Children's Home run by T-Junction Children’s Services in Leicestershire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2495951 1 T-Junction Children’s Services Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private provider. It offers care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. One child was living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is suitable, qualified and has been registered with Ofsted since January 2023.

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This monitoring visit

This home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 3 and 4 April 2024. A compliance notice was set because of shortfalls identified in the protection of children.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was carried out to assess the action taken at the home to meet the compliance notice. It was also to review the progress made by leaders and managers in addressing the concerns raised at the full inspection.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have developed an action plan. This outlines the steps taken to address the requirements made at the full inspection in April 2024. Progress includes training to develop staff skills and knowledge, and management oversight. Management oversight considers how staff can apply learning to the care they provide to children, although this is not yet consistent.

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This monitoring visit

The manager and deputy manager provide support to the team, and staff morale has improved. Supervision is regular. Where practice shortfalls are identified, performance plans are put in place to address these. Team meetings are effective. In a recent meeting, the team reviewed the child’s positive behaviour support plan. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2495951 2 Information is shared by the team, which staff find useful. This results in a more robust support plan and effective care.

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This monitoring visit

Training in relation to the home’s preferred model of practice is having a positive impact on staff and the way they support the child when they are struggling with their emotions.

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This monitoring visit

The manager and deputy manager have improved monitoring of the home, which now includes oversight of significant incidents. However, this new practice is not yet embedded.

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This monitoring visit

Although areas for improvement remain, the provider has made progress in addressing the primary concerns following the full inspection in April 2024. The steps set out in the compliance notice are met.

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This monitoring visit

The remaining requirements raised at the full inspection in April 2024 will be reviewed at the next inspection. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2495951 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/04/2024 Full Inadequate 23/05/2023 Full Good 28/09/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/06/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2495951 4

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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 with the given timescales.

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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.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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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)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff have the skills and training to supervise and support children and keep them safe. The registered person must ensure that there are sufficient staff on duty to meet children’s needs. 26 July 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2495951 5 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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must implement a system to ensure effective monitoring and oversight of the home. In particular, the registered person must ensure that improvements are 26 July 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2495951 6 made to staff training and that incidents are robustly evaluated. Learning from evaluation must support the development of staff practice and improve the care provided to children.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to the registered person ensuring that children’s experiences are listened to, understood and acted on. Staff must ensure that children do not experience emotional harm from their peers.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that careful and considered decisions are made when admitting children into the home and that children have a positive experience moving into and out of the home. 26 July 2024

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— 26 July 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2495951 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1) (2)(b)(vii)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that improvements required around the home are addressed without delay.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44 (2)(a)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)) 26 July 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which— 26 July 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2495951 8 include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that records are informative, kept up to date and written in child-friendly language.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all serious incidents are notified to Ofsted. This refers to two incidents that the manager and deputy manager agree should have been sent as a notification. 26 July 2024

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all staff are registered on the diploma and complete this within the set time frame. 26 July 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2495951 9

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2495951 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: T-Junction Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 27 The Pastures, Narborough, Leicester LE19 3DS

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Inspector

Kathryn Hurley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2495951 11 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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