Children's Home run by Alpha-Imperial Private Limited in Leicestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2744977 1 Registered provider: Alpha Imperial Private 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 privately owned and is registered to provide care for up to three children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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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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good

Date of last inspection: 10 September 2024

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2744977 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/09/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2744977 3

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improvement to be good

One child has lived at the home for 10 months and has benefited from a period of stability. Another child moved in more recently. Children receive help from familiar staff who know them well. Staff speak positively about the children and demonstrate a commitment to their well-being. Staff take time to build relationships with children. This has enabled one child to begin trusting enough to share personal information. This is a significant step in their progress.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to spend time with people that are important to them. Staff arrange and plan visits with relatives. Family members are welcome visitors to the home to spend time with their children. This helps to promote good-quality interactions and helps strengthen relationships. Regular updates are provided to family members to keep them informed about their child’s care and progress.

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improvement to be good

Children are not experiencing consistent routines or clearly defined boundaries. Both children often stay awake late into the night and spend extended periods alone in their bedrooms during the day, despite staff’s attempts to engage. Staff have tried to provide the children with opportunities for activities and to pursue their interests. Staff bought a scooter for one child and take them to a local skatepark. The same child has expressed an interest in boxing and football. Staff have made enquiries with clubs in the local area so the child can attend. However, despite the regular offer of activities for the other child their engagement in activities remains inconsistent and is heavily dependent on their willingness to participate.

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improvement to be good

Neither child is attending education. One child’s engagement with their alternative education provision has further declined. Although this child has expressed an interest in car mechanics and participated in basic maintenance activities alongside staff, this interest has not translated into a sustained or structured learning opportunity. Leaders have advocated for alternative educational provision for the other child. Staff have gained the child’s views to help identify times of the day where learning and engagement would be most effective. This is yet to progress, and so the child remains without education.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not yet been able to deliver consistent boundaries that supports children in understanding and developing acceptable behaviours. Incidents of shouting and swearing are frequent. Staff responses often involve complying with children’s demands rather than exploring the underlying causes or managing conflict effectively. As a result, children do not benefit from clear and safe boundaries, particularly around phone usage and internet safety.

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improvement to be good

The home is clean and generally well maintained. However, the environment does not promote a warm or homely atmosphere for children. Children’s bedrooms lack personalisation and do not reflect their interests or identities. One bedroom Inspection report for children’s home: 2744977 4 contained damaged furniture. The manager took immediate action to replace this during the inspection.

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improvement to be good

Professional colleagues who work alongside the staff team were complimentary about the staff and the relationships they have developed with the children. One social worker stated, ‘Staff have worked hard to build relationships, despite the child not wanting to be there. They have tried hard to set up education and supported with family time. The child had some challenges in care previously. There hasn’t been similar behaviour since living here.’ Another social worker said, ‘The child received a warm, positive welcome. The staff even got a welcome banner. The staff are giving the child time to settle, and the child has responded well to their approach.’

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improvement to be good

Some staff have completed online training in safeguarding and risk management. Supplementary training exploring exploitation, alcohol use and substance misuse has been provided. Additional training has also been provided to staff in understanding neurodiversity, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism. However, there are gaps in training provision. One agency member of staff has not received any induction or safeguarding training. Furthermore, staff have not yet received specific training in effective behaviour management, despite working with children who display complex and challenging behaviours.

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improvement to be good

Leaders have established a workforce development plan that aligns with the current needs of the team. A key priority is the development of senior staff in leadership skills to guide and support the team. Managers have identified areas where staff development is required. This focus is for staff to improve skills in recording, use of language and professional curiosity. There are plans to further develop staff’s understanding of children’s lived experiences and to embed a child-centred approach to care. This will involve training and support around creating nurturing environments, therapeutic approaches to establish consistent routines, structure and boundaries for children.

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improvement to be good

Children’s risk management and behaviour support plans detail the children’s individual needs. Plans for children detail how staff must care for children and keep them safe. Children are helped to make positive choices through individual discussions when new needs or risks emerge; however, they are not actively involved in the development or review of their risk assessments or behaviour support plans. This lack of participation limits their ability to understand the support being offered by staff or to reflect on their own progress. The absence of the child’s voice in key planning documents is a missed opportunity to promote engagement, ownership and emotional development for children.

