Children's Home run by Rockhopper Children’s Services Limited in Cheshire East

Inspection report for children’s home: 2648868 1 Registered provider: Kedleston (Wood Grove Childcare) Limited

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private organisation and is registered to care for up to five children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 22 June 2022.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2648868 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/05/2023 Full Good 05/07/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2648868 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Four children were living at the home at the time of the inspection. They all spoke to the inspectors. Since the last inspection, three children have left the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The environment is homely and furniture is in a good state of repair. Staff and children use communal areas to create a space where everyone can gather and participate in games that help forge positive relationships. Children’s bedrooms are well maintained and decorated in a way that gives them a sense of ownership of the house.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive care from a nurturing and friendly staff team, who know them well and are emotionally and physically available. Children feel comfortable to express their feelings and can rely on staff to respond sensitively. This helps children feel safe and secure.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have high aspirations for children to reach their academic potential and ensure that children have access to education provision that meets their needs. When children are struggling, staff work with educational professionals to consider how children’s school experience can be improved.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress towards their independence goals. Professionals working with the children have noticed a growth in their confidence. Children now take part in their review meetings, which means they can contribute to decisions about their care. The independent reviewing officer for one child praised the staff for their commitment to ensuring the child’s voice was heard.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children build and maintain connections with their family and friends. Staff understand any potential risks associated with these relationships and work jointly with external professionals to manage these. Since the last inspection, staff have advocated for one child to travel abroad to visit a family member. This was carefully planned, so that the child’s time with family was positive.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have many opportunities to share their views on the care they receive. Children’s meetings take place regularly and the manager ensures that children can consult with an independent advocate monthly. Staff routinely respond to children’s requests, demonstrating that their views are valued.

p.3

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

There is a strong safeguarding culture in the home that keeps children safe. All staff complete mandatory safeguarding training to ensure that they can protect children from harm. Risk assessments are detailed and include children’s known risks and vulnerabilities, while also setting out clear actions for staff to follow to reduce these risks. Inspection report for children’s home: 2648868 4 There are clear protocols for staff to follow when children go missing from home. This ensures that staff take effective action to locate children without delay. Return home interviews are offered to children by leaders and managers, so that children can speak openly about what led to them go missing.

p.3

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

There are clear recruitment checks in place for new staff. However, when staff have previously worked with children, the reason their employment ended has not always been verified.

p.4

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

Staff understand children’s adverse experiences and the effect these can have on their behaviour. Child-specific support plans, along with advice and guidance from the in- house clinical team, ensure that staff individualise their responses to children. Furthermore, staff regularly complete direct work with children to encourage positive social skills and behaviour.

p.4

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

Allegations against staff are reported swiftly to safeguarding partners. Leaders and managers ensure that a quick and transparent investigation takes place so that the risk of children being subjected to additional harm is reduced.

p.4

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

Incident records demonstrate that staff understand their roles and responsibilities to safeguard children. They are thorough and routinely reviewed by the manager to ensure that staff practice is effective. Measures to reduce further risk of harm are in place and communicated to children. However, leader and managers do not always ensure that when such measures are temporary, children understand when they will end.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management in the home is a key strength. The manager and deputy manager are skilled and experienced. They know the children well and maintain thorough oversight of their needs and progress. They are committed to providing children with a high standard of care. Consequently, staff are motivated to help children make progress in their lives.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have confidence in the management team and feel supported. Supervision takes place frequently, and records show that sessions are practice related and encourage staff reflection on all areas of their practice, to support their learning and development.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professional development of staff is supported and encouraged. Staff have access to a comprehensive training package to ensure that their skills and knowledge are up to date and relevant to meet children’s needs. In addition, staff can progress to senior positions in the organisation. However, the workforce development plan does not accurately reflect the training completed by the staff team.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management oversight of the home is of a high standard and leaders and managers have a good understanding of the home’s areas for development. The manager uses monitoring and quality assurance systems effectively. Incident records are detailed and include a through and reflective review by the manager. Children’s plans are Inspection report for children’s home: 2648868 5 individualised and provide a clear overview of their needs and any progress they have made. This ensures that outcomes for children continue to improve.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has formed positive and effective relationships with partners and works closely with them to ensure that children receive consistently good care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2648868 6

p.5

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that when a person has previously worked with children or vulnerable adults, they take reasonable steps to try and verify why the employment ended. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should ensure that the workforce development plan includes details of ongoing training that staff have completed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should ensure that children are informed about changes to their care plan and, when applicable, how long these changes will remain in place. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.10)

p.6

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: 2648868 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Kedleston (Wood Grove Childcare) Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 8, Brook Business Centre, Cowley Mill Road, Cowley, Uxbridge UB8 2FX

p.7

Inspectors

Chibuzo Otache, Social Care Inspector Dawn Walker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2648868 8 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.

p.7

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8