Children's Home run by Inspirations Leicestershire Limited in Leicestershire

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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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 The registered provider has failed to provide a stable staff team and has to rely on the provider’s other home to provide staff.  Some staff do not have relevant experience of working with young people and this is evident in some staff practices. Additionally, some staff do not follow the home’s procedures which calls into question their competency.  Staff practice, in some instances, has the potential to place young people at risk of harm. For example, during the inspection staff going off duty left the front door wide open.  Staff training is not always effective in meeting individual staff training and developmental needs.  Care plans, risk assessments and behaviour management plans do not give full details of young people’s holistic needs and how to meet them. Additionally, guidance in the different documents does not always match which has the potential to lead to inconsistent practice.  Records of complaints do not give sufficient details of actions taken and the

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

outcome.  The gardens are not well maintained and interim measures to address maintenance issues are not always appropriate, for example, writing the house number on the front door in pen.

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The children's home strengths

 The young person’s behaviour has improved which also improves their safety as well as that of others.  Staff provide the young person with good practical and emotional support to maintain contact with their family.

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Information about this children's home

This privately owned children's home is registered to provide care for two children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home’s statement of purpose indicates that the age range will be between 7 and 18 years of age.

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Recent inspection history

This is the first full inspection since Ofsted registered the home in May 2015.

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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

In order to meet the protection of children standard the registered person must:

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Requirement Due date

(2) (b) ensure that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. This is with specific reference to keeping external doors closed to prevent access by strangers. 31 August

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Requirement Due date

13. The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard the registered person must:

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Requirement Due date

(2) (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

(d) ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for 30 September each child;

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Requirement Due date

(e) ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

(h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the care planning standard the registered person must ensure that children:

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Requirement Due date

(1) (a) receive well-planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

(b) have a positive experience of admission and transition processes.

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Requirement Due date

This is with specific reference to ensuring care plans and risk assessments give clear details of areas of need and how to meet them. 30 September

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the statement of purpose provides accurate details of the matters listed in Schedule 1. (Regulation 16 (1)) 30 September

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development. This is with specific reference to ensuring training provided is appropriate and effective in enabling staff to provide appropriate individualised care. (Regulation 33 (4) (a)) 30 September

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. This is with specific reference to ensuring records always give full details of actions taken and the outcome. (Regulation 39 (3)) 30 September

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Ensure that staff provide a nurturing environment that is welcoming and supportive – doing so is an important aspect of demonstrating that staff care for the child and value them as an individual. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 15, paragraph 3.7.)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff only search bedrooms if the child has been informed and that staff follow the home’s policy regarding searching children’s rooms. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 17, paragraph 3.20.)

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Recommendations

 Ensure young people’s case records are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 62, paragraph 14.3.)

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Requires Improvement

The young person moved from the registered provider’s other children’s home with some staff who they know and trust. This has helped him to settle well. The home is decorated and furnished to a satisfactory standard. The young person is encouraged and supported to personalise their bedroom. However, the front exterior of the home is in poor condition: the garden is untidy, the house number plate broken, and the number written on the front door in pen. This is poor practice and does not create a caring impression. The rear garden is also untidy.

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Requires Improvement

Individual care plans are based on the new quality standards and include aspirations for the young person. Care plans, risk assessment and behaviour management plans lack detail in some areas. For example, the care plan lacks detail about the young person’s interests and hobbies. Records are not always signed and dated by the author, or read by staff in a timely manner. This does not help staff to monitor the young person’s progress or help them understand how to meet the current needs of the young person.

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Requires Improvement

Staff are working hard to encourage healthy eating and guide the young person with meal choices and portion sizes. The young person is also encouraged to take regular exercise. Staff ensure the young person has access to relevant health services to improve their physical and psychological health and well-being. For example, the staff work in conjunction with the stop smoking team to provide information and resources.

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Requires Improvement

The young person is making good progress with their education and their attendance is generally good. Reports from school confirm that they are making good progress ‘socially and emotionally’. Staff are clear about the current education levels the young person is working towards and what their future education and training plans are.

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Requires Improvement

The young person is central to decision making in the home although staff provide guidance to ensure decisions made are in the young person’s best interests. The young person is able to choose menus and activities they want to take part in. As a result, they feel listened to which gives them a sense of self-worth and they become more confident. They are also encouraged to attend their looked after children review meetings.

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Requires Improvement

The young person is given good support both practically and emotionally to see their family. Improvements in the young person’s behaviour have resulted in increased visits to see their family.

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Requires Improvement

The young person knows how to complain and knows staff will take his concerns seriously, which helps him to feel safe. A number of complaints have been received from local neighbours. Staff have dealt with these promptly. However, records do not give sufficient details of actions taken and the outcome.

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Requires Improvement

Guidance in care plans about the management of some behaviour does not always match instructions in risk assessments. For example, a risk assessment states that the young person will be asked to sit in the backseat if they start misbehaving while out in the car, whereas the care plan states that staff are to stop the car until the behaviour stops. This does not give clear and consistent boundaries to the young person.

