Children's Home run by ROC Northwest Limited in Warrington

Inspection report children’s home: 2504093 1 Registered provider: ROC Northwest Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children who may have social, emotional and/or behavioural needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The current manager has been registered with Ofsted since July 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2504093 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/07/2019 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 2504093 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Five children live at this children’s home. Children have developed warm and trusting relationships with the staff. The children are happy and speak highly about the manager and the staff at the home. One child told inspectors that the manager ‘does everything right, in the right way’. The inspectors heard the child say to the manager ‘you don’t try; you succeed.’ There is good banter between the children and staff. This helps to create a relaxed and homely atmosphere.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

During COVID-19 staff have supported children to spend time with family members and their friends. This helps children maintain relationships with the people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff closely monitor children’s health and emotional well-being. Children talk to staff if they have any worries or concerns. Children told the inspectors that staff listen to them and help them to understand how they are feeling. Children engage well in tailored support sessions with staff. These are helping children to improve their mental health and manage their emotions better.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff are good advocates in securing suitable educational provision for the children. All children attend school regularly and are making good progress from their starting points. Children speak positively about their educational experiences and their career plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children engage in a variety of fun activities, such as playing football in the garden and riding their bicycles. This is helping children to stay healthy and active. Staff have supported the children to develop their independent skills. Children are able to cook, clean, wash and iron their clothes. This will support children as they move into adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in group activities and learn about important events that are happening around the world, such as ‘red nose day’ and the effects of the pandemic. Children volunteer in charity-based community activities, for example packing shoeboxes with essential items for people who do not have anywhere to live. This helps children respect those who are less privileged.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who have moved on from the home have done so by means of a planned and collaborative approach with their placing authority.

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

Staff help children to understand risks and how to stay safe when in the community and online. Staff understand the need for children to take appropriate age-related risks. They also help children to manage their behaviours and regulate their responses. Inspection report children’s home: 2504093 4 Staff provide the children with a safe place to live. Staff have a good understanding of children’s needs and have access to individual risk assessments. When incidents do occur, risk assessments are updated. However, strategies are not always effective and do not set out clear guidelines for staff to follow to minimise all risks. for example how often staff should carry out checks of children’s electronic devices.

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

Staff help children understand the risk factors associated with going missing from home. Children listen to staff and they are learning from their experiences and keeping safe. For example, one child told the inspector that she understood that staff worry when she is late home. Missing from home incidents are infrequent, but when these occur, appropriate action is taken.

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

Positive praise and rewards are used to reinforce good behaviour. Staff use incentives to help children reach goals such as managing their emotions. Children are responding well to the strategies in place. This is effective because there has been a significant reduction of physical intervention. There is zero tolerance of bullying in the home. One of the children won a competition for running an ‘anti- bullying campaign’, which is a great achievement.

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

Physical intervention is only used when it is proportionate and necessary to do so. There is good management oversight of such incidents, and children have opportunities to reflect on their behaviour. This is helping them think about the impact of their behaviour on others and take responsibility for their actions.

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

The manager and staff know what to do in response to any allegations made. Referrals made are timely, and suitable action is taken to minimise the risk to children to allow the necessary enquiries to be made. Feedback from social workers that was obtained during the inspection is positive. They are satisfied with the progress that the children are making, with no safety concerns.

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good

The home is managed by a suitably qualified manager. He knows the children well and he has created a warm and nurturing environment. He is supported by an equally committed deputy manager.

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good

The manager’s overall monitoring and evaluation needs to improve to ensure that he has robust systems in place. This is necessary so that he can improve the quality of care staff provide for children. For example, stronger oversight of practice is needed to detect shortfalls in staff’s learning and reflection.

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good

Staff do not always follow children’s plans. On one occasion, this meant that an incident escalated unnecessarily between a staff member and a child. The registered manager needs to ensure that children’s plans include clear strategies for staff to follow and adhered to. This is necessary to ensure that children receive consistent care. Inspection report children’s home: 2504093 5 There are notable gaps in staff training. This does not ensure that all staff have the skills and knowledge to meet children’s needs.

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good

The registered manager has not always notified Ofsted of serious incidents occurring in the home. This means that the regulator cannot effectively monitor the actions being taken to safeguard children in the home.

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good

Although the physical environment has the feel of a welcoming family home, there is damage in children’s bedrooms. Furthermore, the provider has not ensured that all living areas are maintained to a high standard of cleanliness.

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good

Managers work well with other professionals involved with the children. A headteacher from a child’s school was positive about the communication from the home.

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good

The staff team has been relatively settled. Consequently, children have been consistently cared for by a stable staff team. The inspectors observed warm and positive relationships between the children, the manager and staff.

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good

Staff have ensured that children receive the necessary advice to keep themselves and others safe within the government’s COVID-19 guidelines and kept up to date with changes.

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good

Staff received frequent supervision in line with the home’s statement of purpose. Staff spoken to said that supervision is helpful in their roles.

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good

The requirements set at the previous inspection are met. Inspection report children’s home: 2504093 6

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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

This specifically relates to ensuring that all staff follow the strategies set out in children’s behaviour support plan and that the strategies are explicitly clear and followed through in consultation with the children. 2 July 2021

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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

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; 2 July 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2504093 7 that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the strategies in place for managing the risks, including those associated with missing from care and social media, are clearly set out, understood and implemented by all staff. In addition, ensure that areas in need of attention, such as the children’s bathrooms, are acted on quickly and rectified. 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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

This specifically relates to ensuring that all staff receive relevant training to meet children’s needs, including safeguarding, autism, self-harm and mental health, and that the manager includes in his monitoring rigorous checks of the premises and stronger oversight of staff practice, particularly with regards to ensuring that they understand the strategies in place to safeguard children and that the practice is consistently applied across the team. 2 July 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 40 (4)(a) 2 July 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2504093 8

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: 2504093 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: ROC Northwest Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 5th Floor, Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar EN6 1AG

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Inspectors

Mike Charnley, Social Care Inspector Catherine Fargin, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2504093 10 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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