Children's Home run by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council in Rotherham

Inspection report for children’s home: 2662265 1 Registered provider: Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered in November 2021 and is owned by a local authority.

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to two children who have social and/or emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since March 2023 and is not yet registered with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Two children were living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2662265 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/05/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2662265 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are happy and settled. They are making progress because they are receiving good-quality individualised care from staff who know them well. Children have secure relationships with staff and respond to the nurturing and consistent care they receive. This provides children with a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have improved health because of the help and support they receive. Staff help children to talk about their fears and anxieties. As a result, children’s engagement with health services has improved and they are better able to meet their own health needs. Children with additional health needs are accessing local services, which means that they are receiving the right support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff talk to children about their emotional and mental health. They respond sensitively to children when they are experiencing difficult feelings and emotions. This gives children an understanding about how they are feeling and provides them with the skills to develop better coping strategies.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s progress in education is mixed. The manager and staff advocate for children to ensure that they receive the right support in school. Not all children are accessing formal education. However, the manager and staff understand the barriers to education for some children. Staff make efforts to provide structure to the day and opportunities for informal learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to a range of social activities, such as go-karting, day trips to the coast and rock climbing. Some children enjoy playing board games and doing arts and crafts at home, while others like to spend time in the community with their friends.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to develop their independence according to their individual needs and abilities. This helps to prepare children to live independently when they move on from the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have open and honest conversations with children in line with the child’s plan. They respond sensitively to children when they talk about topics that are specific to the child’s individual needs. Records of conversations between children and staff capture the child’s wishes and feelings.

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

Children are happy and settled. Staff understand children’s individual vulnerabilities and risks, and they are clear about their responsibility to ensure that children are better protected. Staff are curious about the risks to children, which means that they respond immediately when the risks to children change. Inspection report for children’s home: 2662265 4 There are episodes of children going missing from the home. Staff are clear on the steps they need to follow, including searching for the child and reporting them missing. Because staff are flexible in their response, including the arrangements for collecting children when they go out in the community with their friends, this has led to a decrease in the frequency of missing-from-care episodes. This positive approach means that the risks to children are reduced.

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

The home does not use rewards or consequences, and physical restraint has not been used on children. Children respond to the consistent boundaries and structure at the home. The staff set high expectations about behaviour. They encourage children to talk about their feelings. They provide children with unconditional care and use praise to motivate positive behaviour. This helps children to be solution focused and to look for positive ways to express how they are feeling.

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

Serious incidents are rare. When they occur, staff respond appropriately and take effective action. The manager and staff consult with the relevant agencies for help to support the children. Staff talk to the children about the incident. However, discussions about risks are not always revisited, which is a missed opportunity to ensure that children are equipped to make decisions to keep themselves better protected.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is aspirational about the outcomes for children. He is committed to the home’s model of care and is a positive role model to the staff. This means that staff are motivated and equipped to provide children with consistent and nurturing care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Despite the brief time in post, the manager knows the strengths of the home and has a clear vision for development. He has strong oversight of the home, of the progress children are making and of staff development. While shortfalls in a staff member’s response to an incident involving a child have been identified and addressed, there is no record to demonstrate how the child has been supported.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The monitoring and auditing systems are effective. The manager has identified shortfalls and acted to address them promptly. This has led to improved systems of consultation with families and children and the monitoring of staff recruitment and training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that they feel supported by the manager. They receive regular supervision that provides them with the opportunity to reflect on practice and discuss the progress the children are making. Team meetings have not always taken place regularly. However, the manager has changed the system to ensure that meetings are scheduled and planned, which has increased the frequency that they take place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has established strong relationships with professionals involved in the children’s care. There is evidence of multi-agency working, which means that Inspection report for children’s home: 2662265 5 children are receiving the right help and support. The manager confidently challenges others to ensure that children’s plans are being met and that the actions taken are in children’s best interests.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has responded to a parent’s complaint about the home in line with the organisation’s procedures. The complaint has been thoroughly investigated, and the recommended actions have been taken. This has included ongoing meetings between the manager, the child’s social worker and the parent. This ensures that relationships are strengthened and demonstrates that complaints are taken seriously. Inspection report for children’s home: 2662265 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff have the skills to respond to each child’s behaviour. Where necessary, they should maintain constructive dialogue and react appropriately if challenged by a child in their care. In particular, the child should be provided with the opportunity and be supported to discuss the behaviour and the incident. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.14)  The registered person should ensure that staff support children to be aware of and manage their own safety inside and outside the home to the extent that any good parent would. Staff should help children to understand how to protect themselves, feel protected and be protected from significant harm. This relates to ensuring that staff revisit conversations about online safety with one child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43,

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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: 2662265 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Riverside House, Main Street, Rotherham S60 1AE

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Inspector

Rachel Webster, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2662265 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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