Children's Home run by Leicester City Council in Leicester

Unique reference number SC039056 Inspection date 23/02/2012 Inspector Joanne Vyas Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 20/09/2011 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This local authority owned children's home is registered to provide short breaks for up to nine children and young people. The home caters for children with learning difficulties, physical disabilities, complex health needs and challenging behaviours allied to their learning difficulties.

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Brief description of the service

The home is registered to care for up to five children under short break arrangements and up to four children under other arrangements.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Good progress The children’s home has demonstrated continued improvement in quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the large majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Satisfactory progress The children’s home has maintained quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Inadequate progress The children’s home has failed to address one or more requirements and/or has not met the majority of recommendations and/or the quality of care and outcomes for children and young people have declined since the last full inspection.

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Progress

Since their previous inspection the service is judged to be making inadequate progress.

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Progress

At the previous inspection in September 2011, the overall quality rating for this home was judged as outstanding with five requirements and three recommendations made which had no impact on the outcomes for young people.

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Progress

Children continue to make good progress in this home. For example, children who stay at the home for an assessment period are assured an informed future placement due to the in-depth professional information staff provide about the children and the type of placement they require. This enables children to go on to have a stable placement which promotes their health and well-being. Parents continue to work in partnership with staff to ensure the best outcomes for children. This ensures a consistent approach to the care of children across the home and the service, therefore helping children to progress with their life skills, communication and behaviour. Staff use a variety of communication techniques to enable children to participate in decisions which affect their lives on a day-to-day basis. For example staff can be seen using signs and objects of reference to help children choose activities, drinks and meals.

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Progress

The Registered Manager has made some progress towards meeting the requirements and recommendations made at the previous inspection. The Registered Manager was asked to review the use of visual monitors in children’s bedrooms. These have been discussed with an occupational therapist as well as parents. Staff also discuss their use and alternatives have been looked at but not found to be adequate in order to safeguard the vulnerable children they are used for. However, risk assessments for the use of visual monitors are not explicit about why, when and how they should be used. Therefore staff are not provided with clear information about their use which could mean the privacy of children is compromised without an unambiguous basis such as, safeguarding or promoting a child’s welfare.

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Progress

The Registered Manager was asked to ensure all areas are clean and suitably decorated. The home is currently in the process of being re-decorated. Flooring has been replaced in some areas where it was particularly stained. Part of the accommodation has been refurbished to a high standard. Children now have a brighter, cleaner home in which to stay.

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Progress

The Registered Manager was asked to ensure hazards are removed from the home. This referred to trailing wires from a television and electrical equipment stored on top of a fridge which children have access to. This work has been agreed and due to be completed in the near future. Once the work has been completed children will no longer have access to the trailing wires and therefore the environment will be a safer place for them. Meanwhile staff are vigilant to ensure children are kept safe.

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Progress

The Registered Manager was asked to ensure fire doors are not propped open to ensure children are protected if a fire should break out. Fire doors remain propped open with wedges or furniture which may put children at risk. This requirement has therefore been repeated for this inspection.

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Progress

Children feel safe and there are a range of measures in place to protect them from harm. Physical intervention is rarely used. The Registered Manager was asked to ensure the proforma in the central record for recording restraints did not include inappropriate reasons for restraint such as absconding. No recording of this nature has taken place nor has any inappropriate restraint occurred. However, the proforma remains unchanged, therefore this requirement has been repeated. Additionally, this record is no longer kept in a bound book but on loose sheets of paper within a folder. These could easily be lost or destroyed. Furthermore, the central log is made up of carbonated copies which fade over time and are barely legible. This means children may not be able to read their records in the future. However, none of these issues have any impact on the outcomes for children.

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Progress

The Registered Manager was asked to ensure that there are enough staff on duty at all times to ensure the health and well-being of the children accommodated. This was particularly at night time. One of the units is currently closed and therefore, staffing is not currently an issue. Therefore this recommendation has been met.

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Progress

The Registered Manager was asked to review the use of an enclosed bed that is restrictive as the enclosure prevents the child leaving the bed. An occupational therapist has looked at this bed and made suggestions to improve it. However, the Registered Manager is looking at alternatives which will not restrict a child’s liberty but ensure their safety at the same time. Risk assessments for the use of this bed have not been reviewed to ensure the bed is still appropriate for the children that use it.

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Progress

The Registered Manager was asked to review the use of electronic locking devices and high handles throughout the unit which restrict the movement of children. The restriction of movement around the unit is to ensure the safety of children. However, no risk assessments have been completed which clearly demonstrate the need for such restrictions for all children and their continued use.

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Progress

The Registered Manager has good systems in place to ensure the quality of the service. Although the Registered Manager has a good system in place for monitoring Schedule 6, the reports from this monitoring are not sent to Ofsted as per Regulation 34. This has no impact on the outcomes for children.

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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) supply to the HMCI a report in respect of any review conducted by him for the purposes of paragraph (1) of Regulation 34 (Regulation 34 (2)) 31/03/2012

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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 and that the only reasons for use of restraint are as detailed in Regulation 17A (Regulation 17A & 17B) 31/03/2012

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that adequate means of escape is provided in the event of fire. This is with specific regard to fire doors that are propped open with wedges. (Regulation 32 (1)(b)) 15/03/2012

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure staff take reasonable precautions and make informed professional judgements about when to allow a child or young person to take a particular risk or follow a particular course of action. This specifically refers to the use of visual monitoring devices in bedrooms, the use of a restrictive bed and the use of electronic locks on internal doors preventing free movement around the building (Volume 5 Children’s Homes 2.60)  ensure the central record for recording restraint is a bound book (Volume 5 Children’s Homes 2.91)  ensure information about the 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 that, within reason, hazards are removed or avoided. This specifically refers to trailing electrical wires. (Volume 5 Children’s Homes 2.64)

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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 progress made by the provider since the last full inspection, identifies any further strengths, any areas for improvement and makes judgements as outlined in the Inspection of children’s homes – framework for inspection (March 2011).

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