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 8 September 2020 by two social care regulatory inspectors. The purpose of the visit was to explore the action taken by the home following a compliance notice that was issued on 14 August 2020. In particular, the behaviour management strategies, risk assessments, bullying, deprivation of liberty and plans to support young people.

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This monitoring visit

Behaviour management plans are improving and in the main demonstrate the actions staff should take to support young people. Some behaviour management plans lack clarity about what specific behaviour looks like, such as ‘aggressive behaviour’. Risk assessments and behaviour plans state that staff should stop young people play-fighting. This, however, is not consistently applied as observed by the inspector during the visit. Therefore, staff are not taking a balanced or consistent approach to managing young people’s behaviour.

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This monitoring visit

Records of bullying are improving, and staff are taking steps to address incidents of bullying in the home. A member of staff has been appointed as bullying champion so that there is clearer oversight of these incidents. Young people are now involved in the NSPCC’s Respect programme to help them to understand the consequences and impact of bullying on others. However, young person A has commented that they are ‘treated differently because of the colour of their skin’ and there has been a lack of effective action taken to support and address the issues with the young people. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC483688 2 Action has been taken to prevent a reoccurrence of the incident on 1 August 2020 in which a young person was deprived of their liberty. The home has undertaken an independent review of the incident and is to implement lessons learned from this. The young people’s risk assessments and other documentation have been revised to

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This monitoring visit

reflect the support that they need. Physical interventions are increasingly fair and proportionate and are in line with the young people’s plans.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has reported the historical safeguarding concerns to the designated safeguarding for the placing authority. Advice and support have been received should a similar situation occur in the future.

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This monitoring visit

A data breach occurred on 24 June 2020, when young people were able to access the staff office without staff knowledge and accessed their files and the files of other young people. Ineffective action was taken by the manager and organisation to ascertain how children had managed to do this or what information had been accessed, therefore leaving young people at potential risk. Consequently, young people have been able to use the information they have gathered about the other young people to bully and incite them. This has impacted on the young people’s emotional well-being.

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This monitoring visit

As a result of the above incident, one parent was able to share detailed knowledge about the young people living in the home with Chris Scully. When this information was shared with senior manager, they appeared unaware of the scope of the information that the parent had. It became apparent that the young person’s social worker had shared this concern with the home, but this concern had not been investigated or acted on by the manager or organisation and they were relying on the social worker to gather more information for them. This is not effective safeguarding practice.

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This monitoring visit

Risk assessments are improving but are not yet robust. For example, lone working risk assessments are not in place to support young people at high risk. There is no night-time risk assessment or care plan in place for a young person who experiences nightmares due to past trauma. Consequently, strategies implemented to reduce risk for all young people are not consistently applied.

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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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an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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positive responses to other children and adults.

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

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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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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. (Regulation 11(1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(iv)(v)(ix)(x)(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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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

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. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(iv)(v)(vi))* 02/10/2020

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

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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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use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(c)(h)) 30/09/2020

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Requirement Due date

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); serious damage to the property of any person (including the child). 30/09/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC483688 5 Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b)(2)) The registered person must ensure that—

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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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Requirement Due date

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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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

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has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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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. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv)) 30/09/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC483688 6 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. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 30/09/2020

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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 Mrs Cordingley, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC483688 7 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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