Children's Home run by Sunflower Children Care Services in Leicestershire

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people receive care that reflects their individual needs. The respective strengths and vulnerabilities of young people are known and understood by staff. This helps them to support young people to make progress in all areas of their development.  The registered manager and staff understand the importance of education to young people’s futures, and so they secure education provision in which young people make progress.  Staff work effectively with young people’s families to enable regular family visits. This helps to maintain relationships that are important between the young people and their families.  Parents have confidence in the care provided, praising the relationships between staff and their children. They recognise the progress their children make.  The staff work in partnership with a range of professionals. This ensures that young people have suitable access to the resources and support that

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The children's home provision is good because:

they need.  Young people have good relationships with staff. Relationships are nurturing and help to enhance young people’s sense of stability and security. This enhances their self-confidence and self-esteem.  Staff have undertaken training in safeguarding and they apply this knowledge in practice, leading to young people becoming increasingly safer.  An experienced and qualified management team ensures that staff are provided with good training, support and supervision. This gives staff the competencies to meet the changing needs of young people.

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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

7. The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard

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Requirement Due date

(2) The standard requires the registered person to- (a) ensure that staff- (i) ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare. 09/01/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and any limitations placed on a child’s privacy or access to any of the children’s homes premises allows children as much freedom as possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21(b)(c)(iv)) 09/01/2017

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Information about this children's home

The service is a privately-operated children's home, registered for up to three young people aged from 9 to 17 years. Children and young people may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. There is also a registered school attached to this home.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 09/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 08/07/2015 Full Good 12/02/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 11/08/2014 Full Good

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Good

Young people benefit from safe and secure relationships with staff, who provide nurturing care. Staff appreciate young people’s strengths and understand their vulnerabilities. They value the uniqueness of each young person. This helps young people make progress.

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Good

Young people make good progress in their education. Two young people attend the school attached to the home. The third young person attends a training centre, and is looking forward to undertaking work experience. Some young people have previously had poor attendance and been excluded from school. Their attendance improves while living at the home, and they are well supported to continue making progress. One young person is receiving additional tutoring in preparation for their GCSE exams. Another has made such progress that a move into a mainstream education provision is being considered. As well as academic progress, improved school attendance enables young people to develop social skills. For example, by raising money for a cancer research charity through baking and selling cakes, they have been able to demonstrate compassion for others and make a positive contribution to their community.

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Good

Good healthcare plans ensure that young people develop improved health. For example, one young person needed extensive dental care, which was provided without delay. Emotional and mental health services are made available as soon as a need is identified. Some young people are admitted to the home with established smoking habits. The staff provide advice, guidance and support to help them quit smoking. Young people benefit from balanced, nutritious meals and plenty of exercise to improve their overall health.

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Good

The manager and staff support young people’s relationships with their families, and balance this successfully with their safeguarding needs. The young people see their families regularly; these family meetings take place within a clearly-defined plan. Staff understand the emotional impact that seeing those important to them has on young people, and provide reassurance and understanding. Staff members often remain with young people during visits, in order to monitor and support. This ensures that family meetings are enjoyable for all. The manager and staff have developed good relationships with family members. This helps to provide reassurance to young people. One parent made several positive statements about the service, including:

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Good

 ‘The home is brilliant.’  ‘I can’t fault the staff, they are so understanding.’

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Good

 ‘I couldn’t ask for a better home for my daughter.’

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Good

 ‘I am made to feel so welcome when visiting my daughter.’

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Good

 ‘My daughter is safer because they have helped her to change.’

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Good

The views and opinions of young people are important to the manager and staff. Young people’s meetings take place regularly. The agenda is agreed by young people, who also chair and take minutes. Young people’s ideas and suggestions are taken seriously by the manager and acted upon where possible. Young people are given a written guide to the home, which is updated regularly. They have a private telephone that they can use should they wish to raise a concern with advocates or social workers. Young people understand the home’s complaints process and are confident in using it. This means that the manager and staff respect young people’s rights and entitlements.

