Children's Home run by YMCA Leicestershire in Leicester

Inspection report children’s home: 2507350 1 Registered provider: Leicester Young Men’s Christian Association 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 charitable organisation. It provides care for up to three children and young people who are experiencing emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. A suitably experienced and qualified registered manager leads the home.

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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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2507350 2

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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–

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12(1), (2)(a)(vii)) 10/02/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if–

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40(4)(c)) 10/02/2020

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16(3)(a)(b)) 20/02/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which–

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; and

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Requirement Due date

This is with reference to ensuring that young people’s placement plans include all areas of need. (Regulation 36(1)(a)(b)) 20/02/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 2507350 3

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Recommendations

 All case records must be kept up-to-date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) This is with reference to ensuring that the terminology used is conducive to positive care. Inspection report children’s home: 2507350 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people receive good-quality, individualised care from a committed and skilled staff team. They are happy and settled in the home and are making progress. A social worker commented that their young person is ‘really thriving’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have very good relationships with staff, whom they trust and have fun with. They know that staff care about them. Staff understand how young people’s previous experiences have affected their emotional well-being and use this understanding to inform the care provided. A teacher commented that they observed ‘very warm and caring interactions’ between the young person and staff at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are central to decision-making about their lives and the running of the home. They know that staff listen to them, and this helps them to feel valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff practice is informed by detailed placement plans and risk assessments, which are reviewed regularly. However, placement plans do not always include all areas of young people’s needs. Although the information is recorded in other documents, this could lead to confusion and affect staff practice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are committed to ensuring that young people receive the education that they need. They work well with schools and the virtual school. Young people’s engagement in education is variable. Some young people are doing very well and making good progress, whereas some young people are yet to fully engage in education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people can pursue their hobbies and interests and try new activities. As a result, young people have the opportunity to make friends, and this helps to improve their social skills and confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide both practical and emotional support to young people to maintain contact with their families, friends and people who are important to them.

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

Staff are committed to ensuring that young people learn how to keep themselves safe. Staff work closely with a range of professionals. This informs children’s risk-management plans. As a result, young people become safer and also feel safe.

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

Young people’s positive relationships enable them to raise any concerns that they may have. Complaints are taken seriously and acted on promptly. Young people are provided with the outcomes of any investigations undertaken.

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

Staff take incidents of bullying seriously and take appropriate action when a young person is being bullied. As a result, young people become safer, and this gives them confidence to report any incidents of bullying. Inspection report children’s home: 2507350 5 There are clear child protection procedures. Managers work well with the designated officer. However, managers have not always followed procedures, for example when a young person made an allegation against a member of staff. Failure to follow child protection procedures does not fully protect young people from the risk of harm or abuse. Ofsted has not been notified of these incidents, as required.

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

Staff are skilled in managing young people’s behaviour. They help young people to understand the impact of their behaviours on themselves and on others, and they help them to develop self-management skills.

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

Staff follow procedures and work closely with partner agencies when a young person goes missing from the home. In partnership with both the relevant agencies and the young person, staff regularly review the strategies in use to try to reduce the number of incidents of young people going missing from the home.

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

Safe recruitment practices help to protect young people from harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has many years’ experience of working with young people and is suitably qualified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and her deputy manager are totally committed to improving the lives of young people, and they work very well together. They provide clear leadership and direction and have set good baseline standards. The management team is well supported by an equally committed responsible individual, who supports the home’s development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak highly of the management team. They feel very supported and valued, and contribute to the development of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers are committed to developing the skills of the staff team and prioritise staff training. Staff receive all the required mandatory training. Managers are responsive to training needs and ensure that there is a range of different training resources. Five staff have the level 3 qualification and three staff are currently undertaking this qualification. Staff receive regular, good-quality supervision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The commitment to continual improvement is seen in the range of quality assurance systems in the home. Managers carry out regular checks and an independent visitor carries out monthly visits, as required. Additionally, the responsible individual carries out regular audits. These monitoring systems are useful. However, more attention to detail is required to get the full benefit of these quality assurance systems. For example, the records do not always show the correct date, which may lead to confusion in future. The terminology used, in some instances, is not conducive to nurturing care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Ofsted has not received revised copies of the home’s statement of purpose, as required. Inspection report children’s home: 2507350 6 There is a commitment to partnership working to ensure that young people’s needs are met. Managers are not afraid to challenge partner agencies to ensure that young people receive the care and support that they need. Inspection report children’s home: 2507350 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: 2507350 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Leicester Young Men’s Christian Association

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 7 East Street, Leicester, Leicestershire LE1 6EY

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Inspector

Katarina Djordjevic, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2507350 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

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Inspector

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Inspector

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