Children's home run by Leicester City Council

Requires improvement

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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because:

 Young people say they are frustrated about how the home’s rules are applied. This issue has been going on for a number of months, indicating that consultation methods used with young people to monitor the quality of care provided are ineffective.  The home environment feels institutionalised and unhomely in parts. Delays in replacing resources, such as in the home’s education room, further affects some young people’s sense of detachment from the home.

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because:

 Access to communal areas such as the lounge, dining room and kitchen is restricted overnight and to the lounge during the day. This adds to the institutionalised feel and means young people do not have free access to rooms in their own home.   The children’s guide does not contain information about the Office of the Children’s Commissioner or about how to access advocacy services, which means young people may not have access to this important contact information.

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The children's home strengths

 Staff are persistent at working with young people who can at times show extremely complex and challenging behaviour. This shows young people staff will not give up on them.   Some have made significant progress since the start of their placements. For some, rates of going missing and risk of sexual exploitation have reduced significantly.   Young people are well supported by the home to help them engage in education. This has meant some have overcome entrenched attendance issues.   Young people are prepared well in advance for moving on to semi- independence. This allows them to prepare both practically and emotionally for the next stage in their lives.

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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 (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

6: The quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

(1) The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

(2) (c) ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

(i) meet the needs of each child; and (ii) enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. 31/07/2015

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Requirement Due date

7: The children's views, wishes and feelings standard

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Requirement Due date

(1) The children's views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

(a) develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

(2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

(iv) regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home's care. 31/07/2015

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  The children's guide should help children to understand: how they can access advocacy support or independent advocacy if eligible; and how to contact the Office of the Children's Commissioner. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 24, paragraph 4.22)

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Recommendations

 Just as in a family home, children should be able to access all shared areas of their home unless there are specific reasons why this would not meet a child's needs. Any decisions to limit a child's access to any area of the home must only be made where this is intended to safeguard the child's welfare. All decisions should be informed by a rigorous assessment of that individual child's needs, be properly recorded and be kept under regular review. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 15, paragraph 3.10)

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Information about this children's home

The home is run by a local authority. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for seven children with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

19/02/2015 CH - Interim Sustained Effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

18/02/2014 CH - Interim Satisfactory Progress

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requires improvement

Outcomes and experiences for young people remain mixed. The majority have lived at the home for over a year. Some are making very positive progress while others struggle to engage with the home. Some are attending education placements regularly and are making encouraging progress in other areas of their lives. A young person who has come to live at the home in the last few months is slowly becoming settled and incidents of poor behaviour are decreasing.

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requires improvement

Most young people who are aged over 16 are not currently engaged in regular employment, training or education although the majority are actively looking or considering options. Staff work with education providers to provide opportunities for young people, such as setting up work placements; however, some young people are reluctant to engage. For one young person, an imaginative use of volunteering means they are able to work alongside a local authority handyperson to gain useful skills which will enhance their employability. This is an example of good practice.

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requires improvement

Young people are well prepared, several months in advance, for their transition to semi-independent living. This time allows them to come to terms with leaving the home and embarking on a new chapter in their lives. Young people collect mementoes of their time at the home, photos and comments in memory books and boxes which staff support them to fill up. Young people are provided with reassurance from staff, who voice confidence that they are ready to look after themselves more independently. This means young people have good preparation for adulthood.

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requires improvement

Young people’s views, wishes and feelings are not always taken fully into account, despite their openness to talk about issues during the inspection. Feedback from young people during the inspection was mixed. Some young people have mainly positive views about living at the home. Others strongly voiced their dissatisfaction, especially with the rules of the home and how these are applied, feeling there are inconsistencies with how different members of staff apply the rules. This issue has been well known for several weeks and feedback indicates consultation and communication methods to help young people understand how and why rules are applied are not effective. Other consultation methods are in place such as regular visits from the children’s rights team and young people’s meetings. However, young people do not feel fully engaged with the running of the home, and consultation is an area for improvement.

