Children's Home run by YMCA Leicestershire in Leicester

Inspection report for children’s home: 2507350 1 Registered provider: YMCA Leicestershire

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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 owned and managed by a private company. It offers care for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since June 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living in the home. One child contributed to the inspection.

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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: 2507350 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/03/2025 Full Good 14/11/2023 Full Good 02/08/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/02/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 2507350 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children have moved out of the home during this inspection period. The home maintains positive and nurturing relationships with children when they move on. They provide support and advice when children have moved into semi-independent living. When children reflect on their time living at the home, this is positive and they highlight the relationships with adults as important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child living at the home was able to identify trusted adults and said that they feel safe and well supported by the staff. Staff understand the importance of independence for this child and have taken steps to support the child’s development in this area. Staff spend time with the child and take them on activities that reflect the child’s interests.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff talk to children about topics that are important to them. They develop trusting relationships that support children to share information and use this to help children learn and develop. Staff build positive relationships with children and get to know them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager carefully considers moves into the home, collecting additional information, and considering the impact on the children already in the home before a child moves in. Children are offered opportunities to visit the home and meet the staff as part of this process.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

For one child who has moved into the home, the manager is yet to receive the local authority documentation. The manager has not appropriately escalated this to senior managers. The home does not have a clear plan of care for the child that has been agreed with the child’s placing authority. This has led to inconsistency in the care provided to the child. Staff do not always follow the agreed routines and boundaries that the manager has put in place.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child regularly attends education and is well supported by staff. For another child, an education provision is not in place and there is no clear or agreed plan for the child to access and engage in education. The manager has not escalated these concerns. This has resulted in the child not accessing any form of education since they moved into the home.

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

The manager recognised early indicators when a child was subject to criminal exploitation. They escalated these concerns appropriately to other professionals and challenged some decision-making to advocate for the safety of the child. Staff worked proactively to try and keep the child safe, and shared information with external agencies. The manager regularly assessed the risks to the child and a decision was made that the home could no longer keep the child safe because of the risk to them in the local area. Inspection report for children’s home: 2507350 4 The child moved to a different provision but has maintained positive contact with the home since moving out.

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

Staff understand the risk of online safety for children. They are vigilant to these concerns and are curious with the child around their use of social media. This provides regular opportunities for staff to explore online safety with the child and build the child’s understanding of how to keep themselves safe online.

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

Staff respond well to concerns of bullying between the children. Staff have ensured that children’s wellbeing is paramount and offer opportunities for external support should the child want this. Children feel safe and well supported as a result.

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

Staff recognise the risks posed to the children. However, plans are not clear or detailed enough on the agreed strategies staff should follow. Staff are not consistent in how to respond to keep children safe, resulting in inconsistencies in actions taken to safeguard children.

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

The manager has acquired detailed information about the local area and the links to criminal exploitation. However, this information is not clearly reflected in the location risk assessment. This is a missed opportunity for evaluating risks to children when out in the community.

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

The home is led by a committed and experienced manager. She knows the home, staff and children well and is aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the team.

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

When the manager has noticed shortfalls and concerns in the home, clear plans of action are not always put in place to rectify them. This has resulted in staff not being supported to follow appropriate and consistent plans. This has impacted on the quality of care provided to the children and has prevented improvements being made to care practices.

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

The manager understands the package of care and ethos as outlined in the home’s statement of purpose; however, this has not been shared effectively with the staff team. Systems used by the home to support progress for children are not embedded effectively in children’s plans or day-to-day practice.

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

When significant events have taken place, managers have not always notified Ofsted. This can limit the regulator’s opportunity to evaluate safeguarding practice effectively.

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

Staff said that they feel supported. They receive regular supervision which gives them opportunity to talk about their wellbeing, reflect on practice and talk about the children. Team meetings and training also regularly take place to support continued development.

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

Staff talk fondly of the children, and the importance of resilient, nurturing relationships. Staff are enthusiastic about the work they do and work well together. Inspection report for children’s home: 2507350 5

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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 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

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

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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)(i)(v)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to there being risk assessments in place that are regularly reviewed, updated and accurate. Also, that staff understand these risks and consistently follow the agreed strategies in in order to appropriately manage risk and safeguard children. 20 June 2026

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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— 20 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2507350 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;

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(f))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to ensuring that when shortfalls are identified and impacting on the experiences for children, clear plans are put in place to address them.

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Requirement Due date

This also refers to ensuring that staff understand and apply the home’s package of care as outlined in its statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to ensuring that all local authority documentation is escalated and received, and all the children have a plan that staff can work to. 20 June 2026

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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; 20 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2507350 7 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

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(vi)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to the home having plans regarding the child’s education and structuring days for children not in school, so they continue to learn.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 20 April 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2507350 8

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Recommendation

 The registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. In particular, the location risk assessment should include relevant information on the local area that may impact on children in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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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 9

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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

Becki Cornes-Sinclair, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2507350 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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