Children's home run by Leicester City Council

Inspection report children's home: SC039001 1 SC039001 Registered provider: Leicester City Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

This home is run by a local authority. It is registered to provide care for up to seven children and young people who are unable to live with their families. The manager was registered with Ofsted in June 2018.

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Information about this children's home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of state, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC039001 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/05/2019 Full Good 21/02/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 16/04/2018 Full Good 31/07/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children's home: SC039001 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good care and support from staff who genuinely care about them. From their starting points in this home, children make good progress in all areas of their lives. One child stated: ‘They’ve been excellent, kept me occupied and helped me with my emotions’. Another child said they would score the home nine out of 10 for how well they have cared for him. This is testament to how well the children feel their needs are met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work proactively with involved professionals, to meet the needs of children. One placing social worker stated: ‘The home is warm and welcoming, and my child has been doing so well’. The staff are supportive and provide good care to the children. Management also offers high levels of support and attends meetings when required. All agencies spoken to stated that they had no concerns about the care provided to children in this home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have education or training provisions in place. Staff place a real emphasis on encouraging children to attend and engage in education or training. Children have continued to attend education provisions or been supported by staff to study at home, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have their physical and emotional health needs met to a good standard. Staff ensure that any identified health needs are prioritised and make the appropriate referrals, when required. Staff make sure children attend health appointments and support them well with, at times, complex mental health needs. One mental health professional praised the staff for their commitment and dedication in supporting a particular child. The improvements in his demeanour and mental health have been significant in the time he has lived at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel listened to and confident that their concerns will be taken seriously by the managers and staff. Children contribute to decisions about how the home is run on a day-to-day basis. This includes them having the support of the children’s rights officer. The recording and response to complaints by staff and the manager have improved. Children are also provided with opportunities to read their records and to see information held about them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children get to keep in touch with family members and others who are important to them. Staff ensure that they are taken to agreed family meetings and that family members are involved in their children’s care, where appropriate. Children value this. It enhances their sense of belonging and feeling valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Older children can live in a flat, attached to the main home. This enables them to learn and develop independence skills, prior to moving to adult accommodation. This useful resource is fully supported by staff and the children feel safe from knowing that they have 24-hour support from the staff team. Inspection report children's home: SC039001 4 Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children are also cared for in this home. Staff show commendable commitment to supporting these children with their education, cultural, language and religious needs. One child does not have any contact with his family members and would benefit from having an independent advocate/visitor who speaks his first language to represent his wishes, views and feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The internal doors of the home do not provide for a homely and comfortable feel. They present as institutional and detract from what is otherwise a pleasant home environment.

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improvement to be good

There have been a significant number of missing incidents for a small number of children in recent months. For one child, records do not provide a detailed account of actions taken by staff to ensure the child’s safe return. Additionally, information from return home interviews have not been used by the manager to inform the quality-of-care reviews in sufficient detail. There has been no adverse impact on children. It is positive that following the last inspection, managers have now implemented a specific risk assessment relating to missing from care for each child.

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improvement to be good

Children have made very few allegations or raised concerns about staff. However, a requirement made at the last inspection regarding the recording of allegations is not met. One allegation made by a child was not recorded in a clear manner. There was no clarity on the actions taken by managers to resolve the concerns raised. As a result, this requirement is made again.

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improvement to be good

Safer recruitment procedures need further strengthening. For example, the recruitment files for one staff member did not verify the reference from a previous employer. Additionally, recruitment records for an agency member of staff did not include full details of their employment history or qualifications. At the previous inspection, a requirement was made in relation to strengthening recruitment procedures. This is not met and therefore raised again.

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improvement to be good

Children report that they feel safe and protected by staff and managers. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of the complex needs and behavioural issues of children. Children feel able to speak to staff about any concerns or worries they may have relating to their safety. Staff work closely with the police and other involved agencies to ensure a consistent approach to any identified risk. Regular professionals’ meetings take place, to consider and plan for any children where there are concerns for their welfare or safety.

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improvement to be good

The use of restraint in this home is minimal. Staff work with children to de-escalate situations where they may place themselves or others at risk of harm. Staff use daily meetings to share any concerns for children and to agree best ways of responding to any child who presents concerns. Inspection report children's home: SC039001 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has worked in this home for several years. She is well liked and respected by the children and staff. She is ambitious for the children and acts as a positive advocate for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff understand the challenges faced by children. They know the history of each child and the emotional impact this has had on them. Staff and managers work sensitively to support children overcome their previous harm, to increase children’s confidence and safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff report that morale in the team is high. They see themselves as a supportive and caring team. They feel they can and do make a difference to children’s lives. They report that they feel proud seeing children grow in confidence and in becoming more independent.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular formal supervision. They feel able to approach managers at any time to discuss any concerns or issues they may have. They feel listened to and that their views matter. One assistant manager is now the lead for ensuring that staff training and development are monitored robustly, to make sure that staff have the requisite knowledge and skills. Staff feel that the training provided increases their skills and competence in their care practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager supports another assistant manager in completing the quality-of-care reports. It is positive that the manager encourages and supports its staff and managers to take on such roles. Managers report feeling valued and having a strong sense of investment in how this home is run.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff challenge other professionals appropriately, if they feel the needs of children are not being met. They regularly call or attend professionals’ meetings to ensure clear plans are in place for each child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff actively promote and support the needs of those children whose first language is not English. They ensure that any specific cultural, linguistic or dietary need is known and met. They support children to attend places of worship and celebrate festivals and religious events as a matter of course. This is because they value each child’s unique identity and meet their holistic needs. Inspection report children's home: SC039001 6

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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 children's views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who —

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children's care and welfare and their lives.

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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

(Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(b)(iii)) 23 September

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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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child's welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home's child protection policies.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the actions of staff, when children go missing, are clearly documented. 23 September Inspection report children's home: SC039001 7 The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children's safety.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only employ an individual to work at the children's home if 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

This specifically relates to the need to ensure that all references are verified, and proof of relevant qualifications are obtained. 23 September

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that evaluations are undertaken of any missing incidents, so staff understand what worked well and what needs to be changed. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 45, paragraph 9.31)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children's home provides a homely environment. This specifically relates to the current internal doors, which present as institutionalised. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: SC039001 8

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: City Hall, 3rd Floor, Rutland Wing, 115 Charles Street, Leicester LE1 1FZ

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Inspector

Tracy Murty, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC039001 9 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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