Children's Home run by United Children's Services Limited in Leicester

Inspection report for children’s home: SC488930 1 SC488930 Registered provider: United Children’s Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care for up to five children with emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager position has been vacant since 2 July 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there was one child living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 26 October 2021

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC488930 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/10/2021 Full Good 01/10/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/03/2019 Full Good 14/03/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC488930 3

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improvement to be good

At this inspection, the home is judged as requires improvement. Children have not always been fully safeguarded. This is attributed to poor placement matching by the manager. This has led, at times, to placements ending abruptly. Staff have not received regular individual supervision. Team meetings have been irregular. These factors have led to staff not having the support and direction from managers in their care and safeguarding practice.

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improvement to be good

Children’s placements have been ended prematurely by leaders and managers. Local authorities have had to move children from the home at short notice. This means that children have experienced undue disruption to their lives. Additionally, a child had to leave the home and move to another home operated by the organisation. This was owing to the behaviour of other children negatively affecting them. As a result, children’s experiences have been less than good.

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improvement to be good

Despite some shortfalls, children have developed good relationships with the staff. The children trust the staff, confide in them, and talk to them about their worries. Staff have given specific support to children about their chosen gender identity. This has helped children to feel comfortable and know that their wishes and feelings have been accepted by the staff.

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improvement to be good

At the time of the inspection, there was one child living at the home. Regular and individual key-work sessions have taken place. There has been a particular focus on developing the child’s independence skills. For example, the child’s skills in cooking, budgeting and food shopping have increased. This has led to improvements in children’s confidence and self-esteem.

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improvement to be good

Children have not had education placements. Staff have undertaken work with children at home. Also, the manager organised for the child who is living at the home to have tutoring in core subjects. A place at a local school was found for the child and they have recently started attending school full time. The child is making good progress and making friends at the school.

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improvement to be good

Children had caused damage to furniture and decor. The manager has taken action to put this right. Children’s bedrooms have been redecorated and furniture replaced. Rooms have been redecorated throughout the house, making this a comfortable home that children can be proud of.

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improvement to be good

There has been a high number of incidents of children going missing from care and children have been exposed to the risks associated with this. This includes the child Inspection report for children’s home: SC488930 4 currently living in the home. Staff follow the organisation’s procedures when children go missing. However, when children are returned to the home, the required return home interviews have not taken place. Therefore, staff are not learning lessons from the information which might have been obtained.

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improvement to be good

Children’s individual risk assessments and behaviour support plans are sufficiently detailed. This makes them easy to read and understand. These assessments and support plans address known and potential risks and vulnerabilities for children. These important documents are reviewed by the manager in conjunction with the child’s key worker. This gives staff guidance to keep children safe. Additionally, this helps staff to understand the child’s specific needs and keep the child on track to make progress.

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improvement to be good

Children have misused alcohol and drugs, and this has led to some incidents. One child has started to understand the impact of drugs and alcohol and has requested help and support to help them stop using these. A local substance misuse service has recently been engaged by the manager to work with the children to divert them from these harmful substances. This provides the specialist support that the children need. This help takes place alongside individual work with the child in key-work sessions.

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improvement to be good

There are good partnerships with external professionals who are helping the child. This includes specific work with mental health and youth offending services. An independent counsellor also visits weekly. This increases the help and support to staff and children.

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good

Managers have not ensured that staffing levels are always adequate. At times, there has been only one member of staff working with the child. Having a single member of staff on duty has not been risk assessed. This is despite several areas of the child’s individual risk assessment identified as high risk. This has left both the child and staff at potential risk of harm.

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good

One-to-one supervision sessions are not held in line with the organisation’s policy. There have been times when staff have not received supervision for several months. As a result, staff have not had the opportunity to reflect on their practice with a manager and be supported in their development.

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good

The manager has not ensured that team meetings take place regularly. There was a gap with no meeting being held for several months. Therefore, communication and team development have been weakened.

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good

The deputy manager is undertaking the role of the manager while the registered manager position is being filled. She has not had the required support for taking on this higher role. The responsible individual has not provided supervision sessions to Inspection report for children’s home: SC488930 5 the manager. This has not helped the manager to develop her practice and feel confident in all areas of leading the team.

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good

The manager has created good home and workforce development plans. She is aware of the current strengths of the staff and shortfalls in practice. Gaps in staff training have been identified. The manager’s plans address the work that needs to take place to develop the staff team and improve the experiences, progress, help and protection of the children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC488930 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to there being sufficient staff on duty to manage a child’s assessed risks. 8 September

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to the majority of recent children’s placements ending by the provision giving notice to the placing local authority and ensuring that children’s matching processes are robust. 30 September

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to supervision of staff taking place in line with the home’s policy. 30 September Inspection report for children’s home: SC488930 7 The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the missing child policy”) setting out—

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Requirement Due date

the steps taken, and to be taken, to prevent children from being absent without permission; and

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Requirement Due date

the procedures to be followed, and the roles and responsibilities of persons working at the home, in relation to a child who is, or has been, so absent. (Regulation 34 (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to ensuring independent return home interviews are arranged following a child being missing from the home. 30 September

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Recommendations

 Where a registered person identifies gaps in qualifications, they should act to ensure that relevant units or qualifications are completed in a timely manner at an appropriate level. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 68, paragraph 1.4)

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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: SC488930 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: United Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Old Coach House, Drinsey Nook, Lincoln, Nottinghamshire LN1 2JJ

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Inspector

Shaun Caplis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC488930 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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