Children's Home run by SH Children’s Home Ltd in Leicestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2848876 1 Registered provider: SH Children’s Home 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 owned by a private provider and cares for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in March 2026. The manager was absent from the home at the time of inspection and has left the home. At the time of inspection, 2 children were living at the home. The inspector spoke with the children, and they contributed to the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The inspector was aware during this inspection that serious concerns have been raised, that occurred at the home since registration, which are under investigation. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate incidents of this kind, actions taken by the setting in response to the incident were considered alongside other evidence available at the time of the inspection to inform inspectors’ judgements.

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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 inadequate

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2848876 2

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Summary of findings

Since the home was registered, 2 children have moved into the home. The children have experienced some positive activities and are starting to build relationships with staff. Incidents that have occurred have been managed well by staff. There are shortfalls in the management of complaints, resulting in correct safeguards not being in place. Staff have not had sight of important documents relating to children’s care, which has resulted in inconsistencies in care practice. Safer recruitment checks are not consistently taking place, and management oversight is not yet effective.

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improvement to be good

The children living in the home are siblings. The children have enjoyed a variety of activities. These have included go-karting and trips to a theme park. Staff have also engaged the children with activities in the home, such as crafts, sports and baking. Children enjoy spending time with staff and are building good relationships with them.

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improvement to be good

Children feel safe and happy. They can identify people they can talk to and people they like to spend time with. Children share that they feel staff listen to them. Staff are playful with children, which supports the development of strong bonds.

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improvement to be good

The manager completed assessments when the children moved into the home. These identified risks, vulnerabilities and whether the home could meet their needs successfully. However, not enough additional information was gathered to fully understand the children’s behaviours. The manager also did not fully consider how the children would impact on each other when living together. The children share a room, which has been approved by the social worker, but the risks of this have not been fully assessed. As a result, there is limited planning for how staff will manage this or understand its impact on the children.

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improvement to be good

When the manager has not received the required documentation from the relevant local authority, this has not been escalated to more senior managers within the local authority. This includes the delegation of authority and has prevented the manager and staff from knowing what decisions they can make about the children’s care. This also prevents staff from understanding the areas of need for the children. As a result, children’s plans are incomplete. Plans are not clear on the areas of development for the children and what the long-term care plan is.

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improvement to be good

One child takes regular medication. Staff understand the purpose of this medication and ensure this is given in line with prescriber guidelines. There has been one occasion where staff have bought over-the-counter medication for the child, for pain relief. Staff have not checked whether there is delegation of authority for over-the- Inspection report for children’s home: 2848876 3 counter medication from the social worker. Staff have also not completed records of the medication being administered. Senior leaders have not identified this shortfall or taken any learning from the incident.

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improvement to be good

Staff support the children’s education. Staff drive one child to school each day so they can maintain their education provision following moving to the home. Staff have supported the tutor to attend the home for the other child to help them build a positive relationship. Staff speak with children around education and the importance of it.

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improvement to be good

Staff know how to de-escalate more challenging situations with children. Staff remain calm in their management of incidents. This prevents further escalation and results in incidents often being shorter in duration. Managers have not had good oversight of incidents. This prevents the identification of patterns and trends and therefore hampers any potential learning from incidents. This has resulted in repeated incidents for children with similar patterns leading up to incidents. The children’s plans have not been updated after incidents. This has prevented effective information-sharing with staff.

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improvement to be good

The children’s risk management plans were not in place for several weeks after the children moved into the home. Managers recently identified this shortfall and developed the required risk assessments. However, staff have not yet read these documents. Staff do not know some of the potential behaviours that children may display or shared their knowledge with each other during handovers. However, a consistent approach and agreed strategies are beginning to be put in place.

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improvement to be good

One child has made repeated threats to make allegations against staff. However, this has not been considered in risk management plans. Staff feel unsupported in knowing how to respond to this concern.

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improvement to be good

Daily routines and behavioural boundaries for children have not been confidently agreed between managers and staff. This has led to uncertainty for staff. This has also led to children being confused as to what is expected of them. Managers have identified this shortfall and have plans to address this promptly.

