Children's home run by Leicester City Council

Inspection report for 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 who may have emotional, social and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since June 2018 and is suitably qualified.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

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

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/07/2021 Full Good 28/05/2019 Full Good 21/02/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 16/04/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC039001 3

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inadequate

The care provided to children is inadequate. This is because of the serious shortfalls in the safeguarding practices and in the leadership and management of the home.

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inadequate

At the time of this inspection, there were six children living in the home. The staffing ratios have been low, at times, with only two staff on shift. The children have complex and challenging behaviours, and the staffing has been insufficient to meet the children’s needs or keep them safe.

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inadequate

Staff do not have good-quality conversations with children. Key-working sessions between staff and children are unplanned. As a result, they do not focus on the key issues for children, or the support children need to make progress or understand their experiences.

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inadequate

Staff do not support children to contribute to the records made about them. The staff also fail to gather children’s views or support children to express their individuality or choice. Staff fail to sensitively respond to children when their requests cannot be met. For example, one child said that they are unable to be themselves for fear of being bullied by other children in the home.

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inadequate

The physical environment, in some areas, has an institutional appearance. For example, some internal doors are fitted with locks. There are also unnecessary restrictions of movement for children. Staff routinely lock internal doors that prevent children’s access to areas of the home such as the kitchen, lounge and games room. These restrictions do not create a homely environment or help children to feel proud of their home. However, the children’s bedrooms have been personalised to suit the children’s tastes. Additionally, children raised no concerns regarding their personal space.

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inadequate

Staff report that children do make progress. However, because of poor record- keeping, this progress is obscured. A child’s social worker did report that the child they were responsible for has made progress because of the care provided.

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

The management of children’s behaviour by staff is ineffective and of poor quality at times. Staff do not intervene quickly enough to prevent incidents escalating or conflict between children. The risk to and between children is not well managed and this has the potential to cause harm to children.

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

The quality of children’s risk assessments is extremely poor. Risk assessments are not up to date and do not reflect emerging risks or behaviours. Children’s risk assessments fail to provide staff with clarity on how to keep the children safe. In Inspection report for children’s home: SC039001 4 addition, managers have not ensured that key risk assessments are in place quickly enough to be of use. As a result, children’s risks are not identified or sufficiently managed by managers or staff.

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

The matching of new children coming into the home with existing children is ineffective. Children are not appropriately matched and as result do not get along with one another. As a result, bullying is a problem. Staff and managers are not tackling bullying and incidents are not well recorded. At times, children do not feel safe and are sometimes not safe from one another.

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

Since the last full inspection in July 2021, children have gone missing from care on multiple occasions. This places children at risk. The staff are failing to follow children’s missing-from-care plans; this has delayed children being reported as missing or carrying out the required searches. When children wish to return home from a period of going missing from care, staff do not always collect them. This is often due to insufficient staff on duty. Instead, staff contact the police, who return the children home. This is poor practice.

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

Managers have failed to report safeguarding incidents to the right external professional agencies. Managers have not informed Ofsted when there has been a serious incident, for example when a child protection investigation has commenced or concluded, or if an allegation has been made against staff. Failure to share information hinders Ofsted’s ability to monitor the actions taken by the organisation to keep children safe. In June 2022, a child made an allegation against a member of staff, following a physical intervention. This was not referred to the local authority designated officer or internally investigated. On occasion, staff and managers fail to recognise when children raise a complaint or make an allegation. As a result, no action is taken. This is concerning as it prevents external oversight of safeguarding arrangements for children.

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

Managers fail to ensure that swift and effective action is taken when there are safeguarding concerns. For example, a child exposed another child to inappropriate materials. No action was taken by managers to investigate this incident. This was not recorded as an incident, therefore there was no management review. Staff did not complete key-working sessions with the children concerned to help them understand that this was inappropriate. Managers failed to update children’s risk assessments and put measures in place to prevent this happening again.

