Children's Home run by T-Junction Children’s Services in Leicestershire

Inspection report children’s home: 2495951 1 Registered provider: T-Junction Children’s Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to three children and young people aged between seven and 18 years. The children and young people will have emotional, behavioural and social difficulties. The home’s manager was registered by Ofsted in August 2018. The manager is suitably qualified.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 27 to 28 November 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: inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2495951 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/10/2019 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: 2495951 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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on–

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11(1)(a)(b)(c), (2)(a)(viii)(ix)(x)(xi)) 08 January 2020

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislation (alarms, food, hygiene etc.); however in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than institutional Inspection report children’s home: 2495951 4 impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  Children’s home staff should encourage children to take a proactive role in looking after their day to day health and wellbeing. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.10)  The registered person should build a strong safeguarding culture in the home where children are listened to, respected and involved in both the

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Recommendations

development of the home and decisions about the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.8)  As set out in regulations 31–33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1) Inspection report children’s home: 2495951 5

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improvement to be good

Healthy lifestyles are not well promoted. This is particularly in relation to smoking. Staff are not acting as good role models. On one occasion, while a child was present, a staff member prepared a cigarette to smoke. In the garden, ashtrays are visible and overflowing.

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improvement to be good

Young people know how to give their views about their care. They speak with confidence and are clear in their views, wishes and feelings. They choose their activities. This promotes their independence and encourages them to make positive choices. However, managers do not always act promptly on the feedback from young people. This makes it difficult for managers to readdress concerns at a later time.

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improvement to be good

Young people speak positively about staff. Young people enjoy living in the home. One young person compared this home favourably to previous care settings. This young person is optimistic about their future.

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improvement to be good

Young people, even those who find school particularly challenging, are making progress in their education. When young people struggle to engage in formal education, staff find creative ways to ensure that learning takes place. For example, young people play educational games with staff. Young people respond well to the staff, because they trust them and know that they care about them.

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improvement to be good

The staff team is stable. There are minimal changes to staffing. There are low levels of sickness absence. This means that care is consistent.

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improvement to be good

Help and protection require improvement, because there have been incidents that should have been managed better by the staff. Staff have received additional safeguarding training since the last inspection, but practice still needs to be strengthened. However, staff do understand their whistleblowing responsibilities and some know about the local authority designated officer process. This means that they understand how to protect children and young people.

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improvement to be good

Physical intervention practice is improving, but weaknesses still exist. Records describe incidents that may have had different outcomes if they had been managed better. On one occasion, a maintenance man carried out a restraint, despite staff members being present and available. Staff did not assume responsibility for the restraint. Some staff do not have a detailed knowledge of all young people’s potential triggers, even though these are detailed in young people’s behaviour support plans.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have not had a level of safeguarding training that reflects their Inspection report children’s home: 2495951 6 responsibilities.

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improvement to be good

This home has updated its safeguarding policies. It has an electronic recording system in place so that staff can read updated policies, including policies on internet safety and physical intervention. This means that staff have improved their knowledge in these areas.

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

Leaders and managers do not yet model good practice for their staff team. For example, when the manager had to relay a difficult message to a young person, the right degree of sensitivity was not used. This caused more upset for this young person.

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

The recruitment process is not yet good enough. For example, one application form and some reference checks did not provide enough information. Not all gaps in employment have been identified.

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

The interior of the home has been developed. There is a new bathroom and a new external fence. Other areas still need improvement. Some bedroom furniture is not in a good state of repair. The outside flat roof, as seen from a child’s bedroom, looks unsightly and requires cleaning. The sofa in the lounge area is marked and not clean enough.

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

Staff have been given additional training and other learning opportunities. For example, a whole-team staff development day has taken place. All permanent staff have undertaken safeguarding and physical intervention training.

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

Leaders continue to focus on quality assurance. This is a strength of the home. The responsible individual carries out regular audits of the home to ensure that children’s progress is carefully evaluated. The responsible individual benefits from effective and challenging independent visitor reports. Inspection report children’s home: 2495951 7

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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 difference 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: 2495951 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: T-Junction Children’s Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 3 Field Leys Way, Birstall, Leicester, Leicestershire LE4 3EL

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Inspector(s)

Simon Hunter, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2495951 9 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(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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