Children's Home, Residential special school run by ROC Northwest Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1258769 1 Registered provider: ROC Northwest Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private provider. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to 10 children. At the time of the inspection, there were two children living in the home and one young adult.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post is vacant. There has been a manager in place since September 2021 who has submitted her application to register with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was completed following concerns that were identified by inspectors during a visit to the home to complete registration work.

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This monitoring visit

During this visit, inspectors identified significant failings in safeguarding practice and significant shortfalls in management oversight. Leaders, the manager and staff do not respond appropriately to safeguarding incidents that occur, or ensure that there are effective strategies in place to safeguard the children living in the home. Therefore, the children living at the home have been placed at risk of significant harm.

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This monitoring visit

There has not been a registered manager at the home since August 2020. The home was not being managed appropriately to ensure that children are safeguarded. The manager and staff had failed to provide basic care and support to a child around the condition of their bedroom and had allowed the child to live and go to sleep in neglectful conditions.

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This monitoring visit

Physical intervention practice is not safely supporting children who are experiencing crisis in their lives. Restraint is used commonly as a behaviour management method by staff. Records of restraints are not clear about the measures that staff have used, or for how long children have been restrained. On one occasion, a child was held Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1258769 2 face down on the ground by four members of staff. Poor management oversight means that staff practices are not challenged in a timely way to ensure that appropriate care and support is provided to children.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers are not consistently or effectively reviewing documentation relating to incidents and restraints. This does not ensure that restraint is only used as a last resort. Furthermore, records are not clear about the actions taken following incidents to ensure that children have not been harmed or about the emotional support offered to children.

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This monitoring visit

There were no records of significant events for any of the children living in the home since November 2021. Staff are not keeping records appropriately. This is despite several significant events occurring, such as damage to property and an allegation about staff.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers had failed to challenge restrictive practices in the home, despite identifying that these were neither proportionate nor necessary. Children’s access to food was restricted by locks on kitchen cupboards. Children did not have access to plates and cutlery, and were only permitted to use plastic plates, despite this not being an identified risk for all children.

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This monitoring visit

Children were not being cared for by a consistent staff team. On occasions, there had been insufficient numbers of employed staff caring for children. During a five- week period, children were cared for by 17 different agency members of staff. This does not ensure continuity of care for children living in the home.

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This monitoring visit

Risk assessments did not provide clear or effective strategies for the staff to follow. As a result, the manager and staff were failing to appropriately respond to and reduce the risks presented to the children.

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This monitoring visit

Due to the serious safeguarding concerns, Ofsted took immediate action and suspended the registration of the home. Consequently, there are no children living at the home. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1258769 3

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 27/02/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness 09/04/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 16/01/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 17/10/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1258769 4

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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.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(b)(d)) 17 February 2022

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

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Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child); 17 February 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1258769 5 serious damage to the property of any person (including the child); or

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Requirement Due date

a child who is accommodated in a secure children’s home from absconding from the home.

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2))

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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

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

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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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)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h)) 17 February 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out— 17 February 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1258769 6 how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1258769 7 within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2)(3)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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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. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1258769 8

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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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

Emma Thornton, Social Care Inspector Chris Scully, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1258769 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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