Children's Home run by Purple Ash Limited in Leicester

Inspection report for children's home: 2691652 1 Registered provider: Purple Ash 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. It is registered to provide care for up to three children who may have emotional and social needs.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2025.

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Information about this children's home

There were three children living at the home at the time of the inspection. Their views were sought during the inspection process.

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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 Inspection report for children's home: 2691652 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/05/2024 Full Good 07/11/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/08/2023 Full Inadequate 16/05/2023 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home: 2691652 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive nurturing care from an experienced staff team. Children spend lots of time with staff and share their worries knowing they will be listened to. The managers and staff support children through difficult times which means children experience stability and security. Children are settled and the home is generally calm and relaxed. As a result, children are making steady progress. The manager and staff have supported children to access education. Children are not attending mainstream school, however there are individual plans in place. One child is preparing for their GCSEs with the support of a tutor. The manager is currently advocating strongly for another child where there are some barriers to full time learning. They are exploring options such as apprenticeships to ensure the child has future opportunities. Children's health needs are well met. They attend routine appointments and have

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

specialist services where needed. Two children are receiving support with their emotional well-being which has been effective in managing some difficult feelings. Children are educated about alcohol and substance use so that they can understand the associated health risks and make safer choices. Professional’s visits to the home are not always recorded. Following inspection, the manager recognised the importance of capturing all significant appointments on children’s files. The manager and staff seek the views of children through key work sessions. Children talk to staff about a range of issues. Records are detailed and show insight into the child’s lived experience. Children meet together to plan their week. They are not yet involved in recording these meetings which reduces their participation in the process. Children see their families regularly. The manager and staff have helped children strengthen their family relationships which has been invaluable to them. Families are

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

welcome to visit the home and staff also travel long distances to ensure children see people who are important to them.

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

Children have built trusted relationships with the managers and staff. Children feel able to share their worries and concerns including sensitive issues which shows the level of trust that has developed. Staff respond empathically when children share information. For example, children have spoken to staff about contextual safeguarding issues which meant action could be taken to protect them from harm. The manager and staff have a good understanding of children's risks and vulnerabilities. They develop effective strategies which have reduced significant risks for two children. This has been achieved through determination and close multi-agency working. Written risk management plans do not always reflect children’s circumstances, and some Inspection report for children's home: 2691652 4 elements of risk had not been fully considered. This was rectified after being identified by inspectors. The staff have been required to manage several serious incidents. These have been very

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

distressing for children and their carers. Staff have kept children safe in these situations through timely responses and ensuring children receive medical attention. They have provided extensive emotional support which along with specialist help has helped to reduce the number and severity of incidents. The manager and staff are good role models for children. They are confident to set consistent boundaries for which are proportionate and effective. Where children have raised issues about each other the manager responds sensitively and ensures these situations do not escalate. As such, children are learning how to resolve conflict in healthy ways. The manager and staff take their safeguarding responsibilities seriously. Staff are recruited safely through required vetting processes. There is good liaison with other professionals regarding incidents and information is shared with relevant professionals.

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

Concerns raised by children are investigated and they receive a response telling them of the outcome. There is one example where Ofsted was not notified about concerns regarding a member of staff. This limits opportunities for the regulator to have oversight of potential safeguarding issues.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has settled into the role and is having a positive impact. He is well supported by the deputy manager. They both take pride in their work. The manager sets out clear expectations for the staff team and provides positive role modelling. He understands how important staff welfare is for maintaining effective and safe care of children. Staff are well supported through regular supervision and access to training which is relevant to children’s needs. There is an emphasis on staff development which is motivating for the team. When staff are promoted, they are enrolled on specialist courses to develop skills essential for the role. There is ongoing recruitment to ensure staff sufficiency. Staff speak positively about the manager and enjoy their work. The manager has good insight into the home’s strengths and weaknesses. He has a clear development plan of which is focused on the children’s needs. There are regular audits

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

which help to identify areas for improvement. This helps the manager to maintain high standards which benefit children. Leaders and managers have undertaken an investigation regarding staff conduct. They did not ensure that this investigation was undertaken by an independent person. This could impact on the objectivity of the process. Inspection report for children's home: 2691652 5 Professionals and parents have confidence in the home. They say that the staff know the children very well and ‘stick by them’. As a result, children experience stability and stay at the home for long periods of time. Inspection report for children's home: 2691652 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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

have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that any investigations into concerns about staff are conducted by a person where there is no conflict of interest regarding the person being investigated. 11 June 2025

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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 their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,' page 42, paragraph 9.5).

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff keep accurate children's case records. This includes records of professionals' visits to the home and child centred versions of children's meetings. Case records must be kept up-to-date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. Children's case records must be kept for 75 years from the date of birth of the child, or if the child dies before the age of 18, for 15 years from the date of his or her death. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,' page 62 , paragraph 14.3). Inspection report for children's home: 2691652 7  The registered person should ensure that Ofsted is notified if one of the situations specified in regulation 40(4)(a)-(d) occurs, or if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home which the registered person considers to be serious (40(4)(e)). ('Guide to the Children's Homes

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Recommendations

Regulations, including the quality standards,' page 63, paragraph 14.10). Inspection report for children's home: 2691652 8

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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: 2691652 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: West Midlands House, Gipsy Lane WV13 2HA

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Inspectors

Laura Walker, social care inspector Sarah Orriss, social care inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2691652 10 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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