Children's Home run by ROC Northwest Limited in North Yorkshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 1277380 1 Registered provider: ROC Northwest Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to five children who may have social and emotional difficulties. They may also have learning disabilities and/or mental health disorders.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in June 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since June 2023.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 14 November 2022

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1277380 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/11/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/11/2021 Full Good 10/03/2020 Full Good 19/11/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 1277380 3

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improvement to be good

The children living in the home are making progress from their starting points. However, the shortfalls in help and protection and in leadership and management mean the care provided to the children requires improvement to be good.

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improvement to be good

There are currently three children living in the home. Leaders and managers have made the decision not to welcome any more children into the home. This is until there are enough suitably experienced, permanent staff available to care for more than three children.

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improvement to be good

Although the children’s guide contains helpful information for children, it does not explain what children can do should they wish to make a complaint. This shortfall does not support children to be heard and may compromise their safety and well- being.

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improvement to be good

The quality of relationships between the staff and the children is good. Staff understand the children’s individual needs and preferred methods of communication. The staff enjoy spending time with the children during mealtimes and join the children on a range of activities. This helps the children to build trusting relationships with staff.

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improvement to be good

The children are in good health. Staff understand the health needs of the children and support them to attend routine health appointments. When children have additional health needs, staff are proactive in contacting the relevant health providers to ensure that these needs are met.

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improvement to be good

Staff help the children to make progress with their education. The staff have links with the children’s schools and work in partnership with them to secure positive outcomes for the children.

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improvement to be good

The children’s individual care plans provide information about the children’s needs. They contain clear goals through which the progress of the children can be measured. This helps the children to recognise the progress they are making and supports them to celebrate their achievements.

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improvement to be good

The home is clean and spacious and provides a safe environment for children to live in. Children are involved in making decisions about the decor of the home, and the staff help the children to personalise the children’s bedrooms. The deputy manager and staff have ensured that the sensory room meets the needs of the children living in the home by involving the children in the design of the room and the purchasing of equipment. Inspection report for children’s home: 1277380 4 The parents and professionals spoken to were positive about the home and the staff and the impact that they have on the children’s lives. One parent described the progress that their child is making and said that they are happy with the care that their child is receiving. One professional said that the deputy manager and staff are ‘proactive in working with others’ to meet children’s needs.

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improvement to be good

The processes for safer recruitment are not sufficiently robust. In the case of one former employee, leaders and managers showed a lack of curiosity during the recruitment process when they were made aware of concerning information about the individual’s safeguarding practice. The concerns raised were not fully explored by hiring managers at the interview stage, and measures to mitigate potential risks were not put in place before the individual came into the post. Although there was no impact on the children, this shortfall does not prevent unsuitable adults from being recruited and does not keep children safe.

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improvement to be good

The home’s location risk assessment lacks consultation with external professionals and does not include information about local amenities, including places of worship. This does not promote transparency to placing authorities, children and their families and does not support staff to keep children safe in the community.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the children’s risks and vulnerabilities and understand their roles in keeping children safe. Although there have not been any missing-from-home incidents since the last inspection, staff know what to do should a child go missing from home and what they must do when the child returns home. Staff also understand the whistle-blowing policy.

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improvement to be good

The children’s risk assessments are reviewed and updated regularly. They provide important information about each child’s known and emerging vulnerabilities and what staff need to do to reduce risk. However, more could be done to review the use of the children’s bedroom door alarms with placing social workers, parents and children to ensure that it is appropriate and not an infringement on the children’s privacy and freedom of movement within the home.

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improvement to be good

Children are held as a last resort to keep them and others safe. On the occasions that children are held, records clearly describe how staff have supported the child. Following a hold, the child and staff are provided with debriefs. This feedback allows for reflection, supports learning and helps to restore relationships between the child and the staff.

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improvement to be good

Children feel safe living in the home. One child gave the home a ‘solid eight out of 10’ because ‘the bottom line is i’m safe’. Inspection report for children’s home: 1277380 5

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good

Since the last inspection, there has been instability in the leadership and management of the home. The registered manager post has been vacant for a significant period of time. Two managers have left the home, and the most recent manager has been suspended. Leaders and managers understand that the characteristics of good leadership and management are not fully embedded, and they have taken action to address this shortfall.

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good

The home is not fully staffed with suitably experienced permanent staff, and bank and agency staff are routinely used. Leaders and managers acknowledge the impact that this has on the continuity of care provided to children, and they have a clear plan in place to recruit to these vacant posts.

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good

External monitoring takes place every month. However, these reports lack consultation with the children living in the home, their parents, professionals and staff. This lack of feedback does not support leaders and managers to understand the impact of their decision-making on the safety and well-being of children and make improvements to the quality of care provided.

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good

Staff enjoy working in the home. They know the children living in the home well and are passionate and committed to making a difference to their lives. Staff are supported to meet the children’s needs through relevant training, practice-based supervision, appraisals and team meetings. However, not all staff have a good working knowledge of the therapeutic framework employed by the home. This shortfall means that the home is not delivering care in line with the home’s statement of purpose.

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good

Staff understand the current challenges regarding the leadership and management of the home and the sufficiency of staff. They have confidence in the plans in place to remedy these shortfalls and expressed a high level of confidence in the deputy manager. Inspection report for children’s home: 1277380 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

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,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

and 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)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider must ensure that when any concerns regarding the fitness of an individual arise during the recruitment process, all necessary steps are taken to explore the suitability of the individual to work with children. 1 April 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if— 1 April 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 1277380 7 there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and

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Requirement Due date

the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii) (2)(a)(b))

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider must ensure that all staff have a good understanding and working knowledge of the models of care as stated in the home’s statement of purpose. 1 April 2024

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

engage with them; and 1 April 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 1277380 8 take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

has access to the home’s children’s guide, and the home’s complaints procedure, when the child’s placement in the home is agreed and throughout the child’s stay in the home. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(b)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)) 1 April 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider must include in the safer area risk assessment information relating to the local amenities, including places of worship, and it must include consultation with relevant persons such as the police, the child sexual exploitation team and the missing persons officer. 1 April 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 1277380 9

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that limits on privacy and access are only put in place to safeguard each child in the home (regulation 21(c)(i)) and ensure that all decisions to use bedroom door alarms are kept under regular review with parents, relevant professionals and the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)

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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: 1277380 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 5th Floor, Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar EN6 1AG

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Inspector

Shirin Khan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1277380 11 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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