Children's Home run by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council in Rotherham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC037521 1 SC037521 Registered provider: Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority service provides short breaks for up to nine children who may have learning and/or physical disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

On the day of the inspection, two children were accessing the short-breaks service. No children were living at the 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: 17 January 2024

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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: SC037521 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/01/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/02/2023 Full Outstanding 25/08/2021 Full Outstanding 23/10/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC037521 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good-quality care from staff who know them well. Many of the children have been staying at the home for several years, so they know the home and the staff well. Children’s individual needs are fully understood by nurturing staff who afford them high levels of emotional and physical warmth. Children were observed to have developed strong bonds with those caring for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious and has ample room for children to spend time together and apart. The garden offers a secure space for children to play. Children’s artwork and photos of them are on display around the home. Children have baskets with their belongings so that when they stay, they can personalise their rooms.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children continue to have a range of experiences when they visit. These include swimming, going on local walks and visiting the shops. For many of the children, these are not always activities they can do with their families. Children are helped to remember these enjoyable times through photos and memory books.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress at their own pace. Staff ensure that there are ample opportunities for them to learn and work towards their goals. One child is now able to sit at the dining table for short periods. Another child is now eating a wide range of nutritious meals, including fruit and vegetables.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to communicate their needs, wishes and feelings. The staff use the communication methods as identified in children’s plans. Display boards encourage children to tell staff how they are feeling. Children are supported to meet with an independent advocate who visits the home each month.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work well with health and education professionals. They communicate effectively to develop a shared understanding of children’s needs. This helps to provide children with a consistent approach from all professionals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents value the support from the staff. There is effective communication with parents, who are kept fully informed about their children during their stays. This helps to reassure parents that their children are in safe hands. One parent described the home as ‘five star’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Door alarms are used consistently on children’s bedroom doors. Risks are not individually assessed or reviewed regularly to determine whether the alarms are still needed. This affects children’s right to privacy. Inspection report for children’s home: SC037521 4

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

Children know and trust the staff. They seek out staff when they are upset and distressed. Staff respond quickly to reassure children and help them to be calm. This helps children to feel safe.

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

Children’s medication is safely stored, and the administration of medication is well managed. The manager has ensured that parents understand the need for correct labelling. Staff support children to understand and communicate their feelings when they are hurt or in pain. This ensures that children’s health needs are better managed.

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

Incidents in the home are rare. Staff understand children’s behaviours and act quickly to provide assurance, which reduces the risk of matters escalating. Staff have not had to physically intervene to keep children safe. They are all appropriately trained in the home’s preferred method of physical restraint and can hold children safely should this be necessary.

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

Children have not been missing from the home. The home environment is secure, and children receive a high level of supervision. Some children who need extra support may have more than one staff member with them. This is recorded in children’s plans and helps to keep them safe.

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

There has been one serious incident in the community, which involved a member of the public. Staff took action to keep the child safe, including calling the police. In addition, they sought appropriate advice from the child’s social worker. Staff remained calm and child focused. This supported the child to also stay calm and not become distressed. Records of the incident are well documented.

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

Safer recruitment procedures are used to appoint new members of staff. Additional checks are carried out in response to gaps in employment history or concerns when they are identified. This helps to ensure that those working with children are suitable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has provided consistency in terms of leadership at the home. They have demonstrated their commitment to improving the experiences for children and have provided staff with clear guidance and encouragement. The issues raised at the last inspection have been addressed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported by leaders and managers. They have confidence and trust in the manager’s ability to lead them. The staff work well together as a team. Several members of staff said that the whole team of staff have developed greater resilience because they have pulled together. Staff continue to be happy in their work. One staff member said, ‘I feel proud to be a member of [name of home].’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular and effective supervision. It helps staff to focus on the children’s strengths and vulnerabilities and how best to meet their needs. Staff can talk Inspection report for children’s home: SC037521 5 about personal issues, and support is given when needed to ensure that any impact on practice is minimised. Practice issues are discussed, and actions are reviewed. This is helping staff to develop their skills and knowledge.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are held regularly and used to drive forward changes to improve the quality of care in the home. Staff meetings are well attended, and regular practice discussions help to reinforce key messages about children’s needs. This allows staff to question processes and enables the managers to have confidence that the information has been understood and transferred into practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that there is independent scrutiny of the home. Leaders and managers have been vocal in ensuring that this is via someone who has relevant experience of working with disabled children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager consults with partner agencies and parents. Children are also widely consulted with. This is seen in the manager’s quality of care report. However, the manager is not using evaluation to show how the monitoring and review of the home or consultation are driving forward improvements and informing change. Inspection report for children’s home: SC037521 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

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the use of sensor alarms on children’s bedroom doors is based on individual risk to children. This decision must be reviewed regularly and clearly recorded in each child’s record. 13 September 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the views of parents and other professionals involved in children's lives are evaluated to inform the quality-of-care review (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2)

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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: SC037521 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, Riverside House, Main Street, Rotherham S60 1AE

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Inspector

Rachel Walker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC037521 8 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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