Children's Home, Residential special school run by Kisimul Group Limited in Lincolnshire

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC044562 1 SC044562

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Registered provider: Kisimul Group Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This service is privately owned and is registered as a children’s home and a residential special school.

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Information about this children’s home

The inspectors only inspected the social care provision. At the time of this inspection, the home was providing care for 29 disabled children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is registered with Ofsted and is suitably experienced and qualified.

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Inspection date: 6 March 2025

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 6 March 2025

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspectors evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC044562 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

Children live in a warm, homely and inviting environment. Children have been supported to further personalise their bedrooms to reflect their preferences and interests. This demonstrates that children’s views and wishes are valued and acted on. Large photos of group activities are among the canvases that are now displayed in the corridors, giving a homely feel to the communal areas.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff receive safeguarding training alongside specific training in relation to children’s individual needs. The registered manager and service manager have identified a gap in training and have acted swiftly to arrange specific training to meet individual children’s needs. The manager has also carried out a training analysis for the team and is consulting with night staff to ensure that training is more accessible for shift workers.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff have a good understanding of the specific risks associated with each child. Risk assessments have been streamlined, offering clear and consistent guidance. Plans and assessments are regularly reviewed, updated, and shared with the team. As a result, staff have clear direction during incidents and established plans to follow.

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Findings from the inspection

With a view to minimising the use of floor holds, leaders and managers have modified the model of restraint to make it the least restrictive. Physical intervention is only used when necessary to protect the children or those around them. Such interventions are proportionate to the situation. All incidents are thoroughly recorded, reviewed and monitored by the manager. Importantly, the child’s perspective is sought, and staff revisit these discussions to ensure that the child’s voice is heard.

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Findings from the inspection

The manager regularly reflects on the care provided to children and is keen to implement changes where areas for improvement are identified. Leaders and managers have used various tools to gather feedback from staff to drive ongoing improvements in the home. As a result, changes have already been made to shift patterns to include a handover period for staff. While this will take time to fully embed, it is expected to improve communication and consistency.

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Findings from the inspection

Managers oversee the correct staffing levels for children. Recent changes have been made in the teams to ensure that skills and experience are equally distributed, with a designated deputy manager in each area of the home to provide increased direction and oversight. Despite efforts to improve staff vigilance, two incidents were being reviewed at the time of this inspection. Therefore, further work is required in this area. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC044562 3 In general, staff receive regular supervision. However, new employees do not have additional opportunities for supervision to support their transition to the organisation. The quality of supervision records varies. Some provide detailed accounts that thoroughly cover all agenda items, offering good support to staff. However, others lack depth; while they acknowledge each agenda item, they fail to explore staff practices in detail. As a result, valuable opportunities are missed to

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Findings from the inspection

There has been positive progress in managing peer-on-peer incidents, with fewer occurrences and improved handling when they do arise. Meetings are held with the team around the child, particularly when there is concern about the stability of the child’s placement. This proactive approach helps in addressing any underlying issues early on and ensures that everyone involved is aligned with the best course of action for the child’s well-being. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC044562 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/08/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/06/2023 Full Good 23/11/2022 Full Good 09/06/2021 Full Good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC044562 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

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

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)(v)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff always know the whereabouts of each child. There must be clear communication in the team when a staff member needs to leave an area so that everyone knows they are responsible for supervising and caring for the child. 7 April 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should have systems in place so that all staff 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) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC044562 6

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Kisimul Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Old Vicarage, High Street, Swinderby, Lincoln LN6 9LU

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Inspectors

Zoey Lee, Social Care Inspector Thirza Smith, Social Care Inspector Lizette Watts, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC044562 7 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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