Children's Home run by Leicester City Council in Leicester

Inspection report for children’s home: SC039056 1 SC039056 Registered provider: Leicester City Council

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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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 This home is owned and operated by a local authority. It provides care for up to five children under short-break arrangements and a further four children under longer term arrangements. Inspection report for children’s home: SC039056 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/03/2024 Full Good 06/03/2023 Full Outstanding 02/02/2022 Full Outstanding 13/08/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC039056 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff provide children with a good standard of care and are excellent advocates. Staff work hard to form relationships with children, who value their support. Children feel able to approach staff and seek their help. Staff are nurturing and patient in their approach and ensure that children understand what is being asked of them. Children were seen to be enjoying their time in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child remains in hospital. They are well supported by staff. Their education is continuing with a blended approach of hospital school and tutoring. Wherever possible, they have opportunities to keep in touch with another child from the home. Staff have prepared a new bedroom for their eventual return. This is individualised and reflects their interests and personality.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is a team around the child approach to supporting children. Managers and staff work closely with external agencies, including health and social workers and schools to ensure that children have the right support around them at the right time. Families and children benefit from this holistic approach to care planning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children access a wide variety of activities. Should staff identify barriers that would hinder a child’s ability to experience an activity, they work hard to reduce these so that children remain included in society. These varied opportunities help children to improve their confidence and support them to develop their social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home’s interior is undergoing a scheme of improvement. This means that children who live here and those having a short break will be looked after in a nicer environment. The provider balances the complex healthcare needs of children who require specialist equipment, with successfully providing a warm and homely living space.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Wherever possible, children are encouraged to learn new skills and maintain independence. Soon, children will have access to another lounge space, and for those with the aspirations and ability, a small kitchen to learn independent living skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Many children require specialised equipment. This includes safe space beds, epilepsy monitors and medical equipment for feeding and medication. When children require this specialised equipment, staff are trained to ensure that they can meet the children’s needs safely.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children have medication as part of their care routines, managers ensure that there is a robust administration process in place. This process has a series of daily monitoring and auditing checks to ensure safety. Inspection report for children’s home: SC039056 4

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

Families trust this service to take good care of children. Children want to come for their short break, other children want to live here. Families rely on this service to enable them to spend time with their other children and to have a much-needed break from caring responsibilities. Managers ensure that, wherever possible, families are offered flexibility with their short breaks, and additional support has been provided to some families in times of need.

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

Children who live at this home have formed strong relationships with staff. The bonds between these children and staff reinforce the children’s sense of feeling safe. Staff do not shy away from difficult conversations with children about their health and safety. Rather, staff take a proactive approach and explore any issues in an open and honest manner. This also allows children to feel safe and informed, and able to approach staff when they have their own worries.

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

Staff have access to care plans and risk assessments for the children they care for. Plans direct staff in what they must do to keep children safe and reduce risks. For some children, measures identified to keep them safer have not always been acted upon fully. However, children’s needs are such that they require close supervision. Therefore, children have not gone missing or become involved in any form of exploitation.

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

Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding processes. When necessary, safeguarding matters are referred to relevant safeguarding agencies. The manager has a robust oversight of this process. This helps children to be safe and protected.

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

Staff are appropriately trained in the use of physical intervention, and the home has a designated behaviour support instructor. Staff have used their positive relationships with children, alongside holistic interventions, to ensure that there has been no need for physical intervention during this inspection period.

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

Only staff who are suitable and committed to the shared ethos of the home are working here. Safe recruitment processes are well managed, and regulations are followed. There are clear and effective processes in place to ensure that the staff working in the home are safe to do so.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been changes in the leadership at the home. The registered manager has left. Despite this, leaders have provided good continuity and management oversight. The new manager has worked at the home for several years and is expected to submit their registration application to Ofsted. They have the required qualification in leadership and management. They have maintained stability in the home for staff and children, and are driving forward with new developments. Inspection report for children’s home: SC039056 5 The staff team is well established and highly effective. The team is aspirational for all children. The team has a positive morale and a sense of shared ownership. This ensures a continued good level of care across both residential care and short-break provision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have well-established working relationships with a wide range of professionals and partner agencies. They continue to develop new networks to share and improve practice. For example, they have started to develop a hub of disability homes, to offer support and share resources. This new development ensures that the residential team provides the best possible care and outcomes for all children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Social workers speak highly of the home. They highlight the quality of the staff who are providing care for children with a high level of complex health and care needs. They say that communication with families is good, and their children have a great social life and are involved in their community.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff told inspectors that they work with a dedicated and professional team. They said that they provide a safe, supportive and engaging environment, which ensures that the care is performed effectively. The team makes a meaningful impact in the lives of vulnerable children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, managers have made improvements to the supervision of staff. Records now evidence better conversations about children and provide a clearer opportunity for staff to speak about the safeguarding of children in their care. However, this has yet to be fully embedded.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have training opportunities that equip them to meet the needs of the children, and there is a drive to develop this further. Staff are qualified or working towards the required qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers undertake an annual review of the location of the home. This identifies areas of risk and measures to reduce risks within the area where the home is based. However, the manager’s overview is not yet fully effective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The statutory requirement set at the last inspection has been met. At this inspection, three recommendations have been made. Inspection report for children’s home: SC039056 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision that allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and the placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risk on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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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: SC039056 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Leicester City Council, City Hall, 115 Charles Street, Leicester LE1 1FZ

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Inspector

Simon Hunter, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC039056 8 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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