Children's Home run by Residential Child Care Community Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2654782 1 Registered provider: Residential Child Care Community (North West) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to four children who may have social and/or emotional difficulties.

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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: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2654782 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2654782 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Four children live at the home. The home is nicely decorated and has a homely feel to it. The children have personalised their bedrooms, giving them a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children were spoken to as part of the inspection. They all told the inspector they like living here, with one child saying it’s the best place they have lived.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good care. Children have very detailed and individualised care plans. The plans show the children’s goals and how children are making progress towards them. This allows the manager to show how the care provided promotes the outcomes for the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and children have good relationships. Physical affection is displayed, led by the children, and the manager and staff team celebrate children’s achievements. The manager took part in one child’s sports day and several of the staff team went to watch a child’s school play.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Progress for children in education is mixed. One child has completed her exams. She has a college place which is due to start in September and has secured a part-time job. Two children attend school full time and are making good progress. There are difficulties in one child’s engagement with education. The manager and staff team have explored various alternative options for the child and have been proactive in ensuring there is a plan in place.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand and meet children’s health needs well. When there have been gaps in knowledge and understanding, the manager has asked expert professionals to come into the home for support and training.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are understood and considered. The children showed the inspector a letter they had written to ask for a new gaming console which was bought for them. This gives children a sense of value.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience a range of positive activities and experiences. One child has drumming lessons, and another goes to Scouts. All the children enjoy positive experiences such as swimming, day trips and holidays.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are being prepared well for independence. They are being taught skills in budgeting, cleaning and cooking. This will ensure that they are ready for the next stage in their lives. Inspection report for children’s home: 2654782 4

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

Risk assessments are very detailed. They contain clear strategies for staff on how to manage different risks. The risk assessments demonstrate that some of the risks for the children have decreased since living at the home.

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

Children said they feel safe living in the home. Direct work is completed with the children so that they can learn to develop the skills needed to keep themselves safe.

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

When children go missing from care, staff are proactive in their attempts to find them and ensure that they return home safely. Staff work to find out about children’s friends and where children spend their time away from the home. This knowledge helps staff to get children home as swiftly as possible. Recording of these incidents is detailed and clear. Information is shared in a timely manner with key people and agencies.

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

Staff manage challenging behaviour effectively and encourage children to reflect on incidents. Inappropriate behaviour is de-escalated. Staff reinforce clear boundaries and provide daily routines and stability for children. This is supported by praise and recognition of achievements. Restraint is only ever used as a last resort to protect children from harm, accident, or injury, and is proportionate to their behaviour.

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

When concerns are raised regarding staff members’ conduct in the home and in the community, these are dealt with swiftly and appropriately to safeguard the child. However, the provider’s child protection procedure was previously unclear, and the manager has failed to notify the relevant people in a timely manner. A requirement has been made in respect of this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a registered manager in post. He registered with Ofsted in November 2021. This is his first experience as a registered manager. The manager is approachable, and staff spoken to at the inspection were positive about his leadership. The manager is committed to the children and is well respected by staff. He spends time with the children, and this has helped him to build positive relationships with them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a clear understanding of the children’s needs and how staff work to meet these. There are good systems in place to monitor practice. Good monitoring and oversight mean that learning is taken from incidents and ensures that plans accurately reflect the children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable staff team in place. This provides continuity of care for the children and helps them to build positive and long-lasting relationships.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are suitably qualified or currently undertaking their qualifications in residential childcare. There is a good training programme in place to ensure that staff have the necessary skills to meet the complex and challenging needs of the children in their care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2654782 5 Regular team meetings allow staff the opportunity to discuss any issues in the home and ensure everyone is kept up to date with the children’s progress and any changes in plans. Staff have regular supervision, which is purposeful and reflective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works closely with partner agencies to help meet children’s needs. The inspector gained positive feedback from several professionals, with one social worker saying she is ‘particularly happy about the environment and the commitment of staff’. Inspection report for children’s home: 2654782 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 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

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(vii)) 20 August 2022

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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

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)) 20 August 2022

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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: 2654782 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Residential Child Care Community (North West) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 843 Finchley Road, London NW11 8NA

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Inspector

Rachael Crook, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2654782 8 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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