Children's Home run by The Place Young People’s Company in Leicestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2565421 1 Registered provider: The Place Young Peoples Company Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private provider. It provides care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties. Although there is a registered manager in post, they are not currently managing the home. The home is being led by an interim manager with daily support from the home’s responsible individual.

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Information about this children’s home

Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home and one child moved out. There were 4 children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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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

Date of last inspection: 28 November 2023

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2565421 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/11/2023 Full Good 22/02/2023 Full Good 01/03/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2565421 3

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improvement to be good

Children’s experience and progress has been hampered by the succession of different managers and staff. Whilst children enjoy positive relationships with core staff who are warm and nurturing, they have been cared for by several temporary staff whom they do not know. This has unsettled children and made them feel anxious.

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improvement to be good

On occasions, staff do not feel able to meet one child’s level of need. Whilst managers seek additional support for the child, they do not effectively challenge local authority responses. As a result, the child does not receive the specialist support they need, and behaviours that are difficult to manage impact on other children in the home.

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy good health. They are up to date with routine checkups such as dental and optician appointments. Children are encouraged to be active, such as going to the gym and playing football. For example, one child plays football for a local team and another child has their own gym equipment. This helps to promote children’s overall health and builds confidence and self-esteem.

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improvement to be good

Children do well in education. When children are unable to attend school, tutors are put in place. For example, one child is engaging well with their tutor whilst they await to start a new school. The tutor said, ‘staff have helped me to get to know [child] and their interests, this has helped me to form a relationship with him as he finds new people difficult’.

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improvement to be good

Children are well supported to maintain relationships with people who are important to them. Staff are creative and flexible in accommodating time with family, ensuring children have a positive experience. This helps to reduce feelings of loss and supports children’s sense of identity.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the risks children can be exposed to. Safety plans are detailed and tell staff what to do. Risks are managed and reviewed in collaboration with relevant professionals such as social workers and the police. However, there have been occasions where staff have lacked vigilance in their approach to safeguarding. As a result, on occasion staff have been unaware that a child has left the home during the night.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not received enough support and training in responding to behaviours that are difficult to manage. Not all staff feel confident in putting boundaries in place or in challenging inappropriate behaviour. Children therefore experience inconsistent responses from staff, impacting children’s feelings of safety and security. Inspection report for children’s home: 2565421 4 Staff have occasional discussions with children about how to keep safe. However, these are not consistently taking place and have not been effective. For one child who is at high risk of missing and exploitation, not enough support is being provided to help them recognise the risks they are exposed to.

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improvement to be good

On occasion, restraint is needed to keep children and adults safe. Incidents of restraint are necessary and proportionate, and staff use the minimum force required. The manager reviews each record of restraint and children are spoken to about how they feel. However, records of restraint do not provide sufficient detail about the event. There is also a shortfall in the wider recording of information as it is not always written in a way that is helpful to children. This is an area for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There have been several changes in managers which have impacted negatively on the care of children and wellbeing of staff. Staff morale is low, resulting in several staff resigning. Whilst staffing ratios are compliant with company policy, there is not always enough staff on shift to adequately meet the complexity of children’s needs. Temporary staff are used when staffing levels are low. This unsettles children and does not provide continuity of care. A recruitment plan is in place which is reducing the use of temporary staff and allows for more staff to be on shift.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff have struggled to meet the complex needs of one child. Managers have not been proactive in challenging the wider system in seeking to ensure they have the resources and support required. As a result, staff have been seriously harmed and the child is not receiving the support they need. Managers recognise what actions need to be taken and made steps to address this during the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Some staff are skilled in responding to behaviours that are difficult to manage. They implement firm boundaries with warmth and empathy which children respond well to. However, some staff do not feel confident in their role. More training is required to support staff in caring for children with complex needs. Additional training is planned for staff, such as behaviour management and implementing boundaries.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff shortages have impacted on the acting manager being able to fulfil all aspects of his role competently. Whilst there are monitoring and quality assurance systems in place, these are not robustly followed. The manager is behind on tasks that oversee the care provided to children, such as medication audits and competency checks. Learning from incidents is not always used to inform and improve practice. For example, opportunities have been missed to learn from missing incidents. There is a plan in place to address these shortfalls, but time is needed for changes to be effective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff receive supervision from the manager. These cover important topics such as safeguarding and the care of children, and staff are encouraged to reflect on their practice. However, supervisions are not taking place regularly, resulting in a lack of support and guidance for staff. Other managers within the company are supporting to address this shortfall. Inspection report for children’s home: 2565421 5

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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 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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)(ii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to staff helping children to understand how to keep safe, being skilled and confident in challenging and dealing with inappropriate and risky behaviour and being vigilant in safeguarding practices. 30 September 2024

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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

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

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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; 30 September 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2565421 6 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(b)(c)(d)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to learning from incidents, having a stable staff team, proving training and support to help staff in responding to behaviours that are difficult to manage, and having a sufficient number of staff on shift to manage children’s level of need.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to challenging the placing authority to seek to ensure children’s needs are met. 30 September 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out— how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to the children in the home. The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it. The registered person must ensure that— within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— the name of the child; details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; the date, time and location of the use of the measure; a description of the measure and its duration; 30 September 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2565421 7 details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used; the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)— has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)

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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. 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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Recommendations

This recommendation was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Recommendations

 The registered person must have systems 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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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: 2565421 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Place Young Peoples Company Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 Lymevale Court, Lyme Drive, Parklands, Stoke-on- Trent ST4 6NW

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Inspectors

Emma Dacres, Social Care Inspector Angela Duffus-Palmer, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2565421 9 regulates and inspects 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

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