Children's home run by T-Junction Children’s Services

Inspection report for children’s home: 2642570 1 Registered provider: T-Junction Children’s Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is the home’s first inspection since it was registered on 21 September 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

The home can provide care for up to three children with social, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is one of three homes owned by the provider.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is registered with Ofsted and is suitably experienced.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2642570 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2642570 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child currently lives in this home. As the child has settled into the home, they have begun to make progress. The adults know the child well and have begun to build secure and trusting relationships with them. Consistent routines and boundaries provide the child with a sense of security. The child says that they are happy and enjoy living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is currently a blended approach to education, with the child being educated by a part-time tutor and additional educational activities being provided by staff. A school placement has been identified. However, the school has not yet been able to enrol the child. This delay has contributed to the fact that the child has recently started to disengage from education. However, staff at the home continue to work hard to ensure that the child is provided with regular, meaningful education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is registered with local health professionals and has access to the primary health services that they require. However, the statutory medical assessment of the child’s health has not been undertaken for nearly two years. This has not been sufficiently challenged by the manager. As a result, staff and other health professionals may not have a clear oversight of any health needs, including routine immunisations. A therapist has been appointed but has yet to start work with the child. However, they are providing some advice and guidance to staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is supported to maintain contact with people who are important to them and has started to build a friendship group in the community. The child has access to a range of activities in and out of the home and is supported to develop a range of interests and hobbies.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has a say in all decisions that might affect them. The child is encouraged to give their opinion on the quality of their care. Their bedroom is in the process of being redecorated to reflect their taste. The physical environment is clean and tidy, although some damaged areas require minor repair and redecoration.

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improvement to be good

Behaviour management strategies are generally sound and effective. Staff have supported the child to begin to develop an understanding of their emotions and how to manage these in a safer way. When restraint has been necessary, this has been carried out appropriately, and the child has been encouraged to reflect on their feelings following this. However, there has been an isolated incident in which a staff member behaved inappropriately in response to a child’s behaviour. In this case, managers responded quickly and decisively, using disciplinary processes effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: 2642570 4 Managers respond well to children who raise concerns about their care, offering them support and reassurance. This helps children to understand that they are valued and taken seriously. However, the regulator has not always been notified when allegations have been made. This prevents the regulator from having a clear

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improvement to be good

oversight of the home. One allegation made by the child about a previous home has not been acted on or shared with relevant professionals.

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improvement to be good

Although recruitment systems are generally sound, and all adults working in the home are vetted, some systems are not as thorough as they could be. For example, a record that checks have been completed is not always kept. This makes it difficult for the home to provide concrete assurances that their vetting systems have been followed.

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improvement to be good

There is not always a record of which staff have worked in the home. Systems designed to record who is working and when are not consistently well used. This shortfall has the potential to hinder future reviews of practice or safeguarding investigations.

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good

There has been a high turnover of staff recently and increased levels of staff absence. This means that the manager has been supporting staff in covering shifts, which has impacted on her oversight of management tasks.

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good

The manager has a clear vision of how she wants the home to develop. However, the external independent visitor reports are not consistently received in a timely manner by the manager. This prevents the manager from responding to recommendations from these reports that would support in the home’s development.

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good

The placing local authority has not provided an up-to-date care plan since the child arrived in placement. In addition, a statutory review has not been completed since the child moved in. This prevents the home from having a clear understanding of the child’s needs and the objectives of the placement. The manager has not escalated these concerns to senior managers in the local authority.

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good

Staff feel well supported by the manager and receive good guidance from the manager and the home’s responsible individual. Staff are provided with regular supervision, which helps them to reflect on and improve their practice. Staff also have access to a therapist for additional support and guidance.

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good

Staff receive a range of training, including safeguarding training. They also receive training in the home’s preferred model of care and in topics relevant to children’s specific needs. This enables staff to have a good understanding of children’s care needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2642570 5

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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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to the manager challenging the local authority around providing up-to-date care plans, arranging a child’s statutory medical and arranging reviews within prescribed timescales. 1 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring all pre-employment checks are completed and that any agency staff employed to 1 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2642570 6 work at the home can provide information in line with Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)) 1 April 2022

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Recommendations

 The manager should ensure any allegations made by a child are addressed in line with the home’s child protection policy. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.17)

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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: 2642570 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: T-Junction Children’s Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 27 The Pastures, Narborough, Leicester LE19 3DS

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Inspector

Sarah Orriss, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2642570 8 regulates and inspects 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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