Children's Home run by Leicester City Council in Leicester

Unique reference number SC039056 Inspection date 26/03/2011 Inspector Warren Clarke Type of inspection Random

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Date of last inspection 27/08/2010 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

This children's home is operated by a local authority and is situated in a residential area in the north-east of the city. It is registered to provide short break or respite care for up to nine children and young people from the age of eight years to under 18 years. The children are mainly accommodated in one of two units. One unit accommodates children with learning difficulties who also have wide ranging physical disabilities and, in some cases, complex health needs. The other unit provides accommodation to children who often exhibit challenging behaviours allied to their learning difficulties. Each episode of respite care is generally planned in advance; however, the service also aims to respond to emergency family situations where this is in the child's best interests. Three children, exceptionally, are currently being accommodated in the home on a short term but continuous basis.

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Brief description of the service

The building is specially designed for its purpose and is mostly at ground level. It is divided into separate areas, one being exclusively for administrative use and accommodating facilities and services accessible to the children in residence, but not exclusively. Both of the residential units are self-contained and offer single bedroom accommodation, dining and appropriately equipped bathroom and toilet facilities. A two-storey section of the building has been equipped as a training flat to aid young people in preparation towards greater independence.

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Brief description of the service

Currently the home provides a service for a total of 34 children and young people. There were six children present during the inspection, they were seen but did not contribute actively to the process.

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Summary

The overall quality rating is outstanding.

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Summary

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

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Summary

This unannounced inspection assessed the home's performance against the key national minimum standards relevant to the outcome framework area for children's services: staying safe. It also assessed whether and with what effect recommendations made at the last inspection have been addressed.

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Summary

Children continue to be provided excellent care in this safe children's home environment. Apart from its principal short break function, it is currently accommodating and successfully meeting the needs of some children who in the short term require continuous care to respond to their complex difficulties. The outstanding ways in which staff protect the children from harm, abuse and neglect are enduring. This frees the children, both permanent residents and those on short break stay, to thrive in a setting that positively shapes their overall development and promotes their enjoyment and well-being. Among the other positive an enduring features of this home is that staff effectively work in partnership with parents, social workers, schools and other agencies to safeguard the children's welfare. That most staff are long serving means that they know the children well, are significant in their lives and thus able to influence

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Summary

behaviour and other areas of development within established, appropriate and trusting relationships.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Measures have been put in place to ensure that there are no lapses in regular testing of the fire alarm system to ensure that it is always maintained in efficient working order. Essentially this ensures that if there were a fire there is certainty that detection and alarm systems will give sufficient warning.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Floor covering in areas of the home which were worn and stained have been replaced. This has had the effect of brightening those areas and creating a more pleasing environment. Window restrictors have now been fitted to windows above ground level to which children and young people are likely to have access. This addresses a necessary precaution against the danger of anyone attempting to make an exit by this route. Similarly, outdoor play equipment which was in need of repair, has been made sound and permanent arrangement put in place to ensure continuous maintenance. These measures more than adequately address the deficits identified at the last inspection.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff training and the policies and guidance that inform the care practices ensure that account is taken of the children's disabilities and high level of dependency and therefore the need for particular care to safeguard their privacy and dignity. Practically, this is reflected in the provision and careful organisation of resources. These include a wide range of aids and equipment to promote each child's privacy and encourage a level of independence to support particularly young people to maintain their dignity. Each child is provided an exclusive bedroom, which is suitably fitted with aids and equipment appropriate to meet his or her needs. Any assistance with intimate care is given in private These arrangements are complemented by excellent policies, procedures and practices which are strictly applied to ensure the children's personal details are handled confidentially.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The influence of strong management and leadership in the home has established a culture of openness and a commitment to empowering children, and others on their behalf, to comment on the quality of the home's care and services. This is reflected in the quality assurance system that enables children, parents or others, to make comments or suggestions for improvements, compliment outstanding service and complain when the quality of service is unacceptable. There is a discrete complaints procedure, which is actively promoted to the children and young people in a format appropriate to their age and understanding. Staff are aware that the formal complaints procedure may not be readily accessible to children with additional communication needs. Because of this, staff take particular care to understand those children's mode of communication so as to be aware of when they may be signalling dissatisfaction. The manager and staff are able to critically reflect on care practices

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

and with rigorous monitoring by a person not employed in the home, provide good advocacy for the children. The home does not attract many complaints, but when it does, the manager and staff take them seriously and they are fairly dealt with.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Further influence of the competent leadership and management of the home is shown in staff at all levels being aware of their responsibility to contribute to protecting the children from abuse, harm and neglect. This is supported by the appropriate training which they have all completed. Staff therefore understand the nature of abuse, how to apply the home's safe caring guidance to prevent abuse and how to respond to any safeguarding concerns appropriately. This includes acting to protect disabled children and those with communication difficulties who may be particularly vulnerable. This is underpinned by an effective safeguarding policy and procedures consistent with those of the Local Safeguarding Children Board. The manager and staff demonstrate that they are effective in protecting children by working in partnership with other agencies and the local safeguarding children service.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Appropriate procedures and an established local agencies protocol are in place to respond to any event of children being missing or absent from the home without permission. The procedures and protocol properly recognise the children's vulnerability and the urgency necessary to recover them should they be missing. Balanced against this is a range of excellent measures to ensure the children are properly supervised during outings from the home.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff are provided with clear guidance to assist the children to manage their behaviour and to enable reasonable control and discipline to be maintained. The success of this means that the children benefit from the home's rich and enjoyable care experience. Clear parameters are set out within which staff must operate, ensuring their disciplining is proportionate and takes account of the children and young people's age and level of understanding. The approach of encouraging and reinforcing acceptable behaviour continues to be successful. Where children behave in ways which are potentially harmful to themselves or others staff intervene decisively, but do so in ways that are helpful to the children's learning and without use of sanctions or punishment. Physical intervention or restraint is used only where children or young people are causing harm to themselves or others. This mostly involves simply guiding the child away and using some appropriate means to distract

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

or deflect them from what they are doing. An enduring and positive feature of the home is the good relationships between children and staff. This is especially potent because most staff are long serving members, know the children well, are significant to them and are able to work naturally within these relations to influence behaviour.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The home is maintained as a safe environment for the children in which they are successfully protected from harm by a wide range of well-established health and safety measures. These include compliance with necessary assessments of risks and measures to control or remove them where they exist. All required fire precautions are taken and staff are kept up to date with training and competent assessment of the use of aids and equipment for children with physical disabilities and complex health problems. The range of security measures in place provides effective protection of the children from intruders and ensures that official visitors are supervised.

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