Children's Home run by Leicester City Council in Leicester

Inspection report children’s home: SC039025 1 SC039025 Registered provider: Leicester City Council

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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 home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is owned and managed by a local authority. There is a registered manager who was registered on 28 November 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 27 to 28 November 2018

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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 September 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/09/2017 Full Good 16/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC039025 2 26/10/2016 Full Good 21/01/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC039025 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(d)) 27/12/2018

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(i)(ii)) 27/12/2018

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the registered person specifies the procedures to be followed and the roles and responsibilities of staff when a child is missing from care or away from the home without permission (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.28). This is particularly in Inspection report children’s home: SC039025 4 relation to what staff should do when a young person goes missing at night.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have excellent relationships with staff and they experience good-quality care. One young person said: ‘I have loved it. I don’t think I would change anything.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people accept care and nurture from staff. Staff give young people the opportunity to make up for lost time in their childhoods and to experience what it is like to feel cared about. Young people feel cherished.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are a wide range of leisure activities on offer. Young people start to learn about themselves, what they like and enjoy, and what they would like their hobbies and interests to be.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people start to accept help with their physical and emotional health. For some, this is particularly noteworthy. This is because they have lived with their problems for a long time and have not been ready to accept help previously.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s life chances improve. They are appropriately challenged in their education. Young people who have refused to engage in education in the past have improved attendance and progress. Young people develop aspirations and are better prepared for living independently. The family environment created in the home supports young people’s social skills and enables young people to flourish. Progress is not always evident, particularly at the beginning of young people’s placements, but they are better placed to learn and develop skills after spending some time at this home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care is offered to young people when they leave the home. All young people who were formerly resident at the home are welcomed back into the home and efforts are made to keep in touch with them, wherever it is appropriate. One previous resident told the inspector that he is very grateful for the support he has received since leaving the home. Some young people have been supported financially, materially, practically and emotionally. Staff continue to be there for young people when they have nobody else to turn to. Staff extend an invitation to Christmas dinner to any former resident who is on their own or who is struggling. Young people demonstrated that they reflect on how much staff have cared for them.

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

When young people go missing from the home, staff do all they can to actively look for them. Staff are responsive and make sure that they work with other professionals effectively. Risk assessments for young people who might go missing require improvement to address what staff should do when a young person goes missing during the night. Inspection report children’s home: SC039025 5 Young people’s behaviour improves. Staff, young people and other professionals commented on the reduction in the number of incidents of challenging behaviour. Young people are positive about their progress. One young person described having fewer ‘outbursts’. The number of restraints is low, given the complexity of young people’s presenting behaviours. Records are clear and are scrutinised by managers to make sure that young people are safe.

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

There are good relationships with the local police. Police officers regularly have a presence in the home to build up positive relationships with young people. Police officers are positive about the home’s work to protect young people and promote positive behaviour.

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

Staff are good at protecting young people. They know that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Young people allow staff to talk to them about their safety. They learn about what risks they need to be aware of and where they might encounter them, and about how to protect themselves from harm.

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

Young people generally have access to all areas of the building, but there are occasions when doors are locked to manage heightened behaviour. Risk assessments do not fully support this work and the impact on each young person has not been fully considered.

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

Building work has caused some areas of health and safety to lapse. For example, external lighting after dark is poor and it would be difficult for staff to monitor incidents or any intruders at night. There are items lying around in the back garden which could pose a danger should young people decide to misuse them. For example, there are heavy metal poles, wood and debris. In addition, staff have been smoking at the back of the property, out of sight of the young people, but have been putting the remains of their cigarettes in a bin where there is other rubbish placed. The manager was completely aware of this being a fire hazard and swiftly put this right during the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been some recent changes to the management team. The newly registered manager has a very good understanding of the work to be done and the strengths and weaknesses of the home. Staff and other professionals have expressed positive views about the manager’s leadership. There is also a very effective deputy manager. Together, they lead a well-trained and well-supported team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are recognised for the work they do and at times going the ‘extra mile’. An example of this is feedback from a social worker with regard to building trust and a sense of belonging for a young person. This was described as ‘momentous’ by the social worker. Young people’s comments about staff are also positive. A young person told the inspector: ‘They are all lovely people.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An independent person visits the home on a monthly basis to check on the quality of Inspection report children’s home: SC039025 6 care. However, these visits have not always been robust enough and the reports have not always been sent to Ofsted in a timely way. Senior managers already have plans in place for improving and further developing this area of monitoring.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The building is undergoing extensive improvement work. This work has been ongoing for some time and the house looks tired and institutionalised in places. There are some temporary doors, areas where the decor is marked and dirty, and some areas which need decorating. Small maintenance jobs have been neglected and the environment is not welcoming at present. Managers and staff have worked very hard to make sure that the quality of care has not been affected, but young people are now very much looking forward to the work being completed. They have been involved in the plans for improvement, and have recently chosen furniture and resources for the lounge and the new games room.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Previous requirements and recommendations are met. There have been improvements to staff personnel records, to the home’s location risk assessment and to the management oversight of 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: SC039025 7

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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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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Loretta Cunningham/ April Croft

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Inspector:

Caroline Brailsford: social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC039025 8 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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Inspector:

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