Children's Home run by Leicester City Council in Leicester

Inspection report children‟s home: SC039038 1 SC039038 Registered provider: Leicester City Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a local authority and is registered to provide care for seven children and young people who have learning disabilities.

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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: 13 December 2016

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC039038 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Professionals and parents say that children are happy and are reaching their individual potential.  Children receive care from a committed, experienced and skilled staff team.  Staff know the children very well. Staff understand children‟s individual complex needs, which means that children benefit from consistent, individualised care and support.  Safeguarding practice is robust.  Leadership and management are effective and support good outcomes for children.

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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

 Ensure that there is proactive work to resolve any concerns raised by stakeholders.  Improve the monitoring of children in response to identified risks.  Ensure that training and staff supervision are consistent with the home‟s policies and reflect this in a workforce development plan.  A dedicated telephone needs to be provided for children to use.  Ensure that the home‟s statement of purpose is updated in line with regulation and is submitted to Ofsted wherever changes occur.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/12/2016 Full Outstanding 15/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/07/2015 Full Outstanding 24/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC039038 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 registered person must ensure that staff— seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children‟s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (d)) This is with particular regard to monitoring concerns from providers and addressing concerns in a timely, proactive and robust manner. 13/04/2018

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b)) This is with particular reference to monitoring children and young people to prevent harm, specifically in regard to preventing them from ingesting harmful items. 13/04/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children‟s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. The registered person must provide a copy of the statement of purpose to HMCI, keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (2) (3)(a)(b)) 13/04/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children are provided at all reasonable times with access to a telephone, on which to make and receive calls in private, which they may use without reference to persons working in the home. (Regulation 22 (3)(a)) 13/04/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC039038 4 The registered person must ensure that all employees undertaken appropriate continuing professional development and receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) This is with particular regard to ensuring that all staff receive well-coordinated and regular supervision at frequencies defined in the home‟s supervision procedure. All staff should receive training in relation to safeguarding, safeguarding children with disabilities, child sexual exploitation, Prevent/Channel agenda and female genital mutilation. 13/04/2018

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce related requirements of Regulation 16, Schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should detail the necessary management and staffing structure, the experience and qualifications of staff currently working within the staffing structure and any further training required for those staff, to enable the delivery of the home‟s statement of purpose. Additionally, the plan should include the processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction, probation and any core training (such as safeguarding and health and safety and mandatory qualifications). The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home, and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff, including the home‟s manager. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations

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Recommendations

including the quality standards‟, page 52, paragraph 10.8)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This home is effective in promoting the progress of children. One social care professional said: „This child seems to have gone from strength to strength. The staff have a very good understanding of his needs and how to meet them.‟ Children admitted to the home have clear care and placement plans. Plans are child-focused and address individual needs. They are regularly reviewed. This means that staff have clear, detailed plans to support them to meet children‟s needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between children and their families are central to the work of this home. Staff support parents and families to maintain strong relationships with their children. Some children come to this home because parents have struggled to manage. Staff work closely with children and their families to gain a greater understanding of how to manage children‟s individual needs and manage behaviour. In some cases, this work enables children to return to the care of their families. Inspection report children‟s home: SC039038 5 Relationships between the staff and children are excellent. Staff nurture and care for the children. They are committed to enhancing the lives of the children in their care. One professional made the following comments about a staff member: „Her efforts go above and beyond with the children.‟ These positive relationships enable children to feel secure and have positive experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Effective multi-disciplinary work ensures that children‟s medical and health needs are met. Staff work closely with a range of healthcare professionals. This includes the designated nurse, child and adolescent mental health teams and specialist healthcare teams. This partnership work ensures that children benefit from optimum healthcare. It also means that the children‟s emotional and/or psychological needs are met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has a dedicated cook, who ensures that children benefit from a varied, nutritious and enjoyable diet. This promotes healthy living. The administration of medication is regularly audited. This has highlighted instances when medication errors have occurred. When errors have occurred, managers have taken immediate action to ensure that medication practice remains safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Partnership work between the home and school provides professionals with a shared understanding of children‟s behaviour, their progress and needs. Educational attendance is excellent and supports children‟s progress. Some schools are highly satisfied with the home. One education professional said: „The home and school literally work side by side and the child‟s school place has been maintained because of the support of the home.‟ An independent reviewing officer said: „The school place for this child is rocky to say the least. If it was not for the staff, she would not have the school place.‟ Other schools have reported that communication can be inconsistent.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children have communication difficulties. Staff are skilled in using non-verbal communication to enable children to gain a greater understanding of tasks and to make choices. As a result, children are happier as they can understand and can communicate with staff about their daily care, their feelings and experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff are good advocates for children. An example of this was challenging specialist medical advice that would prevent a child from doing the activities that he most enjoyed. The multi-disciplinary team around the child felt that the recommendations were too extreme. Staff worked with the school, social care team and medical consultant to address this and make changes. As a result, this child‟s quality of life is improved without compromising his health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are provided with a written guide to the home. This ensures that children know about the home. They understand what to expect and how they will be cared for. The guide provides information about making a complaint. Children can access a children‟s rights officer and can speak with the independent visitor and their parents or social workers if they wish to make a complaint. However, children do not have a designated telephone on which to make calls in private. Inspection report children‟s home: SC039038 6 Children experience a wide range of social, play and recreational activities, within and outside of the home. Children enjoy personalised holidays, including a trip to Lapland and seaside holidays. The day-to-day experiences of children are supported through a stimulating range of activities. A new play area provides the opportunity for children to be active and have fun outside.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are successful in helping children to develop self-care skills and increased levels of independence. Staff support children to learn skills in line with their age, understanding and ability. Over time, children learn more complex tasks. One social care professional said: „The home has always had a forward-thinking approach to imagining a future beyond this home. This home enables some children to develop skills for independence.‟

