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

Inspection report children’s home: SC449099 1 SC449099 Registered provider: Quantum Care UK Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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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 seventeen years. Young people may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. There is also an education establishment attached to this home.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 12 to 13 September 2017

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 17 February 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people like living at this home. They have secure and trusting relationships with staff. Inspection report children’s home: SC449099 2  Staff help young people to rebuild their relationships with their family and then to maintain these important links. This is a strength of the home.  Staff advocate well on behalf of young people. Young people are encouraged to express their views.  Young people feel safe. Staff help to keep young people safe.  Staff are highly motivated and enthusiastic about providing a good service for young people. They feel rewarded by young people’s achievements. They are knowledgeable and experienced. They provide firm boundaries and consistent care. This helps young people to feel safe and secure. They are able to build strong relationships with staff.  The registered manager is experienced, knowledgeable and appropriately qualified. She provides strong and supportive leadership. She has a good

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Key findings from this inspection

understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home.  A parent wrote in a thank-you card: ‘Thank you very much for everything, all your help and support. You are all a lovely caring team.’ A young person wrote: ‘I thank you all very, very much. Thanks for all you’ve done for me.’

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff have not fully investigated the reasons for a young person spending most of her time in her bedroom. They have not explored possible health reasons, for example.  Although all residents are female, the majority of staff are male. At times, there are no female staff in the home.  The use of intrusive door alarms and close monitoring impacts on the privacy of young people.  Care planning does not consistently reflect decisions made at statutory reviews or the current behaviours of young people.  Any concerns highlighted in employment references are not always discussed and recorded when the reference is verified.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 16/11/2016 Full Good 09/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 08/07/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC449099 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet 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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that— the health and well-being needs of children are met; children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff help each child to— take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs. (Regulation 10 (1) and (2)(a)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, when a child’s behaviour changes, staff should explore every possible means to find a solution including health checks. 30/09/2017

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Recommendations

 Whenever possible, staff in day-to-day contact with children should include staff from the different gender groups. Where the home’s statement of purpose makes it explicit that the home uses staff of one sex only, clear guidance will need to be in place and followed as to how children are enabled to maintain relationships with people of a different gender. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.22)

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Recommendations

 Children in residential care usually live in a group environment, and so it is particularly important that they can spend time away from other group members. Staff should respect children’s privacy and support the other children living in the home to do so. In particular, reviewing the bedroom door alarms and close monitoring by staff. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.17)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs. In particular, staff should complete Inspection report children’s home: SC449099 4 training on strategies that can be employed for children who are on the autistic spectrum to enable them to explore possible alternative strategies to help young people in the home access the community. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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Recommendations

 Effective care planning and strong working relationships between the staff of the home and the placing authority are essential to the success of placements. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.2)

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Recommendations

 As set out in regulations 31-33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people like living at this home. They have good relationships with staff. Staff care about the young people. Young people generally make good progress. Young people make particular progress in their relationships with their family, addressing risk-taking behaviours, and education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The views, wishes and feelings of young people are important to staff. Staff provide good opportunities for young people to express their views. For example, young people express their views and opinions through mature, considered debates with staff on a range of subjects including LGBT rights.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the young people very well. They have a good understanding of their strengths and needs. However, care planning does not fully identify and plan for all the care needs of young people. For example, there is no plan linked to the recent change in a young person’s behaviour that means she has spent a large proportion of the summer holidays in her bedroom.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager and staff are strong advocates for the young people. They ensure that the voice of the child is heard. They have good relationships with the placing authority’s children’s rights officers. For example, a young person no longer wanted to go to the on-site school, but wanted to go to a mainstream school instead. The young person is now going to a mainstream school after a lot of support from the staff to communicate her wishes to other professionals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from regular, well-planned contact with their family. Staff have enabled young people to re-build good relationships with their families. This will help the young people to maintain these important links. Inspection report children’s home: SC449099 5 The home has recently been redecorated. It provides a homely and comfortable living space. Rooms are spacious. This is something that a young person said she really likes. The home is well maintained and clean.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of young people attending their education placement. They encourage young people to get up for school and will support them in the classroom, when necessary. If young people refuse to go to school, staff ensure that they do their school work in the home. This approach has meant that one young person now feels confident enough to go to a mainstream school. This is something that she is excited about. She says that education is her priority.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A young person currently spends the majority of her time in her bedroom. She spends her time listening to music and reading. She also says that she sleeps, at times, throughout the day. Staff encourage her to come out of her room. They offer a range of activities. The young person has rarely accepted the offer of activities although she does enjoy going to the cinema. Staff are prepared to take the young person out into the community at short notice. For example, an expression of interest in a theatre production was made and immediately a booking was made for the forthcoming weekend. Staff try to prepare her for going out into the community by discussing the trip and what she may come across and find difficult. However, they have not fully investigated possible causes for the decline in the young person’s behaviour. For example, they have not looked at possible health causes. Furthermore, they have not

