Children's Home run by United Children's Services Limited in Leicester

Inspection report children‟s home: SC488930 1 SC488930 Registered provider: United Health Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This six-bedded home provides care to children with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. The new manager holds the required level 5 qualification and is in the process of registering with Ofsted.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC488930 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/03/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 26/04/2017 Full Good 20/12/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 27/07/2016 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children‟s home: SC488930 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 may only employ an individual to work at the children‟s home—

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Requirement Due date

if the individual has the appropriate qualification.

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Requirement Due date

An individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b)(5)(a)(b)(6)(a)(b)) 15/09/2019

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Recommendations

 A record of supervision should be kept for staff, including the manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with Regulation 33(4)(b). („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 61, paragraph 13.3)  Staff should be familiar with the home‟s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. („Guide to Inspection report children‟s home: SC488930 4 the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 62, paragraph 14.4) In particular, ensure that case records and complaint outcomes records are completed fully.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, the home has had three different managers. Despite this disruption, children continue to make good progress. This is because they have strong, well-established relationships with the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff interactions with children are warm, caring and nurturing. The children respond positively to the boundaries, structure and routines that are in place. Healthy routines, particularly in relation to personal hygiene and self-care tasks, help children to grow in self-confidence and self-esteem. A social worker said, „Living here has made a real difference.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children‟s school attendance and performance have greatly improved. One child, when he moved in, was not expected to complete any exams. He is now predicted to achieve several passes in his upcoming examinations. Another child has recently started to attend school full time, having had a reduced timetable for an extensive period prior to moving in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff successfully use incentives to promote positive behaviour. Therapeutic interventions also support children to regulate their own emotions. Children are supported to access therapy and specialist support services. They have a good relationship with the home‟s clinical team. Some have opted for individual sessions. These are helping them to address past experiences and trauma.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children can share their views and wishes. This includes influencing decisions about the recent redecoration of their home. Children‟s individuality is celebrated. Matters such as diversity and cultural awareness are discussed openly and positively. In this way, children learn to respect and value different cultures and beliefs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff support the children to have positive and enjoyable contact with their families. This has improved family relationships and enabled a child to return to live with their family. This outcome had not previously been considered possible.

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

Staff manage challenging and negative behaviours in a consistent way. This provides the children with clear expectations and firm boundaries. As a result, children develop better social skills over time. Inspection report children‟s home: SC488930 5 Managers follow an established matching process when considering potential placements. Although the home has recently admitted a child who it would not ordinarily have matched with the current children, the rationale for this decision was clear and demonstrates that the best interests of all children were considered.

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

Staff debriefs, that take place after each incident, demonstrate that staff are reflective and open to learning lessons. This approach helps staff to improve the way that they respond to incidents. Staff consider alternative approaches and improve behaviour management strategies as a result of the debrief system. The recording of physical interventions requires some improvement to ensure that there is clarity about how and when physical intervention takes place.

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

Staff carry out direct work sessions with the children on topics such as stranger danger and online safety. These sessions ensure that the children have an increased awareness of the risks that they face. The direct work also enables staff to help children to develop their own strategies to keep safe.

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

Children rarely going missing from home. Staff are aware of the protocols that they should follow if children do run away. The staff slowly increase the amount of independence that they give children as trusting relationships develop. This includes, when appropriate, gradually increasing amounts of unsupervised time in the community.

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

The managers respond quickly and effectively to any disclosures or allegations. Appropriate safeguarding agencies are notified promptly. This demonstrates an open, transparent safeguarding culture and ensures that the children are safeguarded.

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

Children use the complaints process to formally raise any concerns about the home. Managers respond well to complaints or concerns raised by the children. Children have also been supported by staff to complain about other agencies. However, complaints records are not always completed well. Information about the outcome of complaints is missing. This limits the ability of managers to demonstrate the effectiveness of the complaint process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager holds the required level 5 qualification and is in the process of registering with Ofsted. She has only been in post for seven weeks. However, she has already made many positive changes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has had several management changes. During the periods between managers, the deputy manager took on the manager‟s responsibilities in addition to her own. This was unsustainable and led to some gaps in supervision and reduced monitoring of records.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff are now receiving more regular supervision. The new manager has taken over the supervision of all staff for a period to ensure that she knows her staff and that they feel able to speak with her. The manager has delayed the annual appraisals to ensure Inspection report children‟s home: SC488930 6 that the information gained from her supervision sessions can feed into the staff members‟ development plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have a good understanding of children‟s progress as well as any barriers that currently prevent children reaching their full potential. Managers work collaboratively with other agencies to set realistic targets for young people. Managers ensure that care plans provide staff with practical strategies to support children and to address all identified needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers are aware of the improvements that are required in record-keeping systems. The introduction of an electronic recording system and the manager‟s newly introduced system of auditing and monitoring are already generating improvements in this area. Because staff are now able to quickly recognise when important information has not been provided by placing authorities, they are able to follow up directly with social workers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers also recognise that they need to improve the oversight of staff training. The manager has already taken steps to ensure that mandatory training is attended by all staff within agreed timescales. However, some staff have not updated or refreshed important training.

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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: SC488930 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: United Health Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: United Health Limited, Old Coach House, Drinsey Nook, Lincoln, Lincolnshire LN1 2JJ

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Inspector

Sonia Hay: social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC488930 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 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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