Children's Home run by Inspirations Leicestershire Limited in Leicestershire

Assurance visit report: SC486398 1 SC486398

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Information about this children’s home

A private provider owns this home. The home can provide care and accommodation for up to four children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is registered with Ofsted and is suitably qualified and experienced.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection date: 25 February 2020

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection judgement: Requires improvement to be good

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Information about this visit

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), Ofsted suspended all routine inspections in March 2020. As part of a phased return to routine inspection, we are undertaking assurance visits to children’s social care services that are inspected under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF).

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Information about this visit

At these visits, inspectors evaluate the extent to which:

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Information about this visit

 children are well cared for  children are safe  leaders and managers are exercising strong leadership. This visit was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000, following the published guidance for assurance visits.

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Information about this visit

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is leading Ofsted’s work into how England’s social care system has delivered child-centred practice and care within the context of the restrictions placed on society during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Findings from the visit

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit. Assurance visit report: SC486398 2

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The care of children

The manager at the home utilised the COVID-19 lockdown period to make improvements to the physical environment of the home. Young people were consulted with and contributed to redecoration, including their bedrooms and the garden. This helped to keep young people occupied and supported them to take ownership of their home. There is a homelier feel to the environment as a result.

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The care of children

Young people were supported to maintain contact with their families and friends. The manager consulted with social workers to ensure family time continued throughout the lockdown period. The support needs of young people were well considered.

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The care of children

Staff at the home care about the children and young people, but there is a lack of consistent boundaries and routines in the home. Young people have poor and chaotic sleep routines and regularly stay up all night on their mobile phones, smoking and cooking meals. This then impacts on their ability to attend education. This means some young people are at risk of losing their education placements due to poor attendance.

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The care of children

One young person has no formal education in place despite them requesting this. There is no tutor in place to support education until an education placement can be found. The manager has provided some workbooks, which the young person completes independently. The plans for accessing education for this young person have been allowed to drift due to changes in social worker.

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The care of children

Young people have good access to external and internal professionals to support their emotional and mental health needs. Staff and young people at the home have been supported in identifying and developing strategies of support. One young person said that staff had really helped them and were caring.

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The care of children

Young people have a voice in the home and are regularly consulted through formal and informal meetings. Young people contribute to the running of the home and have positive choices.

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The safety of children

There are some significant concerns around bullying in the home and relationships between the young people. There have been incidents of verbal abuse and threats of violence between the young people. Risk assessments have not been followed in response to concerns. Follow-up work has not been undertaken with the young people. Staff do not appear to fully understand the concerns around bullying and the relationships between the young people or look at this in a wider context.

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The safety of children

Risk assessments are not regularly reviewed or updated. Some risk factors have not been considered and plans do not reflect known risks. Young people’s plans do not reflect some individual needs or how practice may need to be adapted in response. Assurance visit report: SC486398 3 Young people’s plans do not always correspond with risk assessments. Information is not routinely shared across these documents. Staff do not work consistently with the plans and risk assessments in place. This impacts on the structured routines and boundaries in the home.

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The safety of children

Staff have worked well with a young person around their emotional and mental health needs. Self-harm has reduced and there is a range of support in place for the young person and the staff team.

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Leaders and managers

There is evidence of some progress being made in the home and management oversight has improved. The manager is described as a positive role model and staff feel supported. Staff have regular supervision.

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Leaders and managers

Management oversight of key documents needs to improve. Information needs to be regularly reviewed to ensure staff have access to and knowledge of the current needs and concerns regarding the young people. There is a lack of consistency of practice in the home, which impacts on routines and boundaries for the young people.

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Leaders and managers

The manager is developing a fairly new staff team. The induction process is detailed, and new staff have felt supported in their role. Not all staff have received training to develop their knowledge and understanding of the specific care needs of the young people in the home.

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Leaders and managers

The home has good links with external professionals who, on the whole, gave positive feedback about the home. External professionals have contributed to staff meetings and undertaken training with the staff to develop skills and knowledge.

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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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Statutory requirements

Not all requirements from the previous inspection were reviewed during the assurance visit. These have been carried over to the next inspection.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. 01/01/2021 Assurance visit report: SC486398 4 The registered person may only—

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 32 (1)(2)(a)(b)(3)(d)) The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

protect and promote each child’s welfare. (Regulation 6(1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(ii)) 01/01/2021

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. (Regulation 10(1)(a)(b)(c)) 01/01/2021

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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 01/12/2020 Assurance visit report: SC486398 5 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

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

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11(1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(iv)(v)(xii)(xiii)(2)) 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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(b)) 01/12/2020

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Recommendations

 Where children placed in a home are not participating in education because they have been excluded or are not on school roll for some other reason, the Assurance visit report: SC486398 6 registered person and staff must work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. If no education place is identified by the placing authority, the registered manager must challenge them to meet the child’s needs under regulation 5 (engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Inspirations Leicestershire Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 131a London Road, Oadby, LEICESTER LE2 5DP

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Inspector

Sarah Orriss, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: SC486398 7 to 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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