Children's Home run by ROC Northwest Limited in Wigan

Inspection report children’s home: 1264537 1 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 privately run children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to five young people who may present with emotional and/or behavioural needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since June 2018. During this inspection, two children were spoken to. Three children were not present throughout the inspection due to holidays.

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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 highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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good

Date of last inspection: 27 February 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1264537 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/02/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 12/07/2018 Full Good 27/02/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 1264537 3

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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, 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 quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child; and

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(i)(ii)) 30/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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 staff— 30/09/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 1264537 4 help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(ii)(iii)(iv)) The protection of children standard

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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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(iv)(vi)) 30/09/2019

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Recommendations

 All managers working in a children’s home must have the qualification in regulation 28(2) within the relevant timescales listed in regulation 28(3). All staff in a care role, including external agency or bank staff, must have the qualification in regulation 32(4) within the relevant timescale listed in regulation 32(5). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’ page 53, paragraph 10.12)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children develop excellent relationships with staff, who know them well. Feedback from children confirms this. When asked what they like about staff members, one child wrote Inspection report children’s home: 1264537 5 in feedback received: ‘[staff member] is funny and kind even when people are angry’. A social worker told the inspector, ‘This is the most settled the young person has been for a long period of time and she has even stated, this is the happiest she has been in a long time.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

During the inspection, some children were on holiday abroad, and all children have enjoyed holidays this year including with staff, school or their friends and family. Children are supported to enjoy relationships with the people that matter to them and have their friends for tea and for overnight sleepovers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know what children enjoy and arrange activities that are fun and engaging. Children are offered a wide range of hobbies and leisure opportunities, such as horse riding, rugby and trampolining.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s emotional health needs are supported. Managers at the home have arranged play therapy for one child in addition to statutory health services provided. Another child benefits from ‘dog therapy’ provided by a charitable trust, arranged by the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are achieving excellent outcomes in education. Children in the home have excellent attendance and are making good progress with attainment and behaviour. Where needed, children are supported in having additional tuition in areas such as English and mathematics. In addition, children are also supported to learn new skills, such as by having swimming and music lessons. A local authority commissioner informed the inspector that children are making ‘significant progress’ in the home.

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

Staff help children to understand risk and how to keep them safe. Incidents are reducing in the home.

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

Excellent use of key-work sessions and group sessions helps increase children’s knowledge and skills in areas such as internet safety, knife crime and exploitation. Discussion with children is supported by supported YouTube educational videos, quizzes and worksheets.

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

There have been no incidents of children going missing since the last inspection.

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

Written risk assessments have improved; however, risk assessments and behaviour management plans do not always provide staff with clear guidance and advice. Furthermore, when guidance is provided, it is not always followed by staff or the most effective strategy to use.

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

In addition, conflict between children is not always managed effectively. This has led to damage within the home that has not always been repaired and maintained to previous good standards. Records do not always adequately reflect staff actions and decision- making. Inspection report children’s home: 1264537 6 One child has recently displayed risky self-harming behaviour. Staff failed to inform the relevant professionals and his plans were not updated to ensure a robust and coordinated response in future.

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

Managers have developed systems for monitoring and reviewing incidents. However, this is not yet supporting them in monitoring trends and patterns. Staff are given opportunities to reflect after incidents of restrictive physical intervention. However, their feedback is not always used to influence change.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is a committed manager who has high aspirations for children and is motivated and passionate about ensuring that children’s needs are met. The manager is supported by an equally committed and enthusiastic deputy manager. The manager has not yet completed the required qualification and is working towards this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has had a significant turnover of staff. Despite this, staff members told the inspector that they feel they have formed a consistent and supportive staff team. In addition to regular supervision and team meetings, regular team-building sessions take place. As a result, children trust staff and have developed positive, genuine and warm relationships. This has contributed to a reduction in incidents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager advocates well for children. When appropriate, the manager challenges professionals to ensure that children are receiving services they require, or their views are heard. Advocacy support is encouraged when required and children are supported to have independent visitors as additional adult relationships separate to the staff. This means that children are given every opportunity to express their wishes and feelings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff spoke highly of the induction and training they receive, which includes online and face-to-face training. Specific training is provided to ensure that staff can meet children’s individual needs, such as self-harm and sexually harmful behaviour training. In addition, staff benefit from workshops presented by professionals in staff meetings and up-to-date research and guidance being presented by the manager. The deputy manager informed the inspector that regular development time is promoted by the manager, which has enabled him to improve his learning.

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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. Inspection report children’s home: 1264537 7 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

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Information about this inspection

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: 1264537 8

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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

Jessica Forshaw, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1264537 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 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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