Children's Home run by Roundhouse Care in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC425859 1 SC425859 Registered provider: Roundhouse Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home, which is operated by a private provider, is registered to provide care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties and learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager was appointed on 9 May 2023 and is suitably experienced.

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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

Date of last inspection: 26 September 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC425859 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/09/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/03/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 12/10/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/12/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC425859 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home. Both children have lived at the home since it was last inspected. The children are settled and feel well supported. They said that they like living in the home and like the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have secure and trusting relationships with staff. There are nurturing, playful and supportive interactions between children and staff. These positive relationships provide children with stability and help them feel a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children’s physical health needs are well met. Children are registered with local health services and attend appointments when needed. Staff are also proactive in trying to secure emotional support for children; this has helped one child make significant progress with their emotional well-being. Additionally, a therapist works alongside staff and the manager, providing advice and guidance relating to children’s presenting behaviours as well as offering psychological support to staff, if required.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in full-time education. They attend regularly and are making good progress. Staff help children to understand the importance of education and they work closely with education professionals to ensure sustained progress. An example of this is when staff advocated for a child after they voiced a concern regarding the length of their journey to and from school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This home is comfortable, homely and generally well maintained. There is some outstanding maintenance work required. However, there is a plan for this work to be carried out. Children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms with a choice of decorative features and other personal items, such as family photos. Furthermore, children and staff use the dining room to enjoy mealtimes together. This evidences good progress for one child, who was previously reluctant to engage socially within the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children’s hobbies and interests. They arrange for them to attend local clubs and participate in many other activities, such as swimming and visiting museums, parks and zoos. One child was recently given the opportunity to fly in an aeroplane. Furthermore, staff support children to spend time with their loved ones and they encourage positive friendships by supporting children to spend time with their friends. This helps children to maintain their identity and provides them with new experiences and opportunities.

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

Children have detailed risk-management plans, which are regularly reviewed. The plans provide clear guidance and strategies for staff to follow to keep children safe. Staff know the risks for the children and know what to do to keep children safe. In Inspection report for children’s home: SC425859 4 addition, children have set goals and targets, which are frequently reviewed collectively with the staff team. This means that strategies can be amended to meet children’s changing needs.

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

Staff respond well to children who are angry or upset. There have been occasions when one child has caused harm to themselves. Staff have taken appropriate action to ensure that the child is kept safe, offering medical treatment or first aid. Additionally, staff have taken proactive steps to create different ways for children to manage their own emotions. This supports children to feel safe and well cared for.

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

Children do not go missing from the home. Staff have a good understanding of each child’s plan should they go missing, and they have received training to ensure that they know how to respond if a child goes missing from the home. Staff can confidently communicate their understanding of how to keep children safe.

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

Allegations from children are usually well managed. Leaders and managers have been able to demonstrate efficient and effective responses to an allegation made by a child. They have ensured that actions are taken to protect the child and information is shared with appropriate agencies. However, on one occasion, when a child made an allegation following a restraint, leaders and managers did not follow the correct procedure or notify safeguarding agencies, including Ofsted. The manager did address this during the inspection; however, this shortfall could potentially have impacted on the child’s well-being.

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

Incidents of restraint are proportionate and well managed by staff to ensure that children remain safe. However, several shortfalls were identified regarding the recording of restraints. Staff are not always given the opportunity to discuss and reflect with a senior member of staff following incidents of restraint. Furthermore, children are not given the opportunity to share their views with someone independent. One report lacked appropriate management oversight. This potentially compromises impartiality and children’s safety.

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

Staff are not always safely vetted before working in the home. The manager had not ensured that all checks for an agency worker had been completed, including full employment history and verification of roles working with children or vulnerable adults. Additionally, gaps in employment were not explained and references had not been verbally verified. This means that children have been cared for by staff who have not had the required checks to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is new to the role and recently registered with Ofsted. She is suitably experienced and is child-focused. She is supported by a well-qualified and experienced team that shares her child-focused approach.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good relationships with children. She takes pride in the progress children are making and advocates for them when necessary. This approach means that children benefit from trusting relationships and helps them feel settled. Inspection report for children’s home: SC425859 5 The home is sufficiently staffed. The team has experienced some changes since the last inspection. However, the core members of staff who have the relevant skills, knowledge and experience have remained to support children and meet their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about working in the home and feel well supported by the manager. Staff receive regular supervision and annual appraisals, which are reflective and assess staff performance. New staff are well supported, receive an induction, and are encouraged to develop and progress in their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager demonstrates effective partnership working. Feedback gathered during the inspection was very positive. A professional for one child said, ‘I’m really pleased and impressed with the support that my child is being provided with.’ This demonstrates the commitment and child-focused approach displayed by the manager and staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff training is not always up to date. Staff have not routinely refreshed their mandatory training courses. Additionally, not all staff have completed courses relevant to the specific needs of children or the therapeutic model to ensure that they deliver care in line with the ethos explained in the home’s statement of purpose. Staff are now booked onto appropriate training courses to ensure that they can meet the needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent person does not regularly speak to parents or professionals when they visit the home. Additionally, they do not always provide critical analysis or evaluation to help the manager improve or sustain the quality of care provided to children. However, the manager demonstrated that they have taken positive steps to address this shortfall. Inspection report for children’s home: SC425859 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, 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

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. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff are spoken to following incidents of restraint and that records are kept. 28 September

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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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (2)(a)(v))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children are spoken to by someone independent following incidents of restraint. 28 September

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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

promotes their welfare. 28 September Inspection report for children’s home: SC425859 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff receive training to ensure that they can meet children’s needs.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that there are clear procedures for referring child-protection concerns to the placing authority or local authority where the home is situated if appropriate. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.19)  The registered person should ensure that they maintain good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should notify Ofsted and other relevant persons if one of the situations specified in regulation 40(4)(a)-(d) occurs, or if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home which the registered person considers to be serious. (‘Guide to the Children’s

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Recommendations

Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10)

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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: SC425859 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Roundhouse Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: C/O Phil Bessant Limited, Agincourt House, 14 Clytha Park Road, Newport NP20 4PB

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Inspector

Carl Wilton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC425859 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 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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