Children's Home run by ROC Northwest Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 1244287 1 Registered provider: ROC Northwest Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is one of several owned and managed by a private company. The home provides care for up to five children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were five children living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since January 2024 and is registered with Ofsted.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1244287 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/04/2024 Full Outstanding 31/05/2023 Full Outstanding 05/04/2022 Full Good 10/06/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 1244287 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children feel valued and heard. Staff advocate for children, ensuring that decisions made reflect not only their views, but their best interests. In one child’s experience, this has seen changes to medication to better their overall health and emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children have strong support networks that extend beyond the home. This is achieved through strong communication that ensures children’s individual needs are understood. Care plans are developed collaboratively, incorporating children’s voices and preferences, resulting in progress for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children feel safe, saying they have positive relationships with staff. One child said that the staff are outstanding, saying their support and the atmosphere they create goes beyond that of a home environment, describing it as a family experience. This was a shared experience by the other four children living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff celebrate children’s achievements, further motivating them. This has helped boost children’s self-esteem and commitment to progress in their learning. Achievements can be as small as achieving higher attendance at school in a week, to celebrating success in a piece of work. Children gain a sense of personal worth through staff acknowledging their success.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff are enthusiastic about providing good experiences and care for children. Children said staff go the extra mile to support them and make them feel settled. This has led to a calm environment where there are few incidents. One external professional said staff are excellent at establishing relationships with children. They understand children’s personalities and what works for individual children and excel in building on this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children attend education and have high attendance rates and academic achievements. Staff work closely with education leads to help children improve their skills, underscoring the effectiveness of the educational support provided. Education staff for some children said that they hear about activities in the home and that children say they have positive experiences with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff encourage children to engage in extra-curricular activities, promoting a well- rounded development. Children participate in local sports teams or arts programmes, which has led to increased confidence and social skills and enhancing children’s engagement and participation in daily routines.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff provide routines and boundaries for children. This enables children to understand what is expected of them, and what they can expect from staff. Children develop ways to manage their behaviour and make positive choices. Family members said the positive behaviour changes in their children have been fantastic to see, which is a credit to the efforts of staff building positive relationships. Inspection report for children’s home: 1244287 4 Children are supported to reflect on their experiences, promoting emotional growth and self-awareness. Staff adopt a therapeutic focus in the care they provide, often using questioning techniques during discussions that encourage children to explore their feelings and develop coping strategies.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children spend time with staff, looking over photo albums and discussing events they have experienced. They share their interests and excitement and laugh as they relive key moments that shape positive experiences for them.

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

Staff understand each child’s background and experiences, allowing them to tailor their approach effectively. Staff have adapted their interactions based on children’s individual histories, promoting a sense of belonging. Staff understand the children’s interests, personalities and needs.

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

Staff are skilled in managing complex behaviours, ensuring that every child’s safety is prioritised. Regular safeguarding drills are conducted using scenarios set by the manager. These strengthen the insight and response of staff during incidents. This effectively reduces children’s risk-taking behaviours.

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

Staff demonstrate exceptional commitment when a child goes missing, using extensive records and communication to locate them quickly. For example, staff coordinate a search involving local authorities and maintain communication with the child’s family until children return This has led to a reduction in incidents of children going missing.

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

Children have personalised risk assessments and positive behaviour plans that are regularly reviewed and updated. These support measurable progress for children, and staff can cite specific instances where adjustments to these plans have led to measurable improvements in behaviour, demonstrating their commitment to individualised care.

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

Staff engage children in discussions about risk, allowing them to learn from incidents. Staff facilitate group discussions to reflect on what happened and how to prevent similar situations in the future, reinforcing a culture of learning and safety. To further strengthen understanding of risk, the manager invites external services into the home to carry out learning sessions with children on a variety of topics.

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

Staff discuss the needs of children in staff meetings and professional meetings. The manager has also used case studies where partnership working with external agencies have led to significant progress for individual children, showcasing the effectiveness of this practice. In doing so, support is provided to children, with successful outcomes. Inspection report for children’s home: 1244287 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff regularly set and review personalised goals with children, ensuring that they are on track and motivated to succeed. This further strengthens children’s progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The leadership of the manager and deputy is recognised by staff as inspirational. Staff said that this leadership style encourages them to develop their skills and take initiative, resulting in improved care for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers ensure that staff learning is closely aligned with the needs of the children. This is evidenced by performance reviews that reflect both individual staff development and the measurable progress children make.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager carries out regular audits of case files, demonstrating transparency and accountability in relation to progress and timeliness of interventions, illustrating effective oversight and a genuine commitment to wanting children to succeed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is a stable staff team, offering continuity to children. Staff who have moved on remain involved with the home. One former member of staff said, ‘[Name of home] has something special,’ and they continue to return for bank shifts. Children’s familiarity with staff strengthens their overall experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive supervision that supports their professional and personal growth. Records of supervision sessions show goal-setting and reflective practice, resulting in enhanced staff performance, well-being and feeling valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager uses team meetings effectively as a forum for sharing experiences and insights with staff. For instance, notes from these meetings often highlight specific strategies that have proved effective in managing challenging behaviours, showcasing collective learning and consistent quality of care provided by staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff participate in continuous training programmes, ensuring their skills remain current, which is shown in the training records and certificates displayed in the office, reflecting a commitment to professional development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and deputy deliver effective communication and support, which staff acknowledge. Feedback from staff and external professionals includes high levels of satisfaction with leadership practices, recognising the positive impact on the overall environment and care of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

No requirements or recommendations were made as a result of this inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 1244287 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: 1244287 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: ROC Northwest Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 5th Floor, Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar EN6 1AG

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Inspector

Paul McKay-Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1244287 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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