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 social and/or emotional difficulties. The registered manager is suitably experienced and qualified.

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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: good

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Good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC404983 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/12/2018 Full Good 30/05/2017 Full Good 20/12/2016 Full Good 22/07/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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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 registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. 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)(1)(3)(d)) This is in relation to the recruitment of agency staff. 31/12/19

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month. The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to— HMCI. (Regulation (44)(1)(7)(a) 31/12/19

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Recommendations

 Staff should understand the system for rewarding and celebrating positive behaviour and recognising where children have managed situations well. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 47, paragraph 9.39) This is in relation to offering consistent rewards and praise for children’s achievements and progress.  Regulation 45 sets out requirements for the registered person to have a system in place which allows them to monitor the matters set out in the regulation. The Inspection report children’s home: SC404983 3 registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. Reviews should be underpinned by the Quality Standards as described in regulations 5 to 14. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the

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Recommendations

quality standards’, page 64-65, paragraph 15.2) This is in relation to incorporating children’s views to inform the development of the service.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children develop trusted and secure relationships with staff. Staff have a good understanding of children’s needs, which helps them to provide children with personalised care. For example, staff understand a child’s autism well and implement a range of mediums to work with him. This varies from visual aids, a clearly planned schedule and regular prompts to help with personal hygiene. Children make progress because they receive the right level of support. Children have a positive experience living in the home and make progress from their starting points. One child told the inspector that, three years ago, ‘I did not think I would still be here.’ The child added that the ‘commitment and determination by staff’ has been the key to her success. This child is now approaching adulthood and is making plans to move to independent living. The home environment is welcoming and staff are nurturing. One child said that it feels

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

like ‘home’. Children therefore develop a sense of belonging. Children enjoy a range of activities in the home and in the community. One child attends a games club, which has boosted his self-confidence and has enabled him to develop his social skills. Another child regularly hosts events to raise money for charity. This increases children’s self-esteem and helps them to make a positive contribution to the lives of others. Children attend school regularly. Collaborative working between staff and teachers helps staff to track children’s progress and respond to issues promptly. For children not in education, staff support children with job applications and alternative training/employment opportunities. With the help of staff, children develop independent living skills at a pace that is right for them. The manager and staff forward plan transitions for children and they have advocated for children to ensure that they move on in a planned way. As a result,

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

children experience positive endings and carefully considered transitions. Staff work with children to ensure that their health needs are met well. Staff support children to attend routine health appointments and work with children on any follow-up advice given by health professionals. For example, staff supported a child to successfully Inspection report children’s home: SC404983 4 address issues with his dental hygiene. This good work promotes children’s health. Generally, staff celebrate and reward children’s achievements and progress. However, this is not consistent, which means that children do not get recognition for their achievements consistently. This may lead to children not recognising some of their progress.

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

Children’s risk assessments are sufficiently detailed and updated by the manager and staff to reflect changes. This enables staff to understand how to minimise and manage risks. Staff implement positive behaviour management strategies well and this helps children to keep safe. Staff support children to take age-appropriate risks. For example, one child is supported to manage the time she spends in the community safely. This enables her to gain confidence and be more independent. Staff work with children to help them understand about safe and healthy relationships. They ensure that children receive age-appropriate advice about sexual health so that they can make informed decisions and develop strategies to protect themselves. Children express their views and explore their behaviours by having regular planned meetings, key-working sessions, as well as day-to-day discussions. Staff consider children’s specific communication needs and respond to these well. Children have access

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

to an advocate. These opportunities enable children to express their views and to contribute to decisions about their lives. The manager and staff follow due process when safeguarding concerns arise. Information is shared promptly with appropriate agencies and issues addressed with efficiency and sensitivity. This helps to keep children safe. The manager works closely with the local police. This good partnership working enables the manager to keep up to date with potential risks in the local area and if there are any issues relating to the home these are quickly addressed. Staff who are recruited by the organisation to work at the home are the subject of thorough recruitment checks. However, this good practice is not extended to the recruitment of agency staff. For example, managers do not scrutinise information provided by the agency about staff’s employment histories, references, and reasons for leaving previous employment. This means that the manager does not always know if

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

only suitable and experienced staff are employed to work in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and understands the strengths and weaknesses of the home. He has high aspirations for children and staff. There is a warm, nurturing and positive approach to children, which is led by the manager. Staff receive regular supervision. The manager uses supervision to talk with staff about their performance, listen to their views and provide reflective discussion about children’s Inspection report children’s home: SC404983 5 needs and plans. The staff have an annual appraisal and new staff receive a good induction. As a result, staff said that they feel supported and valued. Staff work well as a team and are supportive of each other. This means that children receive consistent care and boundaries, which supports their development. The manager is a strong advocate for children and ensures that they receive the services and support that they need. He is able to forward plan and works in partnership with

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

other agencies so that children’s needs are prioritised. Staff undertake a range of mandatory training courses and have access to some face-to- face training. This includes training on national issues such as county lines and radicalisation. This means that staff gain up-to-date knowledge and can develop good practice. Professionals talk positively about staff and managers. They state that staff and the manager have a good understanding of children’s needs and show dedication and commitment to achieve the best outcomes for children. The manager reviews the quality of care provided to children and uses this information to plan how to improve the service. However, the manager has not included views of children in this review to help fully inform him in developing the service. An independent person also visits the home each month; however, these reports have not been sent to Ofsted consistently. This does not allow the regulator to monitor 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: SC404983 6

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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

Shazana Jamal, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC404983 7 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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