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improvement to be good

Since moving into the home, children have made 2 complaints. Although these were overseen by the organisation’s directors, they were not responded to in line with regulatory requirements. Directors failed to recognise when complaints included allegations about staff. Consequently, appropriate safeguarding procedures were not followed. Investigations were not undertaken, and children did not receive responses to their concerns. Directors do not demonstrate sufficient training or experience in safeguarding and complaint management. Furthermore, the responsible individual Inspection report for children’s home: 2848876 4 did not take appropriate action to address these shortfalls, despite being aware of the complaints.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager was absent from the home during the inspection and has been for several weeks. Directors have recruited a temporary interim manager. The recently appointed deputy manager has started to have some day-to-day oversight and has developed plans covering areas that require improvement. There has been a change of responsible individual, and they have notified Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers’ oversight has not been effective or sufficient. The manager and now the interim manager have not had sufficient oversight of the children’s documents, incident reports or key-work sessions. They have not provided leadership to staff. This has resulted in staff being confused and lacking confidence. Managers have not addressed shortfalls in the children’s relevant documents or provided oversight of the daily running of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Directors have provided some oversight of documentation, in the absence of managers. However, they are not sufficiently experienced or trained to be able to provide guidance and meaningful oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Recent safer recruitment checks for the managers have missing information. Written references were not available. Verbal verification of references could not be provided. Directors have not had sight of original criminal Disclosure and Barring Service certificates to assure themselves that staff are safe to work with vulnerable children. Staff have begun to work in the home without any references being received. The responsible individual and directors had not identified these shortfalls.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do not receive regular professional supervision. They report that they do not feel supported by managers and leaders. Managers do not talk with staff about their care practice and areas for development. Also, a team meeting has not taken place since the children moved into the home. Opportunities to share good practice with staff and agree consistency within the team have not been encouraged.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff have received regular and varied training, including safeguarding and medication training. However, staff are not trained in managing complaints or allegations, which is a key area of risk for the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2848876 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 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

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

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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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’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child.

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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)(a)(b)(c)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to sufficient management oversight from trained, experienced and present leaders in the home.

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Requirement Due date

This also specifically refers to ensuring robust quality assurance and monitoring systems are in place, used regularly and recorded.

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Requirement Due date

This also refers to staff and senior leaders having sufficient training and support to meet the individual needs of the children. 2 September Inspection report for children’s home: 2848876 6 This also specifically refers to staff receiving regular supervisions, as outlined in the home’s statement of purpose, that support their continued development and skills.

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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

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)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to ensuring that risk assessments for the children are completed, up to date and accessible for staff to read and understand.

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Requirement Due date

This also refers to consistent routines, rules and boundaries being in place, which are agreed by staff and children and present in children’s plans.

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Requirement Due date

This also specifically refers to ensuring that records of incidents demonstrate management oversight, reflection and learning. 2 September

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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

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home; 2 September Inspection report for children’s home: 2848876 7 that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i)(c))

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

This also particularly refers to ensuring sufficient information- gathering takes place to inform children’s plans when they move into the home. Also, that consideration is given to the impact of children living together, including when siblings are sharing a room.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may permit an individual to start work at the home despite the fact that the requirement in paragraph (3)(d) has not been met if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person has taken all reasonable steps to obtain full information about each of the matters in Schedule 2 in respect of the individual, but the enquiries in relation to any of the matters in paragraphs 3 to 6 of Schedule 2 are incomplete;

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information in respect of the individual has been obtained in relation to the matters in paragraphs 1 and 2 of Schedule 2;

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the circumstances are exceptional; and

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Requirement Due date

the registered person ensures that the individual is appropriately supervised while carrying out the individual’s duties, pending receipt of any outstanding information on the matters in paragraphs 3 to 6 of Schedule 2, which is then considered satisfactory by the registered person.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must take reasonable steps to ensure that any individual who is working at the home and who does not fall within paragraph (2)(a) and (b) is appropriately supervised while carrying out the individual’s duties. (Regulation 32 (7)(a)(b)(c)(d) (8))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to senior leaders ensuring that satisfactory schedule 2 checks are completed prior to beginning employment of staff, including those in management positions. Where these are not completed, plans and risk assessments are in place to supervise the staff in the home. 2 September Inspection report for children’s home: 2848876 8 Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must establish a procedure for considering complaints made by or on behalf of children.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the procedure must provide that no person who is the subject of a complaint takes any part in its consideration or investigation, except at the informal resolution stage if the registered person considers it appropriate.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that no child is subject to any reprisal for making a complaint or representation.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must supply to HMCI, at HMCI’s request, a statement containing a summary of any complaints made during the preceding twelve months and the action that was taken in response to each complaint. (Regulation 39 (1) (2) (3) (4) (5))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to investigations being carried out when complaints are made, by suitably experienced and knowledgeable senior leaders.

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Requirement Due date

This also particularly refers to ensuring external professionals are informed where there are concerns raised on staff practice, and action taken by management to respond to the concerns.

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Requirement Due date

This also particularly refers to ensuring that records are kept of the complaint, action taken and responses to the child, in line with regulations and the home’s policies. 2 September

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that medicines are administered in line with a medically approved protocol. Records must be kept of the administration of all medication, which includes occasions when prescribed medication is refused. Regulation 23 requires the registered person to ensure that they make suitable arrangements to manage, administer and dispose of any medication. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15) Inspection report for children’s home: 2848876 9

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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: 2848876 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: SH Children’s Home Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 31 Mossgate, Leicester LE3 9JW

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Inspector

Becki Cornes-Sinclair, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2848876 11 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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