Children's home run by Restorative Social Care Services Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2646995 1 Registered provider: Restorative Social Care Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private company. It provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2022.

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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: 12 January 2023

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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: 2646995 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/01/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2646995 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The progress of children in this home has been a journey that has seen them have successes and setbacks. The children are more settled now than previously, which is reflected in the reduction of incidents and episodes of going missing from care. The resilience and commitment of the staff team has been a significant factor in this positive change. One child was very positive about living in the home. They said they have good relationships with all the staff, and that staff should be ‘given more credit’ for the work they do and the support they provide to children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is an area where children in the home experience some challenges. Some children have attended several different provisions and others have refused to attend education at all. The manager and staff are proactive in looking for creative ways to meet the educational needs of the children. When needed, staff request additional resources from the virtual head and support the children to attend education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to spend time with people that are important to them in a way, so that their wishes and feelings are respected. The manager and staff have good relationships with family members and update them regularly. Staff support the children with their emotional well-being around this, as these relationships can at times be difficult to navigate.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children come to live at this home, it is done in a planned way so the transition can be as smooth as possible. One child had an extended transition period when moving to the home, which met their needs. This allowed for a foundation for good relationships to be built with staff. When a child moves into the home in a way that does not allow for this, the manager and staff are mindful of any adverse effects this may have. They are child centred in their approach to support children to settle in and reduce any anxieties.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children in the home are all working on a structured independence programme. This equips them with the practical skills needed for when they are ready to move on. All the children have made progress with their independence skills. Plans to move on are considered at the beginning of children’s time at the home, so that they can have a considered transition out of the home that will work for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Feedback from professionals and staff was positive. One professional stated that staff at the home advocate for the children and work hard to support their journey to becoming young adults. Staff in the home feel supported to do their jobs and are keen to show the children they care about them and want them to succeed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2646995 4

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

Children sometimes go missing from this home, although this has not happened for some time. When this does happen, staff follow the appropriate procedures and will exhaust all possible ways of locating the child and returning them home safely. Staff work well with other professionals to examine why the child has been missing and will work on ways to reduce this risk in the future.

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

Children have been known to be at risk of exploitation in this home. The manager and staff have responded appropriately to this risk and have worked well as part of a multi-agency team to address concerns. The manager and staff have completed specialist training in exploitation awareness and have been part of risk management panels to ensure that the concerns regarding the children are heard.

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

The number of incidents in the home has reduced significantly. When incidents do happen, staff manage them well and in accordance with the appropriate policy. There has only been one use of physical intervention since the last inspection, when a child had to be held. Following an incident, children are supported to understand why staff have needed to take action and restorative discussions take place with all involved.

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

Staff effectively identify risks affecting the children and understand risks and manage them well. Staff are supported in their roles by detailed risk assessment documents that are bespoke to the needs of each child. However, for one child, there is a known risk that is not covered in their risk assessment or any other formal document which states how this risk will be managed. This leaves an unaddressed risk for the child.

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

The home has an appropriate fire risk assessment, and the fire alarms are tested regularly. However, several fire doors were found to not close flush into their frames, which means they would be ineffective if a fire broke out. The manager rectified this during the inspection using the in-house maintenance team so that there were no ongoing issues.

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

The manager states that the home has an ethos for only using restorative consequences as a way of managing challenging behaviour. However, staff have been using a system of fining young people if they are caught in breach of the home’s rules regarding tobacco and alcohol. This is not a permitted consequence to use and is not a restorative approach.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a strong vision for what he wants the home to be able to achieve. He wants to equip the children with the skills needed to move on to independence successfully when they become young adults. He feels strongly that the home does this, and that he and the staff work hard to build trusting relationships with the children so they can achieve their goals. Inspection report for children’s home: 2646995 5 The manager is keen to support staff in their development. He has put together workforce plans for the senior team to enhance its skills and knowledge. He has also given the team and the assistant manager more responsibility, which allows them to experience new things and gives them a broader skill set.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are regularly held with staff and are used as a forum not just to ensure that tasks have been completed but also for learning and reflection. The manager brings topics to the meeting and asks the staff to read about them and then present them back to the wider team. This enhances the understanding staff have of processes and models of care used in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision is not being held in line with what is outlined in the statement of purpose. However, it was identified that this was an administrative error and was able to be addressed on inspection. Supervision is held regularly with staff and is reflective in nature. Staff were clear that supervision is helpful, and they benefit from it.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has ensured that the staff attend training that is relevant to their roles and responsibilities. He has also commissioned additional specialist training dependent on the emerging needs of the children. However, there are children in the home that have significant risks around self-injurious behaviour. Staff have only completed basic online training about this topic, when it would benefit them to do more in-depth learning in this area.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been several notifications to the regulator since the last inspection under regulation 40. However, a large number of these have been outside of the required timescale. This means that the information is not shared with the regulator in a timely way, who therefore cannot have prompt and appropriate scrutiny of the events. Inspection report for children’s home: 2646995 6

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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.

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager should ensure that all notifications of significant events are sent to the regulator within the specified timescale.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered manager should ensure that appropriate specialist training is completed to ensure that staff can meet the needs of the children.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered manager should ensure that they have sufficient oversight and scrutiny of all incidents in the home. 29 March 2024

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Requirement Due date

No measure of control or discipline which is excessive, unreasonable or contrary to paragraph (2) may be used in relation to any child. (Regulation 19 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(d)(e)(f)(g)(h)(i)(j))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, children should not be fined as a consequence for their behaviour. 29 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2646995 7

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all known risks are included in children’s risk assessments. These should be actively assessed and the arrangements in place should be regularly reviewed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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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: 2646995 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Restorative Social Care Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 8 Victoria Street, Greetland, Halifax HX4 8DF

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Inspector

Gail McGann, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2646995 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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