Children's Home run by Leicester City Council in Leicester

Unique reference number SC039025 Inspection date 28/10/2011 Inspector Susan Southey / Joanne Vyas Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 18/01/2011 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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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 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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About this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the Inspections of children’s homes – framework for inspection (March 2011) and the evaluation schedule for children's homes.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service that exceeds minimum requirements Satisfactory : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

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Brief description of the service

The home is run by the local authority and registered to provide care and accommodation for six young people of either sex. The home offers care and accommodation for young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be satisfactory .

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Overall effectiveness

Young people make progress in building their self-esteem and resilience; they are offered the opportunity to engage in leisure activities. Opportunities include music lessons, sports activities and group holidays. Additional financial support is provided to enable the young people to participate in activities of their choice. Young people are becoming increasingly independent, spending time outside the home to broaden their social networks.

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Overall effectiveness

Most young people are engaged in education or occupational training courses. Staff are proactive in ensuring that each young person is given the best opportunity to reach their full potential. The young people's progress is good from their starting point at the time of placement.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people have the benefit of multi-agency professionals who visit regularly to offer advise and support. Good relationships are formed with health, police and social workers. Professionals who regularly visit the home are pleased with the progress that the young people have made and the support they have received from committed staff members.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are supported positively to maintain links with family and friends. Staff members provide travel and supervision to support this contact. Staff support is available to assist young people to deal with their emotions following visits to family members.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people have a good relationship with the well-trained, committed staff team. However, there are inconsistencies in practice which have been identified by the young people and professionals who visit the home.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people have expressed frustration that some internal doors are kept locked and access is restricted. Young people do not always understand when it may not be possible to act on their wishes in all cases and seek clarity.

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Overall effectiveness

Medication procedures are not always adhered to by staff and measures of control are sometimes inappropriate. Notifications have not been sent to Ofsted. Monitoring of the home is not sufficiently robust.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure the person carrying out the visit stated under paragraph (1) and (2) interviews, with their consent and in private, such of the children accommodated there as appears necessary in order to form an opinion of the standard of care provided in the home and inspects the premises of the children’s home (Regulation 33.4) 27/01/2012

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure any events, in relation to the children’s home, listed in column 1 of the table of Schedule 5 takes place, the registered person shall without delay notify the persons indicated in respect of the event in column 2 of the table (Regulation 30.1) 09/12/2011

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Reg. Requirement Due date

17A (2001) ensure a measure of restraint, subject to paragraph 2, is only used on a child accommodated in a children’s home for the purpose of preventing injury to any person (including the child who is being restrained) or preventing serious damage to the property of any person (including the child who is being restrained) (Regulation 17A(1)) 09/12/2011

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Reg. Requirement Due date

17B (2001) ensure that within 24 hours of the use of any measure of control, restraint or discipline in a children’s home, a written record is made in a volume kept for the purpose of which includes all the matters stated in this regulation (Regulation 17B (3)) 09/12/2011

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Reg. Requirement Due date

17B (2001) ensure the imposition of a financial penalty, other than a requirement for the payment of a reasonable sum (which may be by instalments) by way of reparation is not used as a disciplinary measure on children accommodated in a children’s home. (Regulation 17B (2) (g)) 09/12/2011

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  ensure information about a child is recorded clearly and in a way which will be helpful to the child when they access their files now or in the future (NMS 22.5)  ensure prescribed medication is only given in accordance with the prescription. This specifically refers to medication that has been administered to children in the children’s home which no longer is in its original packaging and therefore does not have a pharmacy label attached detailing the prescriber’s instructions (NMS 6.14)  ensure physical restrictions on normal movement within the home are not used unless this is necessary to safeguard children and promote their welfare and development. Such measures are only used where agreed with the responsible authority and, if appropriate, the parents. Such restrictions for one child do not

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Recommendations

impose similar restrictions on other children (NMS 10.4)  ensure children understand how their views have been taken into account and, where significant wishes or concerns have not been acted upon, they are helped to understand why.(NMS 1.2)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are good .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people enjoy positive experiences at this home where the care is provided by a committed staff team. Young people receive ongoing support to ensure that every young person is consistently supported to enable them to achieve in education or training. Most young people are attending college or other educational provisions. The progress and achievement of young people is good taking into account both their attainment and progress from their starting point at the time of placement. Views of social workers are that the staff support young people with education and work experience and treat young people as individuals. A young person said, 'college is sorting me out big time.' Young people are achieving well and most engage in meaningful activities outside the home. Young people are learning new skills and receive encouragement to build on their potential with existing talents.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people gain practical skills in the home; examples include being encouraged to purchase food and cook meals with the staff. Transition into adulthood is good. A flat situated in the home enables young people to live semi-independently whilst continuing to receive valuable support from staff. Young people are afforded ongoing support when they leave the home and are living independently.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are well supported to maintain contact with their family members. Staff work in partnership with families and other professionals promote regular contact. The staff provide travel and supervision to enable family contact to take place. In addition, they offer emotional support should the young people have issues as a result of family visits.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from a multi-professional approach during their placement to ensure they receive a consistent therapeutic service spanning across health, education and social care. Young people who require intensive support at times of crisis are offered a safe, nurturing environment. A mental health worker who frequently visits the home, said that the young people 'get a lot of support from staff'.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is satisfactory .

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Quality of care

Young people have a positive relationship with most staff who are committed to providing a high quality of care for them. Young people said that ‘most of the staff are brilliant’ and that there are ‘some really good staff who are really kind.’ Young people are encouraged to put forward their wishes and feelings. Monthly meetings give them the opportunity to express their views. Young people are involved in menu planning and shopping for provisions. This gives the young people the opportunity to be involved in decision making in their home.