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requires improvement

Young people are encouraged to be healthy and have access to specialist services to meet their needs, such as substance misuse professionals. There are strong and effective relationships with health professionals, such as child and adolescent mental health services and the looked after children nurse, who are known to young people and visit the home regularly. They see young people individually and work directly with staff to provide advice and consultation about their needs, for example to support a young person with sex and relationship education.

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good

Staff work hard to meet the needs of young people who have complex histories and on occasion show challenging behaviour. Staff persevere and do not give up, regardless of the challenges they are presented with. They recognise that young people’s behaviour is often a consequence of their previous experiences and adjustment to living in care. A social worker stated, ‘The staff have refused to let my young person push things away.’

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good

Risks are identified as part of the care planning process. Appropriate strategies help minimise these risks, and assessments are revisited frequently to ensure they reflect the needs of young people. Young people’s behaviour is generally good, although there are some incidents of breakages and damage within the home. These breakages frustrate other young people who state , ` Nothing lasts in this house.’ When breakages occur, young people are usually given a financial sanction although have the option to complete this restoratively such as by completing jobs around the home. On rare occasions, young people’s behaviour can be challenging. Strong relationships with the police help ensure that young people receive restorative interventions if their behaviour has caused significant damage to the home. For instance, staff negotiated a community resolution order. This approach helps prevent the criminalisation of young people.

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good

Some young people make significant progress in keeping themselves safe. Young people who were previously going missing regularly and were at high risk of child sexual exploitation are no longer at such considerable risk. Tight risk assessments and safety plans, formed in conjunction with the police, placing authority and other involved professionals, are well implemented in practice. A social worker stated, ‘Communication around missing from care and child sexual exploitation is excellent.’ The missing from care police stated, ‘Information sharing between the home and myself is very good.’ This has led to a decrease in the number of missing from home events.

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good

Staff understand how to keep young people safe and how to follow safeguarding policies and procedures, such as whistleblowing, if required. Young people live in an environment which is kept physically safe through ongoing maintenance and health and safety checks.

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requires improvement

The home is managed by a qualified and experienced registered manager who is studying for an additional Level 5 qualification in residential management to further enhance her skills. She is knowledgeable and insightful in respect of the issues that affect the young people living in the home.

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requires improvement

Staff undertake a programme of training which covers mandatory areas such as first aid and also helps staff gain a thorough understanding of the ‘secure base’ model of care the home delivers. Supervision of staff is regular; key workers benefit from case supervision about individual young people as well as formal one- to-one personal supervision. As a result of this training and supervision, young people benefit from care provided to them by skilled staff who are equipped to meet their individual emotional and behavioural needs.

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requires improvement

The building was purpose built some years ago and as such, some parts of the exterior and interior of the home present as institutionalised and not homely. Although there are plans to improve the exterior of the home, these have taken several years to come to fruition. Staff and young people attempt to brighten up the exterior and were planting flowers together during the inspection.

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requires improvement

The unhomely feeling in the interior of the home is further emphasised by the practice of locking internal doors to communal areas at night time and the lounge door in the daytime to encourage young people to engage with education. There is no review of this practice and it is not necessary for safeguarding reasons. The practice is old fashioned and is not a positive behaviour management technique.

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requires improvement

The internal environment detracts from the efforts made by staff to engage with young people, as young people feel a lack of attachment to the home. Although incidents of damage are quickly made safe, resources are not replaced yet due to financial delays, for example in the education room. This empty space adds to the institutionalised feel. In addition, worn sofas in the lounge have not been replaced quickly.

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requires improvement

The home fulfils its commitment to young people, as outlined in the updated statement of purpose. It provides clear and accurate information to parents and placing authorities about the care and services the home offers. Young people are also provided with information about the home through the young people’s guide. This document is under review but currently lacks detail about how they can access advocacy support or independent advocacy and how to contact the Office of the Children's Commissioner.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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