Children's Home run by New Roots Children’s Services Limited in St Helens

Inspection report for children’s home: 1277656 1 Registered provider: New Roots Children’s Services 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

This privately run home provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in June 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children were living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 14 February 2024

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1277656 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/02/2024 Full Good 06/03/2023 Full Good 15/03/2022 Full Good 11/03/2020 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 1277656 3

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outstanding

The home is extremely welcoming, friendly and safe. Children benefit from a consistent and nurturing approach to care from staff, which is an ethos that permeates throughout the staff team. Children’s achievements are celebrated through photos and life-story work. In preparation for one child moving into the home, a member of staff purchased a light-up model of a mosque, which recognised and celebrated the child’s culture.

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outstanding

Children are attending education and making good progress. Where children are not in full-time education, staff ensure that they have informal provision in place. The assistant manager and registered manager advocate for children to ensure that children have provision that meets their specific needs.

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outstanding

Staff excel at prioritising the well-being of the children. Staff build trusting and meaningful relationships with the children, which ensures that their emotional, physical and mental health needs are met.

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outstanding

Children’s moves in and out of the home are extremely well considered and managed. When new children move into the home, their needs are appropriately considered against those of the children already living in the home and the skills of the staff team. As a result, children’s needs are well met, and the home is able to provide long-term placements for children.

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outstanding

One unaccompanied asylum-seeking child moved into the home after they fled their home country. The child moved into the home following a thorough matching process. The manager took great care to translate the child’s paperwork into Pashto, their native language. The staff ensured that they established a relationship with the local mosque in preparation for the child moving into the home. Staff also ensured that they had a copy of the Qur’an and a prayer mat ready for the child’s arrival. This is a powerful example of how the home quickly establishes secure, trusting relationships to provide children with a safe space.

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outstanding

Children’s existing and emerging health needs are fully met. This is significant progress from their starting point, when their health needs were not being met. Children now attend all routine health appointments and reviews. As a result, children have better-informed healthcare.

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outstanding

Comprehensive risk assessments are compiled, with contributions from all those involved in children’s lives. These risk assessments include potential triggers to Inspection report for children’s home: 1277656 4 challenging behaviour and strategies that staff can use to manage behaviour. This enables staff to meet children’s needs and promote their safety. The risk assessments are reviewed by a psychologist to ensure that they are reflective of the child’s mental and emotional health needs.

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outstanding

Safeguarding incidents are rare, and when they do occur, staff respond in a timely, confident and considered way. Safeguarding processes are followed, and relevant people are notified of safeguarding concerns.

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outstanding

Children receive strong positive behaviour support from the staff who care for them, which is most evident in the love and attention given to each child. Staff regularly offer praise to children for their achievements or simply for being themselves. This approach helps children build self-awareness and self-esteem, which in turn fosters positive behaviour development.

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outstanding

Physical interventions have not been used since the last inspection, primarily due to the home’s caring approach. Staff are encouraged to use all available distraction or de-escalation techniques to prevent the need for physical intervention.

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outstanding

The manager ensures that practice is informed by research. This ensures that the service is evolving in line with emerging theoretical approaches and best practice. This includes developing a trauma-informed environment, language and evaluation. This has ensured that children make exceptional progress from their starting point.

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outstanding

Staff use proactive and creative practice to enable children to work through their significant and complex trauma. The registered manager ensures that children have access to consistent and highly trained staff to help them work through and share their lived experience. This has been instrumental in helping children understand their past trauma. The home has a clinical psychologist employed, which ensures that the work they do is underpinned by clear evidence-based therapy and practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers create an environment where staff are enabled to work confidently and consistently with high levels of autonomy. Staff have high aspirations for their own development and the work they undertake with the children. This drives a culture of professionalism and provides exceptionally high standards of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff team benefits from leadership that puts the care and love of children above everything else. Staff say that they are consistently encouraged to create a nurturing environment where children are free to be who they want to be.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There are robust monitoring and review systems in place. The registered manager reviews all records on a regular basis. There are systems in place to ensure that all placing local authority care plans and other important records are clearly accessible. When placing authority records are not provided, leaders and managers escalate Inspection report for children’s home: 1277656 5 this. The registered manager reviews and records the progress made by children each month .

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers know the strengths and areas for development of the service well. The registered manager has created a learning environment where practice is constantly scrutinised to ensure that it meets their high standards. There is clear evidence when records or processes are amended in a proactive way, which shows that the registered manager anticipates change rather than simply reacting to issues as they arise.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff have access to a wide range of training, which ensures that they care for the children safely and consistently. Staff training is specific to the needs of the children living at the home. Staff are trained in trauma-informed language and practice. This demonstrates that staff consistently develop their knowledge and skills to help them in their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

No requirements or recommendations were made following this inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 1277656 6

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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: 1277656 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Roots Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 139 Stoney Lane, Rainhill, Prescot L35 9JY

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Inspector

James Meeks, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1277656 8 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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