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

The home is one of a number of homes operated by a private provider. It provides care and accommodation for up to two young people who may have emotional and/or social difficulties, and learning and/or physical disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The current manager has managed the home since late August 2019. He has recently applied for registration with Ofsted.

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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 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

Date of last inspection: 7 November 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC442402 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/11/2018 Full Outstanding 06/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 10/05/2016 Full Good 16/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC442402 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 leadership and management standard The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(h)) 21/02/2020

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Requirement Due date

Behaviour management policies and records The registered person must ensure that— within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— the name of the child; details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; the date, time and location of the use of the measure; a description of the measure and its duration; details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”) and of any other person present when the measure was used; the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(a)) 21/02/2020

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Recommendations

 Ensure that when the placing authority does not provide the input and services needed to meet a child’s needs during their time in the home, the home challenges them to meet the child’s needs. Staff should act as champions for their Inspection report children’s home: SC442402 4 children, expecting nothing less than a good parent would. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 12, paragraph 2.8) In particular, ensure that life-story work is prioritised for one young person living in the home.  Ensure that children have access to a computer and the internet to support their education and learning, unless there are specific safeguarding reasons why this would be inappropriate. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 29, paragraph 5.19)  Ensure that staff support children to be aware of and manage their own safety both inside and outside the home to the extent that any good parent would. Staff

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Recommendations

should help children to understand how to protect themselves, feel protected and be protected from significant harm. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.9)  Ensure that staff are 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 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is a small family home. Young people who live here benefit from living in a homely environment. Young people can personalise their own spaces, so that their familiar things are around them. This helps them feel at ease. They enjoy spending time here and rarely cause damage on purpose.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both of the current residents attend school regularly and are making sound progress. The staff’s liaison with schools is effective. One teacher commented in feedback taken by the home, ‘Communication is good and there is a shared ethos between home and school.’ This ensures that information is not lost, and information given to young people is consistent.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have positive relationships with staff and they respect and value their opinions and advice. Staff work well together. They have a consistent approach and routines in the home are adhered to. This has helped to stabilise young people, as they feel safe and secure here. One young person said, ‘I like it here. Staff are always there when I need them.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC442402 5 Staff support young people to have contact with family members wherever possible. They appreciate the significance of these relationships. Staff will go the extra mile to ensure that these contacts are maintained. One young person enjoys a visit from a family member weekly, during which the family member stays to settle the young person to bed. The young person looks forward to this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The quality of young people’s records is variable. While they clearly demonstrate young people’s progress and achievements, detail in the recording of significant incidents is sometimes weak. Important detail has not always been included and records do not cross-reference easily with other records in the home. This makes it difficult to get a true picture of events, and hinders reflection and learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a good understanding of young people’s needs. Although the current residents have very different needs, they are compatible and share some common interests They both enjoy arts and crafts activities, which staff are promoting. Similarly, staff are encouraging young people to increase their independence skills when they feel they are ready to take the next step.

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

Young people are settled in this home and trust the staff who care for them. They feel safe and secure here. They live in a warm, friendly and supportive environment. Good staffing levels ensure that young people have support from staff when they need it.

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

Staff understand young people’s needs and risks. Risk assessments contain pertinent information and strategies for staff to implement to reduce risk. They are also subject to regular review. A system for monitoring an increase in behaviours of concern has been introduced, following discussion at this inspection.

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

Staff are trained in behaviour management, including restraint. However, they know the young people well and can successfully de-escalate most challenging situations. Physical interventions are rarely required. However, during this inspection period, a young person was placed for a period of four days, in an emergency, from another home in the organisation. This was a difficult time and, despite some staff who were known to the young person transferring with her, she remained in a heightened state throughout her stay here. Several physical interventions were required during this period, along with police and ambulance assistance, to ensure the safety of both the young person and others.

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

Young people do not engage in risk-taking behaviour. They do not smoke, drink alcohol or use drugs. However, they are vulnerable to exploitation, given their situations and needs. They do not currently have access to a computer in the home, and do not own mobile phones. While this may be protecting them from these situations currently, young people should have access to such communication devices, just as other young people of their age do, with staff help and support. Individual work on online safety and child exploitation would help prepare them for these risks. Inspection report children’s home: SC442402 6 Current residents do not put themselves at risk by going missing from the home. However, when this became a cause of concern for a former resident, staff took appropriate action to try to locate the young person and liaised with other safeguarding bodies.

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

Young people receive support that helps them to learn how to take responsibility for their own behaviour and make good choices. The ethos of the home is to reward good behaviour, rather than sanction poor behaviour. Incentive charts help target specific behaviours. Ad hoc rewards also ensure that young people’s positive choices are recognised.

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

There has been no registered manager for almost a year. The current manager has worked in the home since August 2019, but there has been a delay in his application for registration with Ofsted, as this has only recently been received. He is appropriately experienced and qualified. He is enthusiastic about making positive changes in the home. There have been other staff changes over the last year, but the manager is confident that this has now stabilised. The majority of the staff have yet to obtain their level 3 qualification, although a number are now working towards this. This will ensure that all staff have the required knowledge to support their practice.

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

Staff complete core training as part of their induction to the home. Staff spoke positively about the quality of this, and about the support they receive generally. Training to meet the specific needs of young people resident in the home is identified if required. Staff are shortly going to be completing Makaton training, as one young person uses this method of communication at school. They hope this continuity of communication method will make it easier for the young person to transition between home and school.

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

This inspection has identified weaknesses in management monitoring and oversight. A requirement was also made in relation to such concerns at the last inspection. If the internal and external monitoring of the home was sufficiently robust, these matters would already have been addressed. This includes poor-quality recording, difficulty in cross-referencing records in the home, and a missing physical intervention record.

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

The manager is quick to respond to suggestions for improvement. He has recently introduced a new format for providing social workers with a weekly update, in response to their suggestion. He also made several changes during this inspection. Generally, professionals are positive about staff communication. However, one young person is waiting for life-story work and is clearly confused about her background. She has identified this herself and a psychological assessment reinforces this. Additional pressure from the manager may help to expedite this. Inspection report children’s home: SC442402 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 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 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

Mandy Williams: 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 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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