Children's Home run by ROC Northwest Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report children’s home: SC442402 1 SC442402 Registered provider: Roc Northwest 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 children’s home is owned and managed by a private company. It provides care and accommodation for no more than two children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, physical disabilities and learning disabilities.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people have good relationships with staff who understand and respond to their needs. Inspection report children’s home: SC442402 2  Young people have fun and enjoy a range of activities.  Young people are developing their independence in line with their age and abilities.  The staff work very well with children and young people, their parents and social workers to develop contact arrangements that allow children to see those who are important to them frequently.  Management arrangements are effective in ensuring that young people receive a good quality of care.

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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

 Further work is required to ensure that the staff are trained to promote healthy eating and that young people have a healthy diet.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 10/05/2016 Full Good 16/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/07/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC442402 3

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Statutory requirement

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) 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(s) must comply within given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (3)) 24/1/2018

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Recommendations

 Staff should have the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to help children understand, and where necessary work to change, negative behaviours in key areas of health and well-being such as nutrition and healthy diet. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards, page 35, paragraph 7.18)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people living at this home experience a cosy, relaxed and warm environment. The home is decorated with pictures of the young people who live at the home, and the young people’s bedrooms are furnished and decorated to meet their individual needs. One young person has requested a new bed, having made a complaint to the previous manager about this. The current manager has discussed this issue with the young person, and he has a plan to resolve this issue for the young person and satisfy their wishes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people take part in weekly activities and spend time with staff doing fun and interesting activities. This has helped to build up relationships with staff and has also increased the independence and social skills of young people. As a result of improved behaviour, the ratio of staff needed to supervise and manage young people’s behaviour has also decreased. Young people, supported by staff, have met the targets set for them by the home. This has enabled them to manage their behaviour and emotions, as a result of the work completed with them. One young person’s progress has enabled them to travel independently to school and take part in a residential school trip abroad. Inspection report children’s home: SC442402 4 Another young person’s school told the inspector, ‘He is encouraged to develop life skills and regularly cooks the evening meal. He is supported to become more independent’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Nurturing and caring relationships between the staff and young people are evident. The young people ask staff for hugs and are affectionate towards them. Staff respond to the young people with respect and respond calmly to challenging behaviour. There have recently been some changes of staff in the home. The manager has responded to this by recruiting staff who are already known to the young people and introducing new staff members gradually and in a planned way, so that the young people are not overly disrupted. This has allowed for new relationships to develop in a child-focused and positive way. When asked how he feels about living at the home, one young person commented ‘happy’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff fully support young people to stay in touch with their families and to have a good understanding of their background history and relationships. They work proactively with parents and professionals to ensure that contact arrangements are safe and enjoyable. One parent told the inspector, ‘They let me know everything, I can speak to them anytime and they always let me know things.’ The home has ensured that contact is facilitated to offer quality time between young people and their families, which promotes good relationships. One young person’s independent reviewing officer said, ‘[the home] are extremely supportive and encouraging of contact for my young person. They have welcomed my young person’s family to the home, which has been excellent for my young person and also his family.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are attending school regularly and achieving their targets. Staff at the home have built good relationships with schools and focus not only on the young people’s educational achievements but also on their social and behavioural development. One member of education staff said, ‘Key-workers always attend meetings regarding education… communication between key-workers and college is regular, usually weekly, and a positive means of exchanging any information relevant to the young person’s well- being and education.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people understand their rights as individuals. Regular children’s meetings are held in which young people can raise their views and opinions. Discussion includes positive recognition, and the young people have been nominated for awards recognising achievements of young people looked after. Young people know how to complain and are supported by staff to raise any issues they have in an appropriate way. These practices enable young people to feel valued and have a real say in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff ensure that young people enjoy good health. Young people are registered with appropriate healthcare services and attend all appointments. A clinical psychologist has recently started to work with the staff at the home to support the behaviour needs of the young people and to facilitate life-story work. Young people’s complex health needs are well managed and understood by staff, and the home works well with specialist health services to ensure that young people receive the right care. Staff promote healthy eating. However, despite the efforts of the staff, some young people still choose to eat a limited diet. The management of the home recognises the impact that this may have on the health of the young people and are seeking further support and training to improve Inspection report children’s home: SC442402 5 diet and nutrition for them.

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

The safety and protection of young people living at this home are at the centre of care practice. Risks are well understood by the staff, and effective planning with professionals helps to minimise risks and vulnerabilities for young people. Historical behaviours of young people going missing from home and high levels of restrictive physical intervention have reduced over the last 12 months, making young people safer.

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

The staff fully understand young people’s needs and have plans to guide them in addressing any challenging behaviour in a consistent and positive way. When physical interventions do take place, these are well monitored by the registered manager, who ensures that they are appropriate.

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

New staff are inducted to ensure that they understand plans to keep young people safe and their responsibilities to protect children and young people. An observation of induction during the inspection demonstrated a new member of staff being shown safeguarding procedures and also why these are crucial to ensure the safety of young people and staff. The staff have regular training in safeguarding practice, and organisational policies and procedures are in place to guide staff practice. These measures ensure that there is a culture of safety and protection in the home.

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

The staff work with children and young people to educate them in keeping themselves safe. For example, young people receive guidance from staff on using the internet and social media safely and the dangers of smoking. One young person has completed key- work sessions with staff to work towards having a new smartphone, following some safety concerns. This work has enabled the young person to demonstrate knowledge of mobile phone safety and have a better understanding of risks, to ensure that he has the skills to keep himself safe.

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

Young people and their families are encouraged to raise their ideas or complaints in various ways, including being offered independent advocacy services. However, not all complaints raised have been recorded in line with regulation to show the actions taken to resolve complaints. Additionally, a complaint by a young person has not been resolved in a timely way. This is something that the current registered manager has recognised, and action has been taken to ensure resolution of this complaint.

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

The staff are recruited and selected through a process that takes account of safer recruitment practice to promote the safety of young people. This includes checks with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and references from previous employers, and continued monitoring by the registered manager. This helps to guard against unsafe adults working here.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Inspection report children’s home: SC442402 6 The current manager has submitted his application to be registered with Ofsted, having had a handover from the previous registered manager and the opportunity to work alongside him as part of the transition. He has management experience and suitable experience in working with children and young people who have emotional and behavioural needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a clear vision for the service and is fully aware of the strengths and areas for development for the home. For example, the refurbishment and extension of the sensory area is highlighted as an area of improvement. Quality audit systems are in place and provide an overview of care practice, review of independent monitoring and self-evaluation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff spoken with during the inspection said that they enjoy their work, and they are highly complementary of the manager and their team members. One member of staff said, ‘[The manager] listens, is available and wants to make things even better.’ Staff members spoke about young people with positive regard, understanding and wanting what is best for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular training, supervisions and team meetings to keep them up to date on emerging information. The staff are suitably qualified or working towards this. There are sufficient numbers of staff members working at the home consistently to provide stability for children and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Records reflect the needs of children and young people and ways in which the staff are meeting them. The records give a clear impression of how children and young people are doing on a daily basis. This reflects the manager’s commitment to promoting their success.

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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 differences 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 whom 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: SC442402 7 Inspection report children’s home: SC442402 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Roc House, Ward Green Lane, Ribchester, Preston, Lancashire PR3 3YB

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Inspector

Jessica Forshaw, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC442402 9 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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