Children's Home run by Roundhouse Care in Staffordshire

Inspection report children's home: SC404983 1 SC404983 Registered provider: Roundhouse Care Ltd

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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 is a privately owned children‟s home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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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

Date of last inspection: 20 December 2016

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Good Inspection report children's home: SC404983 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people enjoy living at the home. Relationships between staff and young people are good. Young people like the staff team.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people have positive experiences. They enjoy time in the community, attend faith groups, and have access to leisure activities of their choice.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people contribute to the community and take part in fundraising for charity.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people‟s learning opportunities improve.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people say that they feel safe and know that staff care for them. Young people understand their own vulnerabilities and work hard to manage them.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The environment is safe from hazards. Young people rarely go missing from care and physical intervention is not used.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff are safely recruited and staffing levels are sufficient to provide good support to the young people.

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Key findings from this inspection

 A passionate, dedicated and long-standing manager who knows the needs of the young people in his care leads the home.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Partnership working is effective. Social workers and other professionals speak highly about the manager and how he communicates well with them.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff are supervised and trained well. They are competent at their jobs and they understand the ethos and values of the statement of purpose.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children‟s home‟s areas for development

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff do not always seek advice from health professionals before administering non-prescribed medication.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The manager does not always record outcomes of complaints.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The manager has not updated the staff details in the statement of purpose. Inspection report children's home: SC404983 3  Two staff recruitment files do not hold photographic identification.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The registered manager‟s supervision is not adequately recorded.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/12/2016 Full Good 22/07/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 25/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 04/01/2016 Full Good Inspection report children's home: SC404983 4

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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, 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

10. The health and well-being standard is that the health and well-being needs of children are met.

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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 has access to such medical advice and treatment the child may require. (Regulation 10(1) and (2)(c)) 30/06/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children‟s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. (Regulation 16(1)) 30/06/2017

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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. (Regulation 39(3)) 30/06/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only employ an individual to work at the children‟s home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). 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. (Regulation 32(3)(d)) 30/06/2017

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Recommendation

 Ensure a record of supervision is kept for staff, including the manager. The record should provide evidence that the supervision is being delivered in line with regulation. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 61, paragraph 13.3)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two young people have moved into the home since the last inspection, which was carried out in December 2016. The young people enjoy living at the home and have positive experiences. Staff help young people to access activities of their choice. They Inspection report children's home: SC404983 5 enjoy time in the community, attend faith groups, and have access to leisure activities. As a result, their self-esteem and confidence grows. A young person said, „I like horse riding and looking after the horses. I want to work with animals. Things are going really well. I have joined the police cadets and I quite like it. I was really shy, but the staff there were really helpful.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make a positive contribution to their community. Both young people have a keen interest in fundraising for charity. They have taken part in sponsored walks to raise money. A young person is preparing for her next venture and said, „I am now preparing to do a sponsored walk to raise money for injured animals.‟ This positive attitude helps young people to make a difference to the society that they live in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between staff and young people are good. Both young people speak highly of staff and the manager. The young people trust and respect staff; they know that staff have their best interests at heart. Sometimes relationships between the young people can be fraught. However, both young people try hard to work around their differences to understand each other. A young person said, „I do get on with the other young person, but we do have our disagreements. Staff always try to help us to understand each other‟s differences and this does usually help us to sort out the issues.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have access to health services and attend routine appointments to keep themselves fit and well. However, one young person was given a topical cream by staff for an ailment. The cream was not prescribed. There was no evidence that staff sought medical advice prior to providing the cream. This approach does not guarantee that young people receive the appropriate treatment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have full-time education placements, but have recently faced barriers to attending their school. The manager works in partnership with the education staff team to help young people re-engage when they refuse to attend or wish to change schools. A young person said, „I don‟t go to school. I can‟t manage it at the moment. I am preparing for my GCSEs. I complete school work at home. I want to go to college and then to university.‟ This helps young people to continue with their learning and have aspirations for their future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people remain in contact with family and friends who are important to them. This ensures that bonds are strengthened and important family ties remain intact.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are confident and know how to make their feelings known. They feel listened to and know staff will act on their wishes when they can, or will try to compromise when they cannot. For example, during one evening meal young people were discussing the meal that was planned for the next day. One young person asked that it be changed, as she had not contributed to the meal planning that week. Staff listened to her view and changed the menu plan to reflect her choice. As a result, young people feel staff value, take action on, and listen to their opinions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people take responsibility for their futures by improving their independence skills. They complete household chores such as shopping, cooking, cleaning and laundry. They Inspection report children's home: SC404983 6 take pride in their appearance. Staff encourage young people to budget effectively. This helps young people prepare for when they leave the home.

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

Young people are safe and protected from harm. Robust staffing levels provide one-to- one support for each young person. This ensures that young people receive the help they need to stay safe. A young person said, „I‟m happy here. The staff are really nice. It feels homely. I class them all as my family; they are there for you all the time. You can tell that they care. I used to self-harm, but I don‟t anymore. I have never had so much support.‟

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

Young people rarely go missing and incidents of this nature have significantly reduced since the last inspection. For example, one young person told the inspector she had been missing on two occasions since moving to the home, but had not been missing after those occasions. This is because staff provide high levels of support. Staff know how to respond to the signs that indicate a young person may go missing. There is a clear protocol with the police to report incidents. This keeps young people safe.

