Children's Home run by Rite Directions Limited in Kingston upon Hull

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1254316 1 Registered provider: Rite Directions Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and run by a private provider. It provides care for up to four children with learning disabilities. Two children were living in the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since 1 December 2024. An acting manager is in post and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector has looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1254316 2

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Findings from the inspection

Ofsted did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

Children enjoy living at the home and spending time with staff. Staff help children to have fun through a broad range of activities. Children get to choose the activities they like. These enjoyable experiences enable children to have fun and provide opportunities to learn social skills in unfamiliar surroundings.

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Findings from the inspection

Children know how to complain. Managers have undertaken work to ensure that the complaints process is accessible and easy to follow. One child said that they are confident the manager and staff will take any worries or concerns they have seriously.

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Findings from the inspection

Neither child attends formal education. Staff proactively provide an alternative learning programme, and one child receives education from a home tutor. This helps to hold education in a positive light while suitable school and college placements are found. However, managers are unsure if the materials that staff use to help children learn are aligned to their learning needs.

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Findings from the inspection

Children develop their independence skills. One child attends learning sessions away from the home and practices their skills in the home such as planning meals and cooking. Well managed routines give children structure to their day. As a result, children have better hygiene routines and are less anxious due to the sense of predictability. This is helping children grow in confidence and be more self-sufficient.

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Findings from the inspection

The trust children develop in staff deters them from feeling the need to be away from the home. This means missing from home incidents are rare.

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Findings from the inspection

Behaviour is well managed. Staff have helped children to develop better coping strategies when experiencing difficult emotions, leading to a reduction in the children’s risks. Managers have developed a positive and supportive culture that gives staff confidence to help the children’s behaviour when the need arises. As a result, physical intervention is rarely needed.

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Findings from the inspection

However, recordings of physical intervention incidents do not make it clear what the role of each staff member was during a hold. This limits the manager’s oversight of staff practice. Also, records do not fully align to the expectations of the regulations because it is not clear who completed the discussions with staff after the event.

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Findings from the inspection

The acting manager has had a postive impact since taking on her role. Well- organised monitoring supports her oversight of staff’s practice. She has ensured that staff have regular practice-related supervision and annual appraisals. Staff feel well supported by the acting manager and recognise the home as a ‘positive’ place to work. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1254316 3 There is sufficient space for children to live and relax. However, there are several areas around the home that need decorating or repair. Additionally, one child’s bedroom has an old rusty fireplace in it, which looks unsightly. The back garden is tired and due to be renovated. However, rubbish was seen throughout and there were various pieces of broken items that increase the risk for children. The door leading to the laundry area is locked, preventing children from accessing clothes washing facilities without staff permission.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff support one child to develop their independence skills by encouraging them to go into the community independently. However, they do not complete work to help the child understand the contextual risks of being away from the home, including the risk of unsafe people and criminal exploitation. This leaves the child increasingly vulnerable.

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Findings from the inspection

Managers share their concerns when they feel there is drift and delay in plans being arranged to meet the children’s needs. However, they do not follow an escalation policy that guides their practice when stronger challenge is needed. This limits the impact they can have on other agencies in the best interest of meeting the children’s needs.

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Findings from the inspection

A broad range of training is available for staff to develop their skills. However, there are several gaps. This includes training aligned to the children’s diagnosed needs. Encouragement by managers for staff to complete important training has not yielded the desired outcome.

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Findings from the inspection

An independent person visits the home each month to scrutinise the children’s safety and well-being. However, they do not speak with family members and interviews with staff are rare. This does not provide the manager with a thorough overview to inform them of shortfalls or for their development plan for the home. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1254316 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/05/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 17/05/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/08/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/05/2022 Full Inadequate Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1254316 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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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

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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)(a)(b) (2)(b)(vii)(c)(i)) 4 May 2025

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff educate children on the dangers and risks associated with child exploitation. 4 May 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1254316 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 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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)) 4 May 2025

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(i)(ii)(iv)) 4 May 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that restraint records enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. Records should describe what each staff member does during a restraint and record who completes debriefs with staff after incidents. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)  The registered person should ensure that the independent person interviews members of staff and parents as part of their visits, to help them make a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home's arrangements for safeguarding and Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1254316 7 promoting the welfare of the children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they understand their role in challenging other professionals when services do not meet the needs of children. In particular, how to escalate complaints. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 12, paragraph 2.8)  The registered person should ensure that they seek guidance from education professionals to ensure that the education resources used to help children learn align to the children’s learning needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 27, paragraph 5.11) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1254316 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

Aaron Mcloughlin, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1254316 9 to 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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