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Good

Young people enjoy a wide range of recreational activities. These have included trips to safari parks, holidays at the seaside, swimming, cinema, drama and gymnastics clubs, and restaurant meals with staff. Young people say that they particularly enjoy the regular Sunday night pampering sessions, which include manicures, facemasks and other beauty treatments. These enjoyable experiences promote good relationships between staff and young people. In addition, they help to improve young people’s confidence and self-esteem.

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Good

Admissions to the home are well planned and well organised. Each referral is carefully scrutinised. The manager reviews a range of documents supplied by the local authority, and any information from previous placements. The manager considers how the service could meet all identified needs when balanced against the needs of those already living at the home. The manager is confident before admitting young people that the resources are available to meet their needs. Careful matching of young people leads to good placement stability, while ensuring that those young people already resident continue to do well.

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Good

Young people, who are often at risk of significant harm when they move to the home, become safer. Some young people have suffered from, and been at risk of, sexual exploitation. Since living at the home, these risks are greatly reduced. High staffing levels have contributed to keeping young people safe. They allow staff to spend quality time with young people. Staff know young people well, and are aware of their friendship networks and social media profiles. Access to the internet is managed safely. Staff have completed structured individual sessions with young people so that they become better able to protect themselves from exploitation and abuse. Staff have successfully raised young people’s awareness and understanding of healthy relationships. One young person stated, ‘Staff speak to me, advise me and ask me if I want to talk. They protect us and keep us safe; they do this well.’

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Good

On occasion, young people are unable to regulate their own behaviour. Staff generally intervene very effectively to support young people who are in crisis. They receive training that provides them with a good understanding of appropriate behaviour-management strategies. This training includes the use of physical intervention. Since the last inspection, there have been a number of events in which physical intervention has been required to keep young people safe. However, recently such incidents have reduced in frequency. Young people are kept safe because the manager and staff follow procedures correctly. On some occasions, the staff have needed to request police assistance to manage violent or damaging behaviours safely. The manager and staff notify Ofsted appropriately following these incidents, and try to disseminate learning to prevent recurrence.

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Good

The manager has not ensured that young people have access to all areas of the home. The staff keep the kitchen and a ‘chill-out’ room locked at night. This practice, sanctioned by the manager in response to concerns over the behaviour of one young person, penalises and restricts all other young people living at the home. It means that they cannot have free access to all areas of their home. This is an unwarranted restriction.

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Good

Following an incident of unacceptable behaviour towards a young person by a contractor working at the home, the manager failed to raise concerns with the appropriate authorities. The young person did not wish to pursue the matter formally. However, given the nature of the incident, the manager gave too much weight to the young person’s view and did not meet their obligation to share information that called into question the suitability of an adult to work in the home.

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Good

An experienced registered manager, who has been in post 15 years and has the required qualification to be registered manager, leads the service effectively. An experienced deputy manager supports her. They work together well and are valued by the staff. One carer said, ‘The manager is approachable, and addresses any issues immediately and I have received guidance and support since working here.’ The manager responded to statutory requirements made at the last inspection and completed these in full. Consequently, the staff received training in managing self- harmful behaviour, specifically ligatures. The manager also reviewed the home’s location risk assessment so that it now contains the views of partner agencies, specifically the police. This location assessment is now a strong and detailed assessment that supports the manager to keep young people safe.

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Good

Young people benefit because the home is good at multi-agency working. Clear communication ensures that young people receive coordinated care, and have access to all the services they require. Regular multi-agency reviews of children looked after take place to assess and develop young people’s care plans. This ensures that professional agencies involved with young people remain focused on helping them to make progress and stay safe.

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Good

The manager ensures that the home’s policies and procedures are regularly reviewed and updated in line with developments in the sector. Recently updated policies include whistle-blowing, safeguarding and managing behaviour. Staff members understand the importance of working to the organisation’s policies. Because of this, young people are safe and cared for by well-informed staff.

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Good

Young people receive care from a well-trained and supported staff team. Staff members receive monthly professional supervision from managers. Supervision sessions are guided by a structured agenda that prioritises the needs of young people. Additionally, supervision holds staff to account for their own professional conduct and performance. Staff receive annual development reviews, which identify areas for improvement.

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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 children looked after 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 that 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 that 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

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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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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