Children's home run by Happy Group (UK) Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2589537 1 Registered provider: Happy Group (uk) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned and managed children’s home. It registered in June 2020 to provide care and accommodation for up to three children who may have emotional and/or social difficulties. At the time of the inspection, there was only one child living at this home. However, during this inspection period, two children have lived at the home at different times.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager at this home since March 2021. An acting manager has been appointed to manage the home. An application has not yet been made for them to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 28 July 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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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: inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2589537 2

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A full inspection was undertaken on 5 May 2021. The findings from that inspection confirmed that serious shortfalls were identified relating to safeguarding practice and management oversight. Children were receiving inadequate care and having poor experiences. The registered provider was issued with two compliances notices under regulations 12 and 13 to improve.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A monitoring visit was undertaken on 15 June 2021. The registered provider had failed to meet the actions outlined in the compliance notices. As a result, the compliance notices were reissued.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A second monitoring visit was undertaken on 28 July 2021. The inspector found that all of the compliance actions had been met and the registered provider had addressed the concerns found at the full inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 2589537 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/05/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2589537 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff develop trusting and secure relationships with children. This has contributed to helping the children to feel safe while living at this home. They experience care from a nurturing staff team which provides them with comfort and reassurance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are proactive with supporting the child to keep in touch with their family. The relationships that staff have developed with a parent has helped to re-establish regular family time. The parent said, ‘When I speak with staff, they are very friendly. They have helped us to improve the amount of time we spend together.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s learning program is supported by tutors who provide home-based lessons. The staff have supported the child to engage in their learning each day. They have also helped the child to build confidence and prepare to return to a formal education setting. An education professional said, ‘I want to say, without their approach, I don’t think they would have been settled enough to consider going back to school.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff help the child to attend health appointments and live an active lifestyle. They provide ample opportunities for the child to use their energy positively. The child takes part in regular activities such as going to the gym, swimming and bike riding. Staff also have frequent conversations with the child about the importance of personal hygiene and having a healthy diet. This is having a positive impact on their physical and emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A detailed activity planner provides the child with a structured day and opportunities to have enjoyable experiences. The child takes part in the activities they enjoy the most, which are helping to improve their self-esteem and strengthen their relationships with staff. In the home, there are also lots of resources and games to ensure the child has an equal amount of fun should they choose home-based activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The previous child was supported to make plans for their future and learn the skills needed to move on from this home. Staff supported them to refurbish and decorate their new home and develop their knowledge about how to live independently. They also used educational resources which improved the child’s independence skills as they prepared to take the next step towards adulthood. The child said, ‘Staff made it easy for me; I didn’t feel alone doing it. If I was down, I could fall back on them. They helped build my confidence and motivation. I’m still in contact with them now.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The new child was welcomed sensitively with careful and considered planning. The child received detailed information about the home and the staff team, so they were able to visualise what life would be like for them at their new home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2589537 5

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

Both children said they feel safe living at this home. This is because the relationships that staff develop provide them with a sense of comfort and safety.

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

There have been no recent missing-from-home episodes. The child is not at any known risk of exploitation and is provided with a safe environment to live in. Their emotional health needs are understood and well supported by staff, which reduces the risk of the child being in unsafe situations.

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

The staff are knowledgeable about the child’s emotional vulnerabilities and are able to recognise signs of emotional distress, which enables them to offer comfort. The staff recognise the progress they have made in their ability to manage and cope with incidents of challenging behaviour. They have not needed to use physical intervention as a form of behaviour management because they are becoming more effective in their ability to de-escalate conflict.

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

The child’s risk assessments and behaviour management plans are reviewed regularly and provide the staff with direction about how to keep the child safe. The manager guides the team to reflect about the effectiveness of their behaviour management practice, so they have up-to-date strategies to follow to manage and reduce the child’s risks.

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

Staff celebrate the child’s daily achievements, which helps to build the child’s self- esteem and creates a culture of positivity in the home. Staff also have reflective conversations with the child and talk about difficult emotions when they arise. This is helping the child to cope better and reduces the risk of them internalising their feelings.

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

The manager has not evaluated that agency workers have the knowledge and skills needed to care for the child living at this home prior to them being permitted to work at the home. This may result in staff who do not have the required skills caring for the children who live at this home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is developing an aspirational culture for children. He provides strong leadership to the staff and is guiding them to develop a shared awareness of good childcare practice, so the child receives the best service to meet their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are positive about the improvements that have been made since the last inspection and recognise the impact that managers have had on the team. Staff receive regular supervision but have not had their annual performance review. Training opportunities are widely available, which further enhance their positive attitude to learning. This allows staff to reflect on their practice and contributes to them feeling well supported by the management team. While the home’s chosen theoretical models have yet to be imbedded within the culture and dialogue of the Inspection report for children’s home: 2589537 6 team, the progress that staff have made has had a positive impact on the child’s experience of being cared for.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have not had their performance reviewed by the manager, and they do not have in place a plan that is focused on improving their individual performance. This may limit the development of their knowledge and skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s records are generally well organised and are completed to a good standard. Records from daily conversations provide children with a reflective account of their progress and achievements. The style and clarity of recordings mean that the children have an increased understanding about their time living in the home. However, the care plan is not child-friendly and limits the child’s ability to understand how staff will help them to make progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers are committed to continuous monitoring and evaluation of the service. However, they have not submitted their quality of care review. This does not enable the regulator to have oversight of the home, the quality of care and outcomes for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2589537 7

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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 registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5)) 06 March 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2589537 8

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children have easily accessible information about their care plan that is relevant to their cognitive needs. The plan should help staff to discuss with the children the impact of their care or any changes they feel they might need make to it. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 18, paragraph 3.31)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they seek detailed information about agency staff members prior to agreeing that they are suitable to work at the home. Information on each worker should be stored to evidence that the registered person has taken sufficient action to be satisfied that each worker has the required skills and knowledge to care for the children living at this home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all staff have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. Subsequently, the registered person should ensure that each staff member has a plan in place that is focused on helping them develop their knowledge and skills to fulfil their role. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)

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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 for children’s home: 2589537 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Happy Group (uk) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: West Walk House, 99 Princess Road East, Leicester, Leicestershire LE1 7LF

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Inspector

Aaron Mcloughlin, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2589537 10 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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