Children's Home run by Changing Lives Care Group Ltd in Leicestershire

Inspection report children's home: 2490999 1 Registered provider: Changing Lives Care Group Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

The home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care for up to three children with emotional, social and behavioural difficulties.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 2490999 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/03/2023 Full Good 10/11/2021 Full Good 03/12/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 03/04/2019 Full Good Inspection report children's home: 2490999 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is one child living at this home. They receive a high level of care and consistency from a motivated and experienced team of staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child came to this home with a limited experience of formal education. They still have no place in a school, or alternative provision. Interim measures have included informal efforts by the staff team, using a variety of worksheets and practical learning activities at home and in the community. The child has benefited from personal tutoring, although this has ended. The manager is being proactive by advocating for the child with regular communication with the virtual school team and the child’s social worker.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s relationship with their family has improved. This is because sensitive work by staff has taken place in developing a more positive time with family. This has meant that the child is now looking forward to their family visiting over the Christmas period.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When a child needs help with their emotional health and well-being, this is provided. This includes having the opportunity to see a therapist. Currently the child is seeing the therapist weekly. Staff report that this is helping the child understand their feelings and is helping them to regulate their emotions more independently. For example, because their anxiety has lessened, this has created important opportunities, for instance, they can now attend health appointments outside of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has made measurable progress since moving to this home. With the help of a consistent staff team, they are now more confident with their handwriting skills. They now enjoy going shopping with staff. There is progress on their interaction with children of a similar age when attending leisure activities in their community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child lives in comfortable surroundings. They enjoy having the house to themselves. They have helped to change their bedroom to meet their individual taste. Staff have taught this child how to construct new bedroom furniture. This has meant new independence skills have been learnt.

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

Care plans and risk assessments are very detailed and regularly reviewed by a manager, which makes it clear to staff what they need to do to keep the child safe. This effective safeguarding practice promotes safety.

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

The child has been involved in a low number of incidents. When these do occur, a robust response to the incident is overseen by a manager, with involvement of the placing authority. Following an incident, several changes were made to the child’s Inspection report children's home: 2490999 4 risk assessment to ensure that such an incident cannot happen again. Managers take all incidents seriously, and lessons are learned.

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

Staff receive a broad range of safeguarding training. Learning for staff is through discussions, regular supervision, team meetings, and handovers. Staff know how to recognise, report and act on any safeguarding concerns that they may have.

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

The child is supported to have their voice heard by an advocate. This means that the child has an independent person to speak to about any worries or concerns.

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

When the child uses inappropriate language in the home, staff are not consistent in the way they challenge this. This means that children who currently live on their own may not learn how to interact appropriately with others when outside the home. This is particularly important, as the child is making plans to go to a school and access more community-based activities. However, staff are carrying out direct work with the child to try and educate them in more socially acceptable ways of communicating.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is away from the home. The home’s leadership team now comprises of a manager, deputy manager and senior staff. They provide a consistent presence within the home. The manager is in the process of applying to register with Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a confident leader. He is a passionate advocate for the child in his care and makes decisions with the child at the centre. He is ambitious and has high expectations of his staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has embedded an effective process of quality assurance. This is achieved in several ways including audits of records, spending time with the staff, undertaking activities with the child, and seeking feedback from local authority social workers. Findings from audits feedback into the home’s workforce development plan.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers promote staff’s continuous professional development. Staff have accessed a wide variety of training online and face-to-face. This has included safeguarding, health and safety and first aid. The manager is an instructor of physical intervention techniques. This means they can advise staff and oversee any physically restrictive measures in detail and with knowledge of good practice in this area.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision and team meetings are used effectively as opportunities to upskill staff both individually and collectively. These are generally monthly, and discuss the understanding of the child’s needs, staffs own developmental goals and checks out if staff have any safeguarding concerns about the child’s care. Inspection report children's home: 2490999 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff understand factors that affect children's motivation to behave in a socially acceptable way. Staff should encourage an enthusiasm for positive behaviour using positive behaviour strategies in line with the children's relevant plans. ('Guide to children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 39, paragraph 8.13)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that where children placed in a home are not participating in education because they have been excluded, or not on a school roll for some other reason, the registered person and staff must work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enable to resume fulltime 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. If no education place is identified by the placing authority, the registered person must challenge them to meet the child's needs under regulation 5 (engaging with the wider system to ensure children's needs are being met. ('Guide to children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 28, paragraph 5.15)

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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 children's home: 2490999 6

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Changing Lives Care Group Ltd

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Office 7, 35-37 Ludgate Hill, London EC4M 7JN

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Inspectors

Simon Hunter, Social Care Inspector Harby Bashir, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2490999 7 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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