Children's Home run by Woodleigh Healthcare Children Services Limited in Leicestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2692118 1 Registered provider: Woodleigh Healthcare Children Services 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

This home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care for up to two children with learning disabilities. There was one child living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by a newly appointed manager, who has applied to be registered.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 2692118 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/06/2024 Full Good 27/06/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2692118 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have developed the home to suit the needs of the child. The building feels like the child’s home. There are specific areas in the home that reflect the child’s character and complex diagnosis, as well as space that focuses on sensory needs. The child has options for privacy if they need it from the close supervision required from the adults. There are pictures of the child enjoying experiences and activities with the staff and the child’s family. These memories bring smiles from the child when looking at them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child’s health with consistent care and consideration of their needs. Staff ensure that any barriers to accessing health services or routine appointments are overcome by pursuing more suitable and specialist options. This has ensured that the child is up to date with all required health checks. The manager works cohesively with specialist mental health services who are routinely involved in reviewing the child’s health. Medication is reviewed regularly to ensure its use aligns with the best interests of the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is supported to see their family regularly. This is a consistent and positive part of the child’s life. The child’s relationship with their family has significantly improved because of how settled the child is in the home. Family members are welcomed warmly by staff. Staff go above and beyond to support the child’s siblings when they visit so that relationships that were once difficult to manage are being nurtured to grow.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are continually exploring the communication needs of the child, who is non-verbal. There is regular recording of varied communication methods being used and analysis of how effective it has been. There is evidence around the home of different communication aids and objects of reference. Staff have received training in specialised communication tools to help support the child to express their needs, thoughts and feelings. The manager needs to improve the oversight of communication recording, to inform its development within the child’s care plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The progress of the child’s independence skills has been significant. The staff team have supported the child to develop skills in several areas of their life. The child is now completing tasks around the home. Staff support the child to access local community services and nearby areas of interest and have prioritised supporting the child to have more choice within activities and with independent tasks like clothes and food shopping. Sensory exploration is combined with activities like cooking, which helps the child engage more positively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has been out of education for a significant amount of time. It is recognised by all professionals that education settings were not in the child’s best interests and were significantly impacting on the child’s well-being. The leadership team has been working alongside professionals to secure funding for a bespoke education package that aligns with the child’s needs and choice of learning environment. Inspection report for children’s home: 2692118 4

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

The child has detailed and robust safety plans in place. Activities in the home and in the community are carefully planned and dynamically risk assessed. Staff know the child’s plans well. This means there are less barriers to the child enjoying activities and new experiences because safety is prioritised.

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

There has been a significant reduction in self-injurious behaviours from the child since they moved into the home. There are effective and detailed plans in place in relation to how staff support the child to reduce behaviour which may challenge. Plans evidence how the child processes their environment and changes in mood. They guide staff practice as well as ensuring they have in-depth information about the child’s diagnosis and complex sensory needs. The behaviour support plan is subject to continuous review by leaders in collaboration with specialist health services. One professional from this service said, ‘The plans in place are excellent. The work they are doing is clearly working and is amazing.’

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

Restraint is utilised infrequently to keep the child safe when they are struggling to manage their feelings, emotions and sensory changes. Intervention is in the best interests of the child and only used as a last resort to keep the child safe. Incidents of restraint have reduced due to the positive relationships that the staff have with the child. The staff know the child’s needs well. Staff react to changes quickly and use effective strategies to help the child when they are upset or struggling to communicate their frustration.

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

The recording of incidents in the home is clear and detailed. Staff understand the requirement to record information that gives clear context to what the triggers were to incidents and actions taken to intervene. Staff always debrief after incidents. This ensures that there is reflection of practice and how incidents are managed. This provides opportunities to improve how the child is supported and how their day is planned. Injuries the child causes to themselves are monitored daily and overseen by managers. Professionals are kept up to date with all information to ensure transparency and provide assurance that staff practice is safe.

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

The manager is new to the role, having previously been the deputy manager in the home. The manager is driven and committed to the well-being and progress of the child. The manager has not been supported to transition effectively into this new role by the responsible individual. The leadership team in the home also requires further development. Staff are being considered for senior roles, and a deputy manager has been appointed, but they are yet to start.

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

There are staff vacancies in the home. This means that core staff are doing extra hours, and, at times, this is affecting staff morale. Staff from a sister home are providing cover. This is impacting on the child’s well-being and behaviours, at times, because there is a Inspection report for children’s home: 2692118 5 lack of consistency in the people caring for them. A lack of experienced staff means that there are times when the child cannot access activities that they enjoy in the community.

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

Although the manager has oversight of the home, they do not yet have effective systems for the monitoring and auditing of records and practice. There is currently no process for looking at patterns and trends so that staff can receive effective feedback about positive practice and areas for development. The responsible individual is not supporting the manager to develop this process.

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

The necessary employment checks for new staff are not being fully completed. There are gaps in information provided by staff of their employment history, and this has not been explored. The manager has not assured themselves of other jobs that staff have where they work with vulnerable people. This has not impacted on the care of the child.

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

There are some shortfalls in staff training. Some staff require refresher training and additional training needs relating to some safeguarding concerns and staff culture have not been identified in a timely manner. Staff have not received additional training to address their understanding of key policies and procedures. Although team meetings do take place regularly, they are poorly attended, so opportunities for group reflection and learning are being missed.

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

Professionals spoken to all spoke highly about the care that the home provides. They feel the child has made significant progress since living there and that the team of staff genuinely care for the child’s well-being. Professionals feel that communication is strong. This view is shared by the child’s family, who say that the staff team are like extended members of the family. Inspection report for children’s home: 2692118 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;

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to the registered person ensuring that there are sufficient staff on duty to manage a child’s assessed risks, and that they have a relationship and sufficient knowledge of the child’s needs. It also refers to the need for sufficient and skilled senior staff to support the manager. It also refers to staff receiving the necessary training required for their role. 1 December 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 promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 1 November 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2692118 7 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to the registered person ensuring that there are robust quality assurance and monitoring systems in place, and that they are used regularly and the information is recorded. This also refers to ensuring that the manager is assessing patterns and trends to improve practice and outcomes for children.

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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

The registered person may only— 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 requirements are that— full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to the registered person ensuring that the employment history of staff is being provided and explored. Also, that the manager is aware of other child-facing jobs that staff have alongside that with the provider. 20 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

An individual may only carry on a children’s home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (5).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit to carry on the home; and 1 November 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2692118 8 A responsible individual must—

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Requirement Due date

satisfy the requirements in paragraph (5)(a) to (c); and

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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 refers to the responsible individual ensuring that the manager is in receipt of the required support and guidance to develop in their role, and that time is specifically ring-fenced to achieve this.

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Recommendations

 Where a registered person identifies gaps in qualifications, they should act to ensure relevant units or qualifications are completed in a timely manner at an appropriate level. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 68, paragraph 1.4)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access the appropriate facilities and resources to support their development needs. Staff should regularly access team meetings to ensure group learning and development is consistent and effective. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.1)

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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: 2692118 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Woodleigh Healthcare Children Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 23 Woodleigh Close, Leicester LE5 2HW

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Inspector

Chris Haines, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2692118 10 regulates 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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