Children's home run by ROC Northwest Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 1256134 1 Registered provider: ROC Northwest

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run children’s home is registered to provide care for up to five children. The home provides care for children who may have emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since November 2023

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, there were four children living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1256134 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/10/2023 Full Good 31/01/2023 Full Outstanding 16/02/2022 Full Good 22/01/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1256134 3

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outstanding

Care planning in the home is excellent. The manager ensures that children’s support and care plans are child focused and regularly reviewed. Children’s complex health needs are well understood and safely managed by staff. The manager ensures that staff receive specialist training that is aligned to children’s health needs. One health professional said, ‘I feel [Name of child] health needs are being managed to an extremely high level’.

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outstanding

Staff support children to do well in education. They advocate strongly for children and when there are barriers to education, they support children to overcome them. When children do not access education full time, staff ensure that children take part in structured, learning activities throughout the day. This helps children to sustain their confidence in education and helps to prepare them for a return to full time education.

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outstanding

The manager has been influential in applying a research-based methodology that highlights the importance of children developing healthy attachments, genuine feelings of love and a sense of belonging. This has been instrumental in the development of stable and secure relationships between staff and children. One professional said, ‘they have a brilliant understanding of his needs, he knows he is cared for and knows he is loved by them.’

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outstanding

Children’s feelings are important to staff, along with their views and wishes. Staff spend considerable amounts of time with children, they go over and above to ensure that children feel valued and listened to. When asked their views about staff, one child said, ‘she listens to me, I like to write books and she lets me read them to her, she listens, she is interested in my books’. As a result of this, children’s self-esteem is developing significantly.

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outstanding

Staff promote individuality in the home and encourage children to explore their hobbies and interests. Children take part in a variety of different activities and events; they have regular opportunities to interact with other children, make new friends and have fun. Staff are enthusiastic about the experiences provided to children. One staff member said, ‘I love doing things that make the children feel happy, it’s easy to encourage them to take part in activities, as they really enjoy them’. As a result of this, children’s experience of living in the home is considerably enhanced.

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outstanding

Staff promote family time in line with children’s individual plans. They recognise that family time can sometimes be difficult for children and help them to work through any difficult feelings they may have. One parent said, ‘they support my child and are helping us to rebuild our relationship, they are very supportive’. Inspection report for children’s home: 1256134 4

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outstanding

Safeguarding in the home paramount. The manager ensures that highly effective planning takes place when assessing risk. She makes excellent use of her initiative and takes a shared approach, consulting regularly with external professionals and experts to ensure that the most suitable strategies are in place. As a result of this, children are helped to keep safe, and risks are significantly reduced.

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outstanding

There is a strong, positive, child focused, safeguarding culture in the home. The manager and staff know the children well and have an exceptional understanding of their vulnerabilities. Staff can dynamically identify any new risks and assess them appropriately, providing suitable strategies to protect children.

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outstanding

The staff team provide children with stability, consistency, and clear boundaries. Children respond positively to the rules and boundaries that are in place. This provides children with a safe and predictable environment to live in.

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outstanding

Children say they feel happy living in the home, they can identify trusted adults that they can talk to about any worries or concerns they may have. Children know how to make a complaint and can identify who to complain to if they were to ever have any concerns.

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outstanding

Positive behaviour is consistently promoted in the home. Staff are skilled in de- escalation and make excellent use of their relationships with children to support them to manage conflict and difficult feelings safely. As a result of this, staff have not had to hold children to keep them safe and incidents rarely occur in the home.

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outstanding

The home environment is warm and homely. The manager ensures that it is a safe and secure place for children to live and protects them from harm or the risk of harm. She regularly reviews the safety of the area and takes into consideration each child’s views when completing her assessments.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is inspirational, confident, and enthusiastic about the care that children receive. She leads by example and has been influential in creating a highly positive, loving, and nurturing home for children to live in.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager leads the team in a way that provides children with consistency and stability. Staff have a shared sense of ownership; they have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. When spoken to, staff share that they feel supported, valued and listened to, as a result of this, staff morale is exceptionally high.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager’s oversight of the home is exceptional, she is extremely reflective, resourceful, and open to learning. She has high expectations for the staff team, their Inspection report for children’s home: 1256134 5 development and she make excellent use of research to support the development of staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager takes a creative approach towards team meetings. They take place monthly and are valued meetings that provide staff with an open and reflective forum. The manager also regularly incorporates research-based training workshops into the meetings, this provides staff with additional opportunities to gain experience and develop their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has successfully developed effective partnership working with other professionals and family members. She is persistent in her approach and regularly holds others to account to ensure that all professionals work together in the best interests of children. One professional said, ‘she includes me in all emails to other professionals, she regularly escalates any concerns with the placing authority, she is really proactive and child focused.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 1256134 6

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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: 1256134 7

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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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Inspectors

Kimmy Feeley, Social Care Inspector Angeline Clarke, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1256134 8 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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