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

Safeguarding is a priority in this home. Clear risk assessments help staff to protect children. They provide staff with the necessary strategies to minimise the potential dangers. Risk assessments are up to date, comprehensive and detailed. They are realistic and do not limit children from safely participating in a range of activities.

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

Staff teach children how to keep safe, protect themselves and understand risk. This includes issues such as road safety awareness, intimate care and how to report a concern. An independent reviewing officer said: „The staff have been very proactive working with this child. This means that she can tell adults if she is worried or concerned.‟ This work is especially important to ensure that vulnerable children are better able to protect themselves from potential harm.

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

Overall, managers and staff understand their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. However, not all staff are clear about how to raise concerns with external safeguarding agencies. The staff team has not received training in safeguarding disabled children. Additionally, they have not received training in relation to sexual exploitation, female genital mutilation and not all staff have attended the radicalisation and extremism training. This training is essential to equip staff to understand and respond to safeguarding concerns.

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

Staff use physical intervention when children are at risk of harm. All staff have up-to- date physical intervention training. Managers analyse the records of physical interventions and this monitoring is very robust. One record highlights that a manager assessed an intervention as being unnecessary and disproportionate. This analysis and oversight supports safe, appropriate practice. On this occasion, the staff member was provided with additional physical intervention training to improve practice.

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

There has been one incident of a child being missing from the care of staff. This was for a short period of time. Staff took appropriate action and adhered to missing from care protocols. Their actions ensured that the child was located and returned to the home. Staff are skilled in minimising risk and keeping children safe.

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

Allegations are appropriately referred to the designated officer and safeguards are put in Inspection report children‟s home: SC039038 7 place to protect children. The manager ensures that Ofsted is fully informed about the progress and outcomes of allegations. This demonstrates robust safeguarding practice.

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

The registered manager has produced a comprehensive location risk assessment. Managers and staff have a good, up-to-date understanding about risks in the locality. Health and safety arrangements continue to be effective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably experienced and qualified to manage this children‟s home. The registered manager works alongside the responsible individual and two assistant managers. The combined leadership and management team is effective. It has a good level of knowledge in relation to meeting the needs of children in residential care. This promotes good outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home benefits from a well-established and cohesive staff team. Staff consistently say that they enjoy their work, experience great teamwork and are unafraid to challenge each other and professional practice. All staff have a recognised qualification or are working towards one. This means that they support children effectively and maintain high standards of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers provide day-to-day support to the staff team. Staff say that managers are approachable and supportive. One residential worker said: „Managers have confidence in us and we have confidence in them.‟ The inspection found that staff supervisions have not taken place at the frequency outlined in the home‟s procedures. As a result, managers do not have regular, formal discussions with staff about childcare practice and staff performance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have a training matrix to detail staff training. This is not accurate or up to date. Managers are not clear about staff training needs. Inspectors are unable to get an accurate overview of staff training. The registered manager does not have a workforce development plan where a clear overview of staffing arrangements can be detailed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Partnership arrangements with parents and health, education and social care professionals are generally very positive. Social care professionals report high levels of satisfaction with the quality of care and confirm that children have positive experiences at the home. They say that managers and staff communicate well. However, some educational professionals have expressed concerns about childcare practice. Communication about resolving these concerns has been poor. Concerns were expressed about staff supervision of a child, who had ingested non-food materials. The inspection also found that other concerns had been noted but not referred to the home. The responsible individual is looking into all the concerns raised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The statement of purpose provides information about the home for parents and placing authorities. It outlines the aims and objectives of the service and the care provided. This document requires amendment to ensure that it contains all matters specified in regulation. This includes an up-to-date staff list. The manager needs to ensure that a Inspection report children‟s home: SC039038 8 copy is provided to Ofsted whenever there is a change in the operation of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager understands the strengths and weaknesses of the home. He has a comprehensive development plan in place, which demonstrates an ambitious vision for the home.

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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: SC039038 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Leicester City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: City Hall, 3rd Floor, Rutland Wing, 115 Charles Street, Leicester LE1 1FZ

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Inspector

Amanda Ellis: social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC039038 10 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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