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

Staff do not support children to understand the risk associated with some of their own behaviour. Staff have not completed direct work with children, following incidents, to help them understand the risks or the potential implications of their behaviour on them and others. Children are not provided with the opportunity to reflect on their behaviours and make positive choices. As a result, behaviour is repeated. Inspection report for children’s home: SC039001 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are serious concerns about the poor standards of care practice. The registered manager has not addressed shortfalls identified by her own internal monitoring and that of the independent visitor. Existing monitoring tools are not being used to review processes and procedures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are ineffective approaches to risk management being implemented by managers and staff. There is poor attention to child protection procedures, and the managers’ oversight and monitoring of this is poor. The manager’s auditing systems do not identify concerns, therefore information is not always acted on.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers are not reviewing incidents quickly, and when they do, they are not consistently identifying or addressing concerns about staff practice. Managers have not ensured that formal investigations are carried out and as a result poor practice has not been addressed and left unchallenged.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers have not ensured that staff appropriately document all incidents or maintain up-to-date and accurate care records for children. They have failed to ensure that all incidents are fully considered and there is little learning from incidents. As result, practice does not improve.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers have failed to ensure that there are sufficient staff on shift to care for and meet the needs of children. Despite this, managers have continued to accept new children into the home whose needs they cannot adequately meet due to staffing shortages.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The provider’s review of the quality of care was poor and did not meet the requirements of the regulation. Managers have failed to consult with children and professionals to obtain feedback that would inform the review process. In addition, the report has not been sent to Ofsted within the required timescales.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Despite the shortfalls identified, staff told the inspectors that they enjoy working at the home. They report feeling well supported by the manager and deputy manager. The managers operate an open-door policy, ensuring that staff can access guidance and advice at any time. Staff present as committed and wanting to do their best for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

In response to the concerns identified, Ofsted has issued compliance notices under regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard). A restriction notice was issued on 24 November 2022, to prevent any further admissions to the home while the necessary improvements take place. Inspection report for 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the children’s home environment is welcoming and in keeping with a family home. 23 January 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC039001 7 This also relates to ensuring that children’s care plans are individualised, and children views, wishes and personal preferences, such as sexuality and gender, are supported.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that children’s risks are robustly assessed, and that risk assessments are kept up to date, accurate and provide effective strategies for staff.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to ensuring that staff support children to understand their risks and behaviours and undertake key- working sessions to support children. In addition, this relates to ensuring that all staff respond to, report and document all incidents of concern. 12 January 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC039001 8 *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 lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(d)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that there are effective monitoring and oversight arrangements in place and that this improves the quality of care provided to children.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to ensuring that there is an adequate number of staff on shift that can respond to and meet the needs of children. 12 January 2023

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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.

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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

that staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)) 23 January 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC039001 9 This specifically relates to ensuring that children have planned and considered admissions into the home and that key paperwork is put in place quickly enough to be effective.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to ensuring that children are supported to contribute to their records and care in a meaningful way.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the home’s statement of purpose is updated and that HMCI is provided with a copy. 23 January 2023

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the practice of staff locking internal doors and restricting children’s movements around the home when this is not part of the care planning, part of risk management and not required. 23 January 2023

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate 23 January 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC039001 10 qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual—

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Requirement Due date

does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period;

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Requirement Due date

works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part- time basis. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b)(6)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff obtain their residential qualification within the required time frame.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically related to the quality of children’s records. Record must be accurate, up to date and reflect children’s needs. 23 January 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— 23 January 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC039001 11 an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically related to ensuring that Ofsted is notified of all notifiable incidents that occur.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the independent visitor seeks the views of children, family members and professionals when they conduct their monthly visits. 23 January 2023

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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; and

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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. 23 January 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC039001 12 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. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3) (4)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specially relates to ensuring that the review of the quality of care is submitted within the required time frames. The registered manager must seek the views of children and professionals on the quality of care provided.

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all incidents of bullying are recorded, and that staff take effective action to address any bullying that occurs in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.12)

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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: SC039001 13

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Leicester City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: City Hall, 115 Charles Street, Leicester LE1 1FZ

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Inspectors

Debbie Holder, Social Care Inspector Lizette Watts, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC039001 14 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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