Children's Home run by Roundhouse Care in Staffordshire

Inspection report children's home: SC425859 1 SC425859 Registered provider: Roundhouse Care Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home, which is operated by a private provider, is registered to provide care and accommodation for three young people 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 requires improvement to be 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: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC425859 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff support children’s and young people’s learning and help them to improve their educational outcomes.  Children and young people love living at the home, and benefit from successful and settled placements.  Children and young people feel safe and protected.  Children’s and young people’s behaviour is improving significantly.  Care planning is child centred and effective.

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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

 The manager does not always report significant events to Ofsted or seek guidance from the appropriate agencies.  The independent visitor does not always provide to Ofsted a copy of the monthly monitoring report.  The manager does not ensure that there is no more than 50% agency staff on duty at all times.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 17/11/2016 Full Outstanding 24/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 05/01/2016 Full Good Inspection report children's home: SC425859 3

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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

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff— understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12(1), (2)(a)(v)(vii)) 30/04/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there has been an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40(4)(c)) 30/04/2018

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to HMCI. (Regulation 44(7)(a)) 30/04/2018

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Recommendations

 Ensure that no more than half the staff on duty at any time, by day or night at the home should be from an external agency. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.17)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people form good, healthy relationships with each other and with staff. They are happy and enjoy living at the home. A young person said, ‘I like living here. It is the second best place I have lived. I get on really good with the staff. I get on with (the other young people); we have our moments, but we are like brother and sister.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are extremely knowledgeable about the individual needs of children and young Inspection report children's home: SC425859 4 people. Care planning is thorough. As a result, the quality of care that children and young people receive is good. An external professional provided a survey response to Ofsted and said, ‘The young people strive towards and achieve their desires and aspirations. This is completed in a safe environment where the young people are involved with decision-making.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people benefit from the stability that the home provides. They make good progress from their starting points. Staff work in excellent partnership with professionals, parents and carers, and they are passionate about their work. Good, collaborative working helps children and young people to thrive and receive coordinated care. An independent visitor said, ‘It is without doubt that children’s welfare is promoted here and that children are progressing and improving in this home.’ In addition, a social worker said, ‘The levels of communication between staff (name of the home) and the local authority are among the best that I have encountered in my career to date, and certainly the best on my caseload at present.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people enjoy a wide range of activities that enhance their emotional and physical health. A young person said, ‘I am very busy most of the time. I go out to youth club, M3 dance and the voice project. I am planning a glamping holiday this year. I also went to the Harry Potter studio in London.’ As a result, children and young people contribute to their community, learn new skills and have experiences that enrich their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people are able to stay in touch with their families and friends. Staff support contact arrangements, and this helps children and young people to develop and improve their relationships with people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children and young people attend school or college. They make good progress with their attainment and attendance. A staff member said, ‘(Name of the child) is now in 6th form and will be going to college. She did all the research herself around the college placement and (visited) without any support from staff.’ Children and young people are positive about their learning experiences and develop aspirations for their futures. A young person said, ‘The best thing is getting into college. I am really happy about it. I start in September.’ When children and young people struggle with their behaviour in school, staff work in excellent partnership with education professionals to find ways of helping them to overcome their difficulties. Care staff have shared helpful information with education staff about behaviour management. This has helped the education staff to manage one young person better and the use of physical intervention in school is

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

reducing. This is a significant progress from where they were at the last full inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people are fit and well, because they have access to a balanced, healthy diet and take regular exercise. They attend routine health appointments, and this promotes their well-being. Inspection report children's home: SC425859 5

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improvement to be good

Managers and staff do not always follow procedures when concerns are raised about a child’s or young person’s welfare. Investigations into allegations are not always carried out in partnership with external professionals. For example, staff asked questions of a young person when they made an allegation about a colleague. This was before they had informed the designated officer for safeguarding and taken advice about how to proceed. Not following due process has the potential to compromise investigations into allegations of harm.

