Children's Home run by The Twilight Care Group Limited in Leicester

Inspection report for children's home: 2726075 1 Registered provider: Twilight Care Group 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 owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to five children with emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by a manager who is not yet registered with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home, and their views were obtained during 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: 3 December 2024

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2726075 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/12/2024 Full Inadequate 05/03/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2726075 3

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improvement to be good

At the last full inspection of this home, significant concerns were identified and the home was judged to be inadequate. Since that inspection, one child’s placement has ended. Two children were living at the home at the time of this inspection. Both children said that they felt safe and well cared for by staff.

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improvement to be good

The children and staff have good relationships. The manager provides good support and encouragement. The well-being of children was affected following a child leaving the home. Staff did not have the skills and experience to meet the needs of the child, and so this led to them leaving the home. However, the manager and staff have provided effective support and care to the children still living in the home throughout this time.

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improvement to be good

There is an established staff team who have good relationships with children. There have been some new staff come to work at the home, which is having a positive impact on the children and the wider staff team. However, there has been conflict in some of the relationships between staff. Children said this can, at times, affect the environment. The manager is trying to resolve these issues swiftly and conclusively because she realises the potential negative impact that this may have on children.

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improvement to be good

One child has struggled with attendance and engagement with education. Staff understand the importance of education for the child and have worked with them to help them refocus on their education and the future. One child has refused to enrol in a mainstream educational provision. The staff have ensured that they are engaged in learning in the home. The child is being provided with creative opportunities to learn and experience new ideas. Staff have ensured that the child’s achievements and progress have been captured in records that the children keep.

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improvement to be good

Children receive good help with their health and well-being. Children feel more positive and engaged because their days are structured and well planned. There is more enthusiasm from staff toward the children having positive days. Children are supported to access specialist health services, when required. This has been crucial to supporting one child’s mental health. Staff understand the children’s therapeutic needs, which are captured and recorded in children’s care plans. The children receive the therapeutic care they require to help children in this area.

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improvement to be good

Children are receiving the support they need to develop their independence skills. Staff provide opportunities for children to improve these important life skills. Children have meaningful discussions with staff about their future. One child is nearing the age that they will move out. However, there has not been sufficient work completed with the child to prepare them for this move. Inspection report for children's home: 2726075 4 Some of the children’s records, during the previous manager’s time, have been lost or were incomplete. Children will not have an accurate record to look back on should they wish to. Additionally, there are some instances of staff using institutionalised language in some of children’s care plans. The new manager is now keeping significantly improved records for children. The organisation has begun work to introduce a new system for record-keeping that, in time, will provide much better records relating to children’s

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improvement to be good

Children have, at times, had a negative impact on each other. For example, one child’s safety was a concern due to potentially being exploited by another child. The leadership team made a difficult decision to end one child’s placement. This has led to a reduction in risk.

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improvement to be good

There has been some improvement in children’s risk management plans. The manager has ensured that plans contain relevant information. The manager insists that staff update their knowledge by reading updates to children’s plans. This means that staff understand children’s risk and how to help children to become safer. There remain some risk management plans for children that are not required because that risk is no longer present.

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improvement to be good

Staff respond well when children harm themselves. The children have individual safety plans that guide staff in how to support children when they are emotionally distressed. The manager has arranged for specialist health professionals to speak to the staff about strategies they can use to increase their safety.

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improvement to be good

Children rarely go missing from care. When incidents have occurred, the staff response has been effective. Children have individual protocols in place for staff to follow. At times, these protocols for staff to follow contain excessive information. It is not clear on the steps for staff to take in the event of a child being missing. One child’s time in the community is monitored for their safety. This has been agreed with external professionals. The manager has advocated for the child and there is a good safety plan in place for the child to have more time in the community independently from staff. The child engages with the plan.

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improvement to be good

There have been no incidents of restraint or physical intervention. Since the last inspection, all staff have been trained in the same model of de-escalation and intervention. The training received does not include restraint techniques. However, children’s behaviour support plans state that restraint can be used as a last resort. Training does not align with care plans and the home’s policy on physical intervention.

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

The children’s home is led by a committed and experienced manager. They have applied for registration with Ofsted. The manager is focused on supporting children, helping Inspection report for children's home: 2726075 5 them to make progress and improving the care they receive. The manager is supported by an experienced responsible individual and area manager. They are aligned in their commitment to changing the culture in the home and ensuring that children are safe, happy and make progress. Staff are beginning to respond positively to the high expectations of the leadership team. A new deputy manager has been appointed.

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

Following on from the last inspection, the manager has completed in-depth and critical analysis of records and incidents. This has allowed the manager to understand staff and children’s experiences. These investigations have informed the manager’s approach to improvement.

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

Staff report that they feel supported and that change in the home has been positive. One staff member said, ‘I feel happy coming to work and it feels clearer now. I feel less anxious and worried about the environment. [Manager’s name] have come in and been amazing, we are now here for the kids.’

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

The manager understands the staff’s strengths and areas that require further development. Some staff are new and require further support to develop their knowledge and skills. The new manager and responsible individual have a new and more effective approach to leadership. Staff are now more confident in discussing and reflecting on this with managers. For example, the manager acknowledges that staff require more development around professional boundaries.

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

The manager has undertaken a thorough review of the safe recruitment of staff. Staff in post have been subject to repeated checks by the manager. This is an improvement of safe recruitment practice from the last inspection. However, some issues remain. For one staff member, the manager had not recorded the necessary enquiries into information received from references.

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

Staff receive regular supervision from managers. New staff report that their induction was of a high standard and supportive. Staff have completed the training required to support the children in their care.

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

The home’s statement of purpose has been reviewed by the manager. However, information about admissions still does not align with the manager's stance on children the home can support. Similarly, the document contradicts the training being provided for physical intervention. Consequently, the statement of purpose is inaccurate. Inspection report for children's home: 2726075 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 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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to the manager ensuring that the staff receive physical intervention training and techniques that align with children’s needs and support plans. 3 June 2025

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home's statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring that the organisation considers admissions that align with the home's statement of 3 June 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2726075 7 purpose; that the manager and responsible individual lead the referral assessment process; and that the needs of the other children living in the home are adequately assessed in terms of impact.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children's safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children's home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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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

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager ensuring that all safe recruitment checks have been completed and that the manager has full oversight of this in line with Schedule 2. 3 May 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children; 30 April 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2726075 8 the feedback and opinions of children about the children's home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report").

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact the placement will have on the existing group of children. The statement of purpose is an important document in the process of care planning as it sets out the needs of the children the home is set up and equipped to care for. (Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards, ‘page 56 paragraph 11.4)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way, avoiding institutionalised language. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,' page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report for children's home: 2726075 9

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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: 2726075 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Twilight Care Group Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 32a Eggington Street, Leicester LE5 5BA

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Inspector

Chris Haines, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2726075 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, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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