Children's home run by Leicester City Council

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC039001 1 SC039001

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Leicester City Council

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a local authority. It is registered to provide care for up to seven children who may have social and emotional 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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This monitoring visit

This home was judged to be inadequate at the full inspection on 21 and 22 November 2022. Serious and widespread failings were identified in leadership and management and the safeguarding and care provided to children. As a result, the experience of children was poor, and children were not making progress. Compliance notices were issued in relation to the protection of children and the leadership and management standards respectively. On 24 November 2022, Ofsted restricted the home to prevent any further admissions to support the home to make progress.

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This monitoring visit

The focus of this monitoring visit was to review the progress that leaders and managers have made in meeting the compliance notices. However, at this visit, no progress has been made. The compliance notices are unmet and have been restated.

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This monitoring visit

Since the full inspection in November 2022, the same six children have remained living at the home. One child continues to have a significant negative impact on the other children. There have been several serious incidents, which demonstrate that staff cannot adequately safeguard children and manage their risks and vulnerabilities. For example, in January 2023, there were incidents of children being able to barricade themselves in bedrooms and other areas of the home. Staff interventions were ineffective, which led to prolonged disruptive incidents that impacted on children. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC039001 2 There is an insufficient number of staff on shift to ensure that children are appropriately supervised and monitored. Children continue to go missing from care. In November 2022, one child was able to leave the home at night without staff’s knowledge. In January 2023, three children were able to leave the home early in the

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This monitoring visit

morning without staff’s knowledge. Inadequate staffing levels means that staff are not able to sufficiently search for children to bring about their safe return. On occasion, children have been left in the community following periods of missing as there have not been sufficient staff to collect them.

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This monitoring visit

Staff do not support children to understand the risk associated with some of their behaviours. There is a lack of direct work with children following incidents in order to help them to understand the risks and impact on others. Consequently, children continue to display unsafe behaviours that place them and others at risk.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, managers have reviewed the children’s risk assessments. Some of these are still not up to date, and not all known risks have been assessed. Therefore, there is a lack of effective strategies in place for staff to follow. In addition, managers are not reviewing incidents swiftly, and poor staff practice is not identified and addressed.

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This monitoring visit

Following this inspection, the two compliance notices, under regulations 12 and 13 the protection of children and leaderships and management standards respectively, have been reissued. The home remains restricted to taking further children until 16 February 2023. During this period of restriction, rapid and significant improvement is required.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 21/11/2022 Full Inadequate 19/07/2021 Full Good 28/05/2019 Full Good 21/02/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC039001 3

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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)) 12 February 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC039001 4 This specifically relates to ensuring that the children’s home environment is welcoming and in keeping with a family home.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to ensuring that children’s care plans are individualised, and children’s 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— that staff—

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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 ensuring that children’s risks are robustly assessed, and that risk assessment are kept up to date, accurate and provide effective strategies that staff use.

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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. 12 February 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC039001 5 In addition, this relates to ensuring that all staff respond, report and document all incidents of concern.

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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 promotes their welfare.

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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 staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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)(c)(d)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that there are effective monitoring and oversight arrangements in place for all aspects of the home 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 adequate staff on shift who can respond to and meet the needs of all children living at the home. 12 February 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— 12 February 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC039001 6 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))

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Requirement Due date

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 shared with Ofsted within the required timeframes. 12 February 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 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 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 12 February 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC039001 7 the home when it is not care planned, risk assessed and necessary.

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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 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; or

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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. 12 February 2023

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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)) 12 February 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC039001 8 This specifically relates to the quality of children’s records. Record must be accurate, up to date and reflect children’s needs.

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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. 12 February 2023

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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

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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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 relates to ensuring that Ofsted are notified of all notifiable incidents that occur. 12 February 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. 12 February 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC039001 9 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;

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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. (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 timeframes. 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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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all bullying is 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

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC039001 10

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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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Inspector

Debbie Holder, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC039001 11 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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