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Requires Improvement

Room searches are undertaken when required as detailed in the children’s guide. Staff do not always follow the home’s procedures. For example, two staff are not always present and there is no evidence of discussions taking place with the young person. This does not ensure the young person’s rights and privacy are afforded.

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Requires Improvement

Staff carry out a range of regular health and safety checks including fire safety checks which helps to keep everyone safe. The young person is clear about the fire evacuation procedure. During the inspection, the inspector noticed that the front door was left wide open when some staff had gone off duty. This is poor and unsafe practice.

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Requires Improvement

The young person has positive relationships with staff which helps them feel safe. Staff have received child protection training and understand their responsibilities in reporting any child protection concerns. This, along with close working with the placing authority, helps to protect the young person from the risk of harm and abuse.

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Requires Improvement

Staff are working hard to help the young person change unacceptable behaviours and the young person has made good progress given their starting points. There is strong emphasis on rewarding positive behaviours; incentives appear to be working well and the young person is given a lot of praise, which improves their self-esteem. Physical intervention has not been used. There have been no incidents of the young person going missing since the home was registered. There are clear procedures to follow in the event of such an incident. Staff are starting to build up good working relationships with the local police who have visited on a couple of occasions to get to know the young person and staff.

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Requires Improvement

During a monitoring visit on 15 June 2015 undertaken by Ofsted, the inspector identified shortfalls in recruitment practices and a requirement was made. No new staff have been recruited since. Discussions held during this inspection confirm that senior staff and managers are very clear about what checks are required to safeguard young people.

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Requires Improvement

This is the first full inspection since the home was registered in May 2015. The registered manager has experience of working with children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. She is a qualified social worker and has a level 4 in leadership and management for care services.

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Requires Improvement

The monitoring visit in June identified a number of shortfalls relating to the leadership and management of the home and six requirements were made. The responsible individual/registered manager sent an action plan to Ofsted outlining actions taken to address the requirements and these are now met.

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Requires Improvement

The registered manager is currently absent from the home and interim management arrangements are in place. The recently appointed deputy manager is in day-to-day charge of the running of the home and is being supported by the registered manager from the organisation’s other children’s home which is nearby. They are both working hard to try to address shortfalls they have already identified and make the necessary improvements. However, organisational priorities are impacting on their available time as they each are supporting both homes.

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Requires Improvement

Staff spoke positively about the deputy manager and the supporting registered manager. They reported that they are both very approachable and listen to staff views. Staff have started to benefit from good quality supervision and the introduction of staff meetings provides the opportunity for staff to discuss the young person’s care and practice issues.

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Requires Improvement

The registered provider initially failed to provide a sufficient and stable staff team. Although there has been an attempt to provide a more stable staff team, there continue to be a number of changes, which has the potential to affect the consistency of care. The deputy manager reported that they are undergoing a recruitment drive to ensure that they have sufficient staff to provide consistent care and not have to rely on staff from the other children’s home.

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Requires Improvement

Some staff lack experience of working with young people and this is evident in their practices. Staff have recently received training in first aid, fire safety and behaviour management which has addressed the requirement made previously. In addition, staff have completed a range of training which is mostly on-line with some staff completing eight courses in one day, though this inspection calls into question the effectiveness of the training. For example, staff have completed on- line training on documentation and recording but some records lack detail and some terminology used is inappropriate. Some records refer to the young person as ‘messing about’ which does not describe the actual behaviour.

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Requires Improvement

The statement of purpose contains all the required information but some information is inaccurate. A requirement was made during the investigation visit to ensure practice is in line with the statement of purpose. This has been addressed. However, the action plan provided by the registered manager stated the statement of purpose is discussed in staff supervision and team meetings to ensure staff understand what is required. There was no evidence of this found during this inspection.

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Requires Improvement

The deputy manager has recently started to provide staff supervision, which is of a good quality and has begun to assess staff’s knowledge and understanding of policies and procedures. He has previous experience and training of supervising staff. This means the two requirements made at the last visit are met.

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Requires Improvement

Some progress has been made in addressing the requirement regarding the induction of new staff. New systems have been developed but have yet to be implemented.

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Requires Improvement

A review of staffing rotas and the daily log book confirm that rotas now accurately reflect who is working. This makes it easier to accurately assess staff levels. This addresses the requirement made previously.

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Requires Improvement

There are some internal monitoring systems such as health and safety checks but the manager’s quality assurance systems have not yet been fully implemented. Monthly visits by an independent visitor commenced June 2015 and a copy of the report was sent to Ofsted as required. The visitor identified a number of shortfalls in practice, which the management team have started to address. For example, a recommendation was made to provide staff supervision and this has been addressed.

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Requires Improvement

Staff work closely with partner agencies which helps to ensure the young people’s needs are met.

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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

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