

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcome for children set out in the Children Act 2004 and relevant National Minimum Standards for the establishment.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is strong Good: this aspect of the provision is sound Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is not good enough Inadequate: 3 of 8 Inspection Report: SC039025

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Brief description of the service

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for six young people of either sex, age 12 to 18 years. The building from which it operates is on two floors. The first floor provides single bedrooms and bathroom accommodation for young people, staff sleeping-in facilities, office space and a self-contained flat with a bed-sitting room, kitchen and bathroom. The flat is used for preparation of young people moving towards independent living. On the ground floor are two sitting rooms, dining room, laundry and a staff office. The refurbished kitchen is deemed a commercial kitchen. It is, however, used by young people under staff supervision. The young people have freer access to a kitchenette. There is a large meeting room. The home is close to local shops and schools and is easily accessible by public transport. It is approximately four miles from the city centre.

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Brief description of the service

At the time of inspection there were five young people, average age 14 years, resident. Three of them were seen, and all those present contributed to the inspection.

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Summary

This unannounced random inspection assessed the home's performance against the national minimum standards (NMS) in two key areas: staying safe and organisation. This visit also follows up what has been done to address recommendations made at the last inspection and their effectiveness.

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Summary

The home continues to provide the young people a good all round standard of care with some excellent features. In particular, staff are doing some exceptional work, in conjunction with other agencies, to safeguard vulnerable young people at risk of exploitation. There are, however, two areas where minor deficits have been identified. These do not have any immediate adverse impact on the young people's quality of care, but nevertheless need to be addressed as part of the overall strategy of safeguarding and promoting their welfare. The overall quality rating is good. This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Since the last inspection most areas of the home have been redecorated as part of the routine maintenance arrangements. This has had the effect of improving the general appearance of the young people's accommodation and creating a light, fresh and pleasing living environment.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Improvements are also seen in areas where recommendations were made at the last inspection. In this regard, records kept in relation to sanctions and physical restraints are now structured so that they comply fully. The young people now have the opportunity to record their comments when they are restrained or have sanctions imposed on them.

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Improvements since the last inspection

With regard to an issue of fire safety, arrangements were made for a fire safety officer to engage the young people. This has had the effect of young people acting more responsibly in relation to fire safety. Finally, the manager has ensured there is documentation verifying the suitability of staff who have taken posts in the home having been transferred from another registered provider's children's home. This has the effect of ensuring there is no doubt about the suitability of any member of the staff team. 4 of 8 Inspection Report: SC039025

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is outstanding. The home continues to operate with practices and facilities that promote young people's privacy and preserve their dignity to a degree appropriate to their age. Each young person is allocated his or her own lockable bedroom, all of good size and with sufficient storage to keep possessions private and safe. Young people each having an exclusive bedroom also enables them to withdraw from the rest of the group at times when they want quiet or solitary time.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Bathrooms and toilets are arranged and equipped to ensure that young people can use them in private and without embarrassment. Staff and young people observe usual courtesies such as not entering a young person's room without knocking and waiting to be invited to enter. A strict confidentiality code of practice ensures that the young people's personal information is held securely and is shared only with authorised persons. Where it has been necessary for staff to search young people's possessions, they do this in accordance with a procedure which ensures that the young person's privacy and dignity are not avoidably compromised. The good practice demonstrated in this regard might, however, be enhanced by reflecting in the records that where a search is conducted the young person is present or has been informed.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff have successfully created an open environment in the home in which the young people are able to share their worries and express concerns about their care. A formal complaints procedure is actively promoted to young people, including information to enable them to approach the regulator with their concerns. Where complaints are made, they are taken seriously, investigated and the outcome given to the complainant. The registered provider exercises rigorous scrutiny to ensure that there is openness and fairness in how concerns are dealt with. Staff demonstrate that they listen to young people's concerns with patience and understanding. Low-level complaints are resolved at an early stage before they become more serious issues. However, where recent complaints are recorded, information about their conclusion and outcome are absent. This information is necessary for evaluation, particularly to improve the quality of

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff are provided the necessary training, procedures and guidance to equip them to identify and respond to allegations and suspicion of abuse. The home's child protection policy and procedures are underpinned by a sound set of principles and are in accord with those of the Local Safeguarding Children Board. In essence, the safeguarding strategy has effectively embedded a range of measures, which protects young people within the home and establishes productive working partnerships with the local police and other agencies to protect them in the wider community. For example, the working partnership with the police has in some instances effectively thwarted attempts by exploitative adults to lure young people into risky situations. As a result of this the young people concerned are thriving both physically and emotionally. There are outstanding initiatives to protect particularly vulnerable young people, some of whose

