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

Inspection report children's home: 1280237 1 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

The home is run by a private provider. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home has a suitably qualified registered manager. Children and some of the staff team from another children’s home run by the provider transferred to this home on 10 January 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 11 to 12 February 2020

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 10 October 2019

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not judged

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 1280237 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/10/2019 Interim Not judged Inspection report children's home: 1280237 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 care planning standard is that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that arrangements are in place to ensure the effective induction of each child into the home and to manage and review the placement of each child in the home.

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Requirement Due date

This includes ensuring that children’s care plans and risk assessments are reviewed and updated to reflect current needs and risks. 29/03/2020

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment; 29/03/2020 Inspection report children's home: 1280237 4 promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 8 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(viii)(x))

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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 that staff—

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Requirement Due date

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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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 29/03/2020 Inspection report children's home: 1280237 5 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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(viii)(ix)(x)(xi))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there.

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire.

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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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 has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; 29/03/2020 Inspection report children's home: 1280237 6 ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; and

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(c)(d)(e)(f))

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; and

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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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(h)) 29/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction, undertakes appropriate continuing professional development and receives practice- related supervision by a person with appropriate experience.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 33 (1)(a)(4)(a)(b)) 01/03/2020

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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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 01/03/2020 Inspection report children's home: 1280237 7 Inspection report children's home: 1280237 8

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s experiences so far are poor. This is because staff have been unable to set and establish good routines and boundaries. Children do not know or understand what is expected of them. This lack of structure is hindering children’s progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The children moved into this home from one of the provider’s other homes on 10 January 2020 because their permanent home was closing for major refurbishment. The transition for children to this home was poor. Children did not visit the home prior to moving in and they were not given the children’s guide.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s care plans have not been updated since their transition to this home and the plans do not reflect their current needs. This does not support children to receive the care and support that they need.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The registered provider has failed to ensure that all children receive appropriate formal education. One child, who has been living in homes run by the registered provider since April 2019, has not received any formal or adequate alternative education. Although the registered provider has challenged the placing authority, this challenge has been ineffective, and the situation has been allowed to drift. There is currently no structure to the child’s day. Staff have failed to implement any boundaries to encourage children to engage in any educational activities. Some children have spent what should be their education time staying in bed until late morning and then watching television. Recently, there has been an attempt to introduce a child into the school which is on the same site as the home. However, the child’s engagement in this transition has been minimal. Children have lost opportunities to learn and make progress with their education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s leisure experiences have been limited and mainly based in the home. Staff have been unable to motivate some children to engage in activities outside the home. As a result, some children have become isolated. They are not developing social skills and learning how to interact with other children and people in the community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children receive good support from staff to remain in contact with their families.

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

Children’s safety is compromised because staff are struggling to manage the children’s behaviours. There has been an increase in behavioural incidents and the use of physical intervention since children transferred to the home. This is because staff have failed to implement clear boundaries and structures for children.

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

There is insufficient management oversight and management review of incidents. This does not help staff to learn from incidents and reflect on how practice could be improved. There is no documentary evidence of staff having debriefs with the registered manager after behavioural incidents. Additionally, staff are not receiving regular Inspection report children's home: 1280237 9 supervision. This lack of management support and oversight does not give staff the opportunity to discuss their own development and support needs and reflect on their practice.

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

Children’s risk assessments are not kept up to date, which means that they do not always reflect current needs and risks.

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

Allegations made by children against staff are referred to the designated officer in line with procedures. However, Ofsted is not notified of these allegations in a timely manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leadership and management are ineffective and shortfalls in the management of the home have not ensured that children receive the care and support they need. This has resulted in poor outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager has many years’ experience of managing children’s homes and is suitably qualified. However, she has not provided enough management support for the staff working at the home. This can partly be attributed to the registered manager having to work as part of the shift.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home does not have enough suitably qualified and experienced staff to meet the needs of children. The registered manager is working on some shifts and a member of staff from the onsite school has been covering shifts. Staff who have been awake during the night due to the behaviours of children are not always able to end their shift in the morning and have been expected to work the full shift the next day. This is poor and potentially unsafe practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Since transferring from one of the provider's other children's homes, staff, including relief staff, have not received any form of induction to the home. They have not taken part in any fire drills. This absence of induction potentially places children and staff at risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff have not received any supervision since transferring to the home. This is particularly important for new staff because this is a missed opportunity to discuss any issues they may have.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The staff training matrix is not up to date. As a result, it is difficult to accurately ascertain whether all staff have received mandatory training. Two members of staff currently hold the level 3 qualification, and another is currently undertaking the qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Management monitoring systems ineffective. The systems in place do not ensure that children receive the care that they need, identify any shortfalls or inform improvements in practice. This lack of management oversight has the potential to place children at risk of harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home’s statement of purpose is not up to date. Inspection report children's home: 1280237 10

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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: 1280237 11

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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

Katarina Djordjevic, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 1280237 12 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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