Children's Home run by Rite Directions Limited in Kingston upon Hull

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1254316 1

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Rite Directions Limited

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 operated by a private provider. It provides care for up to four children who have complex needs associated with learning disabilities or difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is suitably qualified and registered with Ofsted in September 2017.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted has paused assurance visits at this time as a result of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. This monitoring visit was carried out in response to increased concerns shared with Ofsted through safeguarding notifications and independent visitor reports. These records highlighted an increase in the use of physical restraints and identified that children were raising allegations about staff.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted last inspected this home on 4 June 2019 and completed a full inspection. This monitoring visit comprised of on- and off-site activities. The visit included the review of documents and children’s case records, discussions with children, and interviews with staff, managers and relevant professionals.

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This monitoring visit

Staff use physical restraint when necessary to protect children or others from immediate harm. This measure of control is used as a last resort when all other strategies to keep children safe have failed. The registered manager routinely reviews these significant incidents to continually develop staff practice. However, for one child, the registered manager and staff have not yet identified suitable or effective support strategies to reduce the need for physical restraint. Managers and staff need to work with other relevant professionals to ensure that the care planning approach for this child reflects their complex needs and supports their continued placement in the home. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1254316 2 Some children occasionally go missing from the home. In these circumstances, staff immediately liaise with local police teams and work in partnership with them to

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This monitoring visit

quickly locate the child. Following these incidents, staff talk to children about why they went missing from the home. Independent return-home interviews are also completed to provide further insight. Despite the significance of these missing from home incidents, the registered manager does not notify Ofsted of these events. This regulatory breach is a reoccurring shortfall in the registered manager’s practice and impacts on the regulator’s oversight of the protection of children.

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This monitoring visit

Recruitment interviews for new care staff take place in the children’s home. Applicants whose intentions and risks are unknown are permitted access into the home. The registered manager has not considered the potential impact of these arrangements on the day-to-day safety and protection of children. This places children at risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

The terminology and language used by staff within children’s records is not consistently child focused. Staff use words and phrases that are generalised, for example ‘negative behaviour’. These terms do not help the reader, including the child, to understand the content of these records. Furthermore, children’s case records do not consistently include an overview of communication between staff and other professionals responsible for children’s care. This means that the rationale for some decisions with regard to children’s care is not clear within their records.

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This monitoring visit

Allegations made by children are listened to and investigated. In some situations, there has been a short delay in notifying the manager. However, this has not been detrimental to children’s safety. When allegations are made, the registered manager takes immediate steps to protect children. For example, she increases staffing levels to ensure that children receive the support they need. Practice is further strengthened by ongoing communication with children’s social workers and the designated officer for the local authority. This approach supports multi-agency decision-making to keep children safe.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have supported children through the COVID-19 pandemic. Routines in the home were adapted to help children to remain in contact with their families, including a return to face-to-face visits where possible. The registered manager also developed health passports for children. The purpose of these documents was to help medical staff to support children in hospital when care staff were not permitted to attend due to COVID-19 restrictions. Consequently, other professionals had access to relevant information to help them to support the children when necessary.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 04/06/2019 Full Good 13/11/2018 Full Good 07/03/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1254316 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b)) In particular, the provider must consider the children’s safety when allowing unknown adults into the home as part of staff recruitment processes. 4 June 2021

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)) In particular, ensure that care planning strategies in place to support children are regularly reviewed by all relevant professionals. 4 June 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)) 4 June 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that 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)  The registered person should ensure that staff report any allegation of abuse immediately to a senior manager within the home. The relevant officer or teams within the local authority should be informed promptly of all allegations that come to an employer’s attention or that are made directly to the police. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1254316 4 (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.17 and 9.18)

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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: Rite Directions Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Tan Y Marian, Constitution Hill, Penmaenmawr, Gwynedd LL34 6BA

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Daniel Macmillan

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Inspector

Jennifer Fenlon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1254316 5 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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