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

fully exhausted possible strategies that may help the young person prepare better for going into the community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff closely monitor young people’s movements within the home. They try to make this as unobtrusive as possible when the young people are in communal spaces. However, when young people are in their bedrooms, staff sit on the stairs. Young people do not appreciate this. Staff are unable to say why such close monitoring is necessary when there is only one young person in the house. Furthermore, young people do not like the alarms fitted to their bedroom doors. Alarms are only switched on in accordance with their risk assessment, and only at night. But, the alarm is loud and sounds like a siren. This may interrupt other young people’s sleep. It may also be an invasion of the young person’s privacy because everyone in the house knows when a young person comes out of their room at night.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people learn good skills that will help them move towards independent living. A parent said: ‘My daughter has learned a lot, for example how to cook and be tidier.’ Staff are excellent role models. This encourages the young people to respond maturely and participate in household tasks such as cooking, cleaning, washing and shopping.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Young people feel safe in this home. They have secure and trusting relationships with staff. Staff have a good understanding of the home’s child protection and whistleblowing policies. They work closely with external professionals to ensure that young people are as safe as they can be. Inspection report children’s home: SC449099 6 Some young people go missing from this home. Staff follow good procedures when young people go missing. They work closely with relevant external agencies to formulate proactive strategies to help prevent young people from going missing again. Young people who are at risk of sexual exploitation are helped to gain a better understanding of risky situations.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff have a good understanding of online safety. They regularly check young people’s online devices and understand what internet usage a young person has. However, decisions made within statutory reviews are not always incorporated into planning documents including risk assessments. For example, a placing authority banned a young person from using a particular social media site. This was not part of the planning documents. Although this recording issue has had no impact on young people on this occasion, there is a potential that important safeguarding information might be overlooked.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Young people are encouraged to behave well. Staff consistently implement strong boundaries. The strength of their relationships and knowledge of each young person is to be commended. This helps young people to behave responsibly and positively. Whenever young people are about the house, laughter can be heard.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff recognise triggers that may make a young person feel anxious, upset or angry. They try to reduce these triggers. For example, one young person does not like staff to go in her room. Staff have agreed with the placing authority that they won’t enter her room unless necessary. If a young person is feeling anxious or upset, staff will try to de- escalate the situation using humour and distraction. Staff say that humour works well. However, staff have used physical intervention on occasion. This has been used appropriately and always as a last resort. There is good management oversight of physical intervention.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Vetting procedures help to protect young people from unsuitable adults. Criminal record checks, medical checks and identification documents are sought and reviewed. References are received and verified. However, a minor concern identified in one reference was not explored during the verification process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is very experienced, knowledgeable and appropriately qualified. She provides strong but supportive leadership. She believes that by nurturing her own staff team she will ensure that young people are also nurtured. She has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. She has a good development plan to address shortfalls and strives to continually improve the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The majority of staff are qualified and experienced. The staff are passionate about providing a good service for young people. They are encouraging and supportive towards young people. Staff enjoy their work and feel rewarded when young people achieve. Staff retention is very good. This means that young people are able to form Inspection report children’s home: SC449099 7 secure attachments with staff who are skilled, knowledgeable and experienced.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager believes that it is just as important to support parents, where appropriate, as it is to support the young people. She says that this helps young people build and maintain positive relationships with families. A parent said: ‘Staff are absolutely brilliant and very supportive.’ A young person has returned home due to the supportive work staff have carried out with their family. Another is now having unsupervised contact. This is a strength of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff believe that a young person may be on the autistic spectrum. This belief has not been upheld by children’s mental health services. Even so, the young person does present with some traits indicative of autistic spectrum disorder. Staff have not received any training in autistic spectrum disorder. They may find this helpful to be able to plan strategies to support the young person.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The current staff team is mainly male. This means that most shifts have only male staff on duty. Currently, this home only has female residents. Young people have not complained about the lack of female staff. However, it does mean that they may feel that they cannot talk about more intimate concerns until a female member of staff is on duty. The registered manager is aware of this situation. This has been a recent development caused by the fact that some female staff have left. However, the manager has recently begun to address this issue by recruiting a female worker.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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 whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, 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’. Inspection report children’s home: SC449099 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Quantum Care UK Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: C/O Castlecare, The Manor House, Squires Hill, Rothwell, Kettering, Northamptonshire NN14 6BQ

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Inspector

Joanne Vyas, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC449099 9 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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