Children's Home run by Changing Lives Care Group Ltd in Leicestershire

Inspection report children’s home: 2490999 1 Registered provider: Changing Lives Care Group 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 home is operated by a small private organisation. It provides care for children and young people with behavioural and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been registered since October 2018, when the home first opened. She is currently undertaking the level 5 diploma in leadership and management for residential childcare.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: This is the home’s first inspection Inspection report children’s home: 2490999 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

This is the home’s first inspection Inspection report children’s home: 2490999 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure - that staff-

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally. (Regulation 8 (1)(2)(a)(v)) 30/04/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the privacy of children is appropriately protected. (Regulation 21 (a)) 30/04/2019

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that –

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential: and

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(h)) 30/04/2019

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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 30/04/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 2490999 4 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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose and ensure that staff understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to ensuring that all staff and managers confidently understand the theory to practice reflected in the statement of purpose, including ‘Social Pedagogy’ and ‘Secure Base Model’. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i))

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since registration in October 2018, this home has delivered good-quality care. Two young people have been placed at the home. Both have made progress from their starting points on admission. Comments from social workers about the staff include, ‘Their approach and professional persistence are notable.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Although young people often choose to spend time with friends in the community, opportunities to take part in a range of activities are available.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Each young person has developed positive and trusting relationships with staff. Social workers for both young people said that this is marked progress compared to their previous care experiences. Examples of good practice include a member of staff, on his day off, supporting a young person to attend court. One young person has recently been seen seeking a hug from selected members of staff. This is evidence of the formation of strong attachment, which is a real achievement in light of the young person’s previous care experiences. Placement stability, combined with trusting relationships, means that this young person is starting to engage and benefit from care arrangements. The second young person continues to cause concern by frequently leaving the home without consent. However, he does return and does enjoy spending time with staff. This young person told the inspector this is the ‘best placement I have ever had’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team is currently working closely with external professionals to improve and finalise education plans for both young people. Education is given a high priority. Staff advocate for young people and encourage their engagement in education sessions, currently provided by tutors. However, young people’s time is not always structured effectively when there is no formal education. This is a lost opportunity to improve skills and knowledge. Furthermore, it is a missed opportunity for young people to engage in Inspection report children’s home: 2490999 5 stimulating activities and develop time management skills.

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

Staff are confident in their approach to safeguarding young people. They have good safeguarding knowledge and understand the areas of vulnerability for each young person. Staff work proactively to reduce potential harm. A social worker reflected on how the team has skilfully balanced known risks with a young person’s desire for unsupervised time with friends.

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

Young people have become safer since moving to this home. This is confirmed by all involved professionals. Although one young person has recently been missing for extended periods, he has become much safer and established patterns of behaviour are being broken over time. Professionals confirmed that this has been a very positive, consistent placement, noting that the team ‘[has] not given up on him’. Comments from professionals include, ‘They go out of their way to keep him safe and do a bit more.’ The second young person has a history of assaulting staff in care settings and persistently going missing. Since he has moved to this home, there have been no assaults and a low number of unauthorised absences.

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

Behaviours are well managed. An emphasis is placed on reflective practice. Staff provide appropriate guidance and support. This helps young people to start to understand the impact of their behaviours. No restraint has been used since the home opened. Sanctions are used rarely.

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

Young people said that they feel listened to and know how to raise a complaint. They also confirmed that they have staff that they feel able to talk to if they are upset or concerned.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Areas of weakness are identified in relation to the leadership and management of the home. These include:

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

 There is some ineffective monitoring of records. As a result, potential concerns are not always identified promptly. For example, concerns about young people’s diet were not addressed promptly.  Education arrangements for children who are home tutored do not provide sufficient structure. This does not properly prepare children for a return to a full- time education.  The privacy of young people is not fully protected because staff use their own laptops to prepare and record one-to-one work. This practice raises the potential for private information to be seen by unauthorised individuals.  The registered manager is not sufficiently confident and knowledgeable about the Inspection report children’s home: 2490999 6 specific models of social work practice set out in the home’s statement of purpose. However, practice was found to be in line with the identified models.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The shortfalls identified were acknowledged by the registered manager, who promptly started to plan and implement improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff and professionals working for other agencies spoke highly of the registered manager’s commitment. It is clear that she wants the very best for each young person and takes every opportunity to advocate for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff are happy in their work and feel supported. The training for this new team has been effective and continues to develop. The team members have recently received training to guide them in how best to protect children from criminal exploitation.

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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: 2490999 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Changing Lives Care Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 35 – 37 Ludgate Hill, London EC4M 7JN

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Inspector

Mary Timms, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2490999 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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