Children's Home run by ROC Northwest Limited in North Yorkshire

Inspection report children‟s home: 1277380 1 Registered provider: Roc Northwest 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 provides care and accommodation for five children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is operated by a private provider. This is the home‟s first inspection since registration on 22 June 2018. The manager registered with Ofsted on 22 June 2018.

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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: not applicable

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Good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: 1277380 2

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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 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. The registered person must— keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16(a)(b) and Schedule 1)) 09/04/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40(4)(c)) 09/04/2019

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Recommendations

 Children must be consulted regularly on their views about the home‟s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 22, paragraph 4.11) This specifically relates to the children and young people‟s placement care plans being individualised.  Staff should be familiar with the home‟s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page

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Recommendations

62, paragraph 14.4) This specifically relates to the children and young people‟s physical intervention records. Inspection report children‟s home: 1277380 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people feel welcome at the home. The registered manager ensures that the referral information and matching processes are thorough and effective. Only children and young people whose needs staff can meet are admitted. At the same time, there is continuity of good care for the children and young people already living at the home. Children and young people living at the home make good progress in all aspects of their development. Staff know the children and young people well and have positive relationships with them. Consistent care has helped the children and young people to develop their confidence and self-esteem. Consequently, they are socialising more and enjoy spending time with friends in and out of the home. Staff provide children and young people with the encouragement, guidance and support to make progress in their social, emotional and behavioural development. For example, children and young people who were previously anxious and shy now engage in a variety

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

of activities in the community. This is a significant achievement for the children and young people from the time that they came to live in the home. Children and young people are encouraged to take part in a rich variety of activities and charitable events. These arrangements develop their social skills and help them to learn to take calculated risks. Independence plans are considered for those young people coming of age and independent travel plans ensure that these young people have the knowledge and skills to keep themselves safe. Children and young people attend local health appointments, join clubs and take regular exercise to promote their good health. Staff demonstrate a clear understanding about how to administer and accurately record prescribed and non-prescribed medications. Daily checks on medication records ensure that all medication in the home is accountable. Staff understand the importance of children and young people feeling valued and

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

listened to. Weekly house meetings, supported by fortnightly key-worker sessions, provide opportunities for the young people to discuss a wide range of topics. Feedback given to children and young people is evident in the records kept in the home. This ensures that children and young people know that their views, wishes and feelings have been listened to and acted on. Children and young people‟s life chances improve. They are appropriately challenged in their education. Children and young people who have experienced chaotic placements and refused to engage in education in the past have improved attendance and progress. The family environment created in the home supports young people‟s social skills and enables young people to flourish. Children and young people‟s progress is evident, particularly in school, college and training opportunities. Care planning is good and ensures that the children and young people receive the best

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

possible care. Leaders and managers and staff demonstrate a good understanding of the children and young people‟s needs and the strategies to address these. However, the Inspection report children‟s home: 1277380 4 children and young people‟s care placement plans and „all about me‟ plans are not individualised. As a result, a recommendation is made. The home is well equipped, spacious and provides children and young people with privacy. Their bedrooms are personalised with items brought from home or purchased while living in the home. The garden space is landscaped, secured and the rural location provides an idyllic location for the children and young people to relax and settle into their environment. Leaders, managers and staff are good at encouraging contact between young people and their parents, carers and extended family members. Staff facilitate transport and support the children and young people to make sure that contact visits go ahead as

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

planned. A social worker said, „They [staff] go above and beyond in terms of contact and supporting my children and young people placed at the home. I wish there were more homes like this one.‟

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

The children and young people are kept safe and protected. Staff have completed safeguarding training which is appropriately focused on the challenges faced in and outside of children‟s homes. Children and young people‟s risk assessments are appropriately detailed, reviewed regularly and followed in practice. Children and young people told the inspector that they feel safe and cared for living in this home. Leaders and managers and staff know each child or young person‟s vulnerabilities. Staff thoroughly plan how they can protect the children and young people while helping them to develop skills, recognise risks and increase their independence. The children and young people do not go missing, nor are they at risk of exploitation. Police officers regularly have a presence in the home to build up positive relationships with the children and young people. During these visits to the home, the police officers

