Children's Home run by ROC Northwest Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC464809 1 SC464809 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

A private provider operates this home. It is registered to provide care for up to five children who may experience social, emotional difficulties or have physical disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

Five children were living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has applied to register with Ofsted.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC464809 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/06/2023 Full Good 06/12/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/03/2022 Full Good 04/02/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC464809 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move into the home and out of the home, staff support them in a thoughtful and well-planned way. Staff are sensitive in their approach and do all they can to ensure that children have a positive experience. This helps to ease any worries or anxieties they may have.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is warm and welcoming. Children’s views, wishes and feelings have influenced the decoration of the home. This reflects children's personalities and interests throughout the home. However, the maintenance of children’s bedrooms is not prompt

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend school. For most children, school attendance levels have significantly improved. Managers and staff work well with educational professionals to promote the best outcomes for children. Staff are committed to getting the right help and support for children in school. When there are barriers to education, staff support children to overcome these.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views, wishes and feelings are important to staff. They spend time with children and know them well. Relationships between children and staff are positive, children feel valued and listened to. As a result of this, children can develop a sense of permanence and belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff carry out regular direct work with children. Staff make good use of resources and local information. This means discussions are informative and purposeful. However, written records do not always reflect the discussions that have taken place, or what children have learned.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to maintain links with their families and friends. They advocate for family to spend time at the home and enable children to see their families outside the home. Children trust that staff understand the importance of these key relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand and promote children's cultural and wider identity needs. They encourage children to treat others with dignity and respect. This helps to protect children’s self-identity and support them in developing awareness and understanding of others’ needs.

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

The manager and staff ensure that safeguarding is taken seriously. Staff understand the risks to each child and they are suitably trained. This means they know what action to take to ensure that children are kept safe. Inspection report for children’s home: SC464809 4 Staff use effective strategies to diffuse conflict and to support children to manage any difficult feelings they may have. Holding a child to keep them safe is used as a last resort. Incident records are detailed, and managers ensure that children are provided with an opportunity to talk after each incident. Staff are trained to use physical interventions. However, not all staff have had training in the same physical intervention techniques.

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

The staff team provide clear and consistent boundaries for children. This provides children with a safe and predictable environment. However, there have been some occasions when staff have lacked confidence to put this into practice.

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

When children go missing from home, staff follow agreed procedures by searching the local area and contacting family and friends. Managers ensure that missing from home support plans are in place and these are regularly reviewed. Staff and managers work closely in partnership with all professionals and external agencies to ensure children return home safely.

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

Children can identify a trusted adult 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. When complaints are made, they are taken seriously, and managers take appropriate action.

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

Investigations into allegations are responded to in line with statutory guidance. When investigations take place, these are completed by a suitably qualified and experienced manager. Learning outcomes are identified and actions are quickly put in place.

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

Effective recruitment procedures enable the careful selection and recruitment of new staff. This protects children from potentially unsafe adults.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, there have been changes to the management team, which led to a short period of instability. There is now a permanent manager in post who has applied to register with Ofsted. Before this, the responsible individual appointed an interim manager to oversee the running of the home. These arrangements have ensured continuity of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The interim manager has created a positive culture in the staffing team and staff morale. Staff say that they now feel supported, valued, and listened to. One staff member said, ‘I thought about leaving, but since the interim manager came, I changed my mind, she supports us and listens to us’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Regular audits and reviews have ensured staff and managers have a good understanding of children and their behaviours. However, when incidents occur, staff practice is not consistently reflected upon. This means that opportunities to support the development of staff practice are sometimes missed. Inspection report for children’s home: SC464809 5 The frequency and quality of supervisions have significantly improved. Appraisals are completed annually. However, they do not include the views of children and other professionals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have positive working relationships with external professionals and family members. One professional said, ‘I have definitely seen improvements in the communication since the change in management, it is more above and beyond’. This contributes towards children’s positive experiences in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The interim manager has provided the permanent manager with a detailed and comprehensive handover to the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC464809 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, 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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(v))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff have the confidence and skills to implement appropriate boundaries and expectations to consistently promote children’s wellbeing. 12 July 2024

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably; 12 July 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC464809 7 provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1) (2) (b)(vii)(viii)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all children’s bedrooms are maintained and decorated to an acceptable standard, including repairs to damage in a timely manner.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should include the views of the children and other professionals when completing appraisals with staff. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)  The registered person should ensure that all staff have been adequately trained in the principles of restraint and any restraint techniques appropriate to the needs of the children the home is set up to care for as defined in the home’s Statement of Purpose (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.57)  The registered person should ensure staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Specifically, this is in relation to clearer recording when completing direct work sessions. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality

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Recommendations

standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4’)  The registered person should ensure that when reviewing incidents where children have displayed risk taking behaviours, staff practice is also reflectively reviewed, to ensure that any possible learning outcomes are identified to support the development of staff practice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.23)

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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: SC464809 8

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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(s)

Kimmy Feeley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC464809 9 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(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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