Children's home run by Restoring Lives Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2664175 1 Registered provider: Restoring Lives Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides care for up to three children. The provider states in their statement of purpose that they provide care for children with social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager were registered with Ofsted in December 2021. The manager is suitably qualified to manage a children’s home.

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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: 11 October 2022

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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: 2664175 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/10/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2664175 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child was living at the home at the time of the inspection. Another child was supported with outreach work after they left the home. The inspector spoke to one child during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to enable children to stay in touch with people who are important to them, while still having the required safeguards in place. This positive support has been instrumental in children re-establishing and maintaining safe relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff take effective action when children are not in school. They talk with education professionals and provide children with educational activities at home. Children are offered opportunities to enjoy themselves and have fun.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Complaints against the home are rare. Since the last inspection, there has been one complaint reported to staff. Managers resolved this complaint appropriately.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to take their medication and attend health appointments. Staff ensure that children have access to specialist advice and support. This has helped to improve some children’s health and well-being.

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

Staff focus their efforts on building positive and meaningful relationships with children. This child-centred care helps children to build trusted relationships and know that people care about them.

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

Staff understand the risks to children around exploitation, gang affiliation, mental health, children going missing from home, and self-harm. Some children’s risks do not reduce despite the best efforts of staff, who are an active part of the professional network, to try to keep children as safe as possible.

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

Children benefit from high staffing levels and there are clear behaviour support plans to support their needs. Incidents are managed well by the staff, who use de- escalation techniques to support children. There have been no incidents requiring physical intervention since the last inspection.

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

Many aspects of the home’s safeguarding practice are effective. However, on one occasion, staff failed to notify a child’s local authority that an ex-resident was in the home overnight without permission. In this instance, staff’s practice was not in line with government safeguarding guidance.

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

Most staff demonstrate a good understanding of the home’s child protection and whistle-blowing policies. However, one staff member stated that they would whistle- blow to the Care Quality Commission Inspection report for children’s home: 2664175 4

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an experienced and qualified registered manager. The manager is supported by a committed deputy manager and an experienced, compassionate, and diverse staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular supervision, team meetings and specialist training to meet the specific and complex needs of the children in their care. Staff say that they feel supported by managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers regularly review the strengths and weaknesses of the home and provide additional support to staff on day and night shifts. However, leaders and managers do not always keep records of the support offered to staff on night shifts. This compromises the oversight of staff practice and development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Most of the time, leaders are good at reporting significant incidents to the regulator. However, one serious incident involving unknown children in the home and requiring police involvement was not reported to Ofsted. The failure to report this serious incident to the regulator has compromised external oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Duty rosters and staff signing-in logs are not accurately recorded. They do not routinely include accurate information of the days that the registered manager and deputy manager are on site. This does not provide oversight of accurate staffing or management presence in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2664175 5

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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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this refers to ensuring that all staff understand their responsibilities to work within government safeguarding guidelines. 17 October 2023

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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

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)) 17 October 2023

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children s home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4. (Regulation 3 (1) (2))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must maintain:

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Requirement Due date

a copy of the staff duty roster of persons working at the home, and a record of the actual rosters worked;

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Requirement Due date

a record of any persons who reside or work at any time at the home, who are not mentioned in the records kept in accordance with paragraphs 1 or 2. 17 October 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2664175 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that the policies for the protection of children include information about whistle-blowing, with clear procedures for how a staff member should report concerns to an appropriate authority. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.15)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they keep a record of the content and outcome of all support offered to staff on all shifts. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 14.3)

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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: 2664175 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Restoring Lives Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 320 City Road, London EC1V 2NZ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Christina Addison

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Inspector

Jayshree Pillay, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2664175 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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