Children's Home run by The Rubix Care Group Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2800482 1 Registered provider: The Rubix Care Group Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home registered with Ofsted in October 2024 and is owned and managed by a private company. It provides care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2024.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2800482 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child living in the home has been supported to make consistent progress by a caring and nurturing staff team. Before moving in, the child was visited by staff on several occasions and was positively welcomed into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has developed trusted relationships with staff who understand their needs well. The child says they enjoy living in the home and like all the staff. Staff offer age- appropriate guidance and help the child learn practical skills, such as cooking and budgeting.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is encouraged to achieve good physical health and emotional well-being, and staff ensure that their health needs are met. Staff encourage the child to attend their regular health appointments. The child is a keen runner, and staff encourage them to be active and make healthy choices.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage the child to participate in activities and develop hobbies based on their interests. The child has a large Lego collection, and staff assist the child in constructing it while also helping them think of creative ways to expand their collection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When barriers to attending education are identified, staff work effectively with external agencies to find a solution that works best for the child and appropriately challenge any delays. As a result, the child is now attending a suitable education provision and has plans in place for further education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home layout has been modified to offer the child time alone if needed, and it is generally well decorated. However, some areas require further decoration to maintain the overall warm feeling of the home.

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

There has been a significant reduction in incidents in the home, and the child’s needs are well known and understood by staff. The child is encouraged to contribute to their plans and express how they wish to be supported by staff.

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

Risk assessments are detailed and regularly updated to reflect any new or emerging risks. Assessments provide strategies for staff to use to help them manage and reduce risks. Staff know how to respond to risks and behaviours in line with the child’s plans.

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

Staff work closely with external agencies to ensure consistency and continuity of care for the child. The child’s independent reviewing officer said, ‘Everything has been really positive so far, and [name of child] has settled in well.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2800482 3 Incidents resulting in physical intervention have decreased, and the child is only held by staff as a last resort. However, the registered manager has not always communicated with the child or staff in a timely manner following a restraint.

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

Since moving to the home, the child has been supported in making one complaint, and the matter was appropriately investigated and addressed. However, on two occasions, staff did not fully explore a concern raised by the child, and this was a missed opportunity to develop staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager is not currently in the home due to illness. However, a suitably qualified and experienced manager is overseeing the home and providing support to the child and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff are provided with a wide range of training to meet the child’s needs. The manager is proactive in sourcing relevant training and encourages staff to regularly access this to develop their knowledge and understanding of the child’s needs and the risks they face.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Team meetings are used as an opportunity to share information, reflect on staff practice and identify what works well for the child. Staff say that they have many opportunities during regular team meetings to develop their learning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The interim manager is a visible presence in the home and has introduced new systems to review and monitor practice. However, the registered manager has not consistently used reviewing and monitoring systems to identify areas for development and to improve practice in the home. Staff have not consistently been supported to reflect on their practice, and management oversight of incidents has often been poor or ineffective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff have not always received consistent supervision in line with the home’s statement of purpose. These shortfalls in management oversight were not identified by senior leaders. Inspection report for children’s home: 2800482 4

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Statutory requirements

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

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Requirement Due date

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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(b) (2)(a)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that:

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Requirement Due date

staff consistently provide care that meets the home’s ethos as outlined in the statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

any learning opportunities resulting from incidents are identified and shared with the staff team;

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring and review systems are used to improve the quality of care and ensure that it is delivered consistently across the staff team. 23 June 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 23 June 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2800482 5 within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that:

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Requirement Due date

all staff involved in a restraint are spoken to and have confirmed that the record is accurate;

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Requirement Due date

the child is spoken to within five days and that their views are clearly recorded and used to develop practice.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that all staff receive regular practice-related supervision within the timescales outlined in the home’s statement of purpose. 23 June 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all staff encourage and support the child to express any concerns about their care or other matters as soon as they arise. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.13)  The registered person should ensure that the home decor reflects that of a homely, domestic environment and is finished and maintained to a high standard. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report for children’s home: 2800482 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: 2800482 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Rubix Care Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 1 Cottam Lane Business Centre, Cottam Lane, Ashton-on-Ribble, Preston PR2 1JR

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Inspector

Justina Henry, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2800482 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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