Children's Home run by Leicester City Council in Leicester

Unique reference number SC039025 Inspection date 18/01/2011 Inspector Warren Clarke Type of inspection Random

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Date of last inspection 17/08/2010 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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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 Crispins, 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.

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About this inspection

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 outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004 and the relevant National Minimum Standards for the service.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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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, aged 12 to under 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 six young people with an average age of 16 years, actually resident. Four of them were seen, and all those present contributed to the inspection.

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Summary

This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection.

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Summary

This unannounced interim inspection assessed the home's performance against key national minimum standards relevant to the national children's services outcome area staying safe. Focus was also given to areas identified for improvement at the last inspection.

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Summary

Young people continue to benefit from the very good care regime. In practice this means staff successfully combine skilful interventions to support the young people emotionally together with good basic care to promote their well-being and to address specific behavioural difficulties, such as offending. It is a lively home in which young people feel safe in the knowledge that they are accepted and valued. Whilst staff are firm when necessary this is underlined by caring and a commitment not to reject but encourage young people to see beyond any current difficulties they may have. There is, therefore, optimism among young people for a bright future and staff are reasonably assured that in time they will help them to achieve it.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Three areas were identified for improvement at the last inspection and they have all been addressed satisfactorily. That is, work has commenced on the repainting and updating of the exterior of the home, records of bullying now show what action was taken on each occasion and systems of communication have been appropriately adjusted to meet the needs of young people with disabilities.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people express feelings of safety in the home and confidence in staff to keep them safe. This is their consistent view during the last 12 months and arises from the home's comprehensive and coherent safeguarding strategy. Safeguarding of the young people is given a high profile with all staff having completed training in child protection, sufficient to equip them to provide safe care. For example, staff understand the nature of abuse, how to act to prevent it and, as necessary, to report any allegations or suspicions appropriately.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Working within firmly established practices and procedures, staff are skilful in recognising when young people are particularly vulnerable and their emotional and behavioural difficulties place them at risk of exploitation and other dangers. There are examples of staff working effectively with social workers and other agencies to safeguard young people in these circumstances.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The young people are at ease in the home. All are included and say that they experience no bullying. This reflects the effectiveness of the emphasis that staff place on creating an environment in which young people are comfortable, have their individual difficulties addressed discreetly and are free to thrive. Anti-bullying is continuously promoted and staff are adept at assessing and taking preventative measures where potential exist for bullying behaviour. For example, each young person is assessed to establish whether they are likely to bully or be bullied and staff are deployed in sufficient numbers to provide a level of supervision that substantially reduces the scope for any bullying to happen unnoticed.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Recognition of the young people's need for reasonable privacy in keeping with their age and development is reflected in the well planned environment. Each young person is afforded an exclusive bedroom which they are able to lock both for privacy and security of their possessions. Bathrooms and toilets are arranged and very well equipped to ensure that young people can use them in private and without embarrassment. Staff 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. Staff are particularly mindful of preserving young people's dignity, thus any support or guidance regarding their intimate care is given discreetly. Similarly where there is reasonable cause to search a young person's bedroom, this is done with regard to procedure ensuring no avoidable

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

compromise of the young person's privacy and dignity. However, an unpleasant odour in one area of the home is in itself undesirable but may also have the effect of compromising some young people's dignity.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The manager and staff successfully establish an open environment in which the young people are able to share their worries, express concerns and have their views heard. Both formal and informal complaints procedures and house meetings provide the young people the means to be heard. The complaints procedure is actively promoted to young people, including information to enable them to approach Ofsted with their concerns. Where complaints are made, whether formal or informal, they are taken seriously, fairly investigated and the complainant is informed of the outcome. The registered provider exercises rigorous scrutiny to ensure that there is openness and fairness in how concerns are dealt with. Young people are satisfied with how the system operates, that they know how to complain and would, if necessary, be confident about doing so.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Some young people present challenging behaviour. This is in most instances underlined by emotional difficulties that require skilled intervention alongside the basic care needed to promote well-being for a contented childhood. Staff respond very well to these tasks. Accordingly, young people benefit from a thoughtful and effective behaviour management system successful in modifying behaviour including offending. Thus reasonable control and discipline in the home are created over time in which care inputs have the desired impact on the young people's behaviour and overall development. In this regard staff focus primarily on encouraging the young people to behave well and use principles from social learning theory to support 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 young people for their efforts, which, when successful, attract a meaningful

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

reward. The young people understand this system and respond well to it. Amongst the remarkable features of the home's approach to behaviour management is the sparing use of sanctions or punishment and physical restraint.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people seldom go missing from the home from a motive of escaping although from time to time some push boundaries by staying out beyond agreed times. Even in this context this behaviour like other unacceptable conduct lessens over time as correspondingly, does the need for sanctions and physical restraint.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The home remains free of any major incidents and there are no serious accidents or public health concerns. This is maintained by the wide-ranging and established health and safety measures. These measures are underpinned by risk assessment of each young person in relation to the home's environment and activities associated with their care. 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 and regularly checked to ensure it is working properly. There are also regular fire drills to ensure that both staff and young people are familiar with the fire evacuation procedure. Ensuring that the welfare of the young people is continuously safeguarded, the registered provider employs sound management systems to monitor the young people's health and safety and, where relevant, takes action to remedy any deficits.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The robust staff selection and vetting system in place 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 potential staff members' competence and their overall suitability through satisfactory criminal records disclosure and outcome of other checks. Further effective security measures are in place that deter intruders and control access of visitors.

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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):

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Recommendations

 ensure that the home is maintained so that it creates a pleasant domestic environment free of unpleasant odours. (NMS 24)

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