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Quality of care

Internal doors are kept locked so young people have to ask staff to be let into the kitchen, a kitchenette and the ‘red room’ (a recreational communal area). Young people expressed a frustration with regard to this and that they have to ring the front door bell to get back into the house.

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Quality of care

Staff promote purposeful and enjoyable activities outside the home environment. Support given to young people enables them to engage in activities of their choice. Additional financial support is agreed to enable them to participate in these activities. However, staff do not always show clarity when it is not possible to act on their wishes and feelings. Young people advise that they are unclear why support for activities or outings are not available or have been withdrawn.

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Quality of care

Young people understand how to make a complaint. There are complaints procedures in place. Young people have made complaints and these have been acted on appropriately in line with the organisation's policy and guidance.

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Quality of care

The home provides a healthy environment. Young people have access to general practitioners and mental health workers. Staff act promptly where medical attention is required to promote the health of all young people in the home. Staff have training in the administration of medicines but practice does not always reflect the home’s procedures. Medication was administered without the appropriate labelling or packaging which may have put young people at risk from misadministration of medication. Staff members rectified this promptly when this was identified.

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Quality of care

Most young people attend college or other educational provision and staff actively encourage and promote educational achievement. Staff members attend interviews with the young people at colleges or connexions to offer encouragement and support. Young people are given financial assistance to purchase equipment they need to attend college. Staff have a sound knowledge of equality and diversity. They are aware of cultural and religious festivals and the young people are encouraged to participate in celebrating these festivals. Staff members have attended a 12-week course covering equality and diversity. This demonstrates the home’s commitment to equality and diversity.

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Quality of care

The home environment is generally clean and well maintained. However, one area of the home has an offensive odour Staff have tried to resolve this issue and continue to seek solutions to the problem. The young people are encouraged to have their rooms decorated to meet their individual tastes. Further refurbishment to the home is planned and funding has been agreed. Decoration and furnishings have recently been replaced in the lounge and the ‘red room’. The rooms now offer a warm and comfortable environment for the young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service is satisfactory at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people say they feel safe living at this home. Young people who go missing from this home are protected by effective procedures which are clearly understood by staff. Staff work effectively with young people to reduce the risk of bullying through key worker sessions and young people's meetings.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff have access to comprehensive risk assessments which are informative and enable staff to reduce risks which help to keep young people safe. Young people are supported to take appropriate risks to promote healthy growth and development. There are good health and safety procedures within the home. Staff have made positive steps to make alterations to a flat roof to reduce the risk to young people and others.

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Safeguarding children and young people

New staff are subject to an effective vetting system before they start working with young people. Staff have a criminal records bureau check completed at enhanced level, their identification is checked and references sought. The home is physically safe and appropriately secure, ensuring young people are safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are encouraged to manage their behaviour using incentive schemes and measures of control, such as physical intervention and sanctions. Staff are trained in physical intervention and de-escalation techniques. There is a minimum use of restraint and young people said that staff do it well. Staff manage behaviour that challenges from the young people in a calm and professional manner. However, young people have been restrained for reasons other than those given within the Children’s Homes Regulations, such as to protect confidential information. Furthermore, financial sanctions have been imposed for other reasons than reparation, such as to repay money given for an activity or to replace food that has been taken. These are not appropriate sanctions for young people. Records of restraint and sanctions are recorded in central logs but the copies retained in the logs are carbonated copies which are faded and difficult to read. Additionally, some

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Safeguarding children and young people

records are not dated and do not prompt the author to write the effectiveness and consequences of the measure of control used. This makes monitoring difficult and, therefore, may impact on the progress young people make with regard to managing their behaviour.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are satisfactory .

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Leadership and management

Many of the staff team are qualified, experienced and dedicated. Staff said that they love working in the home with the young people. However, there are inconsistencies in practice and staff have said that there is not always enough support from other staff. Young people say that some staff members will stay in the office when there is a disturbance, ‘Sometimes when other kids are kicking off, they (the staff) hide in the office.’ Discussions during the inspection highlighted inconsistent practice for example, staff not following the home’s procedures, poor communication between shifts, staff spending prolonged periods of time in the office and staff not attending incidents. Despite these issues the outcomes for young people are not significantly affected.

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Leadership and management

External managers visit to monitor the home, but the Registered Manager receives the reports late, which makes it difficult to carry out any recommendations made in a timely fashion. Furthermore, discussions with young people and inspection of the whole premises have not taken place for some time.

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Leadership and management

The Registered Manager should ensure that Ofsted receive notifications of serious incidents without delay. Records show that not all significant events have been notified to Ofsted although they have been notified to other authorities. Records for measures of control show inappropriate restraints and sanctions. These have been signed off by a manager with no comment about the inappropriateness of their use. Therefore, systems for monitoring records are not robust.

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Leadership and management

The Registered Manager ensures that staff have appropriate training and all staff have regular good quality supervision. The Registered Manager has overall responsibility for the day-to-day running of the home. Areas, such as health and safety, sexual health and equality and diversity are delegated to experienced members of staff. They receive additional training for these activities. Staff members take pride in these additional responsibilities and present as extremely knowledgeable. Staff members are encouraged to undertake training related to their role. Staff discussions and records show ongoing training opportunities. Experienced staff have National Vocational Qualification qualifications at level 3 and new staff will commence this training in January 2012. Development opportunities promote a well trained staff team.

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Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is good .

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