Children's home run by ROC Family Time Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2517184 1 Registered provider: ROC Family Time Limited

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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 and run by a private company. It provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There were three children living at the home at the time of the inspection. The inspector spoke to and observed all three children during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2025.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2517184 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/03/2024 Full Good 28/03/2023 Full Good 12/01/2022 Full Good 12/02/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 2517184 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress from their starting points. Staff make efforts to build positive relationships and offer them consistency, helping them to understand routines and boundaries. Children are treated with dignity and respect. As a result, children develop positive relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s transitions into and on from the home are managed effectively. Staff make efforts to understand the children’s likes and dislikes and sensitively plan moves, even when they are short notice. This helps children to experience positive beginnings in the home. When children move to the home, they are given a welcome guide. However, the guide is not adapted to the children’s individual needs. This prevents some children from fully accessing important information.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff advocate for children to attend the right learning environment that will benefit them. Some children experience barriers to school attendance. When this is the case, the manager works with school staff to understand these barriers and support children to learn in other ways. This helps to minimise disruption and gaps in children’s education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are important to the staff, and meetings take place regularly. This gives children opportunities to discuss important issues and helps staff communicate information with children. This helps children to feel their views are valued. Staff collate photos into beautiful albums, which gives children a valuable resource of memories to help them look back on their time in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some areas of the home require decoration and maintenance work, impacting on the homely environment. The manager has plans to make improvements. However, this work has yet to commence.

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

Staff understand children’s individual risks and vulnerabilities. Children’s safety plans are thorough and reviewed regularly. Any new information in plans is communicated effectively with the team. This means staff have the right information to help them know what action to take to keep children safe.

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

When bullying incidents occur in the home, staff work with all children concerned to help them understand positive relationships. Staff offer mediation to resolve any issues between children. Responses are proportionate and reflected in children’s safety plans. This helps children to understand the impact their behaviour may have on others. Inspection report for children’s home: 2517184 4 When allegations occur in the home, the manager responds quickly and proportionately to the level of risk and follows the organisation’s safeguarding procedures. This helps to keep children safe. It gives them confidence to share their worries and that they are taken seriously.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff follow agreed protocols to locate and return them safely home. Children are warmly welcomed on their return home. Staff help them reflect on reasons why they were missing. However, some records are not written in a way that is helpful to the child. Furthermore, staff responses to children in crisis have not considered the impact on other children in the home. This prevents children from feeling safe in times of crisis.

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

Only two physical interventions have been used. On one occasion, the child was not offered an advocate in line with the organisation’s policy. This prevents children from speaking to someone independent about restrictive practices being used. Some consequences given in response to unwanted behaviour are punitive in nature. The new manager has recognised this and made improvements to the way consequences are understood and used by the team. This has resulted in a reduction in the number of consequences given to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a change in the staffing and management arrangements in the home since the last inspection. The new manager is enthusiastic about maintaining stability and improving outcomes for children. Leaders and managers have a strong presence in the home, often providing cover when staff numbers have been low. This has helped to mitigate any impact of staffing changes on the children and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is knowledgeable about the therapeutic approach used in the home and actively shares relevant training and resources with staff. She is committed to developing the team and driving forward an ethos of accountability among staff. As a result, staff feel empowered in their roles and hold the manager in high regard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses effective monitoring and review systems to identify areas for development. She acts quickly to address shortfalls in practice and helps staff to understand why improvements are necessary. Staff have champion roles, which help them to understand and implement key functions in the home and allow the manager to delegate tasks to staff to support their development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervisions and team meetings take place regularly and give staff opportunities to reflect on their practice and the progress of children. Staff are positive about working in the home. One member of staff said, ‘I feel really supported; it’s not like work, it’s like a home from home.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The review of the premises is completed and regularly reviewed. However, the manager has not involved local agencies to identify and consider all factors. This Inspection report for children’s home: 2517184 5 prevents the manager from making an informed evaluation of the suitability of the premises. Inspection report for children’s home: 2517184 6

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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 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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(viii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff have the skills and knowledge to identify when children are at risk of harm. 20 May 2025

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who— 20 May 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2517184 7 take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

is given appropriate advocacy support. (Regulation 7 (1)(c) (2)(b)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children are offered independent advocacy in line with their policies and procedures.

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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

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)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the home is adequately maintained and offers children a homely environment in which to live. 20 May 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff record information in a non- stigmatising way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that information in the children’s guide to the home is presented in a way which considers each child’s communication and Inspection report for children’s home: 2517184 8 cognitive abilities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.8)  The registered person should ensure that they review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home. The review should include identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location. The registered person should ensure that they consult with appropriate local services as set out in Children’s homes regulations amendments 2014. (‘Guide to the

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Recommendations

Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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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: 2517184 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: ROC Family Time Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hope House, Burnhope, Newton Aycliffe, Durham DL5 7ER

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Inspector

Mark Cryer, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2517184 10 and inspects 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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