Children's home run by Restorative Social Care Services Ltd

Inspection report children’s home: 2629073 1 Registered provider: Restorative Social Care Services Ltd 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 and managed, and provides a highly individualised therapeutic placement for one child, aged between seven and 17 years old. During this inspection period, two children have lived at the home at different times.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in March 2021. The manager is currently working towards her level 5 qualification and is also the manager of another children’s home.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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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 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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 2629073 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report children’s home: 2629073 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff focus on providing a nurturing, homely environment for any child that lives at the home. Staff place the well-being of the child at the centre of their practice. They are extremely attentive to the child’s individual needs and show great respect and dignity at all times.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Therapy is available to the child, both directly in weekly sessions and indirectly through the support given to staff from the therapist. This combined approach has enabled the current child to make significant progress with his mental health. The child said that he now has ‘time to think’ and is ‘focused on the future’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is promoted and the staff work closely with the child’s school to understand the reasons for any missed lessons and to put in a proportionate response. The child knows this and can see how professionals are working together, reducing the potential for miscommunication, and enabling support to be put in place. Staff provide opportunities to complete homework with the child. This supportive approach has helped to address some of the child’s barriers to learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with family members to ensure that they are involved in the care of their child and know the current plans. Staff provide the child with practical and emotional support to sustain family connections. This helps to maintain the child’s identity and promotes positive family relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s friends are encouraged to visit the home and to take part in activities with staff. Staff recognise the child’s age and the progress he has made socially and continue to support this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Numerous activities are available for the child to take part in. He has been on local activities, as well as holidays away. He has recently rejoined a rugby team and is a good member of the team. These opportunities help to build his confidence and self- esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff keep the current plans for children under review. The plans are adapted in line with the child’s wishes and stage of development, and in consultation with the therapist and other professionals. This ensures that plans remain relevant. For one child, who has since left the home, this included numerous meetings to support a positive ending to her time at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The voice of the child is captured well, both in records and changes to his plans. Photo books provide him and the previous child with positive memories of their time at the home. Inspection report children’s home: 2629073 4

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

The staff team knows the child’s risks and understands the plans in place to help protect him. The use of an additional checklist to support dynamic risk assessment of free time provides staff with clear guidance to follow and ensures that staff respond consistently, based on the child’s behaviours.

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

Episodes of going missing from home are well managed by staff. One child, who has since left the home, went missing from home on a regular basis. However, records demonstrate that staff followed the agreed protocols and adapted their approach to help the child understand the risks associated with going missing. This helped the child to seek support from staff and gain a better understanding of personal safety.

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

The manager is proactive in identifying potential issues and ensures that she seeks support and information from other professionals when needed. This includes matters relating to radicalisation and drug and alcohol misuse. This information is then used by staff to help support the child’s understanding of risk.

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

Positive behaviour is promoted, and incentives are clearly linked to the child’s placement plan and outcomes. The use of sanctions is minimal and appropriate, with clear evaluation and involvement from the child. This approach ensures that the child is aware of expectations.

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

The manager reviews and evaluates incident records, and often amends plans when needed. The responsible individual is supportive and reviews any incidents of restraint that the manager is involved in, including speaking to the other staff and the child. This ensures that all parties have an impartial person to discuss the incident with and allows for further lessons to be identified.

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

Numerous sessions have taken place with the child to help understand the reasons behind behaviour and how to reduce anxiety. Staff work proactively with him to give him the knowledge and information he needs to make safer decisions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

This children’s home is in the first year of operation. However, findings at this inspection highlight that the manager is child focused and committed to delivering and maintaining a high standard of care. The manager is working hard to develop therapeutic practice with the staff team. As a result, the staff are child focused and constantly aim high for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and the in-house therapist have a positive working relationship. This helps to ensure that team development is supported. Some case records have been changed to encourage staff to record information in a therapeutic way. This is helping to embed and strengthen the culture and care practices in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported and supervisions are of a high standard, regardless of who completes these with the staff. Any concerns are addressed and discussed. The Inspection report children’s home: 2629073 5 support the manager gave to the team following a significant incident with the previous child enabled them all to learn and to bond as a team further.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and deputy manager are aware of the strengths and weaknesses of each staff member and respond to these, making changes to the staff working pattern when needed. This has improved the quality of care provided to the child, who has commented on having better relationships with staff because of the change in dynamics.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Training is up to date and is a mix of face-to-face and online training. Lessons learned in how to deliver training during the Covid-19 pandemic are being used to enhance staff training further. The manager has implemented a good example guide for staff to use when they are unsure of how to complete records. This is helping them to build their confidence and provides them with guidance when management is not present in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has created a good internal auditing tool to support her oversight of the home. Unfortunately, a recent episode of going missing from home highlighted a delay in responding from the staff on shift. The cause of this delay is known but no evaluation or plans have been put in place to prevent this reoccurring. This is an isolated incident but the potential effect on the child was significant.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager responds well to feedback from other professionals and is clear about the progress the home has made. However, the regulation 45 report does not evidence this and does not provide clear guidance as to the improvements the manager intends to make.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have shown a great deal of commitment to developing the skills they need to support the child to meet their full potential. The staff understand the model of care and are continuing to develop their knowledge, with the dedication and support of the management team. Inspection report children’s home: 2629073 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 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

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)(a)(b) (2)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that incidents are clearly evaluated and any cause for concern is fully looked into and actions put in place to prevent reoccurrence. Ensure that all documents are completed and saved securely to avoid them being lost, particularly regarding medication errors. 31 March 2022

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the regulation 45 report considers feedback from other professionals. The review should enable the registered person to identify areas of strength and possible weaknesses in the care provided by the home. The written report should clearly capture these strengths and weaknesses and any actions required for the next six months and how these will be addressed. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.4) Inspection report children’s home: 2629073 7

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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: 2629073 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Restorative Social Care Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 8 Victoria street, Greetland, Halifax, West Yorkshire HX4 8DF

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Inspectors

Debra Boldy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2629073 9 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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