Children's home run by Leicester City Council

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judges that it has improved effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

By addressing all of the requirements and recommendations made at the full inspection, the home’s management team has improved the quality of care provided at the home and helped to ensure that young people are safer. The management team is open to receiving and acting on recommendations and guidance. As a result, the functioning of the home has improved.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home continues to provide a good standard of care and support to the young people who live here, and most are making good progress. However, some young people, despite the best efforts of staff and other stakeholders, make limited progress, have not engaged with their care plans and are at risk of committing offending behaviour.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the last inspection, five requirements and two recommendations were made. Young people’s care plans and risk assessments are now more detailed and accurate. In addition, case records benefit from more attention to detail, with staff members ensuring that they are up to date, signed and dated. This means that members of staff are better able to use these documents to provide good-quality care for young people. In addition, records of restraint are more rigorously reviewed and contain better detail of the holds used. These improvements, in conjunction with the use of a more detailed incident report form, help the management team to ensure that the use of restraint is appropriate and allows it to better monitor issues or trends.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Agency members of staff are no longer used to provide direct care for young people. New members of staff who join the staff team undergo appropriate recruitment checks before they start working with young people. In addition, recruitment records for current members of staff have been reviewed and scrutinised to ensure that they meet the required level. The management team is reviewing staff training. Since the last inspection, the majority of the staff have undertaken specialist ligature training and epilepsy awareness training. Induction arrangements are improved, with new members of staff receiving appropriate training, such as in safeguarding, when they start. All these measures help to ensure that only suitable and skilled people care for young people. Partnership working remains a significant strength of the home. All stakeholders spoken to during the inspection commented on the good communication that they

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

have with staff. A youth offending service officer stated, in relation to a young person: ‘We need a high level of information sharing and this is what we get from staff. They understand our processes. There’s an awful lot of daily information sharing, constant discussions with key workers. Staff offer a real wraparound service. Missing from care episodes are highly monitored. They are regularly in contact with us. They are very good at information sharing. Staff do everything that they can to help to stabilise this young person and to engage with him. They manage him as well as they can do. They manage the risk.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, several young people have left the home. These were planned moves to new placements or independent living. Where possible, staff provide outreach following young people’s moves, which helps young people to settle. Previous residents occasionally visit the home and are made to feel welcome. Before new young people move into the home, when possible staff encourage a pre-admission visit. Staff quickly come to know young people’s likes and dislikes, and strive to make them feel as comfortable as possible at the home. For example, staff ensure that young people’s cultural, religious and personal care needs are met. This helps young people to feel nurtured and cared for.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Safeguarding is given a high priority. Staff benefit from protected handover time between shifts, when young people and their safety plans are discussed at length each day. One young person is currently at risk of sexual exploitation. While safeguarding practice to help to ensure his safety is suitable, Ofsted has not been informed. This does not enable the regulator to confirm the appropriateness of safeguarding arrangements. Behaviour is generally well managed, using incentives and proactive behaviour management strategies. On occasion, despite staff using all the behaviour management strategies available to them, young people’s behaviour becomes unsafe and requires the involvement of police. Following any significant event, there are opportunities for staff to debrief and review practice. Stakeholders, such as social workers, are informed and strategy meetings are called where required. This ensures that young people’s care plans remain focused.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The management team has good oversight of the home. An independent person visits the home monthly, and his report provides comment and guidance on areas for improvement. As a result, the management team has revised the way in which complaints and allegations are recorded, making the record more clear and coherent. This demonstrates the management team’s ability to respond to feedback and improve practice. The management team regularly monitors areas such as staff practice, incidents and how methods of control are used. Every six months, the registered person is required to complete a quality of care review for Ofsted. Although this report is submitted in line with regulation, it would be further strengthened by better analysis and identification of trends or patterns. Moreover, the report does not inform the reader how the management team’s analysis of the functioning of the home contributes to development and improving practices.

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Information about this children’s home

This home is managed by a local authority. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to 10 young people, although the home’s statement of purpose currently states that it will accommodate up to seven young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 29/06/2016 Full Requires improvement 01/12/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 17/06/2015 Full Requires improvement 20/10/2014 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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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

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation. (Regulation 40(4)(a)) 31/03/2017

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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 registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact that the care is having on outcomes and improvements for children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, pages 64 and 65, paragraph 15.2)

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the ‘Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection’.

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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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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 0300 123 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, work- based 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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