Children's Home run by Rockhopper Children’s Services Limited in Coventry

Inspection report for children’s home: 2692837 1 Registered provider: Kedleston (Wood Grove Childcare) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a large private provider. It is registered to care for up to five children who may have learning disabilities and are likely to have social and emotional difficulties because they have experienced early childhood trauma.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered in October 2022. The manager has been registered since then and is working towards a level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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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: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

On 17 and 18 May 2023, Ofsted carried out the first full inspection of this home since its registration. Serious and widespread failures were identified in the protection of children and the competency of the leadership and management in addressing shortfalls. As a result, a compliance notice was issued in relation to regulation 12, alongside a restriction of accommodation notice to prevent any further children from moving into the home.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

At the monitoring visit that was carried out on 27 June 2023, the provider was found Inspection report for children’s home: 2692837 2 to have abided by the restriction of accommodation notice, and the compliance notice was found to be met. This is therefore the provider’s full inspection following the previous inadequate judgement. Inspection report for children’s home: 2692837 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/05/2023 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2692837 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There have not been any children who have moved in since the monitoring visit, and the same child has remained in the home. The child remains settled and continues to say they have good relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The environment is modern, clean and tidy. The child’s room is personalised in their favourite colours, with their favourite comic book characters displayed on their wall. Managers have started to display more photos of the child around the home to make it feel more homely for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers have reflected on the quality of their care planning for children, and a review has been held to look at the current child’s outcomes and how to continue to support them to achieve their potential. The responsible individual has a new system in place for assessing if the service can meet the needs of any new child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A new concern has arisen because managers have not challenged the child’s placing authority about a delay in communicating some information to the child about their next steps. This is causing the child unnecessary anxiety. The manager intends to address this immediately.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has positive relationships with staff. They enjoy various activities, such as meals out and camping, and are planning an upcoming holiday to the seaside this month. Staff make efforts to chat to the child regularly about important aspects of their care, such as keeping themselves safe online and thinking about how to build relationships with others. This supports the child’s social and emotional development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is well supported to make educational progress. When the child has been upset in school, there is strong communication between the staff in the home and school professionals to work through any difficulties. Staff have stayed in school with the child sometimes to help them feel more comfortable and accompanied them on trips. The child’s school has shared that staff have developed trusting relationships with the child, which has helped to stabilise the child’s educational placement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Although the child is up to date with their routine health appointments, when there is more specialist input required, the manager has not pursued this promptly. When the child refuses to take their medication, there is no clear guidance from a medical professional to support the staff team to understand the impact of this on the child’s health and to look at ways to address this.

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

The manager provides staff with detailed guidance through written care plans and Inspection report for children’s home: 2692837 5 risk assessments about how to best support the child and keep them safe. These have been shared with the child, and staff understand these plans well and know how to manage any potential incidents to keep the child safe.

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

There have not been any incidents in the home. When the child has become frustrated, staff spend time talking things through with them and use the appropriate de-escalation strategies in line with their needs. This good work ensures that situations do not escalate.

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

Staff regularly encourage and praise the child. Staff give the child rewards and use a weekly incentive chart consistently with them. This ensures there are clear boundaries, which contributes to a sense of security for the child. It also helps to build the child’s confidence and self-esteem.

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

Some shortfalls have been identified in the recruitment of new staff. For example, reasonable steps have not been taken to verify the reasons why one staff member left previous roles with children or vulnerable adults. In addition, some references have not been verified and were gained after the staff member’s start date. The manager had not considered how to appropriately supervise the individual in the interim period, pending the return of this information.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The current manager has remained in post since the home registered. She has developed her monitoring systems so that her practice is now more reflective, and she models this practice to staff. As a result, staff report that there have been significant improvements in relationships among the team and wider professionals. They also report that the manager communicates effectively with them. This good teamwork benefits the child and helps to provide consistency and continuity of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staffing levels and consistency have improved since the previous inspection. The service no longer uses agency staff, and the team now only has one staff vacancy. Newer staff report that more recently, the induction arrangements have improved. Increased workshops have helped staff to understand more about the therapeutic approach to the child’s care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All staff have completed the essential training to help them meet children’s needs. A package of additional training has also been provided for staff based on areas of specific need, such as internet safety or emotional self-regulation. The registered manager and responsible individual have completed a training needs assessment, which is informed by internal feedback. This has informed the upcoming training plans to ensure that the learning continues.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and responsible individual have continued to carry out regular auditing of the day-to-day care. They also undertake wider evaluations every month about specific aspects of care, such as evaluations of direct work with children. However, it is acknowledged that without there being any safeguarding incidents since the previous full inspection in May 2023, the effectiveness of these systems, to some Inspection report for children’s home: 2692837 6 extent, remains untested.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager holds discussions with staff in team meetings and in their individual supervisions, which now focus on their safeguarding practice and understanding of the child’s needs. This supports staff to work more effectively as a team and to continue to improve their skills. On some occasions, newer staff have not had their supervisions as regularly as they need them based on their induction plans. This is a missed opportunity to ensure that newer staff are as supported as they could be. Inspection report for children’s home: 2692837 7

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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, The 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that they follow up on the need for a medication review with relevant professionals and that any delay in other professionals meeting the needs of the child is challenged and addressed to help the child make progress. 21 September

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that— 21 September Inspection report for children’s home: 2692837 8 full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that reasons for employees leaving previous roles with children or vulnerable adults are sought, so far as is reasonably practical. Additionally, any references should also be sought before employees commence working, or if there are delays, the manager should put measures in place until such information is gained.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the supervision of new staff is carried out as set out in their induction plans. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, page 13.1)

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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: 2692837 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Kedleston (Wood Grove Childcare) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 8, Brook Business Centre, Cowley Mill Road, Cowley, Uxbridge UB8 2FX

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Gabriella Arcidiacono

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Inspector

Fiona Roche, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2692837 10 regulates and inspects 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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