Children's Home run by Strive House Ltd in Rochdale

Inspection report for children’s home: 2771409 1 Registered provider: Strive House Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The post for a registered manager is vacant.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children are not protected and their welfare is not promoted. The care and experiences of children are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2771409 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The child’s safety, progress and experiences have been compromised due to ineffective management oversight and poor safeguarding practice. Due to these significant concerns, Ofsted took immediate action to ensure that children are safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The child’s move into the home was not well planned. Leaders and managers have not considered the child’s individual risks and vulnerabilities alongside the skills and experience of the staff team. This has led to significant shortfalls in the child’s overall experiences and the quality of care they have received.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The team has not sought to establish positive links with the child’s family. This has impacted on communication and the sharing of information. Staff were not aware that the child has been in regular contact with family members and receiving money from them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

There are concerns about substance misuse and the child smoking cannabis in their bedroom. Action taken by staff carrying out room searches has not been effective. As a result, these incidents have continued. Cannabis was present in the child’s bedroom and staff confirmed that the child has been smoking in their bedroom on a regular basis. There is limited evidence to demonstrate that individual work has been carried out with the child to help them understand the risks associated with substance misuse and the impact on their emotional, mental and physical well-being. As a result, these incidents have continued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Discussions take place to support and educate the child. However, these have not focused on important topics for the child, such as the impact and dangers of e-cigarettes, supporting emotional well-being and a healthy sleep routine. These are missed opportunities to educate the child and improve their overall health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Despite the shortfalls identified, staff have supported the child to understand their health needs and attend some health appointments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The child has been encouraged to have fun and engage in a variety of activities and experiences. Since living in the home, the child has enjoyed go-karting, bowling and going to the cinema.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Overall, the home is furnished to a good standard. However, there is limited evidence that the child has been encouraged to finish personalising their bedroom. Redecoration is incomplete, and a broken wardrobe has not been replaced in a timely manner. This does not provide the child with a homely environment. Inspection report for children’s home: 2771409 3

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

Leaders and managers are not operating the home in a way that is consistent with the aims outlined in the statement of purpose.

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

Risk management in the home is not robust, and risk and behaviour support plans are of poor quality. Records do not contain all known and emerging risks for the child and do not provide staff with clear guidance to manage risks and vulnerabilities safely and effectively. In addition, they have not been updated following several significant incidents, such as the child barricading themselves in the home, causing damage and being unsafe in the car.

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

Not all staff have received training in supporting the specific needs of the child. This includes knife crime and substance misuse. This means that some staff do not have the skills needed to keep the child safe.

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

Behaviour management in the home is not effective. There are significant gaps in staff attending behaviour management training. This has resulted in several incidents in the home not being managed effectively. On two occasions, police have been called to manage the child’s behaviour. This does not demonstrate to the child that staff are able to keep them safe.

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

Consequences are not recorded in line with regulation. Leaders and managers have not evaluated consequences for their effectiveness and have issued financial consequences on more than one occasion. When presented with behaviours that are challenging, leaders and managers increased the child’s pocket money and did not recognise this as poor, ineffective behaviour management and counterproductive for the child.

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

Following serious incidents, leaders and managers have not submitted notifications to Ofsted. This significantly impacts the regulator’s oversight of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The leadership and management arrangements for the home are inadequate. The home registered in May 2024, and the manager left their post before the first full inspection. There is currently no registered manager. The day-to-day management arrangements do not ensure that staff are provided with effective leadership and guidance to implement clear boundaries to meet the needs of the child living in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not understand the impact that the quality of care has had on the child’s progress and experiences. They do not have effective systems in place to oversee practice in the home and the care provided to the child. Oversight and monitoring systems are ineffective, and staff lack an understanding of their roles and responsibilities. The child’s needs are not being met and their safety is compromised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Recording practices are poor and incident records do not provide sufficient detail to Inspection report for children’s home: 2771409 4 enable oversight of practice in the home. Records are not written in a child-centred way. They contain numerous anomalies and are not signed by the author.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

As this is a newly registered home, the staff team is new and is made up of staff who have varied experience. Much of the training takes place online, with some staff completing several courses in one day. Leaders and managers have not challenged this or assessed the staff’s knowledge and understanding of the training and how they will implement their learning into practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The provider has failed to appoint an independent person to carry out a regulatory visit, despite the home being registered with Ofsted since May 2024. This is a clear regulatory breach and significantly impacts the regulator’s oversight of practice in the home and the safety of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The statement of purpose does not detail the skills and experience of the staff team. This document has not been shared with Ofsted following its review, to clarify the change in management of the home. Consequently, the regulator does not have accurate information about staff working in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2771409 5

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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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that staff have the skills and experience to understand their responsibilities to safeguard children. A dditionally, ensure that children’s plans contain all known risks and vulnerabilities. They must be reviewed regularly and detail clear guidance for staff to follow to keep children safe. 4 October 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2771409 6 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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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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)(a)(b)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that staff have completed all identified training to safeguard children and meet their individual needs before they move into the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that they review and evaluate all incidents to identify any learning and to support and develop practice in the home. 4 October 2024

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. 4 October 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2771409 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that only children whose needs can be met move into the home.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(v)(ix)) 4 October 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2771409 8 Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that the children’s behaviour management plans detail specific steps for staff to take to support children should an incident occur. Additionally, children must be supported to explore and understand their emotions and utilise alternative effective strategies.

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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 personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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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;

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

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that work planned for children is proactive and individual to the child’s needs. In addition, children should be provided with appropriate furniture and decoration in their bedrooms. 4 October 2024

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the child; 4 October 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2771409 9 details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that consequences are restorative, written in accordance with the regulation and evaluated for effectiveness.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the matter; 4 October 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2771409 10 the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that Ofsted is made aware of significant incidents in the home and that the information shared is factually accurate.

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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

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Requirement Due date

HMCI. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(b) (4)(a)(b) (7)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that an independent person is appointed to visit the home at least once a month and that the reports are shared with Ofsted. 4 October 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date; and 4 October 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2771409 11 are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that all records are signed and dated by the author. Additionally, all staff must be familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that the statement of purpose details the experience and qualifications of staff. Additionally, revised copies of the statement of purpose must be shared with Ofsted. 4 October 2024

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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: 2771409 12

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Strive House Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Ashton Old Baths, Stamford Street West, Ashton-under- Lyne OL6 7FW

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Inspector

Kelly McCurdy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2771409 13 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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