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

Inspection report children’s home: SC488930 1 SC488930 Registered provider: United Children’s Services 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

This four-bedded home provides care and accommodation for children aged eight to 18 years. The provider’s statement of purpose states that the home provides care for children with emotional, behavioural or educational difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered in July 2019.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

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

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/03/2019 Full Good 14/03/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 26/04/2017 Full Good 20/12/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 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 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 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.

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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 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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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 staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(e)) 01/12/2019

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improvement to be good

Children living at this home do not always have positive day-to-day experiences. Children have made some progress, and some of the children have made excellent progress. However, incidents of behaviour that is difficult to manage have increased, and, at times, one child’s behaviour has been out of the control of staff. The police have needed to Inspection report children’s home: SC488930 4 assist in managing behaviour. Some staff members have been attacked and injured during incidents.

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improvement to be good

Over the last few months, the staff and manager have worked hard with other professionals to give the child concerned every opportunity to succeed. The management team recognises that they can no longer meet this child’s needs. They are working closely with the child’s placing authority to ensure that the child has a planned move out of the home. However, this decision should have been made sooner. Because the managers are advocating for one child to ensure that they have a positive placement ending, the other children living at the home have been negatively affected. They are living in an unsettled environment, which increases their own incidents of difficult behaviour. One child reported feeling ‘frightened’ of a peer. There is regular damage to the home.

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improvement to be good

Despite the recent disruption, children continue to make progress in many aspects of their lives. They are becoming more settled and confident. One child’s self-harmful behaviour has decreased significantly. Another child is preparing for independence, learning practical tasks and skills such as budgeting, clothes washing and cooking.

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improvement to be good

On the whole, children attend, and positively engage with, education. One child sat their GCSEs in the summer term and is now at college. The manager is tenacious in ensuring that children have education placements that meet their needs. Staff work closely with education providers. This is helping to ensure that there is consistency between home and school.

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improvement to be good

Staff strive to develop strong, warm and trusting relationships with the children in their care. Complex behaviours from highly vulnerable children have presented staff with exceptional safeguarding challenges. Detailed risk assessments provide staff with written information about how to manage these risks safely and consistently.

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improvement to be good

At times, safeguarding strategies and plans have reduced the risk of harm. For example, when one child leaves the home with the intention of going missing, staff have a well- understood plan in place. This has led to a reduction in the time the child is away from the home. A social worker said, ‘When my young person is displaying challenging and difficult behaviours, they provide really individualised care. They have stuck by my young person.’

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improvement to be good

More recently, safeguarding plans have not been effective for one child. Staff have struggled to manage some extremely disruptive behaviours, and on one occasion a staff member hid in a room in fear of their safety. Night times can be particularly unsettled, which results in staff members being tired, and the routine for the following day is disrupted. This affects all the children in the home, whether or not they directly witness the behaviour. Staff only use physical intervention to manage behaviour when it is necessary and in Inspection report children’s home: SC488930 5 order to safeguard children from harm. The majority of staff are trained and know how to carry out the home’s chosen method of physical intervention effectively and safely.

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improvement to be good

Through appropriate vetting and recruitment, the provider ensures that suitable people work with children. If there are any concerns about the conduct of members of staff, the management team ensures that appropriate safeguarding and disciplinary policies are followed. This helps to ensure that vulnerable children are protected from unsafe practice.

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

This period of the home being unsettled coincides with a number of staff leaving the home. There is a small number of staff who have been in post for at least year, but the rest of the staff team is new and inexperienced. Despite the best efforts of staff, changes in staffing have not supported children to form positive and lasting relationships with them. The lack of consistency and continuity of care has added to children’s poor experiences and feelings of instability. Leaders and managers recognise this and are actively recruiting.

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

The provider ensures that staff receive mandatory training, such as safeguarding children. Due to the recent high turnover of staff, the majority of the staff team only have basic training. The manager has a plan to ensure that all staff receive enhanced training in how to meet the needs of children who are looked after, such as trauma and attachment training.

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

One requirement and two recommendations were made at the last inspection. All are found to be met at this inspection. A staff member who was found to be out of timescale for completing the required residential childcare qualification has now completed this. Other unqualified staff members are currently undertaking the course. New staff members will be enrolled on the course imminently.

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

Staff now receive more frequent dedicated one-to-one time with a manager. However, support for staff during times when the home is unsettled or when staff have been at risk of aggressive behaviour is not always effective. Staff said that they do not always feel listened to and they feel concerned for their own safety at times. Due to the high turnover of staff, the staff team is not well established or resilient.

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

The manager has ensured that the system for managing complaints has improved. The outcome of a complaint is now recorded and shared with the child or the complaint instigator. This helps to ensure that there is an improved process in place to listen to children’s concerns and respond to them.

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

Partnership arrangements with health, education and social care professionals are very positive. The manager advocates on behalf of children. Advocating for children’s needs is something the home does well. The manager is not afraid to challenge decisions if they feel that they are against the best interests of the child. The manager understands the children’s needs very well. Feedback from professionals is positive. Communication is Inspection report children’s home: SC488930 6 good, and multi-agency partners confirmed that children make progress from their starting points.

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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 Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Old Coach House, Drinsey Nook, Lincoln LN1 2JJ

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Inspector

Catherine Honey, 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 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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