Children's home run by Trauma in Mind Ltd

Inspection report children's home: 2646176 1 Registered provider: Trauma in Mind Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

This privately run children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children. The provider states in their statement of purpose that they specialise in the restorative parenting of children who have experienced developmental trauma and adverse experiences.

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Information about this children's home

There has been no registered manager since November 2022. A manager began in role in September 2023 and has submitted a complete application to register to Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children's home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 22 February 2023

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 2646176 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/02/2023 Full Good 14/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report children's home: 2646176 3

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outstanding

Three children were living at this home at the time of the inspection. All children have been living at the home for a significant time. The stability that this has provided has enabled them to build trusting and loving relationships with staff, and staff use these to support children to make excellent progress in different areas. Children’s care is exceptionally well planned. Children are at the heart of this planning and their plans are discussed with them so that they can meaningfully contribute towards them.

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outstanding

The home environment is of high quality. Children’s artwork is displayed on the walls and there are different welcoming spaces for children to spend time both with others and alone. Staff do not have a separate office as managers said their vision was to create the homeliest environment possible, so they did not wish to have areas that children cannot access.

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outstanding

Children have made excellent progress in their education and attendance for some has significantly improved. Staff understand children’s educational strengths as well as areas where they need additional help. They work with schools to provide this help, enabling children to make progress. When there are challenges for children in their education, staff work closely with both them and education staff to help overcome these. For one child recently, this has helped them complete their placement when this at one time seemed unlikely. The child said that staff have been a significant help to them in completing their course.

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outstanding

Staff work closely and creatively with children to meet their health needs. Children’s plans are clear and staff have an excellent understanding of these, ensuring that they work in line with them. Sometimes difficult conversations with children about health needs are skilfully managed.

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outstanding

A high level of therapeutic support is provided to children and staff. The provider has its own clinical psychologist who provides regular clinical supervisions for staff and undertakes psychological formulations of children. This helps staff understand children’s needs from a therapeutic viewpoint and ensure ways in which they care for children are in line with these needs. Children are provided with art and play therapy on a regular basis. Art workshops with a creative therapist have been delivered to children and staff together. This has enabled them to engage in therapeutic work as a group, where children and staff are equal and are able to have therapeutic conversations together.

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outstanding

Staff work closely with children and their families to help strengthen relationships. Staff have built good relationships with family members, and this has helped facilitate increased family time for children. For one child, who saw little of their family when they moved to the home, there is now a plan in for them to return to Inspection report children's home: 2646176 4 live with their family. Another child’s younger siblings have visited the home for activity days. The child has taken the lead with making plans for their siblings on visits and takes pride in having had them visit their home.

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outstanding

Children have a variety of fun and exciting experiences. One child has a passion for football and has been bought a season ticket for their favourite team. Not only is this allowing them to enjoy regular games, but it also allows them to strengthen relationships with people who are important to them, with who they attend games. All children went on holiday last year. They each were able to choose where they wished to go and worked with staff to plan their trips. These involved a variety of exciting activities.

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

Children feel safe living at the home. They said they can talk to staff about any worries they may have. Staff work with children to help them understand different risks and this helps increase children’s safety awareness and stay safer. Managers respond promptly to any safeguarding concerns and work closely with other professionals to ensure these are managed appropriately.

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

Children’s behaviour is generally very good. There has been a reduction in behavioural incidents for all children and they are now relatively rare. When they do occur, staff respond to children in ways that help them calm and prevent incidents escalating. Staff provide clear boundaries for children, while also showing a great deal of care towards them at times of distress, and an inquisitiveness as to what has led to incidents.

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

There have been some challenges in relation to children’s behaviour towards each other. Staff intervene in these incidents appropriately, giving children clear expectations of behaviour. Significant direct work has taken place with children to help them understand and develop appropriate relationships with each other. Staff work creatively, using children’s interests to help them understand appropriate behaviour and relationships. Likewise, when there have been concerns in relation to some children’s online activity, staff have worked helped them understand risks.

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

Some children have at times displayed self-harming behaviours. These incidents have reduced over time. Staff work with children to help think about what has led to such incidents and to work on more appropriate ways of managing how they are feeling. However, records of some incidents do lack detail as to what led to them and what immediate actions were taken by staff.

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

There have not been any incidents of children being reported missing. When children have not returned at agreed times, staff are proactive in contacting and searching for them. This has enabled children to be found quickly and retuned home safely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Inspection report children's home: 2646176 5 The manager has submitted a complete application for registration. In the period before the manager was appointed, there were clear and robust management arrangements in place. This ensured that there was no impact on children of there being no appointed manager. The provider had high expectations to ensure they appointed a manager of the highest calibre. Since being in post the manager has developed and excellent understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development and has a clear vision for the home. All leaders and managers have extremely high expectations for the level of care that is provided to children and constantly seek to further improve this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is a high level of investment in ensuring that staff have the skills and knowledge that they need to provide outstanding care to children. Training and development opportunities for staff are wide ranging and include the use of specialist organisations. Training in relation to children’s specific needs has been quickly organised when areas of need are identified. Staff said this training had helped them better understand children’s needs and respond to them more successfully. In addition, specialist training and workshops have been provided for managers in different areas.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Research is used to help inform and develop practice. The home’s clinical psychologist has delivered sessions on attachment, and these have helped increase staff’s understanding of this area and how it is relevant to the children they care for. There has also been a focus on research into love-led practice in residential care. This has helped staff understand and focus on the importance of children feeling loved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Feedback from staff is unanimously positive about the support that they received from managers. They said they feel valued as individuals and can contribute ideas in the knowledge that these are considered by managers when thinking about how children are cared for. Regular, high-quality supervision gives a forum for staff to think in depth about how they are working with children and any areas where this can be improved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Some children have made complaints. The manager responds thoroughly to these, ensuring that any concerns are appropriately investigated. When areas for development are identified these are actioned. Work with children following complaints includes thinking with them about their plans and how they may be able to be adjusted in response to concerns they have raised. This helps show children that their views are taken seriously.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers develop excellent working relationships with other professionals. Professionals said that managers are transparent and open and take a lead role in the professional network around children. When managers have had concerns about the services children are receiving from other professionals they advocate for children and escalate these concerns. This helps ensure that children are being supported appropriately by everyone involved in their care. Inspection report children's home: 2646176 6

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home's policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. In particular, ensure that records of incidents of self-harm contain clear information about what has led to incidents and actions taken by staff in response. (Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2646176 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Park House, 37 Clarence Street, Leicester, LE1 3RW

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Inspector

Joe Matkar-Cox, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: 2646176 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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