Children's Home run by YMCA Leicestershire in Leicester

Inspection report for children’s home: 2507350 1 Registered provider: YMCA Leicestershire Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and operated by a local charitable organisation. It provides care for up to three children.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, three children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager of the home is registered with Ofsted.

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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

Date of last inspection: 14 November 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2507350 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/11/2023 Full Good 02/08/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/02/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 23/08/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2507350 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Several children were spoken to as part of the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that the home is well maintained. It feels like a family home. Staff are planning improvements to the garden for children to enjoy on warm days. Children’s bedrooms are personalised to reflect their interests. The manager has moved the office to the higher level of the building. As a result, the main part of the home feels less formal.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children have been living at the home for long periods. Staff take time to build positive relationships with children. Staff understand that this requires patience and experience. Staff know that children may need longer than expected to trust adults caring for them. Staff create a nurturing and non-judgemental environment. Children respond positively to this and feel more secure.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff focus heavily on children’s education. Each child’s educational experience is considered. Staff work closely with education providers and specialist services to ensure that children’s needs are met. Staff have challenged providers appropriately when children have not received the necessary support. Children are encouraged to attend education meetings and speak up for themselves. Staff continually explore options available to children who do not attend education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to voice their opinions and express how they feel. Children are heard regardless of the language they use. Staff see past challenging language and communication characteristics. The manager referred to one child’s communication as his ‘language of love’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children so they can spend time with their families. Children receive assistance in repairing and strengthening their relationships when they break down. Staff work alongside family members to provide a shared approach to children’s care. Staff help children to explore their identity and culture if they wish. When children find this challenging, staff guide them at their pace and according to their wishes.

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

Staff receive training in how to keep children safe. The manager has identified training for the team that reflects current risks in the local community. As a result, staff are better equipped to keep children safe because they know the signs to look out for. Staff have open discussions with children about risk. The manager leads collaborative work with professionals and peers in other children’s homes to disrupt risky behaviour.

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

There is a consistent and robust approach to incidents of challenging behaviour in the home. Staff help children manage their emotions in a safe way. Children have detailed Inspection report for children’s home: 2507350 4 behaviour support plans. The plans demonstrate how well staff know children. Staff know how to respond when children are struggling to communicate their feelings. There has been no use of restraint in the home since the last inspection. Staff have developed effective strategies for supporting children in crisis. Children are consulted on how best to support them in regulating their emotions.

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

When a consequence is used to address children’s negative behaviour, it is proportionate to the incident. However, the manager does not explore alternative restorative responses sufficiently. Staff require more opportunities for reflection when consequences are implemented.

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

Children have effective risk management plans. Information in these plans is clear, and staff know children’s risks well. Staff have challenged professionals when their view of children wrongly labels concerns. This has ensured that children receive the right response when adults are concerned about their safety. When there is an incident, the information and learning are not always transferred into documents that guide staff practice.

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

Children living in the home are prescribed medications for their health. The administration of medication is well managed by staff. Staff know each child’s health and medication plan well. However, medication is not always stored inside the designated lockable cabinet.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by an experienced and committed registered manager. They are supported by an equally experienced responsible individual and deputy manager. The manager feels well supported in their role. The leadership team is cohesive and promotes a positive environment for children and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership team knows the children well. The members of the leadership team are genuinely fond of the children and are positive role models for staff. Children seek out members of the leadership team to spend time with them. There is a fun atmosphere in the home that is led by the manager. Managers ensure that the care provided is tailored to the children’s experiences growing up.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows the strengths of the team. Staff development is a rolling agenda. Themes for development are identified and focused on each month. Staff with various skills are used to help develop the team’s overall practice. Team meetings are regular and effective. The manager is focused on increasing staff confidence, especially those new to the service. Staff receive regular supervision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals say that the home is a positive environment in which children make excellent progress. Professionals believe that the staff team offers a consistent approach, and the level of care and communication is always the same, regardless of who they speak to. Collaborative working is seen as a strength of the leadership team. All professionals highlighted the strength of the relationships children have with staff. Inspection report for children’s home: 2507350 5 The social worker for one child said, ‘We were worried eight months ago and did not know where things were going to go, but they have completely turned things around for [name of child].’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2507350 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they make appropriate arrangements to manage, administer and dispose of any medications. These are fundamentally the same arrangements a good parent would make, but with additional safeguards. Specifically, the storage of medication should be suitable. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)  The registered person should ensure that any consequences used to address poor behaviour are restorative in nature and help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them, and the wider community. In some cases, it will be necessary for children to offer reparation in some form to anyone who has been harmed by their behaviour, and the staff in the home should be trained to help the child understand and carry out this responsibility. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46,

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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: 2507350 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: YMCA Leicestershire

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 7 East Street, Leicester LE1 6EY

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Inspector

Chris Haines, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2507350 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 children 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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