Children's Home run by Restorative Social Care Services Ltd in Calderdale

Inspection report for children’s home: 2590942 1 Registered provider: Restorative Social Care Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned and run children’s home that provides care for up to two children aged between seven and 17 years old at the point of moving in. The purpose of the home is to support children to meet their own individual outcomes in line with their care plans by applying the home’s model of care.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered in May 2020. The registered manager is a manager at another home situated close by. A new manager started in September 2021 and is currently registering with Ofsted.

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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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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 8 March 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2590942 2 Date of last inspection: not applicable

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2590942 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2590942 4

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outstanding

Children’s experiences and future life opportunities are significantly enhanced by the quality of care that they receive. The staff team cares about the children and its members are committed to helping them to do well. This shines through in how children are succeeding in all aspects of their lives.

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outstanding

The staff work exceptionally hard to engage children in education. They are resourceful and creative in how they engage children in both formal and informal learning. The manager has worked tirelessly with other professionals and children to ensure that there is a continuous drive to provide educational opportunities. For one child who is not engaging at present, the manager has ensured that all opportunities remain available, including sitting formal exams. This ensures that children’s future aspirations continue to be available to them.

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outstanding

Staff have built strong, nurturing relationships with the children. Children are able to speak to staff about a wide range of issues. Staff use their relationships to adapt how they engage with children to help educate them in a wide range of topics. These are revisited to ensure that children continue to learn and develop, both socially and emotionally.

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outstanding

Children are supported to take part in activities, either on their own, in a group or with peers. The staff team recognises the anxiety and low self-esteem of the children and ensures that they are provided with opportunities to take part in any way possible. Recently, both children took part in a charity walk and raised a large amount of money. This provided the children with an opportunity to take part in something different and helped them to build empathy for others.

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outstanding

The staff team works hard to build and maintain positive relationships with the children’s birth family. This has resulted in children having increased meaningful time with their loved ones. Staff work with the children to ensure that they understand their own family history, culture and heritage. This helps to ensure that children develop a strong sense of identity.

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outstanding

The child’s voice is clearly captured in their individualised plans. The plans clearly identify areas of progression, along with new targets and aims. The way in which they are created enables progression to be tracked easily. Furthermore, this helps to ensure that staff can identify patterns or concerns quickly. As a result, children continue to receive consistent support from staff.

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outstanding

Children are supported to develop their independence skills. One child has recently moved out to their own supported tenancy and has successfully maintained this due to the support and skills they developed while living in the home. The child Inspection report for children’s home: 2590942 5 continues to maintain a positive relationship with the staff team and the other children living in the home.

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outstanding

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the manager was creative in ensuring that essential appointments and meetings still went ahead. This included setting up a gazebo in the garden for appointments to take place in a safer way. This ensured that children received the help and support they needed from other professionals during a time of national restrictions.

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outstanding

Professionals consistently share the same opinion that the team supports children above and beyond what is expected. Staff communicate and advocate for children to ensure that their needs are met and professionals respect and welcome this. One social worker said: ‘They [staff] decide what children need and they have gone and done it. That is a system that cares for the child at the heart of it.’

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outstanding

The staff team embraces the model of care used to adopt a restorative way of working with children. As a result of this approach, children feel valued and are able to ask for and receive the support they need. Children are significantly safer and incidents have reduced as a result of the consistent, nurturing environment that they live in.

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outstanding

Episodes of going missing have significantly reduced. Incidents of children going missing are not of the same level of risk as before, and are linked to children wanting the same experiences as their peers. The staff team is working with children to help them to understand that if they share information they can have these experiences, such as staying at friends’ houses. If children do go missing, staff make every effort to support the children to prevent this from happening in the future.

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outstanding

Staff source and provide research-based advice, which helps children to make good decisions, for example providing children with lots of information around exploitation and the dangers of drugs and alcohol. Staff challenge children appropriately and help them to understand that making mistakes is not disastrous and that they can learn from these situations. Consequently, Children’s risk-taking behaviour has decreased significantly.

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outstanding

The staff use their understanding and relationships with children to prevent incidents escalating. One restraint has been used following numerous attempts to de-escalate the situation. The report for this incident is detailed and includes oversight from the responsible individual. Children described how they are supported to remain calm and staff know and use these techniques, which is why there has been no need for any further restraints.

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outstanding

Behaviour management plans are clear and in place for staff to follow. Historical information is contained within these which allows for patterns to be viewed and Inspection report for children’s home: 2590942 6 shows progress in other areas. The manager is in the process of reviewing these plans to make them more succinct but this does not affect the clarity of guidance for the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Both the registered manager and acting manager have a clear understanding and vision of supporting children to succeed. The model of care, which consists of a restorative and solution-focused approach, is embedded within the staff team. New staff are fully aware of this model and understand it. Staff agree and work with the managers to achieve their vision for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The management team is proactive in identifying any areas of development. Its members understand the children well and review their progress to ensure that any additional support is put in place. This includes working closely with the company therapist and implementing personalised training that meets the children’s needs. Staff have the knowledge and understanding to support the children as well as having additional support available to them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The management team continues to source new ways to develop and support the children. For example, a recent trial of pet therapy helped the children to build confidence in animal skills, as well as empathy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The management team has excellent oversight of documents. Its members respond well to external feedback from independent visitor reports and Ofsted and use this to continue to improve the quality of care the children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The management team is aware of the team dynamics and how they can affect children. Its members are quick to ensure that any small issues are addressed, and that staff continue to work together. The managers research ways in which to support team morale and apply this. Staff described the impact this has had on the team and how it has kept them motivated as a group.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has worked hard to prevent COVID-19 from affecting staffing levels. When needed, staff have worked additional shifts and all new members of staff have benefited from a thorough induction. As a result, children have continued to be supported by a consistent team whose members know and understand their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff feel well supported. The induction for staff is detailed and allows them the time to get to know the home and children before working as a staff member on shift. Additional, purpose-based supervisions are valued by the staff team as they are an extra point of learning and development. Staff feel valued and are motivated to develop and share their own ideas with the managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The current transition of the acting manager to registered manager has been well managed and planned. The registered manager has provided a detailed internal induction alongside the corporate one. This provides the new manager with Inspection report for children’s home: 2590942 7 guidance and reminders as to the expectations and tasks relating to their role. This has been shared with other homes. As a result of this planning, the new manager knows and fully understands the ethos of the home. This has helped to ensure that children continue to benefit from high-quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The management team works well with other agencies. As a result, decisions are made in partnership that are in the best interest of the child. The manager and staff team are held in high regard, both by professionals who work with them and by local authorities, who they share ideas and collaborate with. Inspection report for children’s home: 2590942 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 for children’s home: 2590942 9

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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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Inspector

Debra Boldy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2590942 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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