Children's Home run by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council in Rotherham

Information about this children’s home

The home registered in July 2020 and is owned by a local authority. It provides care and accommodation for up to four children and young people with social, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

This is a newly registered children’s home. The manager is registered with Ofsted and also manages another home within the local authority.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection date: Not previously inspected

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection judgement: Not previously inspected

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Information about this visit

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), Ofsted suspended all routine inspections in March 2020. As part of a phased return to routine inspection, we are undertaking assurance visits to Children’s social care services that are inspected under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF).

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Information about this visit

At these visits, inspectors evaluate the extent to which:

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Information about this visit

 children are well cared for  children are safe  leaders and managers are exercising strong leadership. This visit was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000, following the published guidance for assurance visits.

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Information about this visit

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is leading Ofsted’s work into how England’s social care system has delivered child-centred practice and care within the context of the restrictions placed on society during the COVID-19 pandemic. Assurance visit report: 2597567 2

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Findings from the visit

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit.

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The care of children

The children moved into the home in a planned way. The use of a virtual tour by video call, and meeting with the staff, formed part of the introduction to the home. This helped the children to settle into their new home.

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The care of children

Staff have used the time during the lockdown period to promote education and to quickly secure suitable school placements for the children. As a result, the children are now attending school full time and are making good progress with their learning.

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The care of children

The staff have gone the extra mile to ensure that children see their families. When needed, staff have travelled some distance to ensure that contact has been maintained. During the initial lockdown period, family time was achieved by telephone and through the use of technology and social media. This helped to ensure that children continued to see their family and friends.

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The care of children

When children are ready to move on from the home, a great deal of planning takes place. For example, one child has benefited from organised activities and visits to see their prospective foster carers. This has helped to prepare the child to move on from the home in a positive way.

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The care of children

The home is well decorated, furnished, clean and tidy. There is a collection of books, craft materials and toys to support activities in the home. However, there is a lack of personalisation and soft furnishings in the communal rooms, such as pictures, ornaments and cushions. This detracts from an otherwise positive environment that the children live in.

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The safety of children

Risk assessments clearly set out the required support and strategies for staff to follow. These plans are put into practice daily by staff and address children’s needs and changing circumstances effectively.

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The safety of children

Children have developed meaningful attachments with the staff, who are committed to providing them with positive experiences. Predictable routines, boundaries and meaningful discussions with staff are helping the children to share their feelings and manage their emotions differently.

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The safety of children

There was a delay in notifying the local authority designated officer that an allegation had been made about a staff member. This is not robust safeguarding practice and has the potential to impact on children’s safety. Assurance visit report: 2597567 3

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Leaders and managers

During this visit, the inspectors identified that the registered manager is not routinely on site at the home. Telephone communication and on-line meetings have taken place within the management team. Furthermore, there is some mitigation for his absence, for example the COVID-19 restrictions. However, this lack of oversight means that there have been missed opportunities to take prompt action when practice has not met the required standard.

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Leaders and managers

Staff benefit from regular team meetings and daily handovers. This promotes good communication and helps them to provide consistent care to the children.

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Leaders and managers

Not all staff have received formal supervision at the frequency set out in the home’s policy and procedures. As a result, the manager is not able to demonstrate how he reviews and challenges staff’s practice.

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Leaders and managers

The quality of case records is variable. Some offer a good overview of the children, while others are less detailed. For example, not all life-story work, weekly and monthly reports have been completed or written to the required standard. This is a missed opportunity to capture the progress and experiences of the children.

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Leaders and managers

The impact risk assessment indicates that admissions to the home are made in line with the home’s statement of purpose. However, the individual needs of one child did not fully match the child already living at the home. This had the potential to impact negatively on the children’s progress and experiences.

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Leaders and managers

The manager knows the strengths of the service and areas he wishes to continue to develop. The manager has acknowledged that certain aspects need to improve, and a development plan is in place to assist the manager to implement these improvements.

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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 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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 28 January 2021 Assurance visit report: 2597567 4 lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home's statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home.

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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. (Regulation 13 (1) (2)(a)(b)(f)(h))

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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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child's welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home's child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, all staff must be fully aware of the policies and procedures to follow when allegations are made, including promptly notifying the designated officer for safeguarding. 28 January 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, all staff must receive formal supervision in line with the home’s policy and procedures, including casual staff team members. 28 January 2021

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. 28 January 2021 Assurance visit report: 2597567 5 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home's statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

that each child's relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(a)(c))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home complies with relevant health and safety legislations, such as alarms and food hygiene. However, in doing so, the home should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. In particular, attention should be given to personal communal areas. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should 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

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Recommendations

information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. In particular, there should be more careful consideration and understanding on the impact for children when making a record in the children’s case notes, including key-work sessions, using the right language. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that the home’s records on each child represent a significant contribution to their life history. Children and their parents should be supported to understand the nature of records kept by the home and how to access them. Staff should understand their important role in encouraging the child to reflect on and understand their history, according to their age and understanding. Staff should keep and encourage children to keep appropriate memorabilia of the time they spend living at the home and help them to record

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Recommendations

significant life events. In particular, all identified records should be undertaken in line with each child’s plan, key work, life-story work, weekly and monthly reports. These should be made to a good standard. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5) Assurance visit report: 2597567 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Riverside House, Main Street, Rotherham, South Yorkshire S60 1AE

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Inspectors

Debbie Foster, Social Care Inspector Cath Sikakana, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: 2597567 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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Inspectors

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