Children's Home run by United Children's Services Limited in Leicestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC489036 1 SC489036 Registered provider: United Children’s Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to six children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is experienced and is registered with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC489036 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/04/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 21/06/2022 Full Good 07/03/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 11/05/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC489036 3

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improvement to be good

There have been improvements to the home since the last inspection. This has ensured that children experience a safe and nurturing environment. Children say they like their home, and the relationships between staff and children are generally good. However, not all children have had positive experiences. In some areas, further work is required to ensure that children make good and sustained progress.

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improvement to be good

At times, children’s plans are repetitive and lack focus on how children can be further helped to make progress. Although managers and staff track children’s progress, this monitoring lacks analysis which could identify other areas or services that can better help children. This means that the impact and effectiveness of care on children’s progress are not entirely understood. This fails to support effective care planning and can hamper children’s progress.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always support children to get involved in activities to support their interests or hobbies. Children do not have any planned activities in the home or community. Staff often rely on children to identify what they want to do. Some children spend their time alone in the communal areas or in their bedroom. For example, one child said that they were ‘bored’ and identified an activity which they were unable to carry out for safety reasons. Staff did not identify an alternative activity. This does not support staff and children to develop positive relationships through taking part in activities together.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always support children when they raise concerns or complaints. Children’s concerns are recorded but staff do not always respond. For example, the manager spoke to one child about a complaint about the placing local authority. However, the manager did not ensure that there was a response to the complaint from that specific local authority. Another child shared several concerns regarding their relationship with their peers. These concerns were acknowledged but not recorded as a complaint.

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improvement to be good

The manager and staff work hard to ensure that good relationships with children’s families are maintained. One relative commended the relationships that the manager and staff have with their child. They said, ‘Permanent staff and the manager have helped [name of child] to thrive and have supported the family.’

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improvement to be good

Children’s individual risk assessments fail to provide staff with clarity on what actions they should take to reduce risks to children and keep them safe. Risk assessments are not kept up to date and do not include accurate information about the children’s risks, needs and vulnerabilities. Inspection report for children’s home: SC489036 4 Children rarely go missing from this home. When they do, there is a coordinated multi- agency response to try and return children home quickly. Staff at one placing local authority were positive about the help and support a child received. They stated that communication with staff and managers at the home is good.

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improvement to be good

On occasion, staff have used stigmatising language in children’s written records. This fails to provide a nurturing approach and could have a detrimental impact on children should they wish to read their files.

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improvement to be good

Staff have struggled to manage negative behaviour from children towards one child. Staff have not used consequences following this negative behaviour. As a result, there is no deterrent, and this unwanted behaviour has continued. The child has told staff how this has affected their emotions. Managers and leaders have not ensured that staff support children to have positive relationships.

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improvement to be good

Some children have had to be physically restrained by staff. Although the recording of these incidents and restraints is descriptive, records lack sufficient management scrutiny. For example, when a child was restrained several times during one incident, the manager did not challenge the timing of the holds. The manager identified that a learning review was required to assess how practice can be adapted. The manager confirmed a date for the learning review, but this did not take place.

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improvement to be good

Medication management processes are not yet effective. For one child, if they do not take their medication, this may lead to hospital treatment. Staff have not ensured that medication has been managed well when the child is away from home. For example, staff have continued to give responsibility to an adult, despite the adult stating that they do not want to take any responsibility for administering the medication. The current storage and recording of medication administered may confuse staff. For example, it is unclear whether home remedies are for children and/or staff. Additionally, the medication administration document staff have used is outdated.

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good

There are weaknesses in leaders’ and managers’ monitoring and oversight of risk. This has led to shortfalls. At times, the verbal accounts provided by the manager have not matched written information. Internal monitoring systems do not provide the manager with the oversight she requires or demonstrate an understanding of the impact and effectiveness of care.

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good

Staff regularly meet with the manager for individual supervision meetings. However, these could be further strengthened with greater focus on the detail of care practice and more meaningful discussions. This prevents staff from having opportunities for reflection and development and learning from their care practice, which could better support children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC489036 5 The manager has not ensured that there is a sufficient plan in place to support the transition of a child who is due to leave home. It is unclear if the placing authority has approved the plan and to the extent this planning has been jointly undertaken with the respective local authority.

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good

The manager has not ensured that safeguarding outcomes have been shared with Ofsted. This means that Ofsted cannot evaluate the incidents or actions taken to keep the child safe.

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good

Staff morale is good, and staff feel well supported by the manager. Staff feel confident in the manager and feel that she is approachable and available to them. Staff are positive about their roles and say that they enjoy coming to work and caring for the children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC489036 6

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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, The 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 enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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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

develop the child’s interests and hobbies;

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Requirement Due date

participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child’s interests and preferences;

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Requirement Due date

make a positive contribution to the home and the wider community;

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child’s interests and hobbies. (Regulation 9 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly relates to ensuring that children are supported to engage in activities. 9 August 2024

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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;

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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— 9 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC489036 7 that staff—

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Requirement Due date

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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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

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

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have 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

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

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Requirement Due date

This particularly relates to supporting children to have positive relationships in the home and community.

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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. 9 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC489036 8 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly relates to ensuring that risk assessments and home care plans are in place that identify known and potential risks for each child. Records of incidents must be clear, detailed and demonstrate management oversight, reflection and learning.

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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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that robust quality assurance and monitoring systems are in place. These systems should be used regularly, and information should be accurately recorded 9 August 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff encourage children to share any concerns about their care or other matters as soon as they arise. Children must be able to take up issues or make a complaint with support and without fear that this will result in any adverse consequences. Regulation 39 sets out the requirements on the registered person to have a complaints procedure. Children must be aware of this procedure and be reminded of it as necessary. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.13)  The registered person should ensure that prescribed medicines are only administered to the individual for whom they are prescribed. Medicines must be administered in line Inspection report for children’s home: SC489036 9 with a medically approved protocol. Records must be kept of the administration of all medication, which includes occasions when prescribed medication is refused. (‘Guide

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Recommendations

to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)  The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair and the principles set out in paragraph 9.35 of the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ are respected. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)  The registered person should ensure that systems are in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information about individual children in a non- stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘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 for children’s home: SC489036 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: United Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Old Coach House, Drinsey Nook, Lincoln, Nottinghamshire LN1 2JJ

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Inspectors

Corline Parker, Social Care Inspector Netsai Mutzuva, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC489036 11 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

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