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. The home provides 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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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: 13 February 2023

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

At the full inspection on 13 and 14 February 2023, Ofsted identified serious and widespread failures that meant children were not protected and their welfare was not promoted or safeguarded. The care and experiences of children and young people were poor, and they were not making progress. As a result, Ofsted issued compliance notices in relation to the protection of children and the leadership and management of the home. A restriction was also imposed at this inspection to prevent any further admissions of children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC039001 2 A monitoring visit was carried out on 5 April 2023, which identified improved safeguarding practices and strengthened leadership of the home. Consequently, the compliance notices were found to be met. The restriction remained in place at this monitoring visit. Inspection report for children’s home: SC039001 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/02/2023 Full Inadequate 21/11/2022 Full Inadequate 19/07/2021 Full Good 28/05/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC039001 4

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improvement to be good

Overall, the experience and progress of children requires improvement due to shortfalls in the protection of children and the leadership and management of the home.

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improvement to be good

Children have mixed views about their relationships with staff. One child said that they get on well with staff and they ‘do activities’. Another child said, ‘Staff don’t know what they’re doing; they’re inconsistent and I don’t know why they don’t talk to each other.’ This inconsistency impacts the confidence that children have in staff in providing good care and support.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have not considered the individual needs of children and how to support and develop positive peer relationships. One child spoke about not getting along well with the other children and that this had become worse recently. However, the child commented that staff are supportive, and they are confident to let the staff deal with it.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not support the children in a meaningful and effective way to access education. Staff do not engage children in educational activities when children have a reduced timetable or are refusing to attend school. As a result, children’s learning and development are being hampered.

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy the communal area of their home, which is warm and inviting. However, some of the children’s bedroom windows are damaged or broken, which restricts the children from being able to open them. One child said, ‘I hate how I can’t open my windows.’ Internal doors are locked, including the kitchen identified for the children to use. This impacts on the children’s feelings of living in a homely environment.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children with various topics through key-work sessions. Key-work sessions are reactive to events occurring within the home. Children would benefit from structured and proactive key-work sessions that are in line with their wishes, feelings, and aspirations for their futures.

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improvement to be good

Children have support for their emotional well-being from an external professional. Staff are given advice and guidance from this external professional about how best to support the children’s presenting emotional needs.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not manage risks identified for children effectively. For example, a risk assessment was not followed by a member of staff, which resulted in an incident Inspection report for children’s home: SC039001 5 where physical intervention was required. This incident may have been avoided or reduced in seriousness had risk assessments been followed. Risk assessments are not consistently updated. This impacts on how staff ensure that children are kept safe from harm.

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improvement to be good

The fire risk assessment is current but not followed by managers and staff. For example, fire extinguishers are not readily available and are locked in rooms that the children do not have access to. Bedroom windows are not working, and escape routes are obstructed.

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improvement to be good

Medication is stored correctly. However, staff do not ensure that children have access to the required medication when outside of their home. This compromises their health and welfare.

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improvement to be good

When children make a complaint about a member of staff, there is effective communication between the managers and the local area designated officer for safeguarding. Children are informed of the outcome of complaints made. This helps children to feel listened to.

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improvement to be good

Where staff have concerns about items in a child’s bedroom that may cause harm to others, a bedroom search is undertaken. Recordings of these searches are clear, and staff discuss the reasons with the children. This ensures that children understand why a bedroom search is carried out.

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improvement to be good

Staff have a good understanding about what actions to take if a child goes missing. Staff follow the missing risk assessments and ensure that the relevant professionals and family members are informed.

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good

Since the last full inspection, there has been some positive progress with management oversight. However, this is not yet embedded. Reflection and learning for staff is limited, and opportunities to learn from practice are missed.

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good

Staff are provided with regular supervision by the managers; however, supervision is often of poor quality. Discussions are not held about the individual needs of the children, nor in relation to safeguarding. There are no clear actions set. Staff are not effectively challenged by managers about their practice. This impacts the quality of care provided by the staff for the children.

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good

Safer recruitment checks are not routinely reviewed by leaders and managers. Managers did not show that they had obtained an appropriate Disclosure and Barring Service check for one of the long-standing staff members. This impacts on the children’s safety.

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good

Staff are not supported in developing their skills and knowledge through training. For example, key learning that is relevant to the children’s needs is not provided to Inspection report for children’s home: SC039001 6 staff. However, team development days are well planned, with learning that staff can apply to practice. A member of staff said, ‘Fun development days, group and personal supervisions are done more regularly now.’

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good

Managers are insightful about improvements that need to be made in providing care for children. A quality of care review completed by the manager shows the ability to reflect on challenges experienced by children and staff, and how responses can be improved. Inspection report for children’s home: SC039001 7

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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

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)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vii)(ix)) 29 June 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC039001 8 This specifically relates to ensuring that the children’s home environment is in keeping with a family home. This also relates to ensuring that the children’s care plans are individualised and that children’s views, wishes and personal preferences, such as sexuality and gender, are supported. This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have 29 June 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC039001 9 the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(ix)(x)(xii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children are supervised and supported to build positive relationships with peers and staff.

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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

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)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that all staff respond to, report and document all incidents of concern. This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 29 June 2023

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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

promotes their welfare. 29 June 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC039001 10 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

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 work as a team where appropriate;

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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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)(b)(c)(f)(g)(i)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to ensuring that robust quality assurance and monitoring systems are in place, used regularly, and recorded to improve the care provided to children. It also relates to staff having up-to-date training and therefore improved skills, and staff working more cohesively.

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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 arrangements are in place to— 29 June 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC039001 11 manage and review the placement of each child in the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii))

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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. This was a requirement made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

provide adequate means of escape from the home in the event of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to fire extinguishers being readily available, as per the home’s fire risk assessment. It also refers to bedroom windows being able to open to assist escape in the event of a fire. 29 June 2023

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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

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to ensuring that up-to-date Disclosure and Barring Service checks are completed for all staff. 29 June 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff receiving supervision that is of good quality, is reflective and enables staff to develop 29 June 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC039001 12 their skills in improving the care that they provide to children.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that where children placed in a home are not participating in education because they are refusing to, the registered person and staff work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that medication is accessible to children, including when on activities. Suitable arrangements should be made to ensure that medication is managed effectively. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)

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

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Inspector

Kathryn Hurley, 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 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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