Children's home run by Real Care Support Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2641767 1 Registered provider: Real Care Support Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private provider. The providers states in its statement of purpose that they provide care for up to 3 children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2023.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 10 January 2023

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2641767 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/01/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/10/2022 Full Inadequate 26/04/2022 Full Inadequate 01/02/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2641767 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children are currently living in the home. The home is spacious and presented to a high standard. One child has remained settled in the home since the last inspection.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children move into the home in a well-planned way. Children are invited to visit the home before moving in. Staff arrange activities with children and spend time getting to know them before they move into the home. This helps children to familiarise themselves with the staff and alleviate any anxieties they may have.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and managers recognise when children’s needs are not met in the home. They work with professionals to identify placements that can meet children’s needs. Staff visit new placements with children to support their moves out of the home. This helps children to settle in their new homes.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met. Staff identify children’s physical and emotional health needs when they move into the home. They use the in-house therapist to undertake relevant assessments. Staff support children to engage with health professionals. One child is now able to arrange medical appointments independently.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child living in the home is making good progress in their education. Staff work in partnership with school staff. The in-house therapist maintains regular communication with the child’s school and consults with staff on their behaviour management strategies. This helps the child to attend and engage with their education. Staff work hard to help children attend education when they move into the home. Staff recognise the importance of education for children and have high aspirations for them. The manager is a strong advocate for children when difficulties arise in identifying educational placements. Concerns are escalated when there are delays in local authorities identifying school placements.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are provided with opportunities to enjoy new and existing hobbies outside of the home, such as ice skating and martial arts. When children are not attending education, staff identify local activities so that children can enjoy social interaction with peers. Children have access to good facilities in the home. They have access to a well-equipped gym area and a separate ‘chill out room’ in the garden where they can spend time with friends and enjoy movie nights.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to develop and maintain relationships with those important to them. Friends are welcomed into the home. Staff maintain relationships with parents and carers of children’s friends and partners. This helps to keep children safe when spending time away from the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2641767 4

p.3

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

Staff know the children well. They understand their risks and vulnerabilities. They spend time with children, and as a result, they develop strong and trusting relationships with them. Staff understand children’s triggers. They recognise their underlying needs and how children communicate through their behaviour.

p.4

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

Risk assessments and behaviour support plans are developed in partnership with the in-house therapists. They provide clear guidance to staff about how to support children in line with their psychological needs. However, children’s risk assessments do not include all the relevant and up-to-date information. They do not reflect all the known information regarding the children. Records are not always reviewed or updated following incidents or changes in circumstances. This shortfall does not impact on children’s overall safety.

p.4

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

Incidents of physically holding children are rare. When incidents do occur, staff manage them well. Holding children is used as a last resort to safeguard them and others. Staff support children to reflect on incidents and express any concerns they may have. Staff engage children in restorative work following incidents. This helps children to develop their understanding of how their behaviour impacts on others. Reflective sessions with staff help them to understand children’s behaviour and learn from incidents.

p.4

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

Staff promote positive behaviour through consistent routines and boundaries. Staff’s approach to children is psychologically informed. They work closely with the in- house therapy team to support children in line with their therapeutic needs. The use of positive praise with children develops their self-confidence and self-esteem. This means that children’s risks have reduced. When incidents of challenging behaviour occur, staff manage them well. They support children in line with their preferences. The strong relationships between staff and children mean that staff can de-escalate incidents when children are in crisis. As a result, children can manage their emotions more effectively.

p.4

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

Staff support children through engaging them in meaningful direct work. They treat children with dignity and respect. Staff address children’s risks and vulnerabilities and support children to make more positive choices. Close relationships with the parents of children’s friends mean that there is an open dialogue in addressing potentially risky behaviours. However, not all staff have been professionally curious about children’s whereabouts when unsupervised in the community.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an experienced and qualified manager. He is supported by a committed deputy manager. Leaders and managers work together to ensure that children are provided with good-quality care in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2641767 5 Leaders and managers recognise the strengths and weaknesses of the home. They have high aspirations for the children and staff. The manager has been proactive in addressing weaknesses and shortfalls in the care provided for the children. Changes to the staffing in the home mean that the children are now cared for by a committed and stable team. Changes to the provider of the in-house therapy team mean that children are provided with therapeutic care that meets their needs.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are strong advocates for children. They challenge professionals when decisions are made that are not in children’s best interests. One social work professional commented that the manager ‘fights for children’s rights’.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager recognises when children’s needs are not being met in the home. He works with social work professionals to identify alternative placements that can meet children’s needs. Reflective-practice sessions take place when children move out of the home. This helps leaders and managers to improve internal processes when planning for new children to move into the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported. They benefit from regular supervision. Following incidents, they have access to reflective time with the manager and in-house clinical team. Staff speak of the benefit of this being available when they have been involved in difficult incidents in the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are regular and reflective. This helps the staff team to reflect and learn from incidents. Bespoke training and workshops are delivered during team meetings on topics relevant to children’s needs. This means that staff have a good understanding of the children and can provide consistent care.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff spoke of the benefits of the therapeutic training they have completed and how this is embedded in their daily interactions with the children. However, not all staff have undertaken refresher courses on some topics within the required timescales. Inspection report for children’s home: 2641767 6

p.5

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

p.6

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)(a)(i)(b))

p.6

Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that children’s risk assessments include all new and emerging risks and that staff demonstrate professional curiosity about children’s whereabouts when spending time in the community. 21 December

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

p.6

Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

p.6

Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

p.6

Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that children’s records are kept up to date. 21 December Inspection report for children’s home: 2641767 7 The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.7

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))

p.7

Requirement Due date

Specifically, that leaders and managers ensure that all staff are up to date with all mandatory and refresher training courses. 21 December

p.7

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: 2641767 8

p.7

Inspector

Claire Hobbs, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2641767 9 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.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9