Children's Home run by A and R Guardian Services Limited in Leicestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2645675 1 Registered provider: A&R Guardian Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home was registered with Ofsted in August 2021. It provides care for two children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is no registered manager in post. However, an application has been submitted to Ofsted by the acting manager.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 12 September 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

There is a condition in place. This condition specifies that the manager needs to provide Ofsted with two months’ notice before caring for a second child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2645675 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/09/2022 Full Inadequate 09/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2645675 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, there was one child living at the home, in accordance with the condition of registration for this home. There were two inspectors on site for one day. The home is well presented, and the child’s bedroom is personalised to meet their needs and interests. The child likes spending time with staff, and they undertake activities together. The staff are considerate of the child’s wishes and feelings. For example, when the child has asked for new items, the manager has worked hard to obtain these. When the child cannot have something, they are given good reasons as to why this is not yet possible. For example, the child wants football goals in the garden. The manager explained to the child that the grass ideally needs replacing before this can happen. Going to the park was offered as a short-term alternative and the child was satisfied with this response. Staff show good insight into the child’s learning needs. Although the child is not yet

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

in full-time education, communication between education professionals and the manager is good. As a result, tutoring is now in place for the child. The manager has advocated for the child to have regular 10-minute breaks while learning. These breaks create opportunities for the child to move around and not feel overwhelmed. As a result, the child is engaging with the tutor and is making progress with their education. Staff encourage the child to lead a healthy lifestyle. For example, the child attends the gym regularly and has been supported to join a football club. The child enjoys home-cooked meals and a variety of healthy snacks. These are balanced with the child receiving some treats throughout the week. The child is registered with health services. Staff recognise that the child struggles to sleep and they are supporting the child to manage this. The child lives far away from their home and staff recognise that this is difficult at

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

times. Staff have arranged for friends to visit the child, which highlights that staff recognise how important these friendships are. When family visit the child, staff try to make this special by planning events. The child’s parent is positive about the care provided.

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

There have been some incidents of the child going missing from care. During these incidents, staff search for the child and work meaningfully with external professionals to return the child home safely. Staff’s recordings of these incidents are clear and detailed. The manager has sought additional training for staff so that they can better understand the increased risks for children when they are missing. During one incident when a child was missing, a serious situation happened; however, Ofsted was not notified. This prevents Ofsted from having clear oversight of the incident and the actions taken to keep the child safe. Inspection report for children’s home: 2645675 4 Although there have been some behavioural incidents for the child, the manager’s oversight of these behaviours has provided beneficial insight into why these incidents may be occurring. Some behaviours have related to the child feeling

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

addicted to a substance. For such reasons, the manager shows empathy and is supporting the child to enrol on a cessation programme. The processes for ensuring that staff are recruited safely have significantly improved. Although no shortfalls were identified at this inspection, there was one area of safer recruitment practice where improvement was needed. Overall, when staff explain to the child why they may be worried about some of the child’s patterns of behaviour, the child listens and is encouraged to reflect. The child is given space to think about their risk-taking behaviours. The child will apologise to staff when they have done something wrong. This is good practice because it evidences that the child is starting to learn about why they act in the way that they do and taking some ownership for their behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and responsible individual are making the necessary changes to improve the care practice. The manager has supported staff to learn from previous incidents. Different safeguarding scenarios are discussed and reflected on in team meetings. This has been done to support staff to become more professionally curious. As a result, staff are now better equipped to respond to a child who may be at risk. All staff have received safeguarding training. The manager acknowledges that it may take more time to improve how information is recorded. For example, staff are not consistently recording important discussions that they are having with children. Also, there was no evidence of staff talking to a child after they returned home from an episode of going missing. Although this an area for development, overall, relevant documentation pertaining to children is maintained well. Staff spoke positively about the manager. One member of staff described the

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

manager as ‘great’ and said that the staff team was ‘lucky to have her’. Staff receive monthly supervision meetings, which include both individual and group supervisions. Team meetings happen monthly. There is evidence of the manager being clear in team meetings about what the expected standards of care are. The manager is creating a learning culture, where staff are supported to learn from mistakes within a supportive framework. Although the staff team is meeting the child’s needs, the child would benefit from having at least one male role model working in the home. The manager has not yet had the opportunity to complete a six-monthly review report of the home. The previous report was of poor quality and, therefore, this requirement remains. Overall, significant steps have been taken to improve care practice in this home. The manager is organised, and the staff team is committed to the child. Stakeholder feedback is positive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Inspection report for children’s home: 2645675 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 registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(c)(e)) The registered provider must notify Ofsted of any incident they are required to, without delay. The registered provider must ensure that all relevant information is shared in this notification. 10 August 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. In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating— the quality of care provided for children; the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)) The registered provider must ensure that, when completing the review of the quality of care, they consult with all relevant individuals and identify an action plan in order to improve the quality of care. 10 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2645675 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person must specify the procedures to be followed and the roles and responsibilities of staff when a child is missing from care or away from the home without permission and how staff should support the child on return to the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.28)  The registered person is responsible for leading a team that provides high-quality care for all children living in the home. They must lead and manage the home in a way that delivers the ethos, outcomes and approach set out in the home’s statement of purpose. They should also play a key role in shaping the ethos of the home through developing a culture of high aspiration for children which is demonstrated through the care, resources and opportunities offered to the children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.4)

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Recommendations

 Whenever possible, the registered person should ensure that staff in day-to-day contact with children include staff from the different gender groups. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.22)  The registered person, as set out in regulations 31-33, is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguard children and minimise potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: 2645675 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: A&R Guardian Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Eastgate House Office 3 First Floor, 19-23 Humberstone Road, Leicester, Leicestershire LE5 3GJ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Christopher Quinn

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Inspectors

Andi Lilley-Tams, Social Care Inspector Emma Dacres, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2645675 8 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

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