Children's Home run by Lundi Education and Care Services Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report children's home: 2692957 1 Registered provider: Lundi Education and Care Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private provider operates this home. It provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties due to past trauma.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a registered manager who has been in post since the home opened.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children's home: 2692957 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children's home: 2692957 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home registered with Ofsted in February 2023. This is the home’s first inspection. Two children currently live in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children build trusting relationships with staff who are friendly and approachable. Staff spend time with children and listen to them. They are kind and caring and take an interest in the children. Staff advocate on children’s behalf, so their wishes and feelings are heard. This approach ensures that children are involved in decisions about their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress. One child is being supported to increase their independent living skills and is now able to prepare some basic meals for themselves, look after their personal hygiene and plan journeys on foot and on their bicycle. This is helping to prepare them for a transition into adulthood, and there are plans to build on the skills already acquired.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported and encouraged to participate in their hobbies and to experience new activities. One child talked about lots of new experiences they had enjoyed since coming to the home, including trampolining and visiting historic sites. Another child entered a puzzle competition. Staff celebrate children’s achievements and encourage them to join new groups and develop their social circle.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to manage their physical and emotional health needs. Staff work with them to help them understand the importance of attending appointments and speaking with health professionals. This has been successful in increasing children’s engagement with services. There is a robust system for managing medication so that children receive it safely and as prescribed, helping them manage their health conditions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children know how to make a complaint and are encouraged to do so. Accessible information for making complaints is available to children. When children are unhappy with something, they are provided with support to make a complaint and have their voice heard. When one child made a complaint, it was taken seriously and investigated. The child was given a written response, in line with the policy in place. This ensured that the complaint was addressed and the child had a positive experience, encouraging them to speak up when they are not happy with something.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home offers a welcoming and supportive environment. Children personalise their bedrooms, and one child has decorated their bedroom in the colours of their favourite football team. However, one child’s bedroom has lost its homely feel and needs some repair to ensure it is a cosy and inviting space for a child to spend time in. Inspection report for children's home: 2692957 4

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

Children feel safe. They have trusted adults they can speak with. One child told inspectors that they trust staff and that the staff help them to feel safe and secure.

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

Children’s individual risks are identified, understood and managed well by staff and leaders. Risk assessments provide staff with the information they need to keep children safe, and staff know and consistently apply these.

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

There have been no incidents of children going missing from the home. Staff understand the actions to take if children do go missing, and they have clear plans to follow. There is a close relationship with the local police to understand the risks in the local area and to help protect children.

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

Physical intervention is minimal and is only used as a last resort to keep children safe from harm. Incidents are appropriately recorded by staff. Children and staff are spoken with promptly to reflect on the experience and ensure that children’s rights are upheld. There is a strong culture of learning from incidents, and staff are encouraged to reflect and think about what can be done differently to reduce the need for children to be held. This has led to a reduction in physical intervention.

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

Staff support children to manage their emotions and feelings. Staff take the time to get to know children to help them understand what works well for each child. Support plans are developed, regularly updated and effectively shared with staff to ensure staff provide consistent boundaries and support for children.

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

Staff understand the risks posed to children online, and there are strategies in place to manage them. Children are educated about online risks and safe relationships to help safeguard them from exploitation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is child-focused and is supported by a leadership team that shares her ambitious vision to provide the best possible care for children. They have high expectations for children and are passionate about supporting them to achieve their potential.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders have a clear understanding of children’s progress and oversight of the service. They know the home’s strengths and weaknesses and are continuously striving for improvement. Leaders have effective systems in place for monitoring and review. They use these systems to identify and make improvements. For example, their systems regularly review the use of consequences. This resulted in additional scrutiny of this area. Practice was improved to reduce the use of negative consequences and increase the use of incentives and rewards for children, recognising their positive contributions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a highly supportive environment for staff to learn. Staff feel supported and receive regular, good-quality supervision that provides them with an opportunity to Inspection report for children's home: 2692957 5 reflect on their practice and identify areas for improvement. Training is arranged so that it is tailored to the specific needs of children. Staff talk about how this has helped them develop their practice to better support children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff develop and maintain good relationships with professionals to get the best possible care for children from all services. The registered manager and responsible individual appropriately challenge other professionals to make sure children get the care and support they need.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are enough staff and resources available to provide individualised care to each child. Checks are carried out to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. However, one staff member did not have a full employment history recorded in line with regulation. The registered manager took action to address this promptly. Inspection report for children's home: 2692957 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the environment, including all children’s bedrooms, is homely, welcoming, nurturing and personalised to meet the needs of the children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)  The registered person should ensure that good employment practice is carried out, including gathering a full employment history of all staff employed and a written explanation for any gaps in employment. This is to ensure that the recruitment of staff safeguards children and minimises 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: 2692957 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lundi Education and Care Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 14 Morley Walk, Church Gresley, Swadlincote DE11 9DQ

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Inspector

Tara Lovatt, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2692957 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 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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