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

own behaviour is placing them at substantial risk of abuse.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The home continues to operate within the local authority anti-bullying strategy. Promotional information is used to raise awareness about the nature and impact of bullying behaviour. Some resident young people say they experience no bullying in the home and that it does not feature 5 of 8 Inspection Report: SC039025 as a major issue in their experience. Staff, however, say they are not complacent about this issue and have, since the last inspection, been active in engaging young people in updating the home's anti-bullying policy. Diligent recording and monitoring of young people's behaviour has led to the identification of an increase in attempts to bully when the composition of the young people's group changes, and there is some jockeying for position. This monitoring activity together with risk assessment and appropriate supervision of young people, show that staff are alert to bullying incidents, which they deal with most effectively where they occur.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Should young people abscond or absent themselves without permission, there is a procedure to secure their timely recovery. Staff have achieved significant success in reducing, substantially, the number of times young people abscond or absent themselves from the home without permission. However, maintaining this is challenging because of the time it takes to settle some young people who have joined the home with a history of absenting themselves without permission. Nevertheless, there is effective joint work with the police in this regard. The success achieved in making the home welcoming and a good place live means when young people absent themselves, they do so for reasons other than to escape problems within the home.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The welfare of young people accommodated in the home is promoted and safeguarded by a coherent and well-informed behaviour management policy, which staff successfully apply. Control and discipline is, therefore, maintained and young people are supported address some of their own behavioural difficulties. Staff focus primarily on encouraging the young people to behave well and use various rewards to reinforce this. For example, each young person is set weekly goals which may include specific aspects of their behaviour that they need to address. Staff constantly encourage and praise the young people in their efforts, which, when successful, attract a meaningful reward. The young people understand this system and coupled with good relationships with staff can, over-time successfully modify any undesirable conduct.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The reasonable systems in place ensures that young people's are made aware when they behave unacceptably and sanctions or punishment are sometimes imposed in response. The sanctions are all reasonable. For instance, a young person is required to make an acceptable proportion of the cost of replacement or repair for any deliberate damage. Some young people consider that the rules and staff approach to disciplining is fair.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

An extensive range of firmly established health and safety measures are in place and activities associated with care of the young people are risk-assessed. Where hazards are identified clear arrangements are put in place to either remove or control them. For instance all the necessary fire detection and alarm systems, and fire fighting equipment is installed. There are also regular fire drills to ensure that both staff and young people are familiar with the fire evacuation procedure. Other precautions such as those associated with prevention of accidents and food safety, are being taken and continue to be effectively evidenced by there being no serious accidents, injuries or outbreak of infectious disease affecting young people in the home. It is, however, noted that it is nearly two years since all staff were provided refresher fire safety training or briefing. Although there is no specific requirement for this to be more frequent, the

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

manager agrees, in the interests of good practice, to ensure that staff receive more regular fire safety training or instructions.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

A sufficiently robust staff selection and vetting system ensures young people are properly protected from adults who may be unsuitable to be involved in their care or have substantial access to them. This system establishes both potential staff members' competence and their 6 of 8 Inspection Report: SC039025 overall suitability including satisfactory criminal records disclosure and outcome of other checks. Further effective security measures are in place. This more than adequately protects the young people from intruders and facilitates staff in ensuring that authorised visitors are adequately supervised whilst on the premises.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The very good standards of care that the young people are provided is supported by a set of clear principles. These are set out in a written Statement of Purpose (SOP), which is available to young people, their parents and others who may need the information. The SOP is current and accurately reflects the facilities and services that the home provides and the methods by which the young people are looked after. Summarised in an appropriate guide for young people, this informs them of the standard of care they may expect and what is expected of them.

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Organisation

Sound management and leadership arrangements ensures that resources are provided and used efficiently. Staff are therefore effective in providing the young people a nurturing environment where over time their needs are met and in which they are thriving and are positive about the future. For example, the home is currently run with almost its full complement of staff, nearly all of whom are experienced and appropriately qualified for their posts. Furthermore, the home's success in retaining staff, ensures the young people are looked after in circumstances that establish the continuity and consistency of care that they need.

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Organisation

Established systems of staff support, training and development ensure that staff have access to opportunities to keep them up-to-date with practice developments in the care of young people. For example, they are provided updated safeguarding training to respond to specific risky situations in which some young people place themselves. There are also regular staff meetings and daily formal briefings, which ensure all staff have the information to enable them to provide the precise individual care each young person needs. Staff members including the manager are as diverse in terms of sex, race and culture as the young people's group. They consider that they are well-supported in their care of the young people and have the time and resources necessary to do their job effectively.

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Organisation

Robust systems are in place to monitor the running of the home, ensuring the high standard of young people's care is maintained. The manager and registered provider regularly and separately assess the quality of care and have establish an effective management arrangements to safeguard and promote the young people's welfare. Where, for example, there are any undesirable patterns, these are dealt with quickly. Sound strategic planning is evident. This process sets objectives to ensure existing good care practices are maintained and drives continuous improvements. The current development plan has already yielded direct benefits 7 of 8 Inspection Report: SC039025 for young people through a range of staff training, and refurbishment of substantial areas of their living quarters.

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Organisation

Among the sound arrangements that support the children's and young people's care is efficient organisation of their confidential records, which is kept on an individual basis and include all the information necessary to plan and deliver their effective care and reflect their progress.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions, which must be taken so that the registered person meets the Care Standards Act 2000, The Childrens Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The Registered Provider must comply with the given timescales.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • ensure that the record made and kept of complaints includes, among the other requirements, action taken to deal with them and their outcome (NMS 16.3) • ensure that where it is necessary to conduct a search of a young person's possessions the record of this clearly shows whether the grounds for the search have been explained to the young person (NMS 9.8). 8 of 8 Inspection Report: SC039025

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