Children's Home run by Leicester City Council in Leicester

Inspection report children’s home: SC039056 1 SC039056 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 owned and operated by a local authority. It provides care for up to five children under short-breaks arrangements and a further four children under longer- term arrangements. At the time of the inspection, one young adult was living in the home. The home cares for children and young people with learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced.

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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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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection, and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC039056 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/08/2019 Full Outstanding 05/02/2019 Full Outstanding 13/11/2017 Full Outstanding 24/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC039056 3

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outstanding

Children living in the home make excellent progress. A professional summed this up well by explaining that the children she works with are ‘thriving in all aspects of their lives and are absolutely reaching their full potential’. All children thoroughly enjoy being in the home.

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outstanding

Children develop extremely positive relationships with the consistent, caring and nurturing staff group. Staff members are skilled. They provide children with high levels of encouragement and praise for all their achievements, no matter how small. This helps children to feel proud of themselves.

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outstanding

Staff meet children’s complex health needs to a very high standard. Bespoke training, provided by health professionals in respect of each child’s medical conditions, enables staff to provide high-quality care. This support has helped some children to understand and adapt to their medical conditions. Children’s physical and emotional health is significantly improved as a result of the care provided by staff.

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outstanding

All children and young people attend full-time education. Through close collaborative working with education providers, children and young people are very well supported to reach their full educational potential.

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outstanding

Transitions into and out of the home are very well managed. The way that staff and managers have planned one young person’s move to an adult service and the way that they have prepared the young person for the move have been exceptional. As a result, the young person’s anxieties are reduced, and they are confident about their future care arrangements.

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outstanding

The social and emotional development of the children and young people is enhanced by the wide range of activities that they participate in. The can-do ethos of the home means that children and young people have many new, exciting and enjoyable experiences. Consequently, their confidence grows, and they develop a sense of achievement.

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outstanding

COVID-19 restrictions have meant that the home has been able to offer fewer short breaks for some children and young people. Opportunities for peer socialisation and activities away from the home were also significantly reduced. Despite these challenges, staff have been creative in giving children and young people a wide range of activities and experiences at the home and in the local community. This has enabled them to develop social skills, grow in confidence and enjoy an active, healthy lifestyle. Inspection report children’s home: SC039056 4

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outstanding

Children feel safe because of the positive relationships they have with staff and the quality of care they receive from them. A child explained, ‘I like feeling safe and loved here.’

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outstanding

Clear and well-written care plans, implemented effectively by staff, mean that each child’s or young person’s vulnerabilities are well understood and fully addressed. As a result, they are fully protected. A parent described safeguarding practice as ‘top notch’.

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outstanding

Proactive behaviour management strategies used by staff are extremely effective. Staff know the children and young people well. They understand how to minimise their anxieties and how to support them if they become upset. Staff are good at making children and young people feel safe. They are very reassuring. They use a range of effective distraction and de-escalation strategies to prevent children and young people from becoming distressed. As a result, staff rarely need to use physical intervention techniques to protect children.

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outstanding

Because staffing ratios are high and relationships are so strong, children and young people do not go missing from the home. Staff are fully aware of children’s vulnerabilities and risk of them being exploited. For children who use the internet, very clear risk management strategies mean that they can enjoy the internet safely.

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outstanding

Staff fully understand safeguarding procedures and how to respond should a child or young person make an allegation or complaint about their care. A recent complaint was promptly addressed, which demonstrates the commitment of managers to protect the rights of children and young people. The positive response to the complaint also demonstrates the manager’s determination to improve practice as a result of feedback from children and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Partnership working is a key strength of the home. A social worker described this as ‘multi-agency working at its finest’. Effective information-sharing and communication ensure that children and young people are safe and well cared for. Advocating on behalf of children is a strength of both the management and staff team. When necessary, managers and staff provide constructive challenge to other agencies. As a result, children and young people have access the good-quality services that they need.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are very well trained, and the vast majority are suitably qualified. They undertake a wide range of training in respect of the generic and more specific care needs of children and young people. The quality of training ensures that staff are confident and knowledgeable. Regular observations of staff practice help to ensure that standards of care remain high. Formal management processes, such as supervision, team meetings and development days, also provide staff with good Inspection report children’s home: SC039056 5 support. Managers ensure that staff are given regular opportunities to reflect on their practice and develop greater insight into children’s and young people’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The leadership team is ambitious for children and for the home. The team continually identifies ways in which the service can improve the experiences of children. External quality assurance reports are also helpful to managers. However, they lack consistent feedback from children, professionals, parents and staff members. Inspection report children’s home: SC039056 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person makes a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in the home’s care. This is in relation to the independent visitor reports being consistently informed by observations and discussions with children, and feedback from staff, parents, relatives and professionals to promote learning and development. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home’s Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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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 children’s home: SC039056 7

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Rachel Griffiths, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC039056 8 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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