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

share key information with the children and staff. This includes what to watch out for and how children and young people can protect themselves from grooming, county lines, criminality and gangs. Effective links have been established with external agencies charged with protecting children and young people. Behaviour management at the home is mostly effective and encourages positive behaviour from the children and young people. Incentives and rewards for positive behaviour help to reduce incidents of negative behaviour. Staff and the children and young people have a clear understanding of what is expected to ensure that behaviour is appropriate. Staff use de-escalation and distraction techniques to good effect. This means that, in most instances, staff can help children and young people who are feeling anxious or frustrated to calm down. When staff use physical interventions, they are reflective and analytical about these incidents. However, the records of some physical interventions are

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

lengthy and unclear, making them difficult to review. As a result, a recommendation is made. This is to ensure that careful, objective, and clear recording is maintained in the physical intervention records kept in the home. Inspection report children‟s home: 1277380 5 Recruitment practice is thorough, and such routine practice makes an essential contribution towards ensuring that the children and young people are not cared for by unsuitable adults.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the home‟s registration on 22 June 2018, the home‟s managers have been the foundation of this home, driving improvements and supporting staff. The registered manager is supported by the home‟s manager, deputy manager and two team leaders. Leaders and managers are actively involved in the day-to-day operation of the home. They prioritise the children and young people‟s welfare and focus on improving outcomes for them. Together, they know the home‟s strengths and weaknesses and have clear, deliverable development plans in place. Some of the staff are new to children‟s services and they told the inspector that, through induction, supervision and training, they feel supported by the leaders and managers. Inclusive of the registered manager, 15 staff work in this home, of which five have completed their level 3 or higher qualification. Nine staff are enrolled to complete their level 3 qualification within regulatory timescales and one new staff member will be

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

enrolled once her induction is complete. Staff receive regular supervision at a frequency and level that appropriately reflects their knowledge and experience. They feel that their induction was thorough and that they are well supported. Appropriate training is regularly delivered, and staff are therefore well prepared to offer a good level of care to the children and young people. Staff and the children and young people are accepting of each other‟s individual identities and behaviours. This has led to young people making progress and enjoying their time living in the home. The statement of purpose provides an accurate description of the aims and objectives of the home. However, some information within this document is factually incorrect. The registered manager addressed these inaccuracies during the inspection. However, Ofsted has not routinely been advised of changes to the document. As a result, a requirement is

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

made to ensure that the statement of purpose is kept under review. A theoretical model of care has been adopted in the home. This provides the basis from which children and young people can make progress and can be supported in a nurturing environment. The staff are trained on this model of care, although their complete knowledge of the model is work in progress. Research-informed practice is imbedded within the home‟s development plans, although it is too early to judge if this has been effectively used in the home. The registered manager‟s internal monitoring and reviewing systems are effective and ensure that the children and young people‟s progress is reflected within their plans. The registered manager challenges partner agencies when required. This ensures that partner agencies fulfil their obligations towards the children and young people‟s care and progress. An independent person visits the home each month and reports on their

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

findings. The registered manager welcomes the constructive criticism in these reports Inspection report children‟s home: 1277380 6 and she acts on the recommendations made. Since the home‟s registration, two notifiable incidents in the home have occurred. The records in the home do provide an audit trail of how these have been responded to and concluded that no further action is needed. However, Ofsted has only received one notification. As a result, a requirement is made. This is to ensure that Ofsted is notified, in line with regulation, when there is a safeguarding concern in the home.

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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: 1277380 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Roc Northwest Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 5th Floor, Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 1AG

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Inspector

Mark Kersh, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: 1277380 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted Inspection report children‟s home: 1277380 9

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