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

The manager works closely with the local police. Regular updates are provided by the manager to the police about any issues relating to the home. This ensures that any incidents requiring police intervention are attended to immediately.

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

The recruitment process ensures that potential candidates are vetted prior to being employed. This makes sure that young people are safe from unsuitable adults. Three staff have been safely recruited since December 2016. However, two staff recruitment files do not hold a photograph of the staff as required by regulation.

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

Young people understand their own individual vulnerabilities. They work hard with staff and other professionals to manage the behaviours that have the potential to put them at risk. The staff regularly review risks and put strategies in place to help young people to be more aware of the dangers they may place themselves in. This helps young people to manage their feelings and emotions better. As a result, physical intervention has not been required.

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

Sanctions are sometimes imposed by staff. Young people feel that the measures are fair. A young person said, „I had one sanction. This was fair and it was due to barging into the office to get my laptop. My activities were stopped for the day.‟ Praise is often given to young people in recognition of their achievements or good gestures. For example, young people are praised if they help to clear away after dinner, without needing to be prompted. As a result, young people develop socially acceptable behaviour. A social worker said, „Staff manage her really well. Since she moved in there have been no issues with self-harm, drugs or alcohol. She does not smoke, or go missing. She has come a long way.‟

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

Staff respect the privacy of young people. For example, young people say that staff do not enter their bedrooms without knocking. Young people know how to complain and Inspection report children's home: SC404983 7 feel that they can go to staff to raise concerns in confidence. No complaints have been made by young people since the last inspection. Young people have access to independent advocates. This ensures that they have an independent voice if needed. A young person said, „My advocate comes to my reviews. I know how to make a complaint. Staff help me to resolve issues with the other young person when conflict arises.‟

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

Staff are provided with safeguarding training that helps them to recognise signs and symptoms of abuse. Recent training has also included radicalisation. This keeps staff up to date with current legislation and best practice. As a result, young people are protected from harm.

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

Health and safety arrangements keep the home free from hazards that cause harm. Fire checks and drills are completed routinely. Young people and staff take part in fire drills to ensure that they are aware of how to respond in the event of a fire. This keeps all who live and work in the home, and those who visit the home, safe in the event of a fire evacuation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is dedicated to and passionate about his role. He has been in post for seven years and is suitably qualified to level 4 in leadership and management of children‟s services. A skilled workforce supports him. Those who are not qualified are expected to complete their qualifications within the timescales required by regulation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a clear understanding of young people‟s individual needs. He drives the staff team to support young people in line with their care plans, and is always available to offer support and advice to young people and staff. Young people speak highly of the manger and say how much they like him. This view is also mirrored by staff. A young person said, „The staff were really nice to me when I arrived, the manager is really nice.‟

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Partnership working with other agencies is effective. The manager is proactive. He takes effective action to remedy any shortfalls and makes sure that young people receive access to the services that they need. He works exceptionally well with social workers and education services to make sure young people‟s views and wishes are heard. A social worker said, „It has been a pleasure working with the manager. He is great. He always attends any meetings. You don‟t always see this in other homes. I am really happy with the care and have no concerns. The manager keeps me updated every week.‟

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager provides staff with regular supervision. Staff undertake appropriate training. The staff feel supported by the manager. A new staff member said, „I am happy working in the home. I am completing my induction and have enrolled to complete my level 3 diploma.‟ As a result, staff feel valued and part of the team. Although the manager confirmed he does have supervision with the responsible individual, there are no records of these conversations. Inspection report children's home: SC404983 8 The statement of purpose has been revised and sent to Ofsted. However, it does not include a list to show the staff‟s experience and qualifications. The young person‟s guide has also been updated and is more user-friendly. It is clear to see that the staff understand the ethos outlined in the statement of purpose because they implement it in practice. This has helped young people to respect staff and the boundaries that they set.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager reviews the quality of care provided and uses this information to plan how to improve the service. An independent person also visits the home each month. These systems ensure that monitoring is effective. The manager takes action to remedy any shortfalls identified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has taken action to address the four requirements made at the last inspection. Food is now stored safely in the fridge and freezers. Routine monitoring of the temperatures keeps the food safe. Notifications are now sent to Ofsted without delay, when significant events occur. Fire safety checks are completed in line with the home‟s policy and procedures. This keeps everyone safe. Complaints are now recorded. However, the record of one recent complaint does not show the outcome.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is maintained to a good standard. It has been redecorated since the last inspection and the office carpet has been replaced. Young people take pride in the home; their bedrooms reflect their individual personalities and are also well presented.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and young people and their families. In addition, the inspectors have tried to understand what the children‟s home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

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 children's home: SC404983 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Roundhouse Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Ventura House, Ventura Park Road, Tamworth, Staffordshire B78 3HL

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Inspector

Michelle Spruce: social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC404983 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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