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improvement to be good

The quality of assessing, evaluating and recording risk needs to improve. This has been a shortfall previously and remains a shortfall. The quality of the recording in Inspection report for children’s home: 2744977 5 documents that are important for the children is inconsistent. The records lack observations, the use of language is not child friendly and there are multiple spelling mistakes. This makes key documentation for children unclear when they read their records now or in the future.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessment documents do not accurately reflect current risks, and systems in place do not allow for monitoring or tracking of risks either reducing or increasing. For one child, the risks associated with being in other areas are not adequately addressed in the safety plan. Staff do not always know where the child is during time with his family and peers. There is limited evidence of staff being professionally curious, despite the child’s reducing risks. Managers have requested a risk assessment to support decisions around overnight visits. There is a lack of robust challenge to the placing authority when such assessments are not provided. This does not ensure that there are informed and safe decisions regarding the child’s care.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always act on safeguarding concerns with the appropriate urgency or professional curiosity. On one occasion, a child was found in possession of a crowbar. This was not fully addressed, despite known concerns about previous exploitation. There was a delay in notifying this incident to the regulator, which prevents a thorough evaluation of children’s safety.

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improvement to be good

One child has unrestricted access to a mobile phone and social media. Managers have no oversight of their access or viewed content. The use is considered excessive and often interrupts any attempt at a healthy sleep routine. This limits the child’s daily routine and opportunity to socialise.

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improvement to be good

Protocols for responding to children who go missing from care are in place and followed. Staff act promptly by searching for children and notifying the police. For one child, there has been a notable reduction in missing-from-care episodes, indicating some progress. Return home interviews are requested following a child’s return; however, on some occasions, interviews are not completed despite multiple requests. There was no evidence of an escalation process being used to address these failures.

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good

Leaders demonstrate an understanding of the home’s strengths and areas of development. The registered manager has built a stable and cohesive team that feels supported and valued. As a result, staff morale is high, and they are motivated to deliver good care to children.

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good

The recent appointment of a head of children services has led to the introduction of quality assurance measures aimed at strengthening oversight and driving improvement. These audits have already identified key themes and informed an improvement plan with clear actions and timescales. The workforce speaks positively Inspection report for children’s home: 2744977 6 about the proposed changes and development opportunities. However, these changes are recent, and their impact is not yet fully embedded.

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good

There is no formal appraisal process in place for staff, which limits structured performance review and professional development opportunities. Additionally, the training offer is limited to online learning, with no robust system in place to assess whether staff understand and apply their learning in practice. This restricts opportunities to build a confident and competent workforce.

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good

The staff team is diverse, bringing a variety of backgrounds and experiences that enrich the environment. The leadership team has not sufficiently considered the cultural and communication needs of the workforce and how this may impact on children’s identity and emotional well-being. Some staff members speak English as an additional language. One staff member said that for one child, this has been a barrier to communication and meaningful engagement.

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good

Managers attend meetings and maintain good communication with professionals about children they care for. However, they do not consistently demonstrate the confidence or assertiveness to challenge external decisions affecting children. This limits their ability to act as a strong advocate.

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good

Managers have delayed in ensuring any damage within a child’s bedroom is promptly addressed. This limits opportunity to create an inviting space. There have been delays in responding to issues that affect children’s well-being, experience and comfort. While such matters were addressed during the inspection, this reflects a reactive rather than proactive approach to care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2744977 7

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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 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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare;

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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)(iii)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is reinstated from the last visit. This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that identified concerns are acted on in a timely way. The registered person must ensure risk assessments reflect current risks and vulnerabilities for children. The registered person must ensure that staff capture the children’s voice in the risk assessments and behaviour support plans. 24 June 2025

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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

promotes their welfare. 24 June 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2744977 8 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;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring that good practice is being modelled to staff when it comes to recording. This also relates to ensuring that staff have the correct training to meet the needs of the child in their care. The registered manager must also ensure oversight of the quality of care and how it is impacting on the progress and experiences for children.

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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 achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)) 24 June 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2744977 9 This specifically relates to ensuring that the children are accessing some form of education while they are not in school. It also relates to ensuring children are supported with learning and development through a variety of opportunities.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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 the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is reinstated from the last visit. This specifically relates to ensuring that the home is maintained to a high standard, especially children’s bedrooms. 24 June 2025

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; 24 June 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2744977 10 that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(b) (2)(a)(i)(v)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring staff have the training and skills to provide children with consistent routines and boundaries. This also relates to staff providing children with clear guidance and modelling acceptable behaviour.

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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: 2744977 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Alpha Imperial Private Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 16, Matrix House, 7 Constitution Hill, Leicester LE1 1PL

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Inspector

Tazim Akhtar, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2744977 12 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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