Children's Home run by ROC Northwest Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC483688 1 SC483688

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Roc Northwest Ltd

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private company. The home provides care and support for up to seven young people who can no longer live at home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in January 2020 but has been in post since May 2019.

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This monitoring visit

An unannounced monitoring visit was undertaken on 10 August 2020. The purpose of the visit was to explore the action taken by the home following an incident that took place on the 1 August 2020. In particular, the behaviour management strategies, risk assessments and plans to support young people.

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This monitoring visit

Behaviour management plans do not demonstrate the actions that staff should take in response to specific behaviours. Therefore, staff are not taking a balanced approach to managing young people’s behaviour.

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This monitoring visit

Physical interventions are not always recorded, for example, when staff are ‘guiding’ young people. Records of physical interventions do not contain all of the required information. Overall, the behaviour management strategies are not effective and are not helping young people to change their behaviour.

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This monitoring visit

Following the incident on the 1 August 2020, a young person was asked to, ‘rest and relax’ in their bedroom. However, a member of staff was sat outside their bedroom and ‘guided’ them back to their bedroom on four occasions. This is a deprivation of the young person’s liberty. This was not authorised by the placing authority and there are no plans or risk assessments to support this.

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This monitoring visit

Ineffective action is taken in response to bullying in the home. Staff failed to take action when a young person asked them to stop the other young people from hitting Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC483688 2 them. Similarly, little action was taken in response to a young person’s requests to move bedroom because of another young person’s behaviour.

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This monitoring visit

Risk reduction strategies are poor. Staff have failed to update young people’s risk assessments and behaviour management plans following significant incidents in the home. This means that there is no cohesive approach to managing known risks.

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This monitoring visit

There is limited information recorded about a safeguarding disclosure that was made by a young person including whether any action was taken following this disclosure. The registered manager also failed to inform Ofsted of this matter in line with regulation.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager and deputy manager both stated that the staff ‘lost control of the situation.’ Also, that staff did not manage another incident well, which resulted in staff breaking a window to gain access to the annex. The recording of these incidents is poor and there has been a delay in the manager’s review of these. This shows a lack of insight into the severity of the situation and plans to prevent a reoccurrence.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 03/10/2019 Full Good 11/07/2018 Full Good 11/01/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/04/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC483688 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 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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(vii)(ix)(xi)(xii)(xiii)) 30/09/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC483688 4 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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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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)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)) * 30/09/2020

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(c)(h)) 30/09/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC483688 5 Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

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Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child);

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Requirement Due date

serious damage to the property of any person (including the child).

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate.

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Requirement Due date

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—

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details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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a description of the measure and its duration;

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details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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has spoken to the user about the measure; and 30/09/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC483688 6 has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv)) The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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are signed and dated by the author of each entry.

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

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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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Inspectors

Chris Scully, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC483688 7 Marie Cordingley, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC483688 8 to 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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