Children's home run by Restorative Social Care Services Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2528634 1 Registered provider: Restorative Social Care Services Ltd 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 up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Two children were living in the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2022.

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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: 21 November 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2528634 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/11/2023 Full Good 02/11/2022 Full Good 02/02/2022 Full Good 20/11/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2528634 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are happy in this home and feel listened to. Staff use processes relevant to each child to make sure children’s views and wishes are sought. The inspectors spoke with both children, who were positive about the staff and the care that they receive. One child said, ‘I know the staff are there when I need them.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between children and staff are positive. The manager and staff speak warmly about the children and their personalities. They speak openly about how they care for the children and want what is best for them. Staff encourage children to achieve their goals, and staff are proud of these achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to be independent and make decisions regarding their lives. Children are given the emotional support and tools to identify healthy relationships and establish personal boundaries to promote their mental well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves in and out of the home are managed and planned well. Staff make sure these moves provide a positive experience for children. When moving into the home, children receive a bespoke welcome pack and a copy of the provider’s children’s guide. This helps children to feel welcome and feel that they belong.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home’s environment has the characteristic of a family home. Children’s bedrooms are personalised to them. The decor is modern, with new sofas and a modern kitchen. Children take part in the decoration of the whole home and express their creativity. There are a lot of photos on display throughout the home that reflect the children’s personalities and experiences. One child said that living in the home gives them a ‘warm feeling.’

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

Staff are nurturing towards children through emotionally difficult times. They work with external agencies to develop their understanding of children’s needs. This multi-agency working allows staff to implement strategies appropriate to a child’s individual needs. Room searches, physical interventions and police support are used as a last resort and are only used to keep children safe.

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

Children receive frequent key-work and individual work sessions to address risk, boundaries, and their well-being. Staff are creative in identifying the best times to carry out these sessions, ensuring they are meaningful for children and help to develop the child’s understanding of risk. These sessions support children to gain skills in keeping themselves safe and promoting their own mental well-being.

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

Leaders and managers carefully assess a child’s needs when they are moving into the home. The child’s initial risk assessment focuses on the staff’s ability to meet the child’s Inspection report for children’s home: 2528634 4 needs and considers the effect of the move for the individual child. However, for one child, compatibility with the children currently living at the home, and the effect of this move on them, was not considered effectively in the assessment.

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

The manager and staff understand children’s needs and risks. They can manage these successfully due to their skills and positive relationships with children. Risk assessments are regularly reviewed. They identify known individual risks to children and provide staff with clear guidance to reduce harm. However, on one occasion, not all relevant plans were identified and implemented, including plans that help children to evacuate the home during emergency situations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is enthusiastic about the children living in the home. She has a child- focused approach, and any decisions made focus on the best interests of the children. She has a good understanding of each child’s individual needs. She advocates for them in all aspects of their lives and will challenge other professionals to gain positive outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about the team and the morale in the home. Staff speak highly of the manager. One member of staff said, ‘The manager has created a supportive and caring environment for the children and for the staff.’ The manager recognises that the staff have limited previous experience and actively supports them with their professional development. Staff have opportunities to access additional training and complete relevant qualifications to support their roles, resulting in a team of staff members who are skilled and contribute to good outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision that includes reflection of practice and opportunities for personal support. The team meetings are frequent and give staff a safe space for group reflection. The focus of these meetings is the children, and the quality of care provided by staff. The manager has started to share some research and theory to enrich staff’s knowledge and practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staffing is stable and recruitment processes are thorough. The provider practises safer recruitment, with the manager having oversight of the process. The manager is aware of upcoming absences of staff and has appropriate plans in place to minimise the effect on children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s monitoring and reviewing systems are effective. She is very organised and has good oversight over all aspects of the home, including incident reports; these are detailed and reflective and are used to enhance the staff’s ability to care for children. There has been a significant decrease in incidents for some children because of the approach taken by the staff. Inspection report for children’s home: 2528634 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children’s moves into the home are planned and assessed effectively. This includes the manager’s initial assessment fully considering the impact that a child’s move into the home will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 56, paragraph 11.4)  The registered person should ensure that they continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. This is with specific reference to ensuring that all children can evacuate the home safely during an emergency. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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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: 2528634 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Restorative Social Care Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 69a Saddleworth Road, Halifax HX4 8AG

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Inspectors

Sarah McGow, Social Care Inspector Jo Cansfield, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2528634 7 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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