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improvement to be good

Children and young people say that they like living at the home and feel safe. Staff know the children and young people well, because they spend valuable time getting to know them. High staffing levels mean that children and young people are provided with good levels of supervision. This promotes their safety and welfare.

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improvement to be good

Children and young people do not go missing from the home. Nevertheless, staff are clear about what action they need to take should a child go missing. Furthermore, they work with the local police and share information about the vulnerability of the children and young people who live at the home. As a result, relevant agencies are well informed and well prepared to act in the event that a child or young person goes missing from the home. Staff implement good behaviour management plans. They identify the triggers to children and young people’s behaviour and respond well to the challenges that they present. This keeps children and young people safe. Children and young people do not always follow the rules and adhere to the boundaries. When situations escalate, the staff use physical intervention to keep young people and others safe. Trained staff use this as a last resort. Staff deal with behaviour in a fair and proportionate way. Children and

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improvement to be good

young people receive consequences, when necessary. Staff also praise and reward children’s and young people’s positive behaviour. This helps children and young people to manage their own behaviour more appropriately.

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improvement to be good

Staff carry out routine fire drills and safety checks. Good fire safety procedures ensure that staff, children, young people and visitors know how to leave the building safely in the event of a fire at the home.

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improvement to be good

Children and young people feel safer at the home now that they have settled in. In particular, they are more settled at night. As a result, the night sensor alarm is no longer needed to help children and young people to feel safe. This shows the progress that they have made and how much more secure they feel.

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improvement to be good

The manager has not received any complaints about the home. Children and young people are provided with a children’s guide that helps them to understand how to make a complaint. Advocacy services are available to support children and young people. This makes sure that their voices are heard. Inspection report children's home: SC425859 6

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

The home is led by an experienced registered manager who has been in post since April 2011. He has a level 4 national vocational qualification in leadership and management for children’s services. The registered manager is ably supported by a deputy manager who holds a level 5 diploma in management for children’s services. A skilled, knowledgeable and largely qualified workforce cares for children and young people. Staff who do not have a level 3 diploma or equivalent are within the timescale to undertake this.

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

The manager uses additional staff from an agency to cover staff shortages and to supplement staffing ratios. The manager does not ensure that there is always an appropriate balance of permanent staff working at the home at all times. For example, during some weekend shifts there have been two agency staff and one permanent staff member working at the home. A recommendation is raised to address this shortfall.

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

The home is monitored monthly by an independent visitor. Reports are provided to the manager, but there has been a significant delay in them being sent to Ofsted. This does not enable the regulator to monitor the home’s progress. The manager undertakes his own internal monitoring and provides a bi-annual report to Ofsted in line with regulation.

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

The manager has not notified Ofsted of two significant events at the home. This means that Ofsted is unable to review what happened and evaluate whether the manager has taken appropriate action.

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

The staff receive regular supervision and training that enable them to reflect on and develop their practice. The manager provides exceptional support to his staff. His patience, dedication and sensitive approach help the staff to feel at ease. As a result, staff work in good partnership with the management team and each other. A staff member said, ‘The managers are great. I have good, regular, monthly supervision. I have had an appraisal. My deputy is happy with me, and she does give me feedback on my performance. Training is brilliant! Lots of good training is offered.’ Children and young people contribute to the staff’s appraisals by giving feedback to the manager. One child commented about a staff member and said, ‘She helps me with school and home. She helps me to get to know new people. She is so caring. She comes to work every day with a happy face like she wants to be there, which makes me happy.’

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

New staff benefit from a good induction and probation process that provides them with insight into their role and what is expected of them.

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

In most regards, staff work in accordance with the statement of purpose. They provide effective care that helps children and young people to make good progress. A staff member said, ‘We know that we are achieving our outcomes by the fact that children are improving. They are attending education, going to appointments and improving their behaviour.’ Inspection report children's home: SC425859 7

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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 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’.

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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: SC425859 8 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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