Children's Home run by Purple Ash Limited in Leicester

Inspection report for children's home: 2691652 1 Registered provider: Purple Ash Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run home provides care for up to three children who have emotional and/or behavioural needs.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a suitably experienced and qualified registered manager in place.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2691652 2

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children's home: 2691652 3

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improvement to be good

Children’s day-to-day basic care is good. However, they do not have positive nurturing relationships with all staff. Staff do not ensure that they are always available to spend quality time with children.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always support children to socialise in the community or to develop hobbies and interests. Children are not always given opportunities to develop relationships with their peers in the home or to socialise with each other.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to keep in contact with people who are important to them. However, children’s plans for their contact arrangements are not consistently followed by staff. This has the potential to impact negatively on children’s important relationships and to put children at risk if this is not put right.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to engage in education. One child who had not attended school before living at the home now has an identified school placement. Another child has received good support from staff to manage their anxieties and has been able to return to education.

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improvement to be good

Children have not made any formal complaints. Children’s concerns are recorded but not fully understood or responded to by staff. This has prevented one child receiving support. As a result, children do not always feel safe and well cared for.

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improvement to be good

Children’s health needs are met and they are generally healthy. However, the manager does not discuss significant and sensitive decisions in relation to children’s health with their placing social worker, to make sure that children’s health plans are followed.

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improvement to be good

Staff ensure that children’s cultural and identity needs are met but do not always write in a non-stigmatising way in children’s records.

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improvement to be good

Children’s behaviours, risks, relationships and interactions have not been adequately considered when children are matched and placed with one another. Children’s needs and risks are not always fully understood by staff. This has resulted in staff prioritising their own protection and one child’s placement being ended. The manager has learned from this and has better plans in place moving forward.

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improvement to be good

Children have identified staff who can support their emotional needs. Staff have supported children to identify safe words which help them to manage their anxieties. For example, when one child uses their safe word, staff take them out for a drive to Inspection report for children's home: 2691652 4 help them to calm. One child told the inspector that ‘not all staff are supportive’. The manager is aware of the child’s views, however, has not yet ensured that all staff are supporting them appropriately.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not support children to take age-appropriate risks. As a result, children are isolated and not supported to develop age-appropriate independent skills. One professional said that the manager ‘does not always understand risk’.

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improvement to be good

Thorough recruitment processes are followed to ensure that only those adults who have been assessed as safe to work with children are employed to work in the home. Allegations are responded to appropriately.

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good

There are some weaknesses in the management monitoring and oversight of risks. The manager acknowledges that improvement is needed and has plans in place to develop the home.

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good

The manager has a positive vision for the home, however, is still developing in confidence. For example, one child was unsuitably placed and the manager did not challenge senior managers about this. Management oversight of the home is not yet consistently good.

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good

The manager is aware that there are divisions in the staff team which have impacted on the team’s morale. They have plans in place to develop the team. Children are also aware of the difficulties in the staffing team. There have been occasions when staff discussed their own personal information with children. As a result, children are not provided with consistent nurturing care.

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good

Staff supervision takes place on a regular basis. The supervision documents do not always state when staff practice has been poor. Supervision focuses on staff’s negative opinions about the home rather than their development.

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good

The manager has ensured that there is good communication with professionals and all information is shared swiftly.

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good

Staff have completed all mandatory training. However, not all hold the appropriate diploma qualification. The manager has ensured that rotas are drawn up to ensure appropriate staffing levels. However, the mix of experience and qualifications of staff are not always fully considered. Inspection report for children's home: 2691652 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

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

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to risk assessments and care plans identifying known and potential risks for each child, and staff being skilled and confident in challenging and dealing with inappropriate and risky behaviour. 3 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that the registered person enables children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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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

develop the child’s interests and hobbies;

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Requirement Due date

participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child’s interests and preferences;

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Requirement Due date

make a positive contribution to the home and the wider community;

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child’s interests and hobbies (Regulation 9 (1) (2)(a)(b)) 3 April 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 2691652 6 This particularly refers to children not being given opportunities to develop interests and hobbies in the home and the community.

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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 to aspire to their full potential;

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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

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(f))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to the registered manager not having oversight of the low morale among staff and working practices of the staff team. 3 April 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they have a key role in seeking to develop the home’s effective working relationships with each child’s placing authority. These working relationships will also be key to success in delivering the care planning standard. This specifically refers to the manager making significant decisions about children’s health appointments without approval from the child’s local authority. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.3)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that

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Recommendations

will be helpful to the child. This specifically relates to inconsistencies in recording and language used in children’s records. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report for children's home: 2691652 7

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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: 2691652 8

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Inspector

Corline Parker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2691652 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 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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