Children's Home run by The Rubix Care Group Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2785104 1 Registered provider: The Rubix Care Group Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It offers care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in May 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living in 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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2785104 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are a constant source of positivity for the child who lives in the home. The child has positive relationships with staff and can identify adults they trust. The child enjoys a range of activities with staff in the community. Staff encourage the child to try new experiences. As a result, the child’s confidence, self-esteem and resilience are increasing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s views, wishes and feelings are listened to and acted on by staff. The child is involved in creating their care plans, and staff keep the child informed of the reasons decisions have been made about their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that the child’s health needs are met. There are clear plans in place with guidance for staff to follow. Staff support the child to attend routine health appointments. They cook healthy, balanced meals and encourage physical activities. This is helping the child to lead a healthy lifestyle.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively support the child to apply for further education and employment. Staff ensure that the child has an understanding of the range of educational and employment options available to them. This enables them to make an informed decision about their future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has a comprehensive programme in place that promotes building important life skills they will require when moving on from the home. Staff are alert to the challenges the child will face when living independently and are working collaboratively with the child and their placing authority to plan for this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise and understand the importance of the child spending time with people who are important to them. The child’s friends and family are welcomed into the home. Due to the progress made while living in the home, the child now enjoys overnight stays, spending quality time with family members.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is a warm and welcoming environment. The child’s bedroom is personalised to reflect their individual tastes and interests. Any maintenance issues are quickly addressed.

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

Before children come to live at the home, the registered manager carries out a risk assessment. This identifies known risks for the child and considers the staff’s skills and experience to meet their needs. The registered manager includes consultation with the child’s placing authority and external professionals to inform the assessment. As a result, all matching considerations for the child are appropriately evaluated. Inspection report for children’s home: 2785104 3 Equality, diversity and inclusion are promoted in the home. This includes celebrating the child’s religious holidays and visiting places of worship. Staff challenge any discriminatory or radical views and educate the child to develop their knowledge and understanding of culture, identity and difference. As a result, the child is building positive friendship groups and enjoying quality time with friends.

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

Staff use praise, rewards and incentives with the child to encourage positive behaviour. Staff have an excellent understanding of the child’s needs and how best to communicate with them. As a result, no consequences have been required and there have been no instances where staff have held the child to manage their behaviour.

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

There have been no occasions when the child has been missing from the home. Instances of the child going missing from home have been a concern for the child before living in this home.

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

The presenting risks for the child have reduced since living in the home. The child’s individual risk assessments are detailed, and safety plans include guidance for staff to follow. However, updates to risk assessments are not always accessible to staff. This means that staff do not have access to accurate records to inform their care of the child.

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

Leaders and managers do not always follow safer recruitment processes. Leaders and managers did not ensure that overseas employment history was suitably checked for one member of staff before they worked in the home. This does not ensure that only suitable people work with the child in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is a child-centred leader who knows the child well. She is committed to providing good-quality care to the child and has high expectations of staff. She understands the child’s needs and is aspirational for the child’s future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that they are well supported by the manager, who is approachable. Staff describe being ‘valued’ and say that they enjoy coming to work. When staff are new to the home, the registered manager provides them with an experienced mentor to support their learning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Partner agencies and family members say that the registered manager communicates very well with them. The registered manager shares relevant information to keep professionals and family members well informed of the child’s progress and advocates on their behalf when she feels their needs are not being met. Professionals said that the staff are providing excellent care for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff communicate well with each other and provide consistent care for the child. Staff are provided with a wide range of training, including specific courses to meet the child’s individual needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2785104 4 Staff say that they benefit from supervision. However, the records of these sessions do not evidence that detailed discussions have taken place about the child or any learning and development needs. This is a missed opportunity for staff to discuss the quality of care that they provide to the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2785104 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 registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(d)) 4 March 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure that staff have the necessary knowledge and skills to safeguard children. This includes ensuring that staff have access to children’s up-to-date risk assessments and that staff’s skills in safeguarding are regularly refreshed and recorded. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.12)

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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: 2785104 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Rubix Care Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 1 Cottam Lane Business Centre, Cottam Lane, Ashton-on-Ribble, Preston, Lancashire PR2 1JR

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Inspector

Leanne Carr, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2785104 7 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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