Children's Home run by Leicester City Council in Leicester

Inspection report children’s home: SC039056 1 SC039056 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 owned and run by a local authority. It provides care and accommodation for up to five children and young people under short-break arrangements and a further four children and young people under other arrangements. The home cares for children and young people who have learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities. The registered manager has been registered since 2013.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 5 February 2019

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC039056 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/02/2019 Full Outstanding 13/11/2017 Full Outstanding 24/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 21/11/2016 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC039056 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children make exceptional progress in relation to their confidence, independence and social skills. This relates to both the children accessing the home for short breaks and those who live there long term. Children receive exceptionally individualised care and support. Staff demonstrate a commendable knowledge and understanding of the complex needs of each child. Staff work with all involved agencies to ensure that those needs are met. This includes considering targets set by schools, to ensure that they are incorporated in the home. This provides children with consistent care and enables them to make excellent progress. Feedback from involved agencies and parents and carers is consistently positive. Children receive excellent support in relation to their complex health needs. Staff provide highly sensitive and personalised care. They also actively encourage children to develop their self-care skills over time. They see them as ‘children first’ and do not let their

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

disabilities define them. Children attend specialist education provisions, whether they visit the home for a short break or live there. Staff work very proactively and closely with education providers. They advocate for children constantly. They challenge any actual or perceived issues which impact on the educational support and provision children receive. Staff also advocate for and support parents and carers. Their dedication and focus on prioritising the needs of children and their parents and carers are commendable. They ensure that the children’s rights and entitlements are always met, both within the home and wider society. Children fully influence the care and support they receive. This includes current major renovation plans to increase the size of the home. Children have been involved in discussing and expressing their views on the proposed changes. This makes them feel highly valued and integral to the care they receive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children love coming to visit the home for their short breaks. Parents and carers report how important the stays are for them. Children get to spend time with peers, and take part in new and exciting social opportunities. Those children living in the home have travelled abroad on holiday for the first time this year. Such experiences increase a child’s confidence and sense of being valued and integrated. Staff prepare children very well for their eventual transition to adult services. They work closely and proactively with the transitions team within the local authority. As they know the children so well, staff play an invaluable part in ensuring that suitable services are identified and put in place. They offer exceptional support to parents and carers throughout the transition process. The service is responsive to need. Staff offer increased short-break stays and day care for those children in crisis and their families.

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

Staff have an exceptionally detailed awareness and understanding of the complex needs Inspection report children’s home: SC039056 4 of the children and the risks posed to them. They ensure that detailed risk assessments are in place and regularly review and update them. Children feel safe in this home. Parents and carers report having total confidence and faith in the staff and the safety of their children here. There have been no reported incidents of children going missing. This reflects the high staffing levels and supervision provided for children at all times. Staff work closely with all involved agencies to ensure that any actual or potential risks are identified and responded to. This includes a highly detailed location risk assessment being in place. The manager has worked with the local police to consider any issues of concern in the local area. Such consultation and joint working provide further protection to vulnerable

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

children. Staff have a commendable insight and understanding of the complex behavioural needs and issues for each child. Behaviour management plans provide exceptionally clear guidance for staff on how to respond to each child. Such detailed understanding of the potential triggers for children has led to a significant lack of use of physical restraints. Staff present as highly competent and skilled in de-escalating situations and maintaining dignity for children at all times. The recruitment and selection of staff are robust and prevent unsuitable adults from working with vulnerable children. Staff retention in this home is excellent. This provides children with consistency of care from staff who know and care about them. Children form close and positive relationships with staff, and many such relationships have existed for several years now. Children are cared for by highly competent, skilled and dedicated staff and managers.

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

Staff know and understand their safeguarding responsibilities and duties. They consistently act on any concerns they may have about a child’s welfare or safety. They share relevant information with the placing authority in a timely manner. They use body maps to record any potential concerns and record all actions taken diligently. Research-informed practice is fully embedded in the practices in this home. This includes the use of signs of safety and other models of care and support. Such practices increase the safety and well-being of children coming for short breaks and those who live in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has worked within this setting and with children with disabilities for many years. She has a wealth of experience, skills and qualifications relevant to the role. She is an inspirational and ambitious manager. She is held in extremely high regard by her staff team, parents and carers and involved agencies. She knows the children and their families extremely well. One of her key strengths is in how well she advocates for children’s rights and needs. She is not afraid to challenge agencies and professionals. She places the needs of children first. This is evident from case files and in how promptly she challenges any actual or perceived issues. She has created a confident and highly competent staff team. Staff retention is excellent in this home. This reflects how well staff are supported and their total commitment to improving outcomes for children in their care. Staff receive regular supervision, training

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Inspection report children’s home: SC039056 5 and annual appraisals. The staff present as highly committed, dedicated and motivated. They go above and beyond their roles to provide consistent care for children. The manager and staff fully know and understand the complex needs of each child. They set realistic and achievable targets for children to aim for. They take huge pride in any and all achievements made by children, no matter how small. They monitor and track the progress made by children regularly. Records clearly reflect targets and progress made. Records would provide invaluable information to children and their families if they requested access to them. The manager has a detailed and comprehensive development plan in place for the home. She regularly reviews and updates it. Her focus is always on ensuring that any developments will benefit the children she and the staff team care for. She places a high

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

emphasis on consulting with children about the care and support they receive. She is not complacent and continuously strives to make improvements.

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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: SC039056 6

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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:

Tracy Murty, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC039056 7 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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