Children's Home run by New Leaf Social Care Limited in Leicestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2806300 1 Registered provider: New Leaf Social Care Limited

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private provider. It provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living at the home and were spoken with.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be 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.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2806300 2

p.1

improvement to be good

This is the first inspection since registration in May 2025. Three children have moved in, and one child has moved out. One child moved into the home on an emergency basis and later moved out under similar circumstances, which allowed limited time for transition planning. Leaders did not receive key documents for a child prior to them moving in, meaning there were limitations to staff being able to understand the child’s specific needs. Leaders have taken learning from this and when children have moved in since, this has been well planned and child centred.

p.2

improvement to be good

Children talk positively about the care they receive from staff. When a child moved out, the manager created a personalised memory book capturing the child’s time, including photographs and special messages from staff. One professional said, ‘There is a real family feel about the home, and staff want children to feel part of that.’

p.2

improvement to be good

Staff encourage children to undertake activities they enjoy. Children’s creative artwork is celebrated. Staff encourage children’s interests in a risk-balanced way. There is a family culture related to cooking in the home. Staff encourage children to make food they enjoy, and they share this with each other. Staff talk to children about their identity and how this shapes who they are.

p.2

improvement to be good

The manager and staff place emphasis on children’s education and celebrate their successes. Staff support children to attend education outside of the home in a way that is accessible to them. Staff advocate for more education for children who are not attending school. Staff understand the health needs of children. One child has allergies, and these are recorded in medication records but are not reflected in care plans.

p.2

improvement to be good

Staff recognise the importance of family time and support children to maintain meaningful connections with those who matter to them. Staff try to build positive relationships with family members in the best interests of the children.

p.2

improvement to be good

The home is decorated to a good standard. There is lots of space for children to undertake activities they enjoy and different areas for them to relax in. Children reflect they would like their bedrooms to be more personalised.

p.2

improvement to be good

There have been multiple times where children who were at high risk of exploitation have gone missing for extended periods. While staff have made initial efforts to search for children, these searches have not been carried out consistently overnight, and when they have occurred, they are not always recorded. When children return home, debrief discussions with the child have not always happened, and staff have not shown curiosity Inspection report for children’s home: 2806300 3 about why the child left the home. Return home interviews have not been completed consistently. Staff liaise closely with key professionals during these incidents, including sharing key documents related to children. A chronology of times when children have been missing and places they may go are recorded in children’s plans.

p.2

improvement to be good

For one child, there was a short period of time where a court order was granted to deprive them of their liberty. This was not recorded in the child’s care plan, nor was there evidence of communication of this to staff. This shortfall may have resulted in staff members not knowing the expectations around the care for the child that was required from the court order.

p.3

improvement to be good

The manager has not reported safeguarding notifications to Ofsted in a timely way. On one occasion, a significant incident related to ongoing child protection investigations was not reported to Ofsted. The manager acknowledged gaps in her understanding of the notification process and expressed a commitment to developing her knowledge further.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff support children in relation to self-injurious behaviours and their mental health needs. The manager and staff work closely with specialist agencies to ensure that children’s mental health needs are met, and they support children by helping them attend therapy that promotes their emotional well-being. However, one incident was not well recorded, and it was unclear how staff managed safe storage of items where a child was able to cause self-injury. Staff undertake room searches and device checks in line with agreements with children and social workers. Staff talk to children about these searches to ensure they understand. However, these searches are not recorded in children’s care plans.

p.3

improvement to be good

There was a significant incident between two children living in the home. This was reported to relevant agencies to enable safeguarding investigations to be undertaken. Following this, a safety plan was put in place, which is followed by staff. Professionals involved give positive feedback of how the manager dealt with this serious incident.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff have developed good relationships with children. Staff have not held children. For one child, the number of staff needed to look after them has been reduced, showing the progress that they have made. The manager has implemented different ways that children can communicate if they have any worries, and as a result, children know how to make a complaint. Children have not made allegations against staff.

p.3

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

The manager is supported by the responsible individual. Staff feel supported by leaders and enjoy their roles. Leaders are available and will come to the home to provide support with incidents. Staff feel able to contact both the manager and responsible individual for support. The manager aspires for children to do well and seeks to build on feedback received.

p.3

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

Staff are trained and either hold the required qualification to work in a children’s home or are enrolled to achieve it. Training has been tailored to meet the specific needs of the Inspection report for children’s home: 2806300 4 children, which supports staff in providing effective care. However, the manager has gaps in her own training.

p.3

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

The manager and staff have not received regular professional supervision in line with the statement of purpose. Team meetings have been infrequent, reducing opportunities for staff to reflect and receive guidance. These shortfalls limit consistency in practice and could affect the quality of care for children. The manager plans to improve supervision sessions and team meetings, but these changes are not yet embedded.

p.4

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

There are shortfalls in safer recruitment processes for staff. This relates to leaders understanding gaps in employment history for staff, consideration of staff relationships outside of the home and comprehensive checks on references.

p.4

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

Leaders do not always record decisions clearly, including communication with external professionals and individuals connected to children. These gaps in recording may mean that staff lack clarity about important decisions and actions when supporting children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2806300 5

p.4

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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff—

p.5

Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

p.5

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.5

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

p.5

Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

p.5

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)(i)(ii)(v)(vii)(b))

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that court orders restricting liberty are accurately recorded, communicated to staff and reflected in risk assessments. The registered person must ensure that clear protocols are maintained for children who go missing from care and ensure that each child is spoken to after any missing-from-care episode in order to attempt to establish the context and contributing factors. 12 January 2026

p.5

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—

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 12 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2806300 6 lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

p.5

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that in line with the statement of purpose, the staff and manager receive regular supervision and meet regularly as a team. Further, the registered person must ensure that the manager has up-to-date training.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

p.6

Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, notifications that relate to safeguarding investigations should be made, and necessary notifications should be made in a timely manner. 12 January 2026

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person may only— employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

p.6

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).

p.6

Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

p.6

Requirement Due date

(Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d)) 12 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2806300 7

p.6

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 the placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risk on a day-to-day basis and include information related to room searches, phone checks and health needs of children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording, ensuring records are complete related to decision making. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62,

p.7

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: 2806300 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Leaf Social Care Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Kirankumar Banker

p.8

Inspector

Lorna Walker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2806300 9 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.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9