Children's Home run by Rite Directions Limited in Derbyshire

Inspection report children's home: 2616704 1 Registered provider: Rite Directions Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

The home is owned by a private company. It provides care for up to three children who may require support with emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The registered manager’s post is vacant.

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Information about this children's home

Three children lived at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 2616704 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/08/2023 Full Good 11/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/01/2022 Full Good Inspection report children's home: 2616704 3

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improvement to be good

The staff provide children with an adequate standard of care. Staff work hard to form relationships with children who value their support. Children feel able to approach staff and ask for their help. Staff are nurturing and patient in their approach and ensure that children understand what is being asked of them.

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improvement to be good

Staff build positive relationships with children quickly resulting in trusted relationships with staff. This helps children to settle quickly. Since moving to the home, children have been supported with a period of stability.

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improvement to be good

Children’s health needs are met. All children are registered with the appropriate health care services. The children can choose which foods they want to eat. Staff are working with health professionals to support a child who has a specific medical condition.

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improvement to be good

Staff prioritise children’s education and most children go to school daily. The manager is realistic about the challenge of other children returning to school. However, in preparation for a return to education, children have personal tutoring, and the staff actively engage the child in learning through activities in the community and at home.

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improvement to be good

When it is assessed and appropriate to do so, children are supported to see people who matter to them. Staff support children to spend time with their family. The staff understand the children’s experiences, and that family time is important to them.

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improvement to be good

Children have access to an advocate. This means that children have the option of speaking to an adult who is independent of the home.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have failed to make the home a nurturing and homely environment. There is little evidence of any change or development to the children’s bedrooms since the last inspection. At this inspection bedrooms had extensive marks on walls, and one bedroom had no curtains or blind for privacy.

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improvement to be good

Staff have failed to report concerns they have about children in a timely manner. This resulted in a delay in managers being able to investigate concerns and take any action they needed to keep children safe.

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improvement to be good

Children’s needs are such that they require close supervision. Therefore, they do not go missing on a regular basis. Children are safe when they are online as staff have strategies in place to monitor the content that the children are viewing. Inspection report children's home: 2616704 4 When children do go missing from care, records are not always made. This means that patterns of risk cannot be monitored, and the risk may not be understood, and interventions put in place to keep children safer.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not make adequate records of important conversations with children. This means that staff have not identified areas of risk, and that information about children’s care is not shared with a manager.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers recognise the importance of a coordinated response to children’s safety planning. There is a holistic approach to this, with a multi-disciplinary working relationship, for example around managing allegations.

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improvement to be good

The manager has reviewed the safer recruitment processes. Some changes have been made and the process is now stronger. This helps to ensure that only adults who have been assessed as safe to work with children are employed in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There have been changes in the management at the home. The registered manager left in April 2024. Since that period there were interim arrangements. There is currently no manager. This has meant that the staff team lacks leadership, guidance and stability, impacting on the effectiveness of monitoring the children’s care. However the provider has now identified a manager who is waiting to begin their employment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers oversight of the home is inadequate. They are unaware of some aspects of staff practice. This includes staff not understanding essential documents relating to children. Additionally, leaders and manager do not have a system that demonstrates what they have reviewed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff have not yet received elements of essential training to meet the needs of the children. Staff have not had training in how to support children with their mental health, for instance understanding depression and anxiety. The provider describes these as mandatory. Children therefore have not received individualised care and support to meet their complex needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have not provided all staff, including senior staff with regular supervision. This process allows for staff’s competence and knowledge of children to be reviewed and is a missed opportunity to support staff with guidance and support that contributes to their professional development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff work in partnership with external agencies to ensure that the children receive the support they need. Professionals are of the view that the children are making progress and communication from the staff at the home is described as good.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home is not yet adequately staffed. They currently use several staff employed from an agency. Although these agency staff are sometimes regular and known to the children, others are new to children and creates inconsistency. Inspection report children's home: 2616704 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, 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 registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children's home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and the registered provider—

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to no manager, or registered manager in post. 22 November 2024

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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; 22 November 2024 Inspection report children's home: 2616704 6 have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home's child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to no records of children when missing from home.

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Requirement Due date

This relates to staff delaying sharing their concerns with a manager about a child making an allegation.

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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 promotes their welfare.

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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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home's workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)) 22 November 2024 Inspection report children's home: 2616704 7 This relates to managers not ensuring that all staff have completed mandatory training.

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Requirement Due date

This relates managers not ensuring that all staff, including senior staff have regular supervision.

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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 promotes their welfare.

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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

This relates to managers not maintaining the homes environment, specifically in relation to children's bedrooms.

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Requirement Due date

This relates to managers not having an overview of the medication administration process. 22 November 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the homes policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a no-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that is helpful to the child. ('Guide to children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 62, paragraph 14.4).

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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 children's home: 2616704 8

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Rite Directions Ltd

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Tan Y Marian, Constitution Hill, Penmaenmawr LL34 6BA

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Inspector

Simon Hunter, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2616704 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

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